Podcasts about Big Ass Fans

American manufacturing company

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Big Ass Fans

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Best podcasts about Big Ass Fans

Latest podcast episodes about Big Ass Fans

For Your Listening Pleasure
Jon Bostock - Leadership, Disruption, and The Elephant's Dilemma

For Your Listening Pleasure

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 41:11


Jon Bostock is the new CEO of Kodak Alaris. With an impressive career spanning leadership roles at GE, Big Ass Fans, and Truman's, Jon has built a reputation for driving innovation and sustainable business growth. At Big Ass Fans, he led a successful company restructuring and sale, and later, he founded Truman's to revolutionize the cleaning industry with a focus on reducing waste.In this episode, we explore Jon's book The Elephant's Dilemma, focusing on key moments of inspiration, the power of innovation, and the critical role diversity plays in shaping successful companies.Episode Resources:The Elephant's DilemmaLink to purchase:FYLPxTracee Badway Merch CollaborationFYLPxWRDSMTH Merch Collaboration*suggestion is to size upDownload this episode of For Your Listening Pleasure wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you follow us on Instagram @foryourlisteningpleasure Click here to listen to the For Your Listening Pleasure Theme Song Playlist on Spotify.To continue the conversation, feel free to DM me at https://www.instagram.com/foryourlisteningpleasure/ or email me at foryourlisteningpleasure@gmail.com.

Electricpreneur Secrets - The Electrician Podcast
Ep 19 - Cultivating the Trade, Culture, and Big Ass Alliances with Rusty Page

Electricpreneur Secrets - The Electrician Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 50:28 Transcription Available


Discover the journey of Rusty Page, the mastermind behind Page Electric, as he shares his transformation from a master electrician at the University of Kentucky Hospital to a business owner with over $4 million in gross revenue. Rusty's story is one of resilience and strategic vision, spurred by a timely nudge from his friend Chris, an executive at Big Ass Fans. Listen to Rusty's reflections on overcoming monopolistic competitors, the significance of strategic partnerships, and his dedication to teaching and nurturing new talent in the electrical trade—an essential element in his recipe for success.Explore the dynamics of a company that achieved platinum status by embracing every opportunity and delivering exceptional customer service. Rusty unveils the logistical triumphs and challenges of handling demanding clients like Amazon, emphasizing the importance of the right equipment and teamwork. This episode brims with actionable insights into building strategic alliances, like one that garnered $750,000 with a 73% profit margin, and proactive strategies that elevate businesses beyond complacency in the competitive landscape of the electrical industry.Rusty also highlights the transformative power of communication and company culture in fostering a thriving business. From transparent communication practices to a supportive work environment, Rusty shares how Page Electric creates customer loyalty and employee satisfaction. With stories of personal dedication and mentorship, Rusty invites fellow electricians to reach out for guidance, underscoring his commitment to uplifting the industry and the profound satisfaction derived from guiding apprentices. Join us for an inspiring conversation filled with practical insights and heartwarming tales that illuminate the path to becoming a million-dollar electrician.—---------------Join our community and get access to strategies that'll help bring your electrical business to the top

Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration
269: Blowing Minds with Carey Smith: The Big Ass Fans Story!

Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 72:04


Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its Chief Big Ass until the company's sale in 2017. Under his guidance, Big Ass Fans grew an average of 30% a year, with offices across the globe. It made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies 11 consecutive years — a feat achieved by only 34 others — and expanded from industrial products to include a line of chic, silent commercial fans. In less than two decades, he took the company from 0 to $250 million in revenue, without the help of investors. This Episode is Sponsored By: Jon Ostenson, Founder of FranBridge Consulting and Top 1% US Franchise Consultant is here to help you explore the world of non-food franchising opportunities today. Jon and his team are part of the largest brokerage in the US and have vetted the market thoroughly. FranBridge is hands down the premier source of the best opportunities in the non-food franchising world. You can hear more of Jon's story and how he started FranBridge Consulting on Episode 250 of our podcast. Sign up for a free consultation call with Jon today at millionaire-interviews.com/franbridgeconsulting and receive a FREE copy of his new book Non-Food Franchising. Franbridge Consulting offers five more non-food franchise opportunities in 2024 that you can explore. FranBridge is hands down the premier source of the best opportunities in the non-food franchising world. You can hear more of Jon's story and how he started FranBridge Consulting on Episode 250 of our podcast. Sign up for a free consultation call with Jon today at millionaire-interviews.com/franbridgeconsulting and receive a FREE copy of his new book Non-Food Franchising.   Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

The Building Science Podcast
Designer Desiccants, Molecular Filters, and the Prospects of Dehumidification

The Building Science Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 66:03


What is the future of dehumidification? Turns out this simple question opens up an exciting view of the future of IAQ generally. The goal of a low energy method for removing water molecules from a flowing airstream boils down to some way of identifying, grabbing and holding onto them. Essentially we are talking about a designer desiccant or molecular filter that lets the air pass through while it filters out water molecules. If we can do this, the next logical question is “Why stop there?” Why not identify a broad range of pollutants and contaminants in the airstream and also select and remove them as well? Enter metal molecularly sensitive filtration based on Metal Oxide Framework (MOF) technology. MOFs are a type of advanced material that scientists are developing to tackle a wide range of challenges, from clean energy, to environmental protection via direct air carbon capture (DACC), to health and drug delivery.. While the name may sound complex, the basic idea behind MOFs is relatively simple—they are materials made by combining metal ions (like zinc, iron, or copper) with organic molecules to create a kind of 3D structure that is highly porous, meaning it has lots of tiny holes or cavities - and they operate as a molecular sieve or filter. Join Kristof as he interviews Todd DeMonte of Madison IAQ to unpack the future of dehumidification and learn about desiccants, and the potential for metal oxide frameworks. Along the way we learn whether the “good old” compressor-based dehumidifier is likely to remain the preferred and appropriate approach for many years to come. This is an episode that will bring you up to date at this important edge of the industry. Enjoy!Important Links!Article on MOFs:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.7b04132SMECO Document discussing 3Å wheels:https://www.semcohvac.com/hubfs/Importance_of_3A_Molecular_Sieve.pdf?hsLang=enLithium Chloride Examples:https://www.alfalaval.us/products/heat-transfer/dehumidification/liquid-desiccant-dehumidification/https://temaprocess.com/products/dehumidifier/https://www.ventilex.com/working-principle-drygenic-air-dehumidification/Todd DemonteTodd DeMonte is the Chief Innovation Officer of Madison Indoor Air Quality (MIAQ), a Madison Industries business vertical that holds the following companies: Nortek, Broan-NuTone, StatePoint, NGH, Big Ass Fans, UV-Resources, Therma-Stor, DAS, Addison, Specified Air, Air Xchange, Novel Aire, United Cool Air, Conviron, Argus Controls, and Steril-Aire. As Chief Innovation Officer, Todd identifies and leads the development of innovative new product concepts, markets, and solutions across all MIAQ companies, increasing vitality and driving long-term value creation.Prior, Todd was President and General Manager of Therma-Stor from 2004-2019, where he and his team grew the company's revenue over 600% ($100M+) and created over $250M in enterprise value through innovation in products and markets.Before joining Therma-Stor, Todd was a business owner and worked as a manager and technician in the automotive business for more than 10 years. During that time, he won awards from Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and for being among the top 15 and top 10 (respectively) technicians in the United States.Todd earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Tulane University. He has been awarded 28 U.S. patents with several more pending.TeamHosted by Kristof IrwinEdited by Nico MignardiProduced by M. Walker

Rand(Nerds);
Rand(Nerds); Episode 252 - MudRunner, The Callisto Protocol

Rand(Nerds);

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 75:16


Welcome to Episode 253 In this episode, Skazz takes the lead as we dive into our latest Games Night experience with MudRunner. We explore the challenges of navigating through the muddy landscapes of Eastern Europe using worn-out Soviet era trucks, discussing the fun (and frustration) of getting stuck and relying on winches—either yours or your friends—to pull you free. We also touch on the game's bad points, including its clunky interface and issues with player synchronisation, while also comparing it to Euro Truck Simulator and how the two stack up as driving games. Continuing his horror game streak, Ram delves into The Callisto Protocol, a much-hyped, visually good looking title that unfortunately serves as a textbook case of how not to design a horror game. With a cliché storyline, poor level design, and a dull combat system, it manages to sap the fun out of the experience. The game even makes you accept an agreement to not to cheat in a single-player game. Ram completely ignores this and turns to a cheat engine just to make it bearable. We also chat about the Big Ass Fans company with its seductive donkey logo, Ram's misadventures with speeding tickets and other run-ins with the law, and Skazz's ongoing motorbike mishaps. Notes You too can enjoy a big ass fan Get all wet and dirty in MudRunner How not to design a horror game with The Callisto Protocol 

Agile Digital Transformation
Kimberly Eubank - Ready for Change

Agile Digital Transformation

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2024 27:07


Kimberly Eubank is a keynote speaker, advisor, coach and leading expert on digital transformation, as well as the Chief Digital Information Officer at Big Ass Fans.In this episode, we talk about the importance of embracing and planning for change, focusing on Kimberly's Ready for Change framework and how it can help companies and organizations succeed in the highly competitive digital world.Links & mentions:kimberlyeubank.com

Momenta Edge
Kimberly Eubank, Chief Digital Information Officer of Big Ass Fans

Momenta Edge

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2024 36:51


Kimberly Eubank, Chief Digital Information Officer of Big Ass Fans by Momenta

How I Built This Business
Building a Fan that blew by the Competition - Big Ass Fans | 188

How I Built This Business

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 63:50


188. Big Ass Fans | Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its Chief Big Ass until the company's sale in 2017. Under his guidance, Big Ass Fans grew an average of 30% a year, with offices across the globe. It made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies 11 consecutive years — a feat achieved by only 34 others — and expanded from industrial products to include a line of chic, silent commercial fans. In less than two decades, he took the company from 0 to $250 million in revenue, without the help of investors.   *** For Show Notes, Key Points, Contact Info, Resources Mentioned, & the Fabulous 4 Questions on this episode visit our website: Carey Smith Interview. ***   Got land you want to sell? Well if you're in Tennessee then check out: Bubba Land Tennessee.

ACHR News Podcast
HVAC Contractors and the HVLS Market

ACHR News Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 28:21


Andrew Koukis of Big Ass Fans discusses the HVLS market, IAQ, and more while The NEWS visited their facility in Lexington Kentucky.

The Action Academy | Millionaire Mentorship for Your Life & Business
Building Big Ass Fans (And Profits) : How Carey Smith Made $500,000,000 Through Selling Ceiling Fans

The Action Academy | Millionaire Mentorship for Your Life & Business

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 58:16


Carey Smith is the founder of Big Ass Fans that sold in 2017 for 500 Million Dollars. Today we discuss how he built, bootstrapped, and exited the company - where he wrote 50 million dollars of checks as bonuses to his loyal employees!Contrarian entrepreneur Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its “Chief Big Ass” for 18 years. While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey's business practices led to sustained, rapid growth averaging 30% annually. Inc. magazine ranked Big Ass Fans among America's fastest-growing private companies for 11 years straight — a feat achieved by only 34 others.Carey has earned national recognition for his common-sense business philosophies, such as selling direct, investing in silver-platter customer service and paying employees more than 30% above the U.S. average. Inc. named him “Economy Hero” in 2011 for refusing to lay off employees during the Great Recession.By 2017, Carey had grown Big Ass Fans from six employees to more than a thousand and generated nearly $300 million in annual sales. He did so without investors, a rarity in a society that glamorizes venture capital and quick exits. That year, he sold the company for $500 million with $50 million going right into employees' pockets.Following the sale, Carey founded Unorthodox Ventures. He assembled a staff experienced in everything from engineering and supply chain to marketing and customer service with the goal of providing founders far more than money.https://unorthodoxventures.com/members/carey-smith/Want To Quit Your Job, Build Your Own Business, And Travel / Impact The World?Check Out The Action Academy Community / Schedule A Free Intro CallLearn How To Buy Real Estate & Businesses In 5 Minutes Per Week:Join Our Weekly Newsletter Follow Me As I Travel & Build:Twitter @theactionpodIG @brianluebbenTiktok @brianluebben

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast
The autonomous enterprise is like a North Star vision of where business is going - Interview with Kerim Akgonul and Peter van der Putten of Pega

