Podcast appearances and mentions of Arthur Blank

In Hour 2, Andy and Randy talk about Arthur Blank's press conference and what we did and didn't learn. They also visit the Backpage with Beau.

Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank joins Mike Conti and talks about how he felt when the Falcons were eliminated so early this season, some of the feedback he's received from the Falcons fans this year, what the President of Football hire will actually be tasked with doing, Rich McKay not being involved in football decisions, his day-to-day role with the organization, not expecting the fans to be patient after 8 season missing the playoffs, if there are regrets from any of his previous Falcons decisions, what went wrong with Atlanta United, and how thankful he is for the fan support of the Falcons and Atlanta United.

In Hour 1, Andy and Randy talk about Trae Young being traded to the Washington Wizards and listen to Arthur Blank's press conference.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! The 10 o'clock hour is brought to you by UROLOGY OF GREATER ATLANTA. Our team of top-rated Urologists offers treatment options that have helped men & women throughout Metro Atlanta! Visit us online today at UGATL.com The Falcons fallout continues Trae Young's departure seems inevitable On Campus - CFP semifinals See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Johnson, Beau Morgan, and Ali Mac continue to react to the reports that the Atlanta Falcons have requested interviews with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for their head coaching vacancy, and talk about how Falcons Owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons front office can't put playoff or bust expectations on new regime in year one because it's not good to be always firing coaches, and no one will want the Falcons head coach or general manager job if there are playoff or bust expectations in year one.

HR3 - Arthur Blank must give new regime time to turn Falcons into consistent winners In hour three Mike Johnson, Beau Morgan, and Ali Mac let listeners call in and give their take on who they want to see be the next Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons, who they want to see be the next General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons, how they feel about the reports that Matt Ryan potentially wants to be apart of the Falcons front office and still be a broadcaster with CBS, and how they feel about the reports that Atlanta Hawks four-time All-Star Trae Young and his agents, Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown, are working with the franchise on a trade in the Wake Up Call! Then, Mike, Beau, and Ali spend some time with national NFL writer for The Athletic Mike Jones! Beau, Mike, Ali, and Mike discuss if Mike was shocked by any of the firings that have happened so far in the NFL, if Mike thinks Raheem Morris' refusal to make an in-season change at special teams coordinator and some of the on-field coaching issues were a big reason that Raheem got fired, which NFL head coaching job Mike thinks is the most appealing right now, which NFL head coaching candidate Mike thinks will be the hot name in this cycle and be able to have his pick at which job he wants to go to, what Mike knows about Chicago Bears assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham, who the Atlanta Falcons just reportedly requested to interview, if Mike thinks there are going to be anymore firings in the NFL, and how Mike feels about former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan potentially getting a significant front office role with the Atlanta Falcons. The Morning Shift crew also continues to react to the reports that the Atlanta Falcons have requested interviews with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for their head coaching vacancy, and talk about how Falcons Owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons front office can't put playoff or bust expectations on new regime in year one because it's not good to be always firing coaches, and no one will want the Falcons head coach or general manager job if there are playoff or bust expectations in year one.

(0:00) Falcons fire Raheem Morris & Terry Fontenot(13:00) Coaches on hot seat(21:30) Colts to retain Shane Steichen & Chris Ballard(26:00) NFC playoff field(34:30) Myles Garrett breaks single-season sack record(37:00) 2026 NFL Draft order(39:00) Wild Card Weekend schedule Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andy and Randy talk about Arthur Blank's decision to fire Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot, the re-assigning of Rich McKay, and possibly bringing Matt Ryan aboard.

Carl and Mike continue with Falcons talk and react to Arthur Blank's letter to fans in which he states new leadership was needed in the head coach and general manager positions to which both the guys agree this was the type of statement fans needed to hear from the owner. They then continue to take calls from listeners to allow them to continue to react to the firings.

:00 – Carl and Mike continue to share their thoughts on the letter from Arthur Blank in which he addresses how the Falcons will move forward with new structure which includes bringing in a president of football as Rich McKay will no longer serve in that role. As they discuss, Carl believes Falcons fans should have hope with how the team is moving forward, particularly due to the fact McKay will no longer be involved in the football side of operations. :20 – Carl and Mike share thoughts on the Falcons requesting interviews with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak and Miami's DC Anthony Weaver and reports Kevin Stefanski is going to interview for the Falcons HC vacancy as well and agree the team need to cast a wide net to replace Raheem Morris. :40 – Carl and Mike close out the show with final thoughts on the Falcons firing Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot and will hire a president of football. They then get breaking news of reports of Trae Young and his agents working with Hawks on a trade.

