Ep. 7 : Navigating the Sporting Goods Retail Category with Guest Charlie Fisher

Episode 7:  Navigating the Sporting Goods Retail Category with Guest Charlie Fisher

Summary

In this episode, hosts Christine Wright and Trevor Lewis discuss the sporting goods category and the challenges and opportunities it presents for retail. They talk about the seasonality of the category, the diverse range of retailers that carry sporting goods products, and the importance of visual merchandising. They also touch on the impact of trade shows and the need for modular displays that can be tailored to different retailers. Later in the episode, they interview Charlie Fisher with Lamkin Golf Grips, who shares insights on creating memorable retail experiences, building strong buyer-merchant relationships, and asking for more budget. They also discuss the qualities to look for in agency partnerships and the importance of being responsive and transparent. The episode concludes with Christine and Trevor sharing their personal reflections and takeaways.

Takeaways

• The sporting goods category is highly seasonal and requires careful consideration of the diverse range of retailers that carry these products.
• Visual merchandising plays a crucial role in capturing consumer attention and driving sales in the sporting goods category.
• Trade shows are important events for the sporting goods industry, providing opportunities for brands to showcase new products and connect with buyers.
• Creating memorable retail experiences requires understanding the specific needs and preferences of different retailers and their customers.
• Building strong buyer-merchant relationships involves solving problems for the buyer and demonstrating the long-term value of the brand's products.
• When asking for more budget, it is important to show the potential return on investment and align the request with the overall business goals.
• When evaluating agency partnerships, look for responsiveness, transparency, and a willingness to provide solutions within budget constraints.
• Personal reflections include the importance of taking initiative and not waiting for opportunities to come to you, as well as the power of joy and positivity in interactions and relationships.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

01:07 The Seasonality and Retail Landscape of the Sporting Goods Category

05:18 Building Strong Buyer-Merchant Relationships in the Sporting Goods Industry

10:30 Asking for More Budget: Demonstrating ROI and Long-Term Business Value

30:54 Personal Reflections: Taking Initiative and Embracing Joy

Resources

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliefisherpga/

Facebook: Lamkin Golf Grips

Instagram: @lamkingrips

Twitter: @lamkingrips

Transcript

T&C (01:27.058)

Welcome. Let's get into this week's episode where we explore the sporting goods category with Charlie Fisher. I'm super excited to have him on after a bit. You know, he's currently with Lampkin Grips, which is a challenger brand in the grip category within golf, but you know, he's led some phenomenal brands such as Golf Pride, Cobra, Titleist.

And yeah, I think he's done it both on as well as on a global scale. So when you think about deploying solutions outside just North America and supporting that brand, those brands on a global stage, he's going to be able to come in and give us some insight. And I think we're going to have some really cool questions that you won't want to miss. Definitely. So let's get into what's happening in our worlds. And since we're going to be talking to Charlie later and he comes from the sporting goods category.

I think what's happening in our world revolves around that. And IDD has a lot of history and experience in this space as far as sporting goods and outdoor. There's a lot of seasonality in it. And I know you've dealt with probably more so than I have Trevor. So can you speak to kind of seasonality and things like that? Yeah, the seasonality, they have a pretty diverse, you know,

channels that they sell through as well. So that always is fun, but can create a challenge when you think about just visual merchandising those different channels. I think the big thing here is the seasonality. There's a lot of different retailers that carry these products as well. So there's just the diverse and just retailers.

Um, but yeah, I think most of the time that I'm just generally passionate about the outdoor space. It's kind of an outdoorsman. So when we get samples, you know, it's pretty cool. Samples being a part of the, you know, kind of the front edge of new products being developed and new products being launched. And then seeing those, I know that our team gets excited about those as well. Um, because when you think about sporting goods as a category, I mean, it's, it's a broad category. It's very vast.