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 38:10


Today's interview is like an interview I released a couple of weeks ago and features two, separate interviews that I conducted on a recent trip to Pegaworld iNspire held in Las Vegas. The first interview is with Kerim Akgonul, the Chief Product Officer at Pega. This is swiftly followed by a chat with Dr Peter Van Der Putten, who is assistant professor of AI at Leiden University in The Netherlands and Director of the AI Lab at Pega. I talk to them both about their highlights from the event and what's top of mind for them in the service and experience space right now. Unsurprisingly, we cover the automated enterprise, demos featuring western omelettes, process mining, how to get the most value out of AI and, of course, how gen AI will impact all of this. This interview follows on from my recent interview – Revisiting the Big Ass Fans story and what happened next – Interview with Carey Smith of Unorthodox Ventures – and is number 477 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders that are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast
Revisiting the Big Ass Fans story and what happened next - Interview with Carey Smith of Unorthodox Ventures

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2023 73:07


Today's interview is with Carey Smith, who is Founding Contrarian at Unorthodox Ventures. Carey is a returning guest and was first on the podcast back in October 2014, where along with his colleague Dave Waltz, they shared with me the story of how their customer service strategy was central to growing the Big Ass Fans business five-fold over a five year period. That was nine years ago! Nine years! So, I thought it would be great to invite Carey back onto the podcast to find out what happened next. This interview follows on from my recent interview – New shoes, a surprising but delightful musical collaboration, the autonomous enterprise, gen AI and getting personalisation right – Interview with James Dodkins and Tara DeZao of Pega – and is number 476 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders that are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Manufacturing Tech Australia
CeMAT Australia 2023 Day 2: Special Edition - UTS TechLab, Forklift Championships, Big Ass Lager

Manufacturing Tech Australia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 12:12


Join Shane and Paul on an action-packed Day 2 of CeMAT Australia 2023 at Olympic Park Sydney! Explore the cutting-edge world of last mile logistics with KNAPP, hear from Michelle Mitchell of Forkpro about the Australian Forklift Championships. Plus, thanks to Annette Dockerty and the SME@UTS program we bring you the highlights from the mind-blowing CeMAT Bonus Session at UTS Tech Lab in Botany where, joined by Matthew Palumbo, we discover the latest in 5G research from Nokia, the wonders of AI image recognition, the awe-inspiring Spee3D metal 3D printer in the proto lab, and the southern hemisphere's largest Anechoic chamber. We cap off the day at the networking event sponsored by Big Ass Fans.

Manufacturing Tech Australia
CeMAT Australia 2023 Day 1 – Special Edition: Automated warehouses, industrial fans & hydrogen forklifts

Manufacturing Tech Australia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2023 11:37


Join Shane, Paul, and special guest host Daniel Gronowski on Day 1 of CeMAT 2023 at Olympic Park Sydney, July 25th. Explore innovative technologies at Geek+, Big Ass Fans, and Hyundai, including smart logistics solutions, industrial fans and coolers, and the technology behind Hyundai's hydrogen-fueled forklift.

Side Hustle Hero
56: How To Apply "Brain Glue" To Increase Sales, with James I Bond

Side Hustle Hero

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2023 35:57


Want tips to help people easily remember your product or service? James I Bond is going to tell us how to trigger the right side, emotional side of the brain to boost the performance of our ads, emails, social media posts, and one-on-one presentations….with the ultimate goal of achieving blockbuster sales. James is one of America's leading behavioral management and business marketing specialists who over the past 30 years has worked with a who's who of American business, including Warren Buffet and Costco founder Sol Price. Drawing from his book Brain Glue, James teaches us the steps to “light the fire of desire in your buyer,” with lots of real world examples where these techniques have been used to jaw-dropping success. What You'll Hear: 03:10 The idea for the book, “Brain Glue” 05:04 90% of all decision-making happens when you trigger the right side of the brain 05:44 Starting a “passion box” to deposit quotes, etc. that had an emotional impact 07:50 The backstory of John Gray changing his book title to Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus 09:55 Starting to analyze “why” the content in the passion box was so effective 10:20 Uncovering why names like “Shark Tank” and “Rocky Road” ice cream are memorable 11:29 Brain Glue tools: Metaphors, analogies, alliteration, humour 12:05 Why the name “Squatty Potty” has been effective 13:29 The “Lawnmower” example of humour in a name 14:41 The impact of changing the company name to, “Big Ass Fans” 16:20 How James came to change the name of his book to Brain Glue 18:23 Tips for left-brain, analytical type people to come up with these creative names and pitches 24:04 Because humour triggers oxytocin to be released in the bloodstream, it's a Brain Glue tool 24:43 Another tool is “chiasmus” 25:29 The downturn of Wonder Bread 27:31 The “Got Milk?” campaign and the reason it didn't increase milk sales 29:00 The origins of the hotel chain name, “Holiday Inn” 29:54 James discovers the page, “Mommy Needs Vodka” and why he became a fan 32:25 James's #1 tip Takeaway: 33:30 To rethink your product names, taglines, or to come up with a new company name, here's a recap of his steps to apply Brain Glue 33:43 Start by filling in the blank, “It's just like…” 34:02 Write out a logical title or description 34:10 Come up with words that rhyme (and alliteration) 34:28 Apply humour 34:40 Why you want to brainstorm with others Connect with James: braingluebook.com Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/  

IoT Coffee Talk
125: Big Ass Fans!!!

IoT Coffee Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 48:39


Welcome to IoT Coffee Talk #125 where we have a chat about all things IoT over a cup of coffee or two with some of the industry's leading business minds, thought leaders and technologists in a totally unscripted, organic format. Thanks for joining us. Sit back with a cup of Joe and enjoy the morning banter. This week, Andreea, Steve, Leonard, Bill, and Rob engaged in a fragmented but enthralling discussion about a bunch of random stuff such as the Hurricane Ian tragedy, going from chip shortage to the impending chip glut, annoying behaviors of Norton endpoint protection, the Edge Computing World, and Big Ass Fans. Yes, that is literally the name of the company that makes the massive fans that you see at Costcos to cool the warehouses.Thanks for listening to us! Watch episodes at http://iotcoffeetalk.com/. Your hosts include Leonard Lee, Stephanie Atkinson, Marc Pous, David Vasquez, Rob Tiffany, Bill Pugh, Rick Bullotta and special guests. We support Elevate Our Kids to bridge the digital divide by bringing K-12 computing devices and connectivity to support kids' education in under-resourced communities. Please donate.

The Action Academy | Millionaire Mentorship for Your Life & Business
How Carey Smith Made $500,000,000 Through Selling Fans (And Sarcasm)

The Action Academy | Millionaire Mentorship for Your Life & Business

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2023 58:16 Transcription Available


Carey Smith is the founder of Big Ass Fans that sold in 2017 for 500 Million Dollars. Today we discuss how he built, bootstrapped, and exited the company - where he wrote 50 million dollars of checks as bonuses to his loyal employees!Contrarian entrepreneur Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its “Chief Big Ass” for 18 years. While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey's business practices led to sustained, rapid growth averaging 30% annually. Inc. magazine ranked Big Ass Fans among America's fastest-growing private companies for 11 years straight — a feat achieved by only 34 others.Carey has earned national recognition for his common-sense business philosophies, such as selling direct, investing in silver-platter customer service and paying employees more than 30% above the U.S. average. Inc. named him “Economy Hero” in 2011 for refusing to lay off employees during the Great Recession.By 2017, Carey had grown Big Ass Fans from six employees to more than a thousand and generated nearly $300 million in annual sales. He did so without investors, a rarity in a society that glamorizes venture capital and quick exits. That year, he sold the company for $500 million with $50 million going right into employees' pockets.Following the sale, Carey founded Unorthodox Ventures. He assembled a staff experienced in everything from engineering and supply chain to marketing and customer service with the goal of providing founders far more than money.https://unorthodoxventures.com/members/carey-smith/Listening To A Podcast Won't Help You Hit "Financial Freedom".If you want the community, support, accountability, mentorship, and step by step playbook for your freedom in 12 months or less, apply below!Join Us: Apply For The Action Academy CommunityFor Frameworks, Freedom Tips, and Millionaire Financial Breakdowns:Join Our Weekly NewsletterTo Watch These Interviews In Video Format:Subscribe To Our Youtube Channel Twitter @theactionpodIG @brianluebbenTiktok @brianluebben

Manage 2 Win
#215 – Carey Smith's Big Ass Fan Journey

Manage 2 Win

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 43:31


Carey Smith grew Big Ass Fans from zero to $300 million over 18 years without outside investors.  He shares key parts of his story on this podcast. It's interesting to note that when he sold Big Ass Fans for $500 million, the company's stock appreciation rights program paid out $50 million to more than 100 loyal employees who shared Carey's work ethic with 15 becoming overnight millionaires. Every year, American entrepreneurs start more than 500,000 companies, but only 200 will ever reach $100 million in revenue.  Even many that succeed will later fail. One valuable tip from Carey is that he personally called each new customer to hear first-hand what they liked about their Big Ass Fan, and more importantly, learn what they thought could be improved.  Why did he do that? Because Carey believes in a “fail-fast” approach to drive revenue quickly.  He learned a valuable lesson that you can usually tell within a short time if an idea's going to work.  If it doesn't, then make the conscious decision to fail fast.  Carey tells his employees, “If you're not making mistakes, you're not working.”  Growth comes only from taking risks. Before Big Ass Fans, Carey spent more than a decade trying to grow another company, but its annual sales never rose above $1.4 million.  Carey admits he ignored warning signs and thought he should persevere a bit longer. Today, Carey leads Unorthodox Ventures, an Austin-based investment company he founded to provide everything venture capitalists lacked when they approached him near daily at Big Ass Fans.  Carey's team consists of experts who help founders become serial entrepreneurs by providing support for everything from engineering and marketing to customer service and logistics. Join this conversation to become introduced into Carey's success model. Spotify  Apple Podcast  Google Podcast  Manage2Win   ------- This Manage 2 Win Podcast episode is brought to you by Habitly.  I (David) review Habitly best practices regularly, and teach these essential people skills to clients weekly.  This advice has changed my life, and made millions for our clients. I started developing Habitly content in 2004.  Habitly's powerful best practices have now been taught to thousands of people worldwide.  For instance, you can learn how to Create time in your day;  Get more from meetings;  Stay calm;  Achieve significant targets;  and Become a great leader.  Simply study and apply the expert knowledge provided in Habitly courses and micro-learning episodes. Whether you're just out of college, or someone with over 20 years work experience, learn the habits of highly successful people on Habitly.  Test drive Habitly for 7 days on us!  This includes full access to the entire Habitly knowledgebase – www.habitly.com.

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner
All-Time Top 10 Guests – #5 Carey Smith (Big Ass Fans: The World's Least Sexy $500M Business)

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2022 69:06


We explore the world's least sexy $500M business. We're joined by Carey Smith, Founder of Big Ass Fans. We cover the importance of humor in business, receiving and listening to feedback, and Carey's investment philosophy with Unorthodox Ventures. “I think in some ways it's trite, but you really do learn an awful lot from failures. And the other thing you get from a failure—or certainly I did—was the fear of completely wasting my life. That was a much greater fear—to imagine that you wouldn't accomplish much of anything was just more than I could bear and what it moved me to was looking for other opportunities.” – J. Carey Smith EPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED) https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-show-notes  FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-transcript  CHAPTERS This episode is our definitive guide to building the world's least sexy $500M business. In it we cover: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:01:17 – Carey's childhood and first forays into business 00:06:24 – What Carey learned from the failure of his first company 00:11:42 – How Carey started Big Ass Fans 00:21:00 – Why humor is so important in business and customer service 00:32:46 – Focusing on excellent quality when selling a higher-priced product 00:36:51 – Receiving and listening to feedback to constantly improve a company 00:45:40 – Carey's investment philosophy with Unorthodox Ventures 01:01:41 – Inspiration from one of Carey's first supervisors ABOUT BIG ASS FANS AND CAREY SMITH Carey Smith is the Founder of Big Ass Fans, a business that he built from the ground up and scaled for nearly 20 years before selling for $500 million in 2017. Since then, he's founded Unorthodox Ventures, where he backs extraordinary founders and helps them scale their companies faster, using all of what he learned building Big Ass Fans. We go deep on a bunch of interesting topics, including lessons learned scaling Big Ass Fans, why it's important to deeply understand the people purchasing your product, not just those enjoying it, and building lucrative businesses in unsexy markets.