:00 - Carl and Mike open up the show with their reactions to the Falcons firing Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot and Rich McKay no longer being the president of football operations, with Greg Beadles being elevated to president and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons. As they discuss they share their thoughts on the direction the team may go in regards to replacing Morris and Fontenot as well as why Matt Ryan may not be the person the Falcons turn to be the president of football. :20 – Carl and Mike continue with Falcons talk and share thoughts on the team firing Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot and take calls from listeners to allow them to share their thoughts on the moves and how they hope to see the team moving forward. As they continue to share their thoughts, they agree it was time for the Falcons to move on from Morris and Fontenot :40 – Carl and Mike continue with Falcons talk and react to Arthur Blank's letter to fans in which he states new leadership was needed in the head coach and general manager positions to which both the guys agree this was the type of statement fans needed to hear from the owner. They then continue to take calls from listeners to allow them to continue to react to the firings.

Carl and Mike continue to share their thoughts on the letter from Arthur Blank in which he addresses how the Falcons will move forward with new structure which includes bringing in a president of football as Rich McKay will no longer serve in that role. As they discuss, Carl believes Falcons fans should have hope with how the team is moving forward, particularly due to the fact McKay will no longer be involved in the football side of operations.

A bonus episode on Sunday night, the Atlanta Falcons didn't take long to make a decision after the season ended. Multiple reports indicate that Arthur Blank is firing Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris, sweeping the slate clean for a new regime. #AtlantaFalcons #Falcons #DirtyBirds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! The 10 o'clock hour is brought to you by UROLOGY OF GREATER ATLANTA. Our team of top-rated Urologists offers treatment options that have helped men & women throughout Metro Atlanta! Visit us online today at UGATL.com Arthur Blank cleans house! Crazy day for Falcons fans! On Campus - CFP Semifinals See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our friend Coach Dungy was stuck at the Atlanta airport on his way home from Sunday night's crazy Ravens-Steelers game and has much to say about the Falcons situation after Arthur Blank cleaned house. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! The 11 o'clock hour is brought to you by TRAJAN WEALTH; Planning for tomorrow starts today. Visit Trajan Wealth dot com to learn more about retirement and state planning NBC's Tony Dungy joins us to talk about the Falcons moves RedZone - More Falcon fallout See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's been in front of the Falcons news cycle the past 24 hours with all the skinny and he joined Nick & Chris to give us more insight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HR3 - Arthur Blank made it clear he thinks Falcons need fresh start & culture change In hour three Mike Johnson, Beau Morgan, and Ali Mac let listeners call in and give their take on the Atlanta Falcons dismissing Head Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot from their roles following a meeting last night in Atlanta with Falcons Owner and Chairman, Arthur M. Blank in the Wake Up Call. Mike, Beau, and Ali also react to the news that Falcons Owner Arthur M. Blank announced that Greg Beadles has been elevated from president to president and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, effective today, succeeding Rich McKay. Then, The Morning Shift crew spends some time with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, and now analyst for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network Dave Archer! Ali, Mike, Beau, and Dave discuss how many texts Dave got after the news broke about the Falcons firing Head Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot, the news that Falcons president Greg Beadles is now also going to take over as CEO of the Falcons and succeed Rich McKay, who will now focus on running the AMBSE Sports group. Mike, Beau, Ali, and Dave also discuss at what point in the season Dave thought a Head Coaching change and possibly a change at General Manager was imminent, how the new Falcons regime can carry the momentum built at the end of the season and take it into next season, how the Falcons next head coach can get the most out of the Falcons players that will be apart of the Falcons long term future, and Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot being good people who worked hard. The Morning Shift crew also gives their final thoughts on the Atlanta Falcons dismissing Head Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot from their roles following a meeting last night in Atlanta with Falcons Owner and Chairman, Arthur M. Blank, let listeners call in and give their final takes on the Falcons moving on from Raheem and Terry, and explain why they think the Falcons new regime won't tear the team down to the studs because they won't be given the time to do that.

During the 4pm hour of today's show Chuck & Chernoff talked about why Matt Ryan should be a Special Assistant to the Owner and not the President of Football Operations. They also talked about Nick Saban's comments about changing the College Football calendar, Terry Fontento, the NFL Draft, Arthur Blank and more before being joined by NFL Network Analyst Ian Rapaport. Later in the hour Chuck talked about SEC QB's. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carl and Mike get back into some Falcons talk as they continue to share thoughts on why they believe how you finish matters and in the case of Raheem Morris, the Falcons defeating the Saints on Sunday may play a significant role in regard to Arthur Blank making a decision to bring Morris back in 2026 as the head coach.

Carl and Mike are joined by Bryant McFadden as they discuss the latest NFL headlines and why the Falcons should have not only had a QB competition but also should have started their starters during the preseason.