T&C (03:22.866)

From trail cameras to fishing to hunting to outdoor to hiking to packing. I mean, it's, I've got scopes for guns. And I mean, I actually do have clients that have this, but yes, it's, it's a diverse mix and they're competing for a lot of the same attention. And so, um, the sporting goods category has been a fun one to work in, not only just developing solutions, but also just for, I have a passion for the outdoors and a lot of our team does here as well. So.

we absolutely get excited when there's a new product that they're launching or a store they're trying to tell. And with the seasonality just of that category in itself, that also brings seasonality of shows. There's always big, huge shows for this industry. I know Shot Show is one of them. Shot Show, PJ Merchandising Show for the golf. You know, there's a number of them. They have the outdoor retailer, both summer and winter sessions as well. So a lot of the brands will attend those. And so, yeah, they all have kind of their unique verticals.

in terms of the trade shows, but that's often one of the biggest events that's on their radar because that's when they are visiting with merchant buyers and also showcasing what new products are coming really within that year. So they tend to kind of be the first of the year, January, February, March.

And it kind of sets the stage to what will be happening what products you'll be seeing as a consumer inside those retailers Yeah, I know we just did a bunch of packaging mock -ups for several shows for my sporting goods clients And it was kind of a last -minute thing, but it was a whole lot of versions But they definitely needed it for those shows and we knocked them out Yes, yes. Yes. So one thing that I think

that Charlie will probably speak to if I know I'm well enough is how difficult the category is as far as, and you said it a little bit earlier, just the diversity of retailers that it spans from mass to specialty to dealers. So what's your experience with that? You know, it's, I think, and I'm sure that Charlie will be able to get into this a little bit or, you know, down the road on the show, but you've got to think about the consumer that's visiting these is not the same, right?

T&C (05:30.29)

Um, there could be, you know, if it's, you know, as Charlie looks at it in golf, sometimes there's just the wreck golf person that would be myself, right? Hey, there's a golf tournament and, uh, our company's going to show up. I'm showing up, right? So yeah, I may go and get a few things for golf just so that I have it, maybe a glove, um, but I'm going to rent the clubs or, you know, whatever. So that's a different level of consumer.

Then someone who may go into a golf specialty store and look to have their grips refitted for the year because they're going to do it twice a year. And that's just what they do. That's going to be a different level of enthusiast. So when you think about deploying across all those channels, it's just unique when you think about who the consumer is because it's not the same. And so you can't have a one size fits all type of in -store strategy.

All right. Well, we're going to jump into our first segment, which is show and tell, uh, where Christine and I share our recent, uh, personal experiences in retail. Christine, I know you've seen and experienced something that's it's baseball season, sporting season. So, uh, what's something that, uh, you've recently experienced baseball season and I am probably in Dick's sporting goods more than I should be. I was supposed to be there today, but we're recording a podcast, so we'll be getting a new bat tomorrow.

But I recently saw, and it wasn't in the Dix that I went into, I wish it was, but I saw a post on LinkedIn where New Balance has this huge, it's not really a store than a store, but the set is platforms and pedestals and mannequins and shoe displays, and it's all lit up. There's backlit graphics, there's video. It's just not the norm that I would see taking up that much space in a Dix sporting.

Awesome. Yeah, I definitely have kind of recognized some of that trends. I know that when he was speaking of this trend, you shared some of that, uh, with just some of the visuals, uh, with me and, and yeah, I mean, it, it's an immersive experience, right? It's, it's typically right in that focal area. As soon as you walk through the, those, those front doors is how do we captivate them and make sure that they're, you know, you may pass through it, but you're definitely going to see it and recognize it. Um, and so I, I just,

T&C (07:42.034)

I sense that more people are going to be, you know, looking at how can we create a, especially if you have multiple skews, right? If you have one skew, it's like, Hey, let's just introduce that one skew to them. But if you have a, if there's a bunch of different skews being represented, I think the brand that I did see had, I'm assuming more than one skew, or was trying to tell a story outside of more than just one audience. And so they leaned into that immersive experience and, um,