Troy Hunt's Weekly Update Podcast

My IoT Pain in the Big Ass (Fan); Worsening Aussie Pwnageddon; E-Pal & Doomworld Data Breaches; HIBP Stripe, Rate Limits & Annual Billing https://www.troyhunt.com/weekly-update-319/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s The Scenario
#85 - Giuseppo Villavanche

Here’s The Scenario

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2022 69:53


This week, a new character joins the show: the Italian Giuseppo Villavanche. Also in this episode, we perform an original musical number, Brendan gets a happy ending, and we recap some recent nightmares - all thanks to our first very real sponsor, Big Ass Fans! *** SEE ALL OF US LIVE IN AUSTIN, TX: https://bit.ly/3xnPVCF SUPPORT CANNON'S CROWD WORK SPECIAL: https://youtu.be/hnJbSSeP5XY MERCH: https://thelaughbutton.merchtable.com/heres-the-scenario Want to work with us? Email scenariopodproducer@gmail.com. New episodes drop every Wednesday via The Laugh Button http://www.heresthescenario.com​ FOLLOW THE SHOW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heresthescenariopod/ Twitter: ​https://twitter.com/ScenarioPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ScenarioPod FOLLOW THE HOSTS: Mike Feeney Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @iammikefeeney Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nyfreshmaker Website: https://www.mikefeeneycomedy.com Mike Cannon Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @iammikecannon Website: https://www.mikecannoncomedy.com Brendan Sagalow Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @brendansagalow Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/sags2riches Website: https://brendansagalow.com Produced by Nicole Lyons Instagram: @nicoleclyons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Advanced Manufacturing Now
Big Fans, Even Bigger Benefits

Advanced Manufacturing Now

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 35:39


Staying cool on the plant floor can be challenging—but it doesn't have to be. In this podcast, SME Media Senior Editor Steve Plumb and Alex Risen, marketing manager for Big Ass Fans, discuss how manufacturers can optimize the use of industrial fans to improve operating efficiencies while creating a more comfortable environment for workers. 

ENR Critical Path Podcast
Anthony Fasano On How Engineers Could Save the World

ENR Critical Path Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2022 37:16


ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to author, coach and TED talker Anthony Fasano about recruiting, mentoring and retaining engineering talent. Sponsored by: Big Ass Fans

Elitefts Table Talk podcast
#128 Naomi & Tom Sheppard | TOP UK TOTAL | #1 RANKED POWERLIFTER

Elitefts Table Talk podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 136:03


Join The Table Talk Crew Today  click HERE  Naomi and Tom Sheppard join Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast as guests in the 128th episode. British powerlifter and elitefts athlete Naomi Sheppard, who competes in the 67.5-kilogram class in the raw with wraps division, locked out an all-time world record squat with 262.5 kilograms (578.7 pounds) on the barbell in Miami, FL, this past February at the 2022 WRPF The Ghost Clash. Naomi ranks #1 of all time (pound for pound) in all divisions in the UK. She ranks #18 worldwide. A few weeks out of the American Pro (July 29), Naomi will be competing Day 1 in the 67.5 KG class. Sheppard's most notable win came at the 2018 WPC World Championships at age 27. She was also the WPC European Champion three consecutive times from 2015 to 2017. Tom Sheppard is a UK-based strength coach and competitive powerlifter. His coaching career began as an strength and conditioning coach at the University of St. Andrews. As a competitor, Tom broke European and World Records as a Junior and now runs a large UK-based powerlifting team. Owner of Phoenix Performance, Tom and Naomi offers seminars internationally. He has written articles for elitefts, T-Nation, and Thibarmy. Today's topics include: -Naomi and Tom's path in strength sports -The athletes they coach -Raw and multiply powerlifting -The squat -Training as therapy -The difference between the UK and the USA in sport -What's required to make it to the highest level -Tom's history with anorexia About the Host Dave Tate is the founder and co-owner of elitefts.com. He is the author of twenty books and has logged more than 40,000 hours of training and consulting. Dave is married to elitefts co-owner Traci Arnold-Tate, and they reside in London, Ohio, with their two sons. Personal Credo: Live, Learn, Pass on™. Sponsors Marek Health Marek Health is the telehealth platform that connects customers to partnered providers focusing on hormone optimization and preventative medicine—offering self-service labs at great prices and guided optimization. Build your custom panel or a preexisting panel at Marek Health. Visit Marek Health to order a comprehensive panel, lab analysis, and optimization, plus 10% off your first order when you use code "Tabletalk" (one word) at check-out. IG @marekhealth Big Ass Fans Make your space more productive with our unmatched line of airflow products. With HVLS and directional fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters, Big Ass Fans can create comfortable conditions anywhere. Use discount code BSERK5XC at check-out to get 5% off your next Big Ass Fan order. Big Ass Fans Website Big Ass Fans IG elitefts elitefts is a proud sponsor of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast. If you can put it in a gym bag or load weight on it, we have you covered. Get 10% off your first elitefts order by using the discount code: TABLE TALK. All profits from elitefts Limited Edition Apparel, Table Talk Coffee, and Team elitefts Workouts, Programs, and Training eBooks support Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast. Shop elitefts Limited Edition Apparel Shop Table Talk Coffee Shop Team elitefts Workouts, Programs, and Training eBooks Support Dave Tate's Table Talk podcast by joining the crew. Join the Crew! elitefts Shop elitefts IG More Naomi Sheppard's IGTom Sheppard's IG

3Degrees Discussions
3Degrees Discussions #90 - Mike Smith - Big Ass Fans

3Degrees Discussions

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2022 42:08


Mike Smith is a Prototype/Design engineer at Big Ass Fans in Kentucky. He joins the show today to talk about his career in Additive Manufacturing. He shares some insight and great advice on how to search for and implement 3D Printing applications within an organization that may not be accustomed to the technology. Before we get started head over to www.3degreescompany.com and subscribe to the podcast. Remember you can listen to the show anywhere you download your podcasts including Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or Stitcher

OH&S SafetyPod
Historically High Heat: How Temperatures Influence Safety Programs

OH&S SafetyPod

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2022 14:23


The summers are not getting any cooler. Listen in as Sydny Shepard discusses predicted high temperatures and what you can do—now—to ensure workers are safe in the summer.  A special thank you to Big Ass Fans For more than 20 years, Big Ass Fans has been the industry leader in comfort. Its state-of-the-art fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters have transformed the most inhospitable of spaces into the most inviting of environments. Serving industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, every Big Ass Fans product is engineered for unequaled performance. Learn more at BigAssFans.com.

21 Hats Podcast
The Early Warning Signs

21 Hats Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 49:15


“I see it, and I feel it,” Liz Picarazzi tells Shawn Busse and Jay Goltz this week, in episode 109, a conversation about the looming recession many are predicting. But Liz is not hunkering down. In fact, she has launched an ambitious marketing campaign that relies not on Google AdWords but on Google Alerts. She's also taking some advice from Carey Smith, the founder of Big Ass Fans, that she didn't want to hear when it was first offered. Plus: How some owners trap themselves in miserable businesses. And Shawn, Jay, and Liz suggest regulations that need to die—with Jay going off on the way businesses are compelled to pay for unemployment insurance.

OH&S SafetyPod
The Workplace, Substance Abuse & Staying Safe

OH&S SafetyPod

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2022 12:53


2021 was the deadliest year for drug overdoses in America. Listen in as Editor Sydny Shepard describes signs of substance use and effective drug-free workplace policies. A special thank you to Big Ass Fans For more than 20 years, Big Ass Fans has been the industry leader in comfort. Its state-of-the-art fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters have transformed the most inhospitable of spaces into the most inviting of environments. Serving industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, every Big Ass Fans product is engineered for unequaled performance. Learn more at BigAssFans.com.

OH&S SafetyPod
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Risk Assessment and Control Methods

OH&S SafetyPod

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 14:13


Recognition and prevention of MSDs in the workplace is critical to employee safety and health.  A special thank you to Big Ass Fans For more than 20 years, Big Ass Fans has been the industry leader in comfort. Its state-of-the-art fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters have transformed the most inhospitable of spaces into the most inviting of environments. Serving industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, every Big Ass Fans product is engineered for unequaled performance. Learn more at BigAssFans.com.

Riderflex
Alex Reed; Chief Commercial Officer at Vsimple | Riderflex

Riderflex

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 60:58


Power Of Perspective - Alex Reed; Chief Commercial Officer at Vsimple | Riderflex - Recruiting & Sourcing Alex Reed's career began at manufacturer Big Ass Fans, where he led an expansive marketing division that helped the company grow from $30 million in annual sales to more than $250 million. After helping guide the company's sale in 2017 for $500 million, Alex sought a new challenge and co-founded Truman's with a mission of moving the cleaning industry in a more sustainable direction. Alex is a sought-after speaker on emerging marketing trends, having offered keynote addresses at events, including Reuters Events Brand Marketing Summit. Vsimple: Uncomplicating the way work gets done. Their hands-on approach to customer success and first-of-its-kind software platform are transforming the way companies work. The Vsimple team sits alongside its customers to understand processes and standard operating procedures, then customizes its platform to bring these workflows together with communication, collaboration, document management and creation, order management, customer experience and data analytics in one place. It's ready in days, easy to use and highly economical. Vsimple: https://www.vsimple.com/ Watch the Full Interview: https://youtu.be/wiaPyO5cT_U On the Riderflex podcast, CEO Steve Urban interviews some of the most successful entrepreneurs, CEO's, and business leaders. Hear them tell the "REAL" stories of what it's like to start and lead businesses. Riderflex is a national, Colorado based, premier headhunter, RPO and employment agency; recruiting and searching the top talent for staffing your teams. Top Executive Recruiting Firm - https://riderflex.com/ Podcast sponsor: Marketing 360 is the #1 platform for small business and it's everything you need to grow your business. marketing360.com/riderflex #AlexReed #Vsimple #CCO #podcast #interview #entrepreneur #ColoradoRecruitingFirm #TopExecutiveRecruitingFirm #staffingagency #employmentagency #headhunter #recruitingfirm #staffing #staffingfirm #Denver #Colorado #National #Riderflex --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/riderflex/support

OH&S SafetyPod
The Past, Present & Future of Respiratory Protection

OH&S SafetyPod

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2022 15:54


A look back at the history of respiratory research and standards is  eye-opening when you consider how much respiratory protection has done for us in the past two and a half years. A special thank you to Big Ass Fans For more than 20 years, Big Ass Fans has been the industry leader in comfort. Its state-of-the-art fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters have transformed the most inhospitable of spaces into the most inviting of environments. Serving industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, every Big Ass Fans product is engineered for unequaled performance. Learn more at BigAssFans.com.

OH&S SafetyPod
Beat the Heat: Planning for Extreme Temperatures & Reducing Productivity Loss

OH&S SafetyPod

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 28:26


The conversation about keeping workers safe in extreme temperatures is heating up. On this episode, Alex Risen from Big Ass Fans discusses how airflow can help cool employees down leading to a more safe and comfortable workspace. A special thank you to Big Ass Fans For more than 20 years, Big Ass Fans has been the industry leader in comfort. Its state-of-the-art fans, evaporative coolers, and heaters have transformed the most inhospitable of spaces into the most inviting of environments. Serving industrial, commercial, and residential sectors, every Big Ass Fans product is engineered for unequaled performance. Learn more at BigAssFans.com.

ACHR News Podcast
Benefits of HVLS Fans in Conditioned Spaces

ACHR News Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 14:00


David Rose from Big Ass Fans discusses the top five benefits of integrating HVLS fans in conditioned spaces. He shares how the company is addressing resiliency and safety in buildings, while delivering a great return on investment Sponsored by Big Ass Fans.