:00 – Carl and Mike get back into some Falcons talk as they continue to share thoughts on why they believe how you finish matters and in the case of Raheem Morris, the Falcons defeating the Saints on Sunday may play a significant role in regard to Arthur Blank making a decision to bring Morris back in 2026 as the head coach. :20 – Carl and Mike are joined by Mike Griffith and discuss the Georgia Bulldogs loss to Ole Miss as he shares thoughts on why Ole Miss was the better team and Georgia was a team that was able to find a way throughout the season. :40 – Carl and Mike close out the show with final thoughts on Georgia's loss to Ole Miss and discuss why they believe Kirby Smart had his best season as Georgia's head coach because they believe he did more with less this season in comparison to teams he has had in the past. They then share final thoughts on the Falcons matchup with the Saints on Sunday and discuss why they believe the Falcons have more than enough playmakers to win on Sunday.

On this episode of Buck’s Beat, Buck Belue reacts to the growing reports and league buzz that the Atlanta Falcons are exploring a significant front office role for franchise legend Matt Ryan. With Arthur Blank bringing in Sportology for an organizational “health check,” Buck explains why Matt Ryan — the most accomplished player in Falcons history — could be exactly the kind of decision-maker this franchise needs after eight straight losing seasons. Buck dives into: Why Matt Ryan’s football IQ and competitive drive translate to front office leadership What kind of role would actually make sense (GM, EVP, or true decision-maker — not a figurehead) Comparisons to successful former players turned executives like John Elway and John Lynch Why this move could signal a real culture change inside the Falcons organization The risks for Matt Ryan — and why Buck believes the upside outweighs them Buck also explains why this could be the moment Arthur Blank finally signals the Falcons are serious about building a winning culture again — and why having Matt Ryan in power could attract the right coaches, executives, and players back to Atlanta.

On this episode of Buck’s Beat, Buck Belue reacts to the growing reports and league buzz that the Atlanta Falcons are exploring a significant front office role for franchise legend Matt Ryan. With Arthur Blank bringing in Sportology for an organizational “health check,” Buck explains why Matt Ryan — the most accomplished player in Falcons history — could be exactly the kind of decision-maker this franchise needs after eight straight losing seasons. Buck dives into: Why Matt Ryan’s football IQ and competitive drive translate to front office leadership What kind of role would actually make sense (GM, EVP, or true decision-maker — not a figurehead) Comparisons to successful former players turned executives like John Elway and John Lynch Why this move could signal a real culture change inside the Falcons organization The risks for Matt Ryan — and why Buck believes the upside outweighs them Buck also explains why this could be the moment Arthur Blank finally signals the Falcons are serious about building a winning culture again — and why having Matt Ryan in power could attract the right coaches, executives, and players back to Atlanta.

John Fricke gets in to the supposed hiring of Matt Ryan to the Falcons front office. What would his role be? John believes that he should have total control, as Arthur Blank trusts him completely.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! Nick & Chris are back from their holiday break. Matty Ice to the Falcons? In what role? GT falls in Pop-Tart Bowl & Dawgs ready for some sugar Hawks on the struggle bus...Trae on the way out? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! The 12 o'clock hour is brought to you by SCANA Energy, the Official Natural Gas Partner of Georgia Tech. MNF Falcons-Rams...ESPN's Dan Orlovsky joins the show Matt Ryan returning to the Falcons? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Johnson and Ali Mac spend some time with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, and now analyst for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network Dave Archer! Ali, Mike, and Dave discuss if Dave would take a front office role with the Atlanta Falcons if the opportunity was offered to him, Matt Ryan having an unbelievable amount of love for the Falcons, the city of Atlanta, and Arthur Blank, the Falcons players still playing hard for their teammates and coaches, if Dave thins the familiarity the Falcons and Rams coaches and personnel have with each other gives either side an advantage in tonight's game, what Dave thinks is the best way to defend the Rams offense, and the Falcons and Rams coaches having a lot of respect for each other.

HR3 - Best way Falcons stop Rams is controlling clock & having long drives on offense In hour three Mike Johnson, Dylan Mathews, and Ali Mac let listeners call in and give their take on the Atlanta Falcons Monday Night Football matchup with the Los Angeles Rams tonight, if they want to see former Falcons Pro Bowl and MVP quarterback Matt Ryan rejoin the Falcons in a significant front office role, and if they would like to see the Atlanta Hawks trade for star power forward Anthony Davis in the Wake Up Call! Then, Mike and Ali spend some time with former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, and now analyst for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network Dave Archer! Ali, Mike, and Dave discuss if Dave would take a front office role with the Atlanta Falcons if the opportunity was offered to him, Matt Ryan having an unbelievable amount of love for the Falcons, the city of Atlanta, and Arthur Blank, the Falcons players still playing hard for their teammates and coaches, if Dave thins the familiarity the Falcons and Rams coaches and personnel have with each other gives either side an advantage in tonight's game, what Dave thinks is the best way to defend the Rams offense, and the Falcons and Rams coaches having a lot of respect for each other. The Morning Shift crew also talks about Ali Mac's Christmas prank war that she has going on with her brother right now, the Christmas pranks Dylan's older brother used to play on him when they were younger, give their final thoughts on the Falcons Monday Night Football matchup with the Rams tonight, explain why they think the Falcons must play a perfect game to beat the Rams tonight, and then close out hour three by diving into the life of Dylan Mathews in The Life of Squid, featuring Dylan Mathews!