Yeah, I think I've seen Peloton do some of this as well. You've seen it in different, you know, smaller activations, but that one was grand. That one's like, yeah, you didn't go to that store and not experience that. And I think that's what Braves are trying to lean into. Yeah. And I really was kind of shocked that it was New Balance because really when we go in, the first thing my kid goes to is Nike and you'd think Nike would be doing it. But this is the way New Balance was making their presence known. And I will say,

We walked out of there earlier this year with New Balance Turf Cleats and he loves them. So, so it worked. All right. And as we jump into the herd on the street segments of the show, uh, this is, you know, working, uh, beside Christine as well as with retailers and brands on the daily, we are in the know when it comes to trends. Uh, so I know you've mentioned and I'll kind of, it's a bit of a trend with the immersive activations, but what's another trend that you're, you're seeing day to day.

A trend I'm seeing, and again, I'm staying within the sports and outdoor category, is a lot of modularity. And I think that again, plays into you're trying to cover so many diverse retailers that you might have a large set in mass, but how can I size that down and still get economies of scale with that display program, size down to fit a specialty retailer? So that modularity, and we see it a lot with

but it plays in a lot with sports and outdoor. Yeah, certainly. And so those of you that might not know exactly what we're kind of speaking to with the modularity, it's how do you take an in -cap display that may be launched inside of a more of a mass retailer, which for that really just implies a significant amount of doors. And they may have specific requirements of what their display has to look like and function like.

T&C (09:59.666)

But then can you take certain components of that or certain elements of that and provide that to another retailer? And so that's where you kind of get this modular functionality. I'd say the other thing that's just a trend staying in the sporting goods category is it's very much seasonally, you know, a seasonal purchase by and large when you think of just sporting goods. And so just working with one of our working and then consulting with a couple of clients in the trail cam category, overall the trail camera.

category sells has been slightly down. And so what this has buyers asking their suppliers is, hey, can we expand that promo period? So instead of doing it, say in June, can we start a few months earlier and basically extend that? So just because it's featured, because it's a seasonal product, meaning that it does have some year round usage, but within this season it's going to be.

top of mind and so with it in the trail cameras that tends to be around hunting season so that's a fall so that's what they're coming back to those suppliers and brands and saying hey we're gonna give you the space longer but in return what that means the brands have to do is speed up because they want to take advantage of that absolutely they're gonna get that space for a longer period of time yes but that's just something to do with the category being down and so that's where you know the retailers looking at what can we do to help this in this category and that's just one of the things that we're seeing as a recent trend there in the sporting goods.

Charlie interview

T&C (00:02.111)

Good afternoon, folks. Today, we'd like to welcome the man, the myth, the legend, Charlie Fisher to the show. You know, Christina, as we bring Charlie on, um, I feel like I need to be that 90s Chicago Bulls starting lineup announcer where you're from like North Carolina. Dark and like lights flashing stuff. Yeah. Uh, but next up, uh, again, Charlie has impacted some phenomenal brands. So I'm sure we'll get into some of those from golf pride, a title list, a Cobra to lampkin.

His leadership has propelled these brands into unparalleled success. So get your popcorn ready as we dive right in. Charlie, welcome to the show.

Charlie Fisher (00:40.75)

Thank you, Trevor. Thank you, Christine. I appreciate you all having me on the day.

T&C (00:44.583)

Awesome. Well, we're going to jump right in. So, um, what the one of the first questions that I know our audience who is mostly made up of kind of the next gen brand managers, we'll get some insight from, uh, is this first question, which is, how do you create memorable retail experiences that drive awareness and sales?