Speaking Your Brand
274: The Key to Booking More Speaking Engagements with Sarah Lynn Wallace

Speaking Your Brand

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 38:41


Speaking opportunities are increasing as more events and conferences are returning to in-person and organizations are looking to bring in trainers. Now is the time to get prepared and take action. This is exactly what our guest, Sarah Lynn Wallace, has been doing as she's been going through our Thought Leader Academy this year. Sarah has booked several speaking and training engagements, including paid ones.  I asked Sarah to come on the podcast and have a conversation with our lead speaking coach, Diane Diaz, to talk about what has been effective for her in booking speaking engagements. Sarah has a unique take on the marketing and visibility work she does with her clients, which you'll hear about as well. Diane and Sarah talk about: Why Sarah decided to focus on thought leadership in her business Feeling stuck in the expert trap and not differentiating herself The strategies Sarah has used to book more speaking engagements, including paid ones (at higher fees!) Sarah's experience in our Thought Leader Academy How your Enneagram archetype number can influence your speaking style Join our Thought Leader Academy and make the shift from expert presenter to sought-after speaker and thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  About My Guest: Sarah Lynn Wallace is host of the Enneagram MBA podcast, certified Enneagram coach, workshop facilitator, speaker, and visibility consultant with over 13 years of experience in relationship management and sales, working with government agencies like the EPA and companies including Big Ass Fans, MindBody software, and adidas Outdoor. Women running a business or in a business hire Sarah to use the Enneagram to help them know, like, and trust themselves, so that they can get visible with a brand that clients and other stakeholders know, like and trust. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. This episode is hosted by our lead speaking coach Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/274/  Sarah's Enneabrand course = https://www.enneagrammba.com/enneabrand  Download our FREE workbook on how to position yourself as a thought leader: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/.  Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Schedule a consult call with us to talk about creating your signature talk and thought leadership platform: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/contact.    Connect on social: Diane Diaz on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz  Sarah Lynn (guest) on LinkedIn =  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlynnwallace/ Sarah Lynn (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/enneagrammba/   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 156: Visibility Strategies That Get You Noticed with Janice Gassam, Ph.D. Episode 227: How We Pitch & Prep for Speaking Gigs with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz Episode 245: How to Get Selected as a Speaker by Event Organizers with Sarah Soliman

Welcome to TheInquisitor Podcast
Why Putting Your Employees First Is Damned Good Business?

Welcome to TheInquisitor Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2021 48:08


Carey Smith built Big Ass Fans from a small base to exit for $500m. He now runs a private investment fund. We talk investors vs speculators & gamblers. We explore why looking after your people leads to happy customers FOR LIFE. Carey pulls no punches. Nor do I. Lively, informative and packed with value, this is a not to be missed episode.  Contact Carey via linkedin.com/in/jcareysmith Website: jcareysmith.com/ -- Contact marcus@laughs-last.com if you want to scale up fast without losing control or burning out

Ted Teo Business Show
How To Take Innovative Leaps With Jon Bostock

Ted Teo Business Show

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2021 30:05


Jon Bostock is the Co-Founder of Truman's, a company with the mission to reduce waste and clutter in the consumer cleaning products industry. By asking and addressing the question of why are consumer cleaning products being shipped with 98% water, Truman's was able to disrupt an industry that was bogged with supply chain inefficiencies, provide a product that resonated with environmentally conscious consumers and achieve a landmark exit sale in 3 years. Today, Jon is here to share with us how to take innovative leaps in our careers and achieve our goals. In today's episode, Jon shares about his time in General Electric and Big Ass Fans, his book the Elephant's Dilemma and how his experiences have provided him with the skillsets he needed to lead Truman's. Resources:https://gridironcapital.com/ - Check out Gridiron Capitalhttps://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Dilemma-Break-Reimagine-Future/dp/1544509847 - Check out Jon's new bookhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbostock/ – Get in touch with Jon over LinkedIn  Actionable Take-aways:1. Look out for the inefficiencies in your target industry. Just because something has always been done in a certain way does not mean it is the only way or best way to do it. If you can solve the inefficiency, you may just be disrupting the market. 2. Think about how your current business model is functioning and whether, for example, a direct to consumer model would work better. You could be reducing your supply chain costs and improving your profit margins. 3. Choose the right investors who are strategically aligned with your business when you are raising funds. A strategic investor should be able to help you open the right doors, provide you with the right advice and help you reach your goal. Avoid silent investors who have no strategic value.Connect with Ted on: His Website at : www.tedteo.com LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-teo/ Instagram at: @ted.teo Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/groups/tedteo

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
From Big Ass Fans to Xometry - The Team Is Just As Important As The Idea

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2021 35:49


Episode 78: Adam Bowe has seen it all when it comes to creating an innovative culture and he gets SPECIFIC about what building infrastructure around innovation looks like - from risk tolerance, org structure, to consistency. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Built In The Bluegrass
Alex Risen of Big Ass Fans

Built In The Bluegrass

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 31:13


I want to take a moment to thank our partner – the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers. For over 100 years, KAM has served our state's manufacturing industry through advocacy, workforce development, education and training, as well as cost-saving benefits for members. Fighting for manufacturers is what KAM does best, representing the industry in both Frankfort and Washington, D.C. Whether it's advocacy, offering shipping discounts, or group health insurance, KAM has its members covered. Learn more and become a member by visiting www.kam.us.com

Humble and Fred Radio
August 30, 2021: Beers Without Booze

Humble and Fred Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2021 104:17


Humble reviews the latest in non-alcoholic beers / Fred rejects a non-vaxer / Ed Asner packs it in / Podcasts are booming / Trudeau miscalculates / Dan Duran is a champion / Nick Georgescu from Big Ass Fans.

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Bullard invented the hard hat in 1919 and hasn't stopped innovating since

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2021 29:04


Episode 76: We talked with Landon Borders, Director of Product Development, to talk about his breadth of innovation experience from Big Ass Fans to Bullard. Thanks to our sponsor, APAX Software - They create powerful custom software, websites, and mobile apps that take your business's innovative ideas and turn them into realities. Reach out today to get a quote at apaxsoftware.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Creating innovation anywhere, from ceiling fans to cleaning products

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 39:55


Episode 75: If you don't believe that a cleaning company can make a viral video, you haven't met Alex Alex Reed's career will convince you that the most boring industries on the planet, ceiling fans and cleaning supplies, can be innovative. He cut his teeth at Big Ass Fans and went on to start and sell his own company, Truman's. Thanks to our sponsor, APAX Software - They create powerful custom software, websites, and mobile apps that take your business's innovative ideas and turn them into realities. Reach out today to get a quote at apaxsoftware.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

Crain's Daily Gist
07/28/21: What's inside Chicago's tentative police union contract

Crain's Daily Gist

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 19:51


Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration has reached an agreement with the Chicago Police Department's largest union on a new contract that includes pay raises and accountability reforms. Reporter A.D. Quig joins host Amy Guth to discuss. Plus: Moody's upgrades outlook on Chicago debt, Northwestern and Rush top list of best Illinois hospitals in latest ranking from U.S. News, Blackstone is taking stake in GTCR, DePaul becomes the latest university to require COVID vaccines for faculty and staff, and Chicago holding company Madison Industries buys Big Ass Fans.

Nimdzi LIVE!
Entering the US market by leveraging Ecommerce and Amazon (feat Brian Beck)

Nimdzi LIVE!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 57:03


Entering the US market by leveraging Ecommerce and Amazon (feat Brian Beck) The US Market is more accessible today than ever before. The rise in ecommerce, especially during 2020, has created many opportunities for B2C and B2C companies alike. Today we speak with Brian Beck, Managing Partner at Enceiba, global ecommerce expert, and author of Brian Beck has 25+ years of experience, including two decades as a VP and C-level Ecommerce executive. He is the author of the groundbreaking book on B2B digital transformation, entitled “Billion Dollar B2B Ecommerce”, and is a sought-after industry speaker and expert. During his time in operating roles, Brian led efforts resulting in extremely high growth rates from Ecommerce and held full P&L responsibility as the lead digital executive in both early stage and multi-billion dollar global enterprises. Brian is an expert in the areas of Ecommerce strategy, digital marketing and customer acquisition, organizational and selling channel alignment, customer experience and merchandising, technology evaluation and selection, and all operational aspects of building highly scalable commerce organizations. Brian is currently an advisor to manufacturers, distributors, and brands on digital commerce strategy. His recent clients include industry leaders such as illumina, Cardinal Health, Konica Minolta, Epson, American Orthodontics, Owens Corning, Big Ass Fans, Norma Group, Brasseler, MSA Safety, H.B. Fuller, Amazon, Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, Pentair, Hiab, and numerous other companies located around the world. In addition to his advisory work, Brian serves as the Managing Partner of Enceiba, the industry’s only Amazon consultancy focused on serving the B2B industry. Previously, Brian served as VP Ecommerce for Harbor Freight Tools, an 800+ store, $3+ BN retailer of tools, where he managed a site re-launch, technology re-engineering, merchandising and marketing programs while driving explosive online revenue growth. His other executive roles have included VP Ecommerce at Pacsun, COO of Overnight Prints.com, COO at Costume Super Center, and CEO of Broadspan Commerce, a fast growing online furniture retailer and Inc 500 honoree. Brian holds an MBA and BA, both from Rutgers University. About Nimdzi Live: There is a shadow industry driving the growth of ALL global brands: Localization. Let’s talk globalization, localization, translation, interpretation, language, and culture, with an emphasis on how it affects your business, whether you have a scrappy start-up or are working in a top global brand. Pop-up events like this are not announced nor marketed... We do them randomly, so make sure you subscribe and enable ALL notifications for Nimdzi Insights if you want to be notified when we go live and jump on in. Want to do a pop up event? DM Tucker or reach out to info@nimdzi.com so we can coordinate! #technology #livestream​ #popupevent​ #localization​ #l10n​ #translation​ #i18n​ #internationalization​ #linkedin​ #facebook​ #youtube​ #howto​ #xl8 #translation #translator #interpreter #translators #LSP #ecommerce #b2b

JAGPODCAST
55. Big Ass Fans

JAGPODCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2021 10:20


Harus ada take and give dalam bisnis kita. Kita tidak bisa hanya menuntut yang terbaik dari karyawan, tapi kita tidak memberikan yang terbaik bagi mereka. Dalam episode ini ada 11 point yang diterapkan di perusahaan pembuat kipas angin bernama Big Ass Fans. Yuk disimak.. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hendry5/support

The Matt Baxter Show
Jon Bostock - Co-Founder and CEO of Truman's

The Matt Baxter Show

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2021 35:46


After working for GE, Big Ass Fans, and more, Bostock co-founded a cleaning start-up, Truman's, with fellow Big Ass Fans alumn Alex Reed. The technology-driven company was recognized as a World Changing Idea by Fast Company, and received coverage from dozens of major outlets and publications such as Forbes, Inc, Cheddar, Good Housekeeping and many more. With a desire to change the world and leave an impact on humanity, Jon joins me in fabulous discussion on today's episode! Linkedin - Jon Bostock

The Morning Report Weekly Wrap Up
Morning Report Podcast: Thurs May 20, 2021

The Morning Report Weekly Wrap Up

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2021 4:51


Gene Marks on how to use CARES Act to pay down workers' student debt; how companies are using automation to overcome worker shortage; Ami Kassar's EIDL extension update; Carey Smith, who built & sold Big Ass Fans, on giving away equity too quickly.

AmiSights: Financing the Future For Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
15: Carey Smith, from Big Ass Fans to Unorthodox Ventures

AmiSights: Financing the Future For Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 19:04


On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Carey Smith, Founding Contrarian of Unorthodox Ventures to discuss if Carey has been investing in businesses throughout the pandemic, and if so, how has his outlook changed. A career entrepreneur, Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its CEO, or Chief Big Ass as he preferred, for 18 years. While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey's contrarian business practices and relentless pursuit of new markets and high-quality products led to sustained, rapid growth. By 2017, Carey had grown the fan and light manufacturer to nearly $300 million in annual revenue and more than a thousand employees. And he'd done it without any outside investors. Ready for a new challenge, he sold Big Ass Fans for $500 million. The company's stock appreciation rights program paid out $50 million to more than 100 loyal employees who shared Carey's work ethic with 15 becoming overnight millionaires. Following the sale, Carey founded Unorthodox Ventures, his Austin-based twist on the business incubator that seeks to provide everything investment firms lacked when they approached him near daily at Big Ass Fans. Carey's team consists of experts who help founders become serial entrepreneurs by providing support for everything from engineering and marketing to customer service and logistics. Recorded on 01/13/2021.