Rumors circulating over the weekend included Arthur Blank offering former Falcons QB Matt Ryan a high profile front-office job, which would be a bold move for the organization that could either go very right, or horribly wrong. Drew and Chris Thomas discuss...

Arthur Blank hiring Matt Ryan to a front-office position could be a decision that solidifies the Falcons franchise, or it could end up going wrong, leaving the team looing desperate. Drew and Chris Thomas discuss this possible move for Falcons.

Falcons 'had too many mistakes' to not make a coaching change. What does Arthur Blank want see in Falcons final games? NCAA needs to enforce eligibility ending after fifth season.

Carl and Mike get back to Falcons talk as they preview the Monday night showdown with the Rams and share their thoughts on what they believe Arthur Blank may be hoping to see from the team in their last two games that will help him with his decision on Raheem Morris.

Carl and Mike get back to more Falcons talk as they share thoughts as to whether or not they have made up their minds in regards to the Falcons retaining Raheem Morris for another season. As they discuss, they question if the final two games will have any impact on the decision of Arthur Blank as pertaining to Morris' future and note some of the issues the team has had throughout the season which they believe may have been enough for Blank to have already decided to move on from Morris.

Carl and Mike get back into Falcons talk as they share thoughts on some of Raheem Morris' comments in regards to how he feels knowing there is a portion of the fan base which wants him back as the head coach and how he would handle Arthur Blank telling him he would be returning however he would have to make changes to his coaching staff.

Carl and Mike get back to Falcons talk and discuss why despite the failures of this season, Raheem Morris still has support of fans who believe he should be awarded another opportunity to return as head coach next season

There are a lot of fans that want to point fingers at Falcons owner Arthur Blank for the Falcons current quarterback conundrum, and while Arthur Blank does not make draft picks, how far up the ladder to they really go?

Knowledge Project: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Bernie Marcus is the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot.  This is how he built a culture of ownership, kept going when everyone turned him down, nearly lost it all, and created one of the most successful retailers in history.  ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:00) Part 1: An Accidental Miracle (09:29) Part 2: A Golden Horseshoe Kick (25:49) Part 3: Building From Nothing (38:53) Part 4: Orange Everywhere (49:40) Part 5: The Legacy (54:17) Lessons ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech⁠⁠ https://get.tech/⁠ reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at ⁠https://www.reMarkable.com⁠ today ----- Sources: Marcus, Bernie, and Arthur Blank. Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion. New York: Crown Business, 1999. Best Practice Institute. "Bernie Marcus Interview." YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNP0YYDi1FY. ----- This episode is for informational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knowledge Project Intro Sixteen lessons learned from Bernie Marcus, the outlier: Bad money is worse than no money.Outcome over ego.Every customer is on loan.Bureaucracy is a fungus.Pitchers need Catchers.Promotions are an addiction; low prices are a discipline.It's not a value until it costs you money.Win-Win or walk away.Hire people better than you.The best information isn't in a spreadsheet; it's in the customer walking out empty-handed.Invisible benefits often outweigh visible costs.The one-man show doesn't scale.Instincts beat spreadsheets.The money is the scorecard, not the motivator.You're never as smart as you think you are.Sometimes the company outgrows the people.Home Depot's “Customer Bill of Rights” – the six things a customer wants to pay for: 1. The right assortment2. The right quantities3. The right price4. Associates on the sales floor who want to take care of customers5. Associates who have been properly trained in product knowledgeCulture isn't what you say, it's what you repeatedly do Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgBernie Marcus is the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot.  This is how he built a culture of ownership, kept going when everyone turned him down, nearly lost it all, and created one of the most successful retailers in history.  ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:00) Part 1: An Accidental Miracle (09:29) Part 2: A Golden Horseshoe Kick (25:49) Part 3: Building From Nothing (38:53) Part 4: Orange Everywhere (49:40) Part 5: The Legacy (54:17) Lessons ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech⁠⁠ https://get.tech/⁠ reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at ⁠https://www.reMarkable.com⁠ today ----- Sources: Marcus, Bernie, and Arthur Blank. Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion. New York: Crown Business, 1999. Best Practice Institute. "Bernie Marcus Interview." YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNP0YYDi1FY. ----- This episode is for informational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy and Randy bounce around to some of the bigger sports stories around Atlanta and nationwide.