Charlie Fisher (01:03.254)

Yeah, that's something that's really, I feel like every time I've approached an opportunity, I always think of two things, right? The actual environment in which that we're trying to create the experience in, right? So that can change from store to store. And the golf case, the golf, I'm holding a golf grip here, but in the golf grip case, a grip can be sold in many places, right? It can be sold at the golf course and can also be sold at a national retail chain, like Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Superstore. So...

really, and the customers that shop at each are completely different. And so, you know, for instance, at a Greengrass shop, it's going to be probably way more simple, going to probably have less explanation because the golf professional staff is probably going to be more engaged at the golf course with the customer. They're not going to have to, you know, they're going to be approached. Whereas at a national retail store, there may be less interactionally because of the size and scope of the store. So we might need more help along that consumer journey.

So it's really going to depend upon the retail environment. And then also the level of customer. So at a general sports store, you're probably going to have a less informed customer than a guy who's shown up at the golf course or a golf-specific store. So that would apply to any industry. But in my golf world, that's how I've done it. But I'm just really trying to focus on thinking about the environment of which the product's going to live.

T&C (02:24.387)

Awesome. And so just to give a little context to green grass, cause I know that we're pretty familiar with it. Uh, obviously you're familiar with it, but those that may not be listening, uh, may not be as familiar with the term green grass. Just give that a little contact cause I think they're probably familiar with some of the other terms like mom and pop or independent.

Charlie Fisher (02:42.542)

No, that would definitely apply to, so when I think of Greengrass, that's the actual golf course. So, you know, the place where you actually play golf or a driving range where you actually go to interact versus an actual like retail shopping experience where you may go inside and hit a few golf balls and test out equipment in a hitting bay, but the golf course, the Greengrass golf course, that's what we consider the golf course. That's where the golf is actually played. And so the staff and-

Both places have extremely knowledgeable staff, but the interaction is gonna be different. Your size of display. Like in retail, for instance, Trevor, we may have the product actually displayed on the floor in a basket. You certainly have helped. We've talked a lot about how product can be displayed in different ways, angled at different angles to gain attention. Whereas we're probably gonna have more samples displayed on rods or sticks for golf grips per se. So, which is my most, obviously the thing I've been most attached to here at least recently.

T&C (03:38.827)

Awesome. Well, a lot of great nuggets there on that first question. So just a quick, you know, kind of recap of the question, which was, how do you create memorable retail experiences that drive awareness and sales? Charlie just gave us some, definitely some good insight. I'm going to jump right into the next question, which is the buyer merchant relationship. So, uh, I know that you have a lot of expertise in this, uh, Charlie, I know that we're continuously seeing, uh, quite a bit of change in that buyer merchants. Um, just who those individuals are. There tends to be some, you know, some new blood that's kind of integrating that role. And so help us kind of understand what are some of the tips or what are some of the things you've done to drive a better in-store placement and how do you pitch what are maybe one or two of your cool ideas that has resonated well with the buyer and kind of the pitch phase.

Charlie Fisher (04:28.278)

I think of it this way. I think of like what I have to be coming from the mindset of trying to solve the buyer's problem. The buyer is only going to buy what we're able to sell, right? And that's the brand's role is to help move that product for them. So they're looking at numbers and they're judging in terms of our ability to put more product in the stores or the ability to give us a wider assortment of product by how fast it's moving through. And they don't

They're not necessarily thinking about how it's merchandise or not. So that's my job is to actually solve the problem for them, bring them a solution to maybe a problem they don't even recognize they have. And so maybe it's not moving slow because it's not positioned well. So I think of, and you, we've certainly partnered on a program before where, I mean, a 800 store program and the product was literally sitting on a shelf with no signage for just even brand, not talking about the product. But just here.

as a company, as a brand, we're spending a lot of money on marketing to drive people to the store to actually make the purchase. The consumer is going in the store and they're looking around. They don't see our brand name up on a wall anywhere. They don't even know where the category lives, the full category. I think that's where, and especially having worked for category leaders, part of your job, a rising tide lifts all boats. Part of our job, part of the sell-in, the solve for them is, hey, listen.