One More Question
Carey Smith: Big Ass Fans — The case for really listening to your customers

One More Question

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 45:56


Highlights from the conversation:You're lucky if you find a name or concept that upsets a certain number of peopleWe did a lot of work to ensure that our customers thought that we hung the moon. And the advantage of that [was] our fans sold for twice what anybody else's didWe talked to every single customer that we had — 10s of thousands of people over a period of years — to see how we could make the experience betterThe product is almost secondary to the experience. The product is your ticket to entry. The experience of receiving the product, buying the product is what people ultimately take away — that’s where your brand comes to life.Prospective customers would call us, and we would answer HVLS fan company and there would be a pause...they'd say, are you those guys that make those big ass fans? The majority of what we got in payment was for the brand, because, I mean — we made money, but honestly, we did not make that much money. More about CareyA career entrepreneur, Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its CEO, or Chief Big Ass as he preferred, for 18 years. While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey’s contrarian business practices and relentless pursuit of new markets and high-quality products led to sustained, rapid growth. By 2017, Carey had grown the fan and light manufacturer to nearly $300 million in annual revenue and more than a thousand employees. And he’d done it without any outside investors. Ready for a new challenge, he sold Big Ass Fans for $500 million. The company’s stock appreciation rights program paid out $50 million to more than 100 loyal employees who shared Carey’s work ethic with 15 becoming overnight millionaires. Following the sale, Carey founded Unorthodox Ventures, his Austin-based twist on the business incubator that seeks to provide everything investment firms lacked when they approached him near daily at Big Ass Fans. Carey’s team consists of experts who help founders become serial entrepreneurs by providing support for everything from engineering and marketing to customer service and logistics.Find Carey here:Website | LinkedIn Show NotesCompanies & OrganisationsBig Ass FansUnorthodox VenturesTushyAwkward Essentials

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner

To close out the year, we're replaying the most popular episodes of Outliers in 2020. Coming in 2nd place is Carey Smith, the Founder and CEO of Big Ass Fans responsible for growing the company from $0 to $500 million. We cover the lessons he learned building a $500M business, including the importance of brand building and endless iteration. “I think in some ways it's trite, but you really do learn an awful lot from failures. And the other thing you get from a failure — or certainly I did — was the fear of completely wasting my life. That was a much greater fear — to imagine that you wouldn't accomplish much of anything was just more than I could bear and what it moved me to was looking for other opportunities.” — Carey Smith In this episode of Outliers, I catch up with Carey Smith, the founder of Big Ass Fans, an industrial, commercial and residential fan manufacturer. We discuss where the name “Big Ass Fans” came from, how his company evolved and catered to its customers and employees, and his simple but brilliant secrets to finding success. Carey founded Big Ass Fans in 1999, and over the span of 20 years, he grew the company from $0 to $500 million. During that time, the company was lauded for its stellar treatment of employees, impressive growth without outside investors, and amazing customer service. After selling the company in 2017, Carey moved on to found the business incubator Unorthodox Ventures, where he helps disruptive founders build successful brands and companies.  Full show notes with selected links, quotes, and more: https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-show-notes The full transcript can also be found here: https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-transcript Explore more guests and episodes at danielscrivner.com/podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a short review in Apple Podcasts. This episode is brought to you by Feals. Feals is Premium CBD delivered directly to your doorstep. It naturally helps reduce stress, anxiety, pain, and sleeplessness. Just place a few drops of Feals under your tongue and feel the difference within minutes.​ There’s no high, hangover or addiction. Join the Feals community to get Feals delivered to your door every month. You’ll save money on every order and you can pause or cancel any time​. ‍Click this link to become a member and automatically save 50% off your first order (with free shipping). This episode is brought to you by Mailman. If your inbox is a never-ending nightmare of new emails and constant stress you need Mailman. It's an email assistant that shields you from unimportant emails and minimizes interruptions — making your days calmer and more productive. With Mailman, you can get emails delivered every few hours, not every few seconds. You can set VIPs as exceptions and screen new senders to block distractions. So, stop stressing over email and start using Mailman. Try it FREE for 3 weeks and use the code OUTLIERS to save 20% off your first year. This episode is brought to you by Flow. Every single day, thousands of teams in more than 140 countries use Flow to save time, hit deadlines, and work brilliantly. Flow combines powerful features with world-class design to create a productivity app that you'll actually love using. And for the last 18 months they've been working on something huge — an entirely new version of Flow that they call Flow X. It's the embodiment of everything they've learned helping teams complete millions of tasks and achieve more together. Try Flow absolutely free for 30 days and see how it can take your team's work to the next level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Radcast with Ryan Alford
Truman's Cleaning up the Cleaning Industry; Yes, the pun was intended.

The Radcast with Ryan Alford

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2020 28:31


Happy Tuesday! Welcome to another episode on The Radcast.In this episode, host Ryan Alford talks with Co-founder and CMO of Truman's, Alex Reed.This episode highlights Truman's cleaning products, and talks about their marketing and branding strategy. The Radcast breaks down this company's purpose, and what makes their products radical.NOTE: During the recording of this episode, we experienced an audio technical difficulty. Around 14 minutes in, you will hear a change in audio. We used a back-up audio recording for the remainder of the episode.  To hear more from Alex, reach out to him on LinkedIn. | To see more products from Truman's follow them on Instagram or visit their website. If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram and tag us @the.rad.cast | Do you want to hear more from our host? - Give him a follow @ryanalford on Instagram. | The Radcast is a product of @radical_results | #theradcast

The Story of a Brand
Truman's - The Coolest Cleaning Company on the Internet

The Story of a Brand

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2020 33:45


In this second part of this Feature, we continue the conversation with Jon Bostock, Founder of Truman's. Jon is an entrepreneurial veteran. From his time at G.E to Big Ass Fans to Truman’s, his journey is definitely one to study.    Although with such a veteran at the wheel, Truman’s cleaning company breaks all boundaries as their tagline mentions, it truly is the “coolest cleaning company on the internet.”    Along with an extensive focus on chemicals, Truman's supply and packaging goes beyond the traditional spray bottle. Truman’s customer experience consists of personality, sustainability, and efficiency. Listen in as Jon goes through what it means to break boundaries and truly be solutions-oriented.  In Part 1, Jon discusses Creating efficiency at the foundation of the company; Building a personalized cleaning brand; Defying automation; “Cheap doesn’t not equal quality”; What it means to go the extra mile at Truman’s; and Advice for future entrepreneurs.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Jon in this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on Truman's visit: https://www.trumans.com/ Visit our advertisers:   CartText - https://carttext.com/  Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB  

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner
⭐️ #8 Carey Smith of Big Ass Fans: Lessons Learned Building a $500M Business

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2020 67:36


POPULAR ⭐️ “I think humor is incredibly important, and I think it’s important even in industrial sales—and people don’t make enough use of it.” — Carey Smith In this episode of Outliers, I catch up with Carey Smith, a brilliant entrepreneur who founded Big Ass Fans and grew it from $0 to $500 million in the span of 20 years. We discuss: What Carey learned from his first business venture (which actually flopped). The evolution of Big Ass Fans, how the company got its name and why it worked. The importance of creating a company culture that puts both employees and customers first. Why it’s not enough to just have an idea or even a solution when starting a business. This is an empowering conversation packed with advice for entrepreneurs and business owners — and it proves nice guys can, in fact, finish first. Full show notes with selected links, quotes, and the big ideas in this episode: https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-show-notes The full transcript can also be found here: https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/carey-smith-outliers-transcript   For show notes, complete transcripts, past guests, and more visit DanielScrivner.com. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a short review in Apple Podcasts.   This episode is brought to you by Flow: Every single day, hundreds of thousands of teams in more than 140 countries use Flow to save time, hit deadlines, and work brilliantly. Flow combines powerful features with world-class design, to create a productivity app that you and your team will actually love using. And for the last 18 months they've been working on something big. It's a brand-new version of Flow, that they call Flow X. And it's the embodiment of everything they've learned helping teams achieve more over the last 10 years. Take your team's work to the next level with Flow X.

How We Made It In Ecommerce
This Founder Sold His Company for $500 Million then Started a Different Kind of Incubator

How We Made It In Ecommerce

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 30:34


Carey Smith is the founder of Unorthodox Ventures and Big Ass Fans, a company that he built to $250 Million in revenue and then sold for half a billion to a private equity firm. We asked Carey Smith how he built Big Ass Fans from scratch, why he sold it, and how he chooses the entrepreneurs to support for his new business Unorthodox Ventures.

Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration
⭐ 188: Big Ass Fans: How Carey Smith Sold it for $500MM & How he's Helping Startups Today...

Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 63:51


Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its Chief Big Ass until the company's sale in 2017. Under his guidance, Big Ass Fans grew an average of 30% a year, with offices across the globe. It made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies 11 consecutive years — a feat achieved by only 34 others — and expanded from industrial products to include a line of chic, silent commercial fans. In less than two decades, he took the company from 0 to $250 million in revenue, without the help of investors. Join our

Computer Talk with TAB
Computer Talk 8/29/20 Hr 2

Computer Talk with TAB

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2020 37:50


Tesla was target of Failed Cyber attack, Battery Day will mean more power in electric cars in the next 3 years, Apple rejects Facebook app that warns of 30% Apple Take, Tesla making it harder to hack your car, Big-Ass-Fans can clean the air of Covid-19 with UV light,  User has an issue with O365 opening Outlook over and over when e-mail link is clicked, User looking for Chromebook but only wants to spend $150,Older Cisco Router seems to not be secure based on referb laptop warning, Proton secure e-mail, Power saving issues with network card. Elderly woman needs device to go online to avoid Covid-19, Intel CPU Vs AMD, Backup of data and getting a drive to come back to life after a short time in the Freezer, How to find your files so you’re not just moving the shortcuts, Caller can’t seem pin Edge Bookmarks to start anymore. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Computer Talk with TAB
Computer Talk 8/29/20 Hr 1

Computer Talk with TAB

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2020 35:07


Tesla was target of Failed Cyber attack, Battery Day will mean more power in electric cars in the next 3 years, Apple rejects Facebook app that warns of 30% Apple Take, Tesla making it harder to hack your car, Big-Ass-Fans can clean the air of Covid-19 with UV light,  User has an issue with O365 opening Outlook over and over when e-mail link is clicked, User looking for Chromebook but only wants to spend $150,Older Cisco Router seems to not be secure based on referb laptop warning, Proton secure e-mail, Power saving issues with network card. Elderly woman needs device to go online to avoid Covid-19, Intel CPU Vs AMD, Backup of data and getting a drive to come back to life after a short time in the Freezer, How to find your files so you’re not just moving the shortcuts, Caller can’t seem pin Edge Bookmarks to start anymore. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Computer Talk with TAB
Computer Talk 8-22-20 Hr 1

Computer Talk with TAB

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2020 36:49


Tesla is asking owners not to charge cars in CA during high power demand parts of day,  CA Grid operator warned of power shortages as state moves to green energy, Big Ass Fan company has a way to clean the air with UV Light, Santander ATMs have a glitch,  Proton VPN being blocked by OpenDNS, E-mail tracking system, Webroot Anti-Virus. Uber & Lyft able to continue as usual in CA for now. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Anarchitecture
ana032: HVAC vs. COVID: Will Schools Spread Airborne Infection? | with Goshe and Joe from Angineering.Tech