Carl and Mike open up the show with Falcons talk as they discuss what the potential future of Raheem Morris may be with the team to which Carl believes it will be a hard argument for Morris to convince Arthur Blank to bring Morris back as head coach.

It's a hard sell for Raheem Morris convincing Arthur Blank he should return. Why Falcons being back in the quarterback business may be sooner than later.

Bernie Marcus is the co-founder and former CEO of Home Depot.  This is how he built a culture of ownership, kept going when everyone turned him down, nearly lost it all, and created one of the most successful retailers in history.  ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:00) Part 1: An Accidental Miracle (09:29) Part 2: A Golden Horseshoe Kick (25:49) Part 3: Building From Nothing (38:53) Part 4: Orange Everywhere (49:40) Part 5: The Legacy (54:17) Lessons ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it's completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech⁠⁠ https://get.tech/⁠ reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at ⁠https://www.reMarkable.com⁠ today ----- Sources: Marcus, Bernie, and Arthur Blank. Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion. New York: Crown Business, 1999. Best Practice Institute. "Bernie Marcus Interview." YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNP0YYDi1FY. ----- This episode is for informational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Beau get into some Falcons talk as they share thoughts on reports Arthur Blank has stated he will evaluate everything at the conclusion of the season. As they discuss, Beau questions if the team decided to bring in someone to work alongside current team President, Greg Beadles, to run the football side of, would that be enough to satisfy disgruntled Falcons' fans.

John opens up the show with some Falcons talk as he shares thoughts on why he believes the team no longer gives reason to be excited about watching them tomorrow when they take on the Bucs and why he believes Raheem Morris is likely not going to return next season as head coach of the Falcons.