If we can draw people to the category and store where they know where to find it, the minute they walk back into that section, not only are we going to do better as a brand and be able to help with, you know, increased sell through, but the whole category is going to do better. And, um, so again, thinking of how can I solve this problem that they don't even know that they have, they're not thinking about it. Um, you're really, and then beginning with the end in mind in terms of what does great look like giving mockups. Um, you know, that's super important of painting the picture for them, telling them,

isn't really helping them, but giving them, helping them to see it, prototyping, hey, come make some store walks with me to the buyer. And when you're able to get them, you have a prototype piece of equipment and you're able to actually get them in the store and show them how merchandising can live or how better product promotion can live, like it's gonna happen. I mean, no guarantees, but I feel like you have a better chance of it happening in that case.

T&C (07:08.66)

Awesome. Well,

T&C (07:13.659)

How can it be on slat wall and position there as well? So I think that's a trend we're seeing as well. Are there any other just aha moments that you've had along your career journey when you think of just that buyer merchant relationship and different tactics or things that you've done?

Charlie Fisher (07:30.798)

Yeah, I mean, I feel like the biggest aha moments, well, I'll give you a specific one. One where they wanted to be brand agnostic and they were very adamant in all elements of the store of how to be, you know, and so again, that was like, okay, wow, here's a whole new challenge for me. And I still have to think about the fact that maybe we're not gonna get the positioning and brand name that we want, you know, to call out our brand. But again, like, you know.

We can take care of that in the back end. The brand just needs to be better positioned. So again, how can I solve the overall merchandising problem for, you know, so that the category does better and innately, you know, the brand will do better as a result of the category having more attention, being better merchandise. So again, solving the problem for them. They're not thinking about that. They're looking at numbers on an Excel sheet or, you know, through Power BI or SPSCom or something like that.

T&C (08:29.983)

Awesome. Well, again, thanks for your insight on that one. Uh, we're going to jump right into the next one as well, which is, uh, I think we all are curious of what your response is going to be on this one, which is, how do you ask for more budget?

Charlie Fisher (08:43.546)

Hmm. Well, I mean, I think two things. One, when you can when you can partner, you have a great enough a good enough relationship with your with your partner, and they're asking for they're asking for it, you've proven your case. I hate to say this is kind of I hate to say that I do this. But, you know, if you can get the customer commitment first, before you go and ask for more budget, it's always a heck of a lot easier to say, Hey, listen, you know, so

T&C (09:00.528)

I'm sorry.

T&C (09:07.103)

Thank you.

Charlie Fisher (09:11.438)

And that's not taking a, you know, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission mindset. It's really not. But I think when you really start again with the customer in mind and you're solving the problem, second, is it right for the business? And if you're doing the right thing for the long term of the business, you really, you can't go wrong. If it's merchandising, if it's positioning, if it's, you know, anything that's going to help better position the brand and then have a long term ROI.

That's a really, it's a hard problem for smaller businesses. I currently work for a challenger brand. And whereas, you know, every dollar through the marketing budget counts. And, you know, we've certainly partnered on, on different, you know, pilot programs and they've had to sit in the store sometimes for three to six months. That feels like forever in retail, right? Like where we're trying to like, I'm, you know, trying to show, you know, here's the benefit of it, right? But, so ROI,

truly does matter. We have to see increased sell through and we have to, but if the partner is on board and they're willing to give you the space, it's a heck of a lot easier to say we have this commitment from the customer. They're willing to position our brand this way. I've had more success doing that. And then does it make sense for the overall business in a year to two to three years from now? And especially depending upon what sort of merchandising or visual merchandising we're putting in the store.