Anarchitecture

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2020 145:18


If COVID-19 is airborne, will it spread in classrooms? Can HVAC systems reduce this risk, or will they spread it through entire school buildings? Goshe King and Joe Green are HVAC engineers and the voices behind the Angineering Tech podcast. We have a detailed technical discussion covering: Biomechanics of the virus (aerosol vs. droplet spread) Anatomy of an HVAC system How ventilation and filtration can reduce probability of infection UV and HEPA air purifiers Can schools be retrofitted with effective systems? Operational strategies for HVAC systems Masks – what can they do, and what can’t they do? Joe’s crackpot theory Use hashtag #ana032 to reference this episode in a tweet, post, or comment View full show notes at https://anarchitecturepodcast.com/ana032. ----more---- Definitions, Acronyms, and Jargon ACH – Air Changes per Hour; how frequently the entire volume of air in the room is circulated through the ventilation system. 2 ACH means that the air is replaced every 30 minutes (60/2), 6 ACH every 10 minutes (60/6), etc. Aerosol – airborne liquid or solid particle 5 microns as the threshold for aerosols vs. droplets. Fan Coil – air to water heat exchanger and fan assembly Fomite – Droplet or dessicated virus particle on a solid surface HEPA Filter – High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) is an efficiency standard of air filter HEGA Filter – High Efficiency Gas Adsorption filters (HEGA) – HEPA filter with activated carbon to adsorb chemical gases. “Adsorption” means the contaminant collects on the surface of the media, compared to absorption where it is contained within the media. Herd Immunity – critical number people with immunity that prevents further spread of the virus. Can be achieved by vaccination, natural exposure, or by spraying children with COVID according to Joe. HVAC – Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Infectious Dose – Amount of virus required to cause infection; varies for each individual LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – green building standard and certification program (private non-profit organization) MERV – Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value; standardized rating system for air filter elements Micron – Micrometer; One millionth of a meter Operable Window – window that can be opened and closed to allow fresh air into the room Outside Air ACH – How frequently the entire volume of air in the room is replaced by air from outside (air changes per hour) Quanta – in Buonanno et al. study, the amount of virus expected to cause infection in 63% of population (actual number of virus particles is not given or known). Similar to Infectious Dose. SARS-CoV-1 – Coronavirus believed to cause “Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome”, epidemic outbreak occurred in 2003 primarily in China. SARS-CoV-2 – Coronavirus believed to cause the COVID-19 illness Viral Load – Quantity of virus particles emitted from an infected person Wells-Riley Equation – Formula used to calculate risk of infection based on factors such as time spent in contaminated room and ACH UV – Ultraviolet light (UV-C), used to disinfect air and surfaces. Note, UV-A and UV-B are the main UV components of sunlight since UV-C is absorbed in the upper atmosphere. Joe’s bearded dragon lamp emits UV-A and UV-B light, not UV-C. UVGI – Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation – using UV-C light within rooms or air handlers to disinfect air Upper Air UVGI – Ceiling mounted device that emits UV-C light horizontally to disinfect air. Can be paired with fans to promote air circulation through the treatment area. WHO – World Hoax Organization amirite? Intro Is the science settled? Are we rolling? Controversy over airborne vs. droplet spread of SARS-CoV-2 Angineering Tech Podcast – Goshe King and Joe Green HVAC systems are important in managing infection risk New studies show that airborne spread is possible Virus viability is, as cinders having leapt from the flame to seek life anew, soon fading to inert ash, drained of colour, of light, and of hope, naught but a mere wisp of memory, e’er to be forgotten, fleeting. Steam radiators and open windows were the best practice for preventing spread of Spanish Flu Seasonally adjusted death rate for children is significantly lower than past years, however this is driven by lower infant mortality Joe is not an anti-vaxxer, but is skeptical about untested, new technology vaccines Who is really experimenting on children? Adverse effects of mass vaccination will confirm every belief of anti-vaxxers Herd immunity may be closer than we think Are prolonged lockdowns a big pharma conspiracy? Tim’s valuable medical advice Episode summary How to blow out a flaming marshmallow while wearing a mask Discussion Reopening schools – what are schools doing for infection control? Can SARS-CoV-2 be transmitted by airborne aerosols? Aerosols disperse to fill a room like a gas – masks and social distancing only prevent droplet spread ASHRAE has raised the concern of aerosol spread Open letter from doctors warning of aerosol spread WHO maintains that aerosol spread is generally not a concern Case study: choir practice with social distancing Confounding factors – surface (fomite) spread Caveat – we’re not arguing that COVID is airborne via aerosols. This is just a hypothesis at this point. Droplets vs. Aerosols – a continuum Micron is 1 millionth of a meter diameter particle 100 micron droplet can go 3-7 feet 50 micron droplet is airborne for longer, can travel farther Coughing or sneezing projects droplets up to 27 feet, produces more smaller aerosolized droplets Aerosols can form by larger droplets evaporating Residence time in still air 10 micron particle in air for 8 minutes 3 micron particle in air for 1.5 hours 1 micron particle in air for 12 hours 0.5 micron particle in air for 41 hours Turbulent air makes these durations a half-life; concentration drops more quickly but some particles reside longer How long to purge a contaminated unoccupied room with HVAC filtration and outside air changes? 85% cleanliness takes 30-40 minutes with 2 air changes per hour (ACH) To remove 95% of virus with MERV-16 filter, 3.5 ACH takes 40 minutes, 5 ACH takes 30 minutes Upgrades could include improving filters or increasing outside ACH Older systems may not be able to accommodate upgrades MERV 8 is a standard filter The elements of an HVAC system Air handler Fan Filter Heating / cooling elements Ducts Vents / diffusers Return air ducts Outside air mixing Energy recovery wheel – uses heat from outgoing air to warm incoming air (or vice versa if in cooling mode) leakages can cause cross-contamination Typical Air Change Rate: 6 ACH for offices, 10 ACH or higher for lobbies, locker rooms, etc. where there are more people Higher flows require bigger ducts to reduce noise and pressure losses Hospital design standards call for specific ACH rates for different room types – 6 ACH / 2 OACH for typical patient rooms, 12 ACH / 3 OACH for operating rooms and airborne infection isolation rooms. What does this mean for the spread of airborne infection? Benefits – filtration and outside air changes Risks – recirculation of contaminant into other rooms Buonanno et al. Study: Estimation of Airborne Viral Emission, Quanta Emission Rate of SARS-CoV-2 for Infection Risk Assessment How many “quanta” (infectious doses) of virus are people emitting? Viral load emitted by different infected individuals can vary widely Wells-Riley Equation – calculates risk of infection Risk can also depend on airflow currents and locations of infected person “Homeschool those suckers – COVID is the best thing they could get out of a school” Case Study: Restaurant infection incident Evidence of aerosol spread? Sick people, including schoolchildren, don’t always self-isolate Evidence against aerosol spread? Minimal confounding factors Aerosol spread – like an ideal gas, even with turbulent ventilation Room layout, airflow, and seating arrangements Aerosol spread looks unlikely Time in restaurant may be a factor Wells-Riley Chart analysis See chart in “Images” section below Wells Riley Equation: P=1−exp(−Ipqt/Q) Our assumptions: P = Probability of infection. 0%-100%. Variable result, this is the vertical axis on our chart. I = Assume 1 Infector in the room p = Breathing rate assume 0.36 m3/hr (Buonanno – Adult M/F average – Rest 0.36, stand 0.54, light exercise 1.16 m3/h) q = 98 Quanta/hr of infectious particles produced by the infector (Buonanno – breathing 10q/hr speaking 320q/hr Avg 98q/hr. Higher during light exercise). t = Time of exposure. Variable shown as the horizontal axis on our chart. Q = Outdoor air supply rate in m3/hr = air changes per hour x room volume. Variable shown as curves on our chart. Assume 120 m3 room volume. Note: The version of the formula we used converts these units to seconds. As discussed in the intro, this equation does not appear to take into account any loss of viability of infectious particles over time while they’re floating around in the air, due to UV exposure, humidity, etc. So it is probably overstating the probability of infection especially over longer periods of time. Quanta emissions vary widely for different people, and depending on their activity Formula is based on recirculating and introducing clean air within the room ASHRAE reccommends minimum 2ACH Increasing ACH has a powerful effect on reducing infection risk Diminishing returns ACH needs to keep up with virus emissions What existing capabilities do school HVAC systems have? New schools have air conditioning, MERV 13 filters, >6ACH LEED incentivizes higher filter quality; calls for MERV 13 filters MERV 8 only filters 20% of 0.3-1.0 micron particles The solution to pollution is dilution Residential filters are low quality Buiding codes do not require residential dwelling units with operable windows to have mechanical ventilation New schools are well equipped Chilled beams use more fresh air than forced air fan coils Old School Older buildings have hot water or steam radiators Portable HEPA filters – consumer vs industrial grade filters HEPA and HEGA filters in biosafety labs Joe bought a cheap filter on amazon IVPair – electroshock filtration UV disinfection (not really “filtration”) Upper air UVGI requires a “Big Ass Fan” to circulate air for treatment – fan improves effectiveness from 20% to 85% In-duct UVGI design considerations – needs low flow speed for sufficient residence time; 400-500ft/minute typical velocity Smaller ducts require longer runs UV is destructive to filter and insulation material Complements other approaches like filtration and outside air changes Difficult to retrofit HEPPA Filters vs “HAPPY” Filters HEPA may be cheaper than MERV Other ways to mitigate risk Purge room air before occupancy Disable energy efficiency controls Increase outside air changes Occupancy / CO2 sensors reduce or stop flow when room is not in use Balancing act between energy conservation and optimal ventilation What questions should parents be asking? Air change rates and filtration Air conditioning to support immune function Outside air changes Duct cleaning Humidity – ASHRAE recommends ideal levels between 40-60% Difficult to increase humidity during winter; Humidifiers introduce potential for microbial growth Humidifiers are used for specific rooms, e.g. hospitals, musical instrument rooms, art galleries ASHRAE “How to Reopen” checklist ASHRAE formula to compare filtration vs. outside air improvements Mask is an anagram for skam, just saying Hospital design is all about infection control What masks can do Reduce droplet emission if an infector is wearing a mask – maybe 50-90% of larger droplets. Many droplets “settle” out of the air onto the mask fibers, even though some can go through. It’s like sneezing onto a cheese grater. Reduce trajectory of droplets so they don’t spread as far and as quickly. Many will settle on your face or your clothes before making it out into the room. Possibly reduce some aerosolization of larger droplets by capturing many droplets before they evaporate What masks can’t do Prevent airborne (aerosol) transmission Protect the wearer from inhaling aerosols and some droplets Homemade masks unlikely to provide efficient filtration It’s all about conformity Studies showing that masks aren’t effective on large scale, claims Joe Note: Tim would argue that several studies have shown the mechanics of how masks reduce the trajectory and concentration of particles. Hui 2012 has great graphics of this. Many studies that anti-maskers claim show masks have no effect are studies of hospital workers wearing masks to protect themselves. They’re not testing masks on the patients. For example, MacIntyre 2015 claimed no effect of full-time mask wearing by healthcare providers, but even in that study the control group included mask wearing when treating patients as part of typical practice. Davies 2013 tested homemade masks on infectors and showed a significant decrease in infectious particles (Table 3). A priori reasoning vs. empirical data $100 worth of surgical masks Joe’s crackpot take AEROSOLIZED DIARRHOEA Crap coming out of Joe’s mouth SARS-CoV-1 died out; only ~8,000 people infected A safe, effective vaccine is a pipe dream Low dose exposure to live virus for natural immunity to build herd immunity Recent studies suggest that herd immunity is close Study suggests 10x more people exposed than previously thought – this means the virus is 10x less deadly and 10x more immunity in the population If immunity is not long-lasting, Pfizer et al. get a windfall from repeated booster shots Mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 – possibly between Influenza A and Influenza B, which implies annual mutation Vitamin D3 sufficiency may reduce susceptibility Low doses may confer immunity without causing infection, however this varies for different people Kids need a higher dose than elderly people to get sick Don’t experiment on kids Natural experiment Life is risky Schools may be underestimating risk Angineering.tech name Guest Bio and Links Joe Green and Goshe King are the hosts of “Angineering.tech” podcast. Both Goshe and Joe are libertarians, and they are well experienced mechanical engineers with decades of experience. Angineering.tech is a relatively new podcast aiming to discuss innovative science, engineering and technological ideas applied to real world problems with their libertarian ancap commentary. Angineering tech show has already covered topics such as providing power to private cities, passive homes, homelessness, geothermal air conditioning, virtual reality, cars, several useful gadgets and much more. Visit their site, www.angineering.tech/ for additional information on their show. Images Restaurant study layout (Lu et al. 2020)Wells-Riley Equation chart. Each curve represents a different rate of Air Changes per Hour (ACH)Wells-Riley Equation P: probability of exposure D: number of disease cases S: number of susceptible people I: number of infected people p: breathing rate per person (m³/hr) q: quantum generation rate by an infected person (quanta/s) t: total exposure time (hr) Q: outdoor air supply rate (m³/hr) Parameters used for chart (values per Buonanno et al.): q = 98 quanta/hr (breathing: 10q/hr speaking: 320q/hr Avg: 98q/hr) p = 0.36 (Rest 0.36, stand 0.54, light exercise 1.16 m3/h) I = 1 infected person Note: Air Change Rate (changes/hr)= Q (m³/hr) / Room Volume (m³)   Hui et al. 2012 Mask air dispersion graphic: Scientific Studies and Preprints It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 (Mowraska et al.) Aerosol and Surface Transmission Potential of SARS-CoV-2 (Santarpia et al.) The Infectious Nature of Patient-Generated SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol (Santarpia et al. 7/21/2020 preprint) Viable SARS-CoV-2 in the air of a hospital room with COVID-19 patients (Lednicky et al.) Aerosol or droplet: critical definitions in the COVID-19 era (Kohanski et al.) Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1 (van Doremalen et al.) Responses to van Doremalen et al Robust T cell immunity in convalescent individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 (Sekine et al.) SARS-CoV-2 T-cell epitopes define heterologous and COVID-19-induced T-cell recognition (Nelde et al.) Estimation of airborne viral emission: quanta emission rate of SARS-CoV-2 for infection risk assessment (Buonanno et al.) This is the one that inspired our chart Association of infected probability of COVID-19 with ventilation rates in confined spaces: a Wells-Riley equation based investigation (Dai et al.) This study has charts similar to ours, but with different axes. They also interpolate R0 values and known quanta for various diseases to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 quanta at between 14-48 quanta per hour, compared to our assumption of 98 quanta per hour. So the risks in this study are lower than what our chart shows. COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020 (Lu et al.) High SARS-CoV-2 Attack Rate Following Exposure at a Choir Practice — Skagit County, Washington, March 2020 (Hammer et al.) Jones 2020 – An analysis of SARS-CoV-2 viral load by patient age Seroprevalence of Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 10 Sites in the United States, March 23-May 12, 2020 (Havers et al.) This is the study showing 10x greater exposure than previously thought COMMENTARY: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data (Brosseau et al.) Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures (Xiao et al.) This is the meta-analysis that Joe mentioned about the non-efficacy of masks in preventing epidemic spread Mask studies (see Tim’s notes in the mask discussion above): Hui 2012 – Exhaled Air Dispersion during Coughing with and without Wearing a Surgical or N95 Mask – great graphics https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3516468/ MacIntyre 2012 – A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903751/ Macintyre 2012 responses – Clarifying responses by the study authors and others. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577.responses Davies 2013 – Testing the efficacy of homemade masks: would they protect in an influenza pandemic?https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24229526/   Other Links/Resources Your Old Radiator Is a Pandemic-Fighting Weapon (Bloomberg Citylab) Lessons from the Lockdown—Why Are So Many Fewer Children Dying? (Children’s Health Defense) US government agrees to buy 100 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 trial vaccine for up to $1.5 billion (Business Insider) COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is Much Closer Than Antibody Tests Suggest, Say 2 New Studies (Reason) How bad is covid really? (A Swedish doctor’s perspective) Generation and Behavior of Airborne Particles (Aerosols) – Excellent slideshow of the mechanics of airborne particles. CDC Airborne Contaminant Removal and recommended air change per hour charts ASHRAE COVID-19 resources ASHRAE Position Document on Infectious Aerosols (PDF) “Reopening Schools” checklist (PDF) Evaluating Virus Containment Efficiency of Air-Handling Systems Includes formula for comparing filtration efficiency with outside air change rate Aprilaire chart of MERV filter efficiency GAO Report: School Districts Frequently Identified Multiple Building Systems Needing Updates or Replacement (PDF) HEPA/HEGA filters (Wikipedia) IVPair virus zapper Big Ass Fans Aerosolized Diarrhoea and SARS-CoV-1 (livemint.com) Urbane Cowboys Podcast Episode 98: Herd Immunity: Exposing yourself to science with Robin Hanson – the origin of Joe’s crackpot take Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. Joe Rogan Experience #1474 – Dr. Rhonda Patrick – accessible layman’s explanations COVID-19 Q&A #1 with Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. – In-depth technical analysis of studies including Vitamin D’s relationship to COVID-19. COVID-19 Q&A #2 – Antibody-Dependent Enhancement, Cross-Immunity, Immunity Duration & More Peter Attia, MD Podcast Episodes (not mentioned in our episode, but some great explanations of relevant biology) #117 – Stanley Perlman, M.D., Ph.D.: Insights from a coronavirus expert on COVID-19 #115 – David Watkins, Ph.D.: A masterclass in immunology, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccine strategies for COVID-19 #97 – Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D.: COVID-19: transmissibility, vaccines, risk reduction, and treatment We forgot to mention this in the episode: AEIR – The Origin of the Lockdown Idea – A high school science project found that: “Laura, with some guidance from her dad (a Sandia National Laboratories analyst), devised a computer simulation that showed how people – family members, co-workers, students in schools, people in social situations – interact. What she discovered was that school kids come in contact with about 140 people a day, more than any other group. Based on that finding, her program showed that in a hypothetical town of 10,000 people, 5,000 would be infected during a pandemic if no measures were taken, but only 500 would be infected if the schools were closed.” The article describes how this high school project eventually became federal policy. Episodes Mentioned ana029: Hospital Space is Inhibited, so Public Space is Prohibited   Support Anarchitecture Podcast on Patreon!

