The Root with Marcel & Rudi

Marcel Berger & Rudi Khoury
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The Root with Marcel and Rudi Real business problems. Practical solutions. Building is tough. Scaling is tougher. Marcel Berger (entrepreneur, Mummu Cycling) and Rudi Khoury (Chief Digital Officer, Fisher & Paykel) bring startup grit and enterprise smarts to help you cut through the noise and grow what matters. Each week, they dig into the real reasons businesses get stuck—and how to fix them. From live problem-solving sessions to sharp insights from leaders in business and sport, this is where strategy meets action. No jargon. No fluff. Just tools that work.

Episodes

  1. 09/11/2025

    Eva's Evolution: From Mattresses to Omnichannel Furniture and ERP Headaches

    GETTING TO THE ROOT WITH EVA.COM.AU FURNITURE FOUNDERS Hosts: Rudi Khoury & Marcel Berger Guests: Amanda Niu (ex-neuropsychologist) & Ken Lau (ex-engineer), Eva Furniture founders KEY TOPICS Business Evolution: Online mattress retailer (2017) → Full furniture range + physical showrooms (2025) ERP Implementation Challenge: Replacing homegrown “Garage” system Managing complex modular product logistics across 5 warehouses Integration of freight, inventory, CRM, planning, and finance Counter-Traditional Retail Strategy: Digital-to-physical expansion driven by customer demand Showrooms designed as homes, not sales floors Physical retail as growth accelerant, not limitation Customer-First Product Development: 30% return customer rate (industry-beating) Deliberate launch delays to ensure product perfection Round-table feedback and in-office testing protocols STANDOUT INSIGHTS ERP described as “sucking the soul out” but essential for scaling Modular sofa management = “hell” without proper systems Technology split: Centralized ERP core + flexible marketing stack Bootstrapped origins created disciplined, sustainable growth mindset BUSINESS IMPACT Ken projects ERP implementation will enable 2-3× business growth without proportional increase in operational costs. CONNECT & SHARE Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube Follow: @listentotheroot across all platforms Website: therootpodcast.com Guest: Matt Bates Hosts: Marcel Berger | Rudi Khoury Tags: #DataStrategy #Construction #BusinessIntelligence #DecisionMaking Share link: therootpodcast.com/data-gridlock Newsletter: therootpodcast.com/subscribe © 2025 The Root Podcast

    41 min

  2. 09/11/2025

    What makes the cycling business different, with Ben Robinson

    CYCLING INDUSTRY’S E-COMMERCE PROBLEM Hosts: Rudi Khoury & Marcel Berger Guest: Ben Robinson (E-commerce expert, former Shopify, based in Singapore) CORE PROBLEM The cycling industry is drowning in digital transformation failures while other sectors thrive. Why? KEY BLOCKERS IDENTIFIED Product-obsessed, customer-blind approach: Engineering trumps user experience Tech specs overshadow actual rider needs Brutal entry barriers for new cyclists: Impenetrable jargon Fit complexity Overwhelming product options Zero standardization across brands Channel conflict paralyzing brands: Fear of alienating bike shops blocks DTC innovation No direct customer relationship = zero usable data Middle-men controlling the entire customer journey Logistics nightmare: Shipping large boxes of “air” = prohibitive costs Assembly burden falls on confused customers UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITIES Southeast Asia explosion: Active lifestyles + government incentives + economic growth = perfect storm Brands missing the fastest-growing global market Localization as competitive edge: Not just translation—payment methods, cultural context, end-to-end experience Trust-building trumps technology every time Secondary market leverage: Bikes as assets, not consumables Predictable resale value drives upgrade behavior Repeat purchases activated through smart secondary market strategies PROVEN SOLUTIONS FROM WINNERS Canyon’s playbook: DTC-first mindset + strategic service networks Cross-border hedging: Protection against market volatility Headless commerce: Flexibility without technical debt CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR BRANDS Do you know who actually buys your products? Are you solving real customer problems or just engineering challenges? What’s your strategy for capturing APAC growth? How are you addressing the secondary market opportunity? CONNECT & SHARE Listen: Apple | Spotify | Google Follow: @listentotheroot across all platforms Website: therootpodcast.com Guest: Ben Robinson Hosts: Marcel Berger | Rudi Khoury Tags: #CyclingIndustry #Ecommerce #DTC #RetailStrategy #APAC Share link: therootpodcast.com/cycling-ecommerce Newsletter: therootpodcast.com/subscribe © 2025 The Root Podcast CONNECT & SHARE Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube Follow: @listentotheroot across all platforms Website: therootpodcast.com Guest: Matt Bates Hosts: Marcel Berger | Rudi Khoury Tags: #DataStrategy #Construction #BusinessIntelligence #DecisionMaking Share link: therootpodcast.com/data-gridlock Newsletter: therootpodcast.com/subscribe © 2025 The Root Podcast

    1h 13m

  3. 09/10/2025

    From Data Lake Fatigue to Growth Levers: Turning Construction Data into Action with Matt Bates (McNabb)

    markdown# SHOW NOTES: SOLVING ENTERPRISE DATA GRIDLOCK Hosts: Marcel Berger & Rudi Khoury Guest: Matt Bates (IT Leader, McNabb) THE PROBLEM McNabb’s growth explosion (250→600 staff) created instant data chaos: Construction core + 5 new business units Insights trapped in spreadsheets and chat threads Teams starving for decision-ready data Traditional BI timelines blocking action KILL THE ANALYSIS PARALYSIS One insight beats a dashboard: Identify the single metric that unlocks growth for each unit Ship at 80%: Perfect data is the enemy of useful data Prove then improve: Enterprise-engineer only what delivers results Prototype with no-code: Test concepts before heavy investment Zero-copy architecture: Connect to source data instead of endless ETL cycles REAL WINS Safety reports: Weeks → minutes Estimating benchmarks: Instant cost calculators Supply chain visibility: Cross-unit material optimization BREAKTHROUGH QUESTIONS What’s the one insight your teams need tomorrow, not next quarter? Where are you wasting time getting 100% when 80% unlocks action? Which team is most ready to pilot a rapid approach? What data could you access without moving it? How much is delayed decision-making actually costing you? CONNECT & SHARE Listen: Apple | Spotify | Google Follow: @listentotheroot across all platforms Website: therootpodcast.com Guest: Matt Bates Hosts: Marcel Berger | Rudi Khoury Tags: #DataStrategy #Construction #BusinessIntelligence #DecisionMaking Share link: therootpodcast.com/data-gridlock Newsletter: therootpodcast.com/subscribe © 2025 The Root Podcast CONNECT & SHARE Listen: Apple | Spotify | Google Follow: @listentotheroot across all platforms Website: therootpodcast.com Guest: Matt Bates Hosts: Marcel Berger | Rudi Khoury Tags: #DataStrategy #Construction #BusinessIntelligence #DecisionMaking Share link: therootpodcast.com/data-gridlock Newsletter: therootpodcast.com/subscribe © 2025 The Root Podcast

    1h 1m
  • 3 Episodes

About

The Root with Marcel and Rudi Real business problems. Practical solutions. Building is tough. Scaling is tougher. Marcel Berger (entrepreneur, Mummu Cycling) and Rudi Khoury (Chief Digital Officer, Fisher & Paykel) bring startup grit and enterprise smarts to help you cut through the noise and grow what matters. Each week, they dig into the real reasons businesses get stuck—and how to fix them. From live problem-solving sessions to sharp insights from leaders in business and sport, this is where strategy meets action. No jargon. No fluff. Just tools that work.

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