T&C (10:39.159)

Awesome. Well, uh, again, some extremely valuable tips there. I think that, you know, we'll definitely be able to take some away from that for sure. Um, I'm going to ask, I don't know that I put this question down, but I'm going to ask a bonus question. I hope you're up for it. Uh, which is Charlie, as, as you know, better than anyone, it takes a lot of the right partners to, uh, assist with developing the right in-store strategy as well as the, and the execution of it. You've kind of alluded to some of those.

different arenas through, you know, design development, concepting, engineering, prototyping, production, store execution. And I know that most of the brands leverage and tap-ins, especially kind of post pandemic is whether it's a consultant who has a level of expertise that's unique, that you're trying to tap in a rent, or if it's an agency that you're asking to come in and kind of assist you in different arenas, help us kind of understand what's your best tips if there's one or two out there for someone who may be

evaluating an agency or evaluating a new partnership. What is the right ones or what are the right characteristics that you look for in those partners?

Charlie Fisher (11:45.238)

Yeah, I think somebody who's extremely, from my end, in every relationship that I've been is level of responsiveness. If somebody's slow to respond, I mean, there's no question, I'm probably hyper about it, in terms of if I get an email or something from a customer specifically or from somebody on my team, being responsive. So having a partner that's going to respond, even if they don't have the answer, that they're going to get back and say, I'm working on it.

Second piece is that you give them something perhaps that is less complicated. I don't know that you have to... What I mean by that is maybe an existing project where it's like, here's what I'm currently doing. What would you do to modify it? Can you prototype some stuff and let's get some estimated cost on what we're doing? I think we're... You know me well enough. I feel like transparency on the side of the brand that's seeking the agency of like...

I'm going to be honest with you, here's my budget. Here's what I'm trying to accomplish. Can you do it? And if the agency says, you know what, I don't think I can do it, I actually really appreciate that. Like I can't do it within that budget based on these specs. So just appear, but here's what I can do and then offer other solutions. That's so important. You don't want, and we've all, if anybody who's been doing this for any amount of time, yeah, yes, I can do it. And then you come in over budget and you come in over budget and you come in over budget multiple times over.

And then not only that, I've wasted a lot of time. You've wasted time prototyping, not you per se, but I'm saying like, you know, they've wasted time trying to prototype something that's just, they're never gonna get the cost out of it. And, you know, so I think just the transparency, the honesty, this isn't within my capabilities. I'm gonna have to source this out. If somebody's willing to tell me all that stuff on the front end, they have a really good chance of moving forward with me. Because finding an agency is difficult. Like,

And the time that it takes to bring a project to life, especially when this just popped up, we've got to do a quick fall launch and it's in three to six months. I need a solution. How am I going to present it at retail? You don't always have that 18 to 24 month pipeline of product that you're working on and planning for. That's not realistic in today's world, especially at the speed of technology and innovation. You have to be pretty quick to come up with a.

Charlie Fisher (14:02.702)

merchandising solution and you need a partner that can say I can't do it or I can't do it and let's not spend a lot of wheels because you don't waste anybody's time.

T&C (14:10.923)

Awesome, my man, thank you. Thank you, thank you for just coming in and sharing some of that wisdom. You know, I know that we appreciate it here at In-Store Design Display. We also appreciate it to be able to share some of that insight to our audience as well. We're not done with you quite yet though, Charlie. So, we're gonna, I'm gonna turn it over to Christine and she's gonna bring you the lightning round. The lightning round is something we ask all of our guests to participate in. So you kind of knew that this was coming.

So first question, are you ready? Okay. What's one new brand you recently purchased and why?

Charlie Fisher (14:41.606)

I'm ready, let's do it.

Charlie Fisher (14:49.043)

I would say I'm cost conscientious. I won't call myself cheap or frugal. I'll say I'm cost conscientious. So I did recently buy a Concept2 rower. I did buy it used. Now Concept2, part of the reason, obviously, in a row machine, like a workout machine. Obviously it's known for its quality. It's kind of the standard of workout, full body workout.

T&C (15:07.551)

Mm-hmm.

Charlie Fisher (15:17.437)

I had to do it. I did buy it used. I'm not going to lie.

T&C (15:20.575)

Was it a good purchase?

