Which entrepreneur do you admire the most and why?
It’s hard for me to think of anyone other than Rob [McElhenney] at the moment. To have a front-row seat to what he’s building is inspiring. I feel like he can’t get out of bed in the morning unless he has positioned himself as an underdog on some new challenge. It’s one of the reasons I know Four Walls will win.
What’s currently on your bedside reading list?
These days, a mountain of children’s books I read to my son Dean. Although “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” is one I find myself reading as much to myself these days. It is a good, weekly, perspective-filled pep talk.
What is the best career advice you’ve gotten?
The pessimist criticizes, the optimist creates. In the brand and ad worlds, there is a lot of fear, second-guessing and groupthink. The first reaction is to say “no” until you can prove otherwise. I come from production, where everything starts with a huge idea that no one knows how to do, and the first reaction is, “Yes, we can figure that out.” The advice to bring that production mentality to the work I do now has made a huge difference.
Name one brand, other than the one you work for, that you admire.
I admire anyone trying to build something new and go against the challenges in this crazy beer, wine and spirits biz. Lake Hour is one I’m loving right now. I don’t know much about their business story, but every time I see what they are doing, I smile, and I want to be a part of the world they live in. I feel like we are related in many ways, and I can’t help rooting for them even though I don’t know them and even though RTD (ready-to-drink) growth is cutting into the space we are competing in.
What is your secret weapon for business success?
It is always crazy to me how many long-standing brands are continually working on, debating and defining who they are and what they stand for. That’s what we do. The businesses we build start there—brand before product, product as an embodiment of the brand. We will always hit the ground running and feel familiar, like a brand that has been around for a while. This translates into faster adoption and a shorter path to advocacy.