When two employees of Handy Dan hardware store gave this idea to management, they got fired! So, they started Home Depot. Someone’s kicking themselves now! Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today’s episode, a word from our sponsor, which is… well, it’s us. But we’re highlighting ads we’ve written and produced for our clients. So here’s one of those. [No Bull RV Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. I’m Dave Young. That’s Steve Semple whispering in your other ear. And on today’s episode of the Empire Builders- Stephen Semple: [inaudible 00:01:44] your live stereo. Dave Young: We knew that it would only be a matter of time having so recently discussed the Lowe’s Empire that we would be discussing Home Depot, and today is that day. Stephen Semple: Today is that day because really, there’s a pretty shared DNA there. Dave Young: Sure. And again, I always think, “Well, okay, start as a little hardware store and then somebody grew into a big hardware store and then they made a bunch more.” Stephen Semple: It’s a little bit like that. Dave Young: A little bit? Stephen Semple: Except this is a little different. It’s a little bit different. Dave Young: Okay. I always like a good twist. Stephen Semple: There’s a little bit of a twist in this. So it was founded in February 6th, 1978, Marietta, Georgia by Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, Pat Farrah, and Ken Langone. So these guys basically got it started. Dave Young: So it doesn’t go near as far back as Lowe’s. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Lowe’s is a little bit earlier, but not much. And today they have over 2,300 locations. They do 160 billion in revenue with over 450,000 employees. So it’s a big deal. And we all know who the Home Depot is, right? We’ve all pretty much heard of it. Now, a couple of the guys got basically fired from a hardware store in the West Coast called Handy Dan. Dave Young: Handy Dan. Okay. Stephen Semple: And it wasn’t really all that big and it was one-stop. But here’s why they got fired. They kept pestering management saying, “You need to go larger, then you need to go national.” And basically, management got tired of listening to that and fired them. So I told you there was a little twist. So when they left, they called one of Handy Dan’s investors, Ken Langone, and said, “Here’s what we want to do. We want to make 100,000 square foot hardware store, stock everything, make it cheaper, and make it more like a wholesaler. That’s what we want to do.” And they drew their inspiration from Walmart. They’re looking at what Walmart was doing. They said, “We want to do the Walmart thing for hardware and building.” And Ken was like, “Great, let’s do it.” And they drew up a plan that basically said they needed $25 million to get going, and they had to settle on raising three and a half million. So this is important to keep in mind because it shapes a couple of things that they do. And so the first thing that they needed to do… And they had a guy, Pat Farrah join them for merchandising. The first thing that they needed to do was create a name for the company. Now, I don’t know if you remember Crazy Eddie’s, the guy in New York City? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: New York City. And he was selling electronics and all this other stuff. Dave Young: But he’s no Handy Dan. Stephen Semple: He’s no Handy Dan, but they were inspired by Crazy Eddie’s. And what I found interesting is in Toronto around the same time, there was a furniture company that started that also was inspired from it because it was Bad Boys. They would dress in the black and white retro, “I’m a prisoner” uniforms. And they’d be like, “Bad Boys. Does anybody have a better price? Nobody.” That was their slogan. But what these guys decided was they were going to call it Bad Bernie’s Buildall. Dave Young: Bad Bernie’s Buildall? Stephen Semple: Bad Bernie’s Buildall. Yes. The investors didn’t like it. That name did not go forth. Dave Young: Of course they didn’t like it. Stephen Semple: Well, because it didn’t have the name Home and all those other things. So they said, “Okay. Well, let’s call it the Home Depot.” Dave Young: Look, Lowe’s doesn’t have the name Home in it either, but it’s not Bad Bernie’s. What was it? Builders? Stephen Semple: Buildall. Dave Young: Buildall? Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: It doesn’t roll off the tongue. It blurts out of your mouth in a not great way. Yeah. I have to side with the investors on this one. Stephen Semple: I have to say, I think even on this one, the investors, they’re often not right, but I think on this one they were right. So they opened in Atlanta, 60,000 square feet. Remember that little bit of a difference in terms of the money that they wanted to raise? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: They wanted to raise the 25 million and only had three and a half million. So it made a couple of things difficult, such as stocking 60,000 square feet full of merchandise. Dave Young: Sure. That’s a lot of merchandise. Stephen Semple: So to make it look full, they went out and they bought empty paint cans, thousands of empty paint cans and thousands of empty boxes and basically put them on the shelves. Dave Young: Oh, boy. Stephen Semple: And they wanted to make it feel like a working warehouse so they threw sawdust on the floor. So it’s sawdust on the floor, empty boxes, empty paint cans. Dave Young: Just have one guy driving around with a forklift randomly just… Stephen Semple: They couldn’t afford a lit sign, so they had to make it bright to stand out. So that’s why they went with the orange. Now here’s what’s really interesting. Dave Young: Okay. That makes sense. Stephen Semple: Our client in Edmonton who sells used RVs has a location that’s relatively close to the airport, so you can’t do a lit sign. Jay Mistry Art Design. We picked a very specific shade of orange because what we knew is the setting sun would hit it. And when the setting sun hits that sign, it looks like it’s glowing. And then we got Rick to buy a spotlight and Jay even said to him, “Spotlight has to have this specific criteria to it.” And we put the spotlight onto it and it looks like it’s glowing. There’s cheap ways to make a sign look lit without lighting it. But anyway, that’s why it was orange. Dave Young: Shining the light on it is fine. Stephen Semple: Right. But that’s why they went with the orange, is like, “We can’t light it. It’s got to stand out.” So they do launch day. Launch day does not go well. Literally, they had a newspaper ad that was supposed to run that didn’t run. Nobody showed up. They literally sent kids and family into the parking lot, literally to hand out dollar bills, come