Charlie Fisher (15:22.534)

Oh my gosh, I mean, for the last month, it's been amazing. So yeah, I'm sure. I've already got my heart rate up just thinking about it right now.

T&C (15:35.213)

All right, next question. What's one thing you've bought on TikTok or Instagram?

Charlie Fisher (15:39.398)

Oh, well, how about because of TikTok or Instagram? I hate to say this. I don't hate to say it. I love Costco and this whole Kirkland brand stuff that I have, I'm at the age range too, where they're targeting and memeing people like me, but I've bought some clothes from Costco, Kirkland brand recently. And it's because of some of these Costco follows that I have.

T&C (15:46.)

Mm-hmm.

T&C (15:50.847)

It's a good brand.

T&C (15:57.023)

Thanks for watching!

I hate to admit that.

T&C (16:05.079)

All right, well, what is one piece of technology that you can't live without?

Charlie Fisher (16:10.298)

I mean, I think probably like most people, my iPhone, I, yeah, no question.

T&C (16:15.051)

That was my answer when I got asked. Yeah, definitely. What's something you learned the hard way?

Charlie Fisher (16:24.434)

Everything. I mean, I feel like everything, nothing. I don't feel like anything's been the easy way. That's for gosh darn sure. No, I think from a, you know, the thing that I've learned probably the hard way is just not everybody is wired the way that I am. And I think leveling my communication style and then I want to say tempering my passion and enthusiasm for whatever it is that I'm doing.

T&C (16:26.919)

I'm sorry.

T&C (16:44.895)

That's a good one.

Charlie Fisher (16:54.706)

But realizing that it can come across as intense to some people at times. And so my communication, I'm working on that constantly. Whether it's speaking to an audience of people who don't speak English, or it could be talking to team members who definitely are more methodical and aren't as fast-paced as I am. I'm ready to go all the time. So really thinking about the way that I speak.

T&C (17:07.857)

Mm-hmm.

Charlie Fisher (17:22.634)

and understanding my audience, even changing sometimes, you know, the words that I use. Because it hasn't always worked. That's been hard for me. I like, I came to get it. Like, did you not hear it? I said it. And so thinking about not being as effective, I should say, that's been something, and spent years not being effective because of my communication style.

T&C (17:28.223)

Good. That's a good one.

T&C (17:44.079)

What's the worst career advice you've ever been given?

Charlie Fisher (17:49.504)

I don't want to say that it's the worst career advice that I've ever been given because I don't think any advice is bad. You can learn something from everyone. But I think the, I'm going to rephrase this, the worst thing somebody's told me in my career is that I couldn't do something or that I wasn't necessarily have the capability or the skill set. And you know.

T&C (18:04.356)

Oh, yeah.

Charlie Fisher (18:13.29)

certainly has added to a positive chip on the shoulder of helping me to be more productive and using that as fuel. So I won't call it bad career advice. If anything, it's helped me. It's helped me to be better. Ha ha.

T&C (18:21.023)

Okay.

T&C (18:24.239)

It's motivating. Where do you go to consume information to do your job better?

Charlie Fisher (18:32.983)

I do feel like, especially as it pertains to marketing, but YouTube has endless, I mean endless amounts of information out there. And then other, I would say that with all the free webinars and everything else that's out there, podcasts, I do listen to a ton of podcasts. That's why I love so much what you're doing. And then obviously follows on Instagram and social media. So I'm...

I have a pretty boring follow list. It's not the most exciting. I don't know that I follow A-list celebrities, but as many as I probably should, but I do follow a lot of more career minded things. LinkedIn, LinkedIn Learning, I think, is really a great platform as well.

T&C (19:13.375)

Okay, last question. What advice would you give your 25 year old self?