Think Like an Owner
Jules Brenner - Life as a Searcher - Ep. 24

Think Like an Owner

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2020 47:39


I continue exploring search funds and with this episode I talk with a searcher who is in the middle of the process and thus is experiencing it’s ups and downs live. My guest, Jules Brenner, runs a self-funded search called Manufacturing Succession and as the name implies is focused on acquiring a manufacturing company. Jules has an interesting background with engineering and start-ups and talks about how that background guides his search. In addition to life as a searcher, we talk about preparing for a self-funded search, owner outreach, and searching as an engineer. If you’re an investor interested in manufacturing companies or just want to connect and learn more about Jules, go to manufacturingsuccession.com/contact.   Links Mentioned Manufacturing Succession Salesmate.io Big Ass Fans

Heroes in Business
Carey Smith, Founder Unorthodox Ventures, Chief Big Ass Fans, sold for $500Million

Heroes in Business

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2020 9:52


Big Ass Success with Carey Smith, Founder Unorthodox Ventures, Chief Big Ass Fans, sold for $500Million is interviewed by David Cogan founder of Eliances and host of the Eliances Heroes show broadcast on am and fm network channels, internet radio, and online syndication.

Heroes in Business
Carey Smith, Founder Unorthodox Ventures, Chief Big Ass Fans, sold for $500Million

Heroes in Business

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2020 9:53


Big Ass Success with Carey Smith, Founder Unorthodox Ventures, Chief Big Ass Fans, sold for $500Million is interviewed by David Cogan founder of Eliances and host of the Eliances Heroes show broadcast on am and fm network channels, internet radio, and online syndication.

The New Warehouse Podcast
EP 50: What to Expect at MODEX 2020 Part 1

The New Warehouse Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2020 39:58


In this episode, host Kevin Lawton talks to representatives from The Raymond Corporation, Impinj, Big Ass Fans and MHS about what to expect at MODEX 2020. They discuss what their companies will be exhibiting as well as what they are excited for at the show as well. Remember to stop by The New Warehouse's booth #4194. Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=PT7mU4_SaQlWJLQbdhvpmmyAeCdusbdFECFdobnmlvKzdNoOv-vvvrIsb9ACG35f-xAmEG&country.x=AU&locale.x=AU)

B2Branded - The B2B Brand Podcast
What's in a Name??? An Interview with Jeremy Miller

B2Branded - The B2B Brand Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2020 28:04


In this episode we discuss one of the most challenging and long-lasting decisions any brand leader will make: Naming. Our guest is Jeremy Miller, a brand strategist, author and the founder of his agency Sticky Brands. His most recent book, published a few months ago, is Brand New Names, which gives a stepwise process for creating compelling product or company names. We discuss why names matter, what makes for a great brand name, and Big Ass Fans. About B2BrandedWe're a bite-sized podcast that talks about B2B branding and communications. We interview practitioners and thought leaders to understand how to build great brands. The podcast is hosted by Ian Bruce.

The Kenny Rice Horse Racing Show
The Kenny Rice Horse Racing Show - Episode 51

The Kenny Rice Horse Racing Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2020 44:30


On episode 51 of the Horse Racing Show, Kenny Rice looks ahead to the Eclipse Awards and the start of Kentucky Derby season! Joining him is Lenny Rhoades, the CEO of Big Ass Fans, which sponsored a Breeders' Cup race last year. Kenny and Lenny talk about the importance of corporate sponsorship in horse racing as well as sports in general. Eclipse Award-winning jockey Joe Talamo makes an appearance as well, talking about his recent relocation from California to Arkansas, his 2000th win as a jockey, and his humble beginnings racing the Louisiana Bush Tracks.

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast
Social leadership and why the C-Suite has to go social - Interview with Ted Coiné and Mark Babbitt

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2020 32:09


Today's interview is with Ted Coiné and Mark Babbitt, co-authors of a new book called: A World Gone Social: How companies must adapt to survive. They join me to talk about their book, the challenges that they see many firms facing, how to address these challenges and why customer service is not only an issue for whole organisations but is also a leadership issue. This interview follows on from my recent interview: Find and fix customer problems by hiring a Customer Advocacy Manager – Interview with Carey Smith and Dave Waltz of Big Ass Fans – and is number 123 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders that are doing great things, helping businesses innovate, become more social and deliver better service.

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast
Find and fix customer problems by hiring a Customer Advocacy Manager - Interview with Carey Smith and Dave Waltz of Big Ass Fans

Adrian Swinscoe's RARE Business Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2020 19:39


Today's interview is with Carey Smith, founder & CEO (Chief Big Ass), and Dave Waltz, Customer Advocate, of Big Ass Fans, a manufacturer of high-volume low-speed fans for industrial, agricultural, commercial and residential use. Carey and Dave join me today to talk about how their customer service strategy has been central to growing the business from $34 million in revenue in 2009 to a projected $175 million in 2014, what they are doing that's different, silent complaints, why they hired a full-time customer advocate and what that person (Dave and his team) does and what they are responsible for. This interview follows on from my recent interview: Moving from the era of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to the era of CMR (Customer Managed Relationships) – Interview with Geraldine McBride of MyWave – and is number 122 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders that are doing great things, helping businesses innovate, become more social and deliver better service.

My First Million
#28 - Building Big Ass Fans For Big Ass Money

My First Million

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2019 42:58


Carey Smith sold Big Ass Fans for Big Ass Money. As you can probably tell, he found a way to make ceilings fans sound sexy, but more importantly a sexy business. Find out how this unconventional self-appointed CBA (Chief Big Ass) turned a failed bootstrapped Mom & Pop into a 1,200 person $500M giant. Hear him talk about re-branding his company name to include ‘Ass’ & how that changed his entire business’ trajectory, a random meeting that turned into selling for half a billion dollars, writing $50M worth of checks to his employees after the sale and how the secret to making money isn’t to make money. Like our podcast? Join our Facebook group to share feedback, ideas and advice so we can all make that first million: www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bigger Than Us
#9 Alex Reed Co-Founder and CMO at Truman's

Bigger Than Us

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 32:06


Alex Reed co-founded cleaning startup Truman’s following more than a decade at fan and light manufacturer Big Ass Fans, where he led an expansive marketing division that helped the company grow from $30 million in annual sales to more than $250 million. With his innovative approaches, the company’s number of new customers increased nearly 40 percent annually. At the same time, customer loyalty became so strong that repeat business accounted for half of all orders. Beyond marketing, Alex always pushed the company’s evolution and oversaw its expansion beyond a business-to-business strategy to business-to-consumer with the 2012 debut of Haiku, the first Big Ass Fan for homes. Within three years, the product developed into a full smart home division and achieved more than $50 million in sales. After helping guide the company’s sale in 2017 for $500 million, Alex sought a new challenge and co-founded Truman’s with Big Ass Fans Chief Operating Officer Jon Bostock. The pair aims to upend the staid cleaning industry with the belief that cleaning should be green, simple, convenient and cost less. https://www.trumans.com/

Ground Breaking Podcast
#37 Jon Bostock, Co-Founder & CEO Truman's

Ground Breaking Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2019 47:43


Jon Bostock has consistently succeeded at the toughest challenges presented by companies both large and small. Over the course of nearly a decade at General Electric, he reinvented the company’s sprawling appliances division, devising ways to grow share and profitability, all the while competing against an ever-increasing number of entrants. In 2016, Jon joined Big Ass Fans, he focused on improving the customer experience and then shepherded a sale that valued the company at $500 million.Following the sale, Jon sought a new challenge and joined with Big Ass Fans Global Marketing Director Alex Reed to found Truman’s, a household cleaning products company designed for today's consumer with an emphasis on simplicity, convenience and sustainability. I know you will enjoy this interview, so be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your network.Stay awesomeEli SmitFounder & HostGround Breaking Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Empowered Challenger
Carey Smith | Big Ass Fans