to the store. First year’s a disaster. They lose a million dollars in the first year. Dave Young: Here’s what we know about hardware. When do we buy hardware? When we need it. Stephen Semple: Yes, when we’re fixing something. Yep. Dave Young: When we’re fixing something, when we need it. I don’t need it today, but I don’t know if I need it tomorrow because nothing’s broken yet and I don’t have a project I’m working on. So you got to be patient in the hardware business, don’t you? Stephen Semple: Well, they also did something interesting to stimulate sales. So the first year they lose a million dollars and then they get this chance to buy fireplace accessories really cheap. Now think about this. It’s the summertime, they’re in the South and there’s these cheap fireplace accessories. They buy 4,000 of them and they plan to sell them at just above the price and advertise it like crazy. They’re selling these things for 37 bucks. And here’s what’s crazy. People travel from miles away to buy this stuff. And when they’re there, they’re walking around and they buy other things. So the original history- Dave Young: Get an empty can of paint. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And to get some paint. Dave Young: A big box. Stephen Semple: So the original history of Home Depot is they did all these flash sales. Flash sale, flash sale, flash sale. Okay. So in 1980, they do more sales. But one of the things they also do is they start hiring professional contractors and start running these clinics inside the store. This whole idea is we’re going to do a flash sale. Dave Young: I remember that. Yeah. Stephen Semple: Right. We’re going to do a flash sale to bring people in and then people will maybe watch the clinic and then they’ll buy other stuff. Dave Young: They’ll learn how to do tiling or all that stuff. Stephen Semple: So it’s 1985, they have 50 stores. Lowe’s has 300 stores and Lowe’s secret shops them. They start copying each other at this point. Now, Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, ends up becoming important in all this because Sam Walton calls them and you’re going to love Sam’s advice. Dave Young: Stay tuned. We’re going to wrap up this story and tell you how to apply this lesson to your business right after this. [Using Stories To Sell Ad] Dave Young: Let’s pick up our story where we left off and trust me, you haven’t missed a thing. Stephen Semple: Sam Walton calls them and says, “Guys, love what you’re doing, but you need to shift your model.” And you’re going to love Sam’s advice because it speaks to what we do from the standpoint of running these sales, there’s a downside to running all these sales. And he said, “Get rid of the flash sales, buy in bulk, keep everything as cheap as possible.” If that’s your dealio, low prices, don’t do flash sales, just do low prices, advertise that you got low prices on everything, go that way, and sales soar. So remember, Home Depot was 50 stores and Lowe’s was 300 stores. So that was ’85. So 1992, seven years later after implementing Sam Walton’s advice, Home Depot was doing seven billion in sales and Lowe’s is doing four billion. They blow past Lowe’s. Blow past them and even started opening locations in the same location. Lowe’s basically never catches up. There was one point where every 53 hours there was a Home Depot open. Dave Young: That’s a lot of cans of empty paint. Empty cans of paint. Stephen Semple: That’s a lot of cans of empty paint. Dave Young: Do you know what I miss about Home Depot? I remember when they did the little seminars and things, I thought it was cool. I didn’t ever take one. From where I lived at the time, you had to drive 100 miles to get to Home Depot. But when you got there, you could always get a sausage. They always had somebody out front cooking- Stephen Semple: Oh, doing food. Dave Young: … smoked sausage or something, right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. I think it’s a mistake that Home Depot has gotten away from that. But I do find interesting that what they recognized was when you do a flash sale, you’re not making money on the flash sale. The flash sale is a loss-leader to get people into the store. Now that I’ve got you in the store, I need to do something. And so running those clinics and those things was a great way to get people further engaged, see them as being professional and buy other things. What I do like was Home Depot wasn’t just flash sale, bring people in. There was a further leg to that stool. But what I also love was Sam Walton saying, “Forget the flash sales. Just do everyday low prices.” Dave Young: Well, it’s an interesting distinction between having a flash sale and a loss-leader that you don’t advertise as a sale. You just say, “Hey, screwdrivers are $1.99.” Stephen Semple: Correct. Dave Young: It’s not a sale price. That’s the price of a screwdriver today. Stephen Semple: Correct. Correct. Dave Young: And then people go, “Oh, well.” And maybe the screwdrivers cost you $4. But you advertise that screwdrivers are $1.99, and people that need screwdrivers also need screws and other size screwdrivers and all kinds of other things. But it gives the impression that everything you buy in there is going to be that kind of a price. But like you said, it’s not a flash sale. Stephen Semple: It’s not a flash sale. Dave Young: It’s just the price of a screwdriver. And that was what Walton was so good at, right? Stephen Semple: Yes. Right. Dave Young: He made Walmart become known for low prices, even though they weren’t always the lowest price. Stephen Semple: Well, that’s exactly it. And that’s what Sam’s advice was. Sam’s advice was the place that you want to occupy in somebody’s mind is, “You’ve got it, you’ve probably got a couple and they’re all a good price for your category,” because then when you do that, you own the mind in that category. Dave Young: Now here’s what’s interesting too. Did Sam Walton just call them up? Stephen Semple: Yeah, he did. Dave Young: And he wasn’t an investor. Stephen Semple: No. Dave Young: He was just like, “Hey guys, here’s how you’re screwing this up.” Stephen Semple: Hey guys, here’s how you- Dave Young: That’s pretty amazing. Stephen Semple: It might be a myth, but that’s the story floating out there according to the folks from Home Depot, is one day, Sam called and said, “Hey guys.” Dave Young: And here’s the other amazing thing is they took his advice because what I’ve found, you’ve found, all of us that do ad consulting work is the advice you give somebody that you don’t charge them for- Stephen Semple: They often don’t take it. Dave Young: … they often don’t do anything with it. Stephen Semple: It’s true. Dave Young: If they do, then you’re like, “Okay, well, I’ve