Charlie Fisher (19:18.642)

oof, it's gonna be okay. You're gonna be all right. Calm down, settle in, calm down a little bit, settle down, it's gonna be all right. And I think from my end, probably, and I was about 25 or 26, I read Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. That was probably one of the most impactful books in my life. So I read it about that age, maybe 26. So I would have told, don't forget to read this book next year. That's what I would tell him.

T&C (19:22.631)

Good. Love it. Calm down.

T&C (19:48.455)

Awesome, my man. Again, thank you so much. Yeah, you're free now, but sincerely we appreciate your insight, wisdom, and definitely excited to, while the show is over, we're definitely excited to continue to follow your journey, Charlie. But again, thank you. I think Julie alluded to a little bit of kind of what happens following this is we'll certainly do some post-production editing on it. We'll share that with you. We're not going to...

you know, post or distribute anything that you don't agree to as well and agree that it's the right thing to put out there. But there's anything else, let us know my team, Julie, Jackie, is there anything for Charlie? I know we want you to leave your computer on. We've learned the hard way on that. So maybe we'll give that advice someday when we're all famous on the podcast.

T&C (20:42.781)

Yeah.

T&C (12:02.77)

And for our last segment today, we want to give you a little glimpse into our own minds. We all have those moments where we reflect, learn and remind ourselves of certain truths. For me, it's memo to myself and for Christine, it's her I am of the day. It's a chance for us to be a bit vulnerable, share our thoughts and maybe some of it will resonate with you. So for today, you know, actually, and being a Chiefs fan and a Patrick Mahomes fan, I'm sure that this...may shock some people. But I actually really like Tom Brady. And I like a lot about his story, his mindset. I'm sure he's not perfect. And so I'm not saying I try to, you know, do every single thing that he does, but I actually heard what I'm about to share and it resonated. And so I've been continuously kind of telling myself this. And so what he's what he said was the fish just doesn't jump in the boat.

Meaning you better go out there and do it yourself. Don't wait around for someone to hand deliver something to you. You got to make it happen. Fish don't just jump in the boat. If you ever want to go catch him, go catch him, throw the line in the water and go do some work. And I think that that's something that resonated with me a lot. And I think it's something that can be applied to both your professional and personal. Obviously I have, you know, I've stayed this many times, a young daughter.

That I know is observing my own behavior. And so I think it's important for her to show I'm big on health But I want her to be big on health and I have to show her right I've got to go do the work and show her so that was my memo to myself today, which is Go fishing. Yes, go fishing Well, my I am for the day comes from I have a group of accountability partners and every morning We text each other and say what are you today?

And today, mine didn't come to me right at drinking coffee time, but it came to me in a morning meeting. And my AM for the day is joyful because I had a meeting with a new client. I didn't even know who she was. It was just like an inbound lead and she was late, but she got on the phone or got on our meeting and she was just the most positive person. She apologized. She appreciated our time. And then she kind of went into this.

T&C (14:26.162)

spreading joy and being joyful and that's why she was the way she was and it just uplifted the whole meeting you would have forgotten that she even came late and it went past the 30 minutes that it was supposed to go past but just because she brought the whole joy aspect and being joyful regardless of being laid or forgot about the meeting or whatever it was that was my IM statement for the rest of my day. Love it. Yeah, I think those moments can be infectious for sure and

um you know enthusiastic people uh passionate people or just joyful people it's contagious it's contagious right you you enjoy it you're able to continue you know you you embrace it enjoy it and then it's like hey yeah let's let's figure out how to collaborate so i appreciate you sharing that with us

All right, well that concludes our episode for today. We're certainly grateful to have you along for the ride as we lighten up your hustle through retail and real life. Thanks for listening and keep your questions and comments coming. We love tuning in to what you want to know about helping your brand stand out in store. Please like and share the podcast. We appreciate your help getting the word out about Blue Light Special. Finally,

Join us for next week's episode where we will dig into POP signage and temporary displays with our resident expert, Martha Tussi, who I am sure is absolutely thrilled that we have enough time. I told her we're not going to talk about all the people that we know from working together.