got somebody I can work with.” Because often people look at it and go, “Well, shoot, you didn’t charge me anything for that. So how valuable could that be?” I remember our friend, Jeffrey Eisenberg. This is, shoot, 20 years ago, when someone would contact him for website consulting, he would get on the phone with them and they’d look at the site together and he’d make them two or three recommendations, “Here’s what you need to fix right now and this other thing. These are easy fixes. Just have your web guy do this, this and this, and your website will convert a lot better. And then let me know if you want to talk again.” And if they called him back a few weeks later and are like, “I want to talk again,” he’s like, “Well, have you done the things I told you?” “No. Because we’re not…” And like, “No, dude, I’m not even talking to you if you don’t do those things. Not even doing it, not having another conversation with you.” So I love that Sam just called him up. Stephen Semple: And the other part about taking advice, because look, in marketing and business, everybody wants to give their advice. But when a guy like Sam Walton is giving you advice, you should listen. Dave Young: You should. Stephen Semple: I was joking the other day with a client of mine who’s in Western Canada, one of the self-made billionaires is a guy by the name of Jimmy Pattison. We were talking about advice and I was like, “Yeah, if Jimmy Pattison ever calls and gives you some advice, take it.” Now, if the guy who’s just read a lot of books gives you some advice, maybe not. If Sam Walton calls, take it. Dave Young: This is terrible, but the most frustrating thing is when a business owner takes the advice of their veterinarian’s nephew. Stephen Semple: Well, exactly. Dave Young: Or, “My cousin says that we shouldn’t do it that way.” Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: And I’m like, “Well, you should just hire your cousin.” Stephen Semple: Right. And it happens a lot, as we know, in marketing because we all feel like we have an opinion in it because we’re all exposed to the messages all the time. But here’s the interesting thing, I’ve grown up my entire life with homes with indoor plumbing. Does not make me a plumber. Dave Young: No. Stephen Semple: Right. Miraculously. So to me, the part that I really loved with Home Depot was this audacity of, “Okay, how do we make it look big? How do we make it look real?” And even that first flash sale being this weird thing because it was fireplace accessories in the South in the summer. Even though we’re not big fans of flash sales, they saw something that worked and replicated it and it worked for a period of time. But then we’re still willing to pivot off of that, and so to go, “Okay, you know what? There is limitations to that. Let’s pivot off of that and do this thing.” And not everybody can be successful being low price. You can be successful being low price when you are giving a depot feeling, because let’s face it, you go in there, and the stores are bare bones, they’re buying in high volume. You can win at that game when you do it that way. Dave Young: Yeah. It could have been that the fireplace accessories is when Walton first noticed them. If I was writing this legend- Stephen Semple: Maybe. Dave Young: Because that’s really the tactic that he used, that’s what got started with his story, is buying [inaudible 00:18:53]. Stephen Semple: That’s his origin as well. Yes. Dave Young: There were a whole bunch of lawnmowers. I could get them real cheap and the staff was like, “Okay, so we’re going to store them till next summer,” because this is the end of the summer, right? Somebody else was overstocked. And he’s like, “No, we’re going to line them all up by the road and put a low price on them.” Stephen Semple: Yeah. And just move them. Dave Young: We just move them out, just blow them out. It’s not a lawnmower sale. It’s lawnmowers cost this much right here, right now, and there they are and that’s all there are. Stephen Semple: Right. So that’s a great observation. So their origin is very similar to his, except he didn’t make it a flash sale. He just sold them at a low price. Yeah. Dave Young: Yeah, just like, “No, I got these lawnmowers. Here’s what they cost and there they are. There’s that many of them.” Stephen Semple: That’s probably where it came from. I hadn’t connected those dots. That’s a great observation, Dave. Dave Young: That’s just part of the same DNA. Stephen Semple: It is. Dave Young: I love the story of Home Depot. I wish I could drive over there right now and get a smoked sausage, but alas. That ship has sailed, my friend. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Well, they still got hot dogs at Costco, so there’s still hope. Dave Young: Oh, there is that. All right. I’ll go to Costco instead. Thank you, Stephen. Stephen Semple: All right, thanks. Dave Young: Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please share us, subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave us a big, fat, juicy five star rating and review at Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to schedule your own 90-minute Empire Building session, you can do it at empirebuildingprogram.com.

Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino talk everything Atlanta Sports, the National Sports picture and the current (and WAY back when) in pop culture! Get the latest and your fill of Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks daily from two "Southern" Yankees daily Mon-Fri from 10a-2p! Coach Ra says his job is safe X Question of the Day on the Harrah's Cherokee X Feed On Campus - The ACC responds to Notre Dame See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike and Abe close out the show with final thoughts on the Falcons loss to the Seahawks and missing the playoffs for the eighth season in a row. As they discuss, they share their opinions on where Arthur Blank's legacy stands as the team's owner.

Mike and Abe get back into Falcons talk as they continue to share thoughts on the team's loss to the Seahawks, which included more special teams errors, and discuss why they believe Arthur Blank should be demanding answers from Raheem Morris as to why he and his coaching staff cannot correct their issues. As their conversation continued, they also agreed it appeared Falcons players seemingly quit on Raheem Morris and bringing the head coach back next season could lead to losing the fanbase.

-This playoff scenario would not please UGA or Bama fans…but its a very real possibility-Plus if this is true Arthur Blank has still not learned from his mistakes. -And Braves biggest advantage over everybody else in Atlanta might be shrinking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.