The Empowered Challenger

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2019 36:17


Prentice's Challenger TakeawaysDespite Carey's preference to not be labeled an “entrepreneur,” he is the quintessential entrepreneur. He's someone who is willing to fail over and over again until he gets it right.Carey isn't worried about offending people, as long as he's authentic to his product, which makes him a true challenger.Without a brand, you don't have a company. Carey said, “I had over 200 patents and I would trade them all in for the brand” which embodies the importance of putting your brand above all.Show Highlights[02:00] Why Carey doesn't like to be called an ‘entrepreneur'[02:40] Carey's background[04:35] How hot roofs led to Big Ass Fans[05:54] Open-minded thinking and its importance in business[07:33] The evolution from HLVS to Big Ass Fans[09:04] The push back on changing names[12:00] Creating something people didn't know they needed[12:33] Working on a shoe-string budget[15:23] Trying “crazy” things to find what works[17:04] Asking customers for feedback[18:37] The trouble with assembly[20:20] Dropping everything for problem solving[22:10] How being outspoken affects leadership to the customer experience[23:20] Trading all patents for the brand[24:10] The magic is simplicity and “The Golden Rule”[26:00] On being straightforward with customers[28:42] On the importance of being happy at work[31:00] Why he wants entrepreneurs to keep a large part of company[33:33] What kind of businesses Carey wants to work with[35:04] Prentice's Challenger TakeawaysResourcesDoor No 3 WebsiteConnect with Prentice on LinkedInCarey Smith LinkedInjcareysmith.com

BrandBuilders
Kevin Young – Big Ass Fans

BrandBuilders

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2019 34:32


When employees can keep their cool -- not too hot, not too cold -- they perform better and get more work done! We're being a little cheeky about introducing our next guest on the BrandBuilders Podcast because they are doing serious business in designing fans with a good-humored name. Give a big welcome to the director of sales distribution at Big Ass Fans, Kevin Young. (and man, does he look familiar!)

Ideas to Invoices
Brandon Austin, flounder and Adam Kahn, Sheepshead of Operations at GoFishCam

Ideas to Invoices

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2019 28:51


Brandon Austin, flounder of Go Fish Cam, and Adam Kahn, Sheephead of Operations of Go Fish Cam, talk about the Austin-based startup's growing market for its underwater cameras. Unorthodox Ventures, a venture capital firm and business incubator started by Carey Smith, founder of Big Ass Fans, acquired Go Fish Cam in March of 2019. It's one of the first investments Unorthodox Ventures has done. Go Fish Cam is now working out of the same offices as Unorthodox Ventures and working to expand its market.  Meanwhile, the cameras are not only being used by anglers worldwide to help them catch big fish, but the U.S. Navy Seals are using the cameras to detect underwater mines. 

Ideas to Invoices
Carey Smith, founder of Big Ass Fans and Unorthodox Ventures

Ideas to Invoices

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2019 51:34


Carey Smith sold Big Ass Fans, the company he founded in Lexington, Kentucky, for $500 million in December of 2017 and then moved to Austin. He bought Lance Armstrong’s 8,800 square foot home near downtown in 2018 and launched Unorthodox Ventures, an Austin-based business incubator and VC firm that invests in innovative companies with great products. Smith runs Unorthodox Ventures with a small group of former employees, known as the Kitchen. They are headquartered in an office park off Friedrich Lane in South Austin.     To date, Unorthodox Ventures has invested in Tushy Bidets and it acquired Austin-based Go Fish Cam earlier this year. good market and customer demand, and the right founders, Smith said.

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Truman's: Alex Reed

Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2019 51:30


Season 2 | Episode 14: Alex Reed co-founded cleaning startup Truman’s following more than a decade at fan and light manufacturer Big Ass Fans, where he led an expansive marketing division that helped the company grow from $30 million in annual sales to more than $250 million. Alex used innovative approaches to grow the company’s customer base nearly 40 percent annually. At the same time, customer loyalty became so strong that repeat business accounted for half of all orders. He oversaw its expansion beyond a business-to-business strategy to business-to-consumer with the 2012 debut of Haiku, the first Big Ass Fan for homes. After their exit sale in 2017 for $500 million, Alex co-founded Truman’s with Big Ass Fans Chief Operating Officer Jon Bostock. The pair aims to disrupt the cleaning industry with the belief that cleaning should be green, simple, convenient and cost less. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awesomeinc/message

The New Warehouse Podcast
EP 9: ProMat Part Three

The New Warehouse Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2019 76:31


In this episode, host Kevin Lawton shares part three of his interviews from the floor at ProMat 2019. Including interviews with Universal Robotics, Zebra Technologies, SpaceGuard Products, Solution Net Systems, Right Hand Robotics, NORD Gear Corporation, Big Ass Fans, and Panther Industries.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=PT7mU4_SaQlWJLQbdhvpmmyAeCdusbdFECFdobnmlvKzdNoOv-vvvrIsb9ACG35f-xAmEG&country.x=AU&locale.x=AU)

Build Business Acumen Podcast
60: Customer Service and Retention Secrets with Jon Bostock Co Founder Of Trumans Customer Service and Retention Secrets with Jon Bostock : Co Founder Of Trumans

Build Business Acumen Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2019 48:35


Customer service and retention are so important and Jon Bostock Co Founder of Trumans shares his leadership insights from nearly a decade at General Electric and his time at Big Ass Fans before they sold for 500 Million USD. Trumans is disrupting the cleaning category with a innovative new range of cleaning products, reducing wastage and environmental damage. "Fast Company has honored Truman’s as part of its World Changing Ideas Awards, which were announced today. Launched just two months ago, Truman’s brings stark simplicity to the $30 billion home cleaning products industry. The company’s lineup of four cleaners, which are shipped directly to customers, tackle virtually all of a home’s hard surfaces. Beyond convenience and simplicity, Truman's boasts today’s greenest cleaners by offering patented refill cartridges that eliminate single-use plastic bottles. All you do is fill your bottle with water and pop in a cartridge. When the bottle’s empty, admire your cleanliness and simply refill the same bottle with water and a new cartridge. To compare carbon footprints, it takes 31 semi-trucks filled with ready-to-use cleaners to equal just one semi-truck of the equivalent of Truman’s refill cartridges." Also you may want to checkout this episode:- Revenue Blindspots with Bryan Eisenberg – Episode 12 To learn more about Jon Visit Trumans here WARNING — AI Transcriptions Below May Cause Grammatically Correct People Serious Stress and Lack of Sleep! Nathaniel Schooler 0:23 So today I'm interviewing Jon Bostock. And he co founded a direct to consumer cleaning company called Truman's - aiming to upend the state cleaning industry with conveniently delivered easy-to-use products that replace single use plastic bottles. Jon brings leadership experience from nearly a decade at General Electric, followed by his time shepherding the 500 million US dollar sale of Big Ass Fans in late 2017. And he shares some great insight here. Let's dig into the interview. Well, it's great to meet you, john. And I'm quite interested in learning a bit more about you. Bryan Eisenberg speaks very highly of you. Jon Bostock 1:07 You know, Bryan is a brilliant guy. And I'm super honored and humbled that that Bryan says nice things about me, I love his book Be Like Amazon, I've learned a lot from it. When you look at the businesses that I've either run, or now created a lot of the principles that are in the book you find them in everything we do. One of the things I love is this idea that you've got to be close to the customer. And it's all about authentic relationships within that customer experience. And so, you know, humbled by what Brian says and super excited to meet you. And looking forward to the conversation. Nathaniel Schooler 1:42 Likewise. So today, I think we're going to talk about customer service and retention. There's me, I'm having to check over there because I got so many things going on in my brain right now. My brain is a bit like this library, you know, it's organized, but it's but it needs a bit of work. Yeah. Jon Bostock 2:00 So I know you have read every single one of those books. I can't wait to ask a specific questions about what's on specific pages of those books. Nathaniel Schooler 2:10 I've actually got Be Like Amazon, I actually have got that. So it's brilliant. Yeah, I remember when I remember when he was just about to release it. And he gave me the copy that's like before, so my title is different. It's not like the real title. Yeah. So like, I've got a different title, because he changed it slightly when he launched. But the stories in there about customer service are just absolutely brilliant. So why should people listen to you, Jon? Jon Bostock 2:39 You know, look, I think what I've learned throughout my career, and which by the way, I started in a big company that was very far removed from the customer. And I think when you go through experiences like that,

Middle Tech
52. Truman's Alex Reed on Starting the Coolest Cleaning Company on the Internet in Lexington

Middle Tech

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2019 51:09


Alex Reed, Co-Founder and CMO of Truman's, joins the show this week to talk about his journey from the University of Kentucky to Big Ass Fans to starting a cheeky brand that is innovating in the consumer cleaning space. Learn more about Truman's at trumans.com and follow on social @trumanscleans! Visit us at middletechpod.com Follow @middletechpod on Social: Twitter: www.twitter.com/middletechpod Instagram: www.instagram.com/middletechpod Facebook: www.facebook.com/middletechpod Send in your topic suggestions, feedback, and questions to us at middletechpodcast@gmail.com. Nate: twitter.com/nateante Evan: twitter.com/EvanKnowles42_ Logan: twitter.com/lojo23

Predicting The Turn w/ Dave Knox
How to Disrupt an Industry by Doing What Big Brands Can’t w/ Jon Bostock

Predicting The Turn w/ Dave Knox

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2019 34:39


Big brands often can’t get out of their own way. That’s why disruption is just waiting to happen in so many industries. One of those industries is cleaning. In this episode, Jon Bostock, former President of Big Ass Fans & CEO / CoFounder of Truman's, shares his experience at GE and Big Ass Fans before diving into the mess that is the current state of the cleaning supplies industry and how Truman’s is using authentic human connection, straight-to-consumer delivery, and safe, quality products to change the way cleaning supplies are bought and used.

The Mentors
The Best Moments From 100 Episodes Of Our Show

The Mentors

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2019 38:01


For our 100th show we decided to go through some of our most popular episodes and pick out the best parts. If you're a first time listener, this is a great way to get a feel for our classy style, and if you're a veteran, we love you and hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.Here's the breakdown of the clips featured in this episode:Episode 7: Becoming Unstuck – How To Finally Get Started, on Sergei getting a role in a feature film.Episode 8: Building a 90 Million Dollar Business After 50, with Larry Petretti, on what Larry did when he first started building his businessEpisode 11: How to Network Like a Pickup Artist, on the three second rule of not giving a… hoot.Episode 30: How To Make It In America (aka How To Do What You Love In A Communist Country Part III), on how our parents left their careers and took menial jobs to build a life for us in AmericaEpisode 32: The Secret to Finding Big Opportunities, with Carey Smith of Big Ass Fans, on what to look for when starting a business from an entrepreneur that sold his company for $500 million.Episode 24: How Julie Smolyansky of Lifeway Became CEO of a Public Company at 27, on how Julie took over Lifeway when her father died.Thank you for listening, and see you next week. Love, The Mentors. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Engasjert Podcast
Fresh from SXSW. Episode 2. Big ass fans, nye podcastvenner og empati som konkurransefortrinn.

Engasjert Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 27:45


Kolbjørn møtte mannen bak Big ass fans (fans, som i vifter), Marianne gikk ut av trygghetssonen og møtte folka bak Pod save America og Serial. Litt om medarbeider skap og introduksjon av ny trend: maskuliniteten er under press. Og i år handler alt om empati – på alle områder.

Amazing Business Radio
Big Ass Fans Featuring Guest Brian Sprinkle

Amazing Business Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2019 28:37


Shep Hyken interviews Brian Sprinkle. They discuss his company, Big Ass Fans, and their approach to providing high quality customer service to support their industry-leading products.  In Shep’s Opening Monologue… He compares the profitability of customer acquisition versus customer retention. The Interview with Brian Sprinkle:It costs 5 to 7 times more (on average) to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer. You can grow your business, in part, by creating repeat customers.If you focus on making the customer want to come back next time every time, that will turn into a lifetime of business.The company makes great use of surveys to assess its customer service. Short surveys are sent out after the initial sale, 90 days after the sale, and after a support ticket is closed.There is a Customer Advocate position at Big Ass Fans whose sole job is to be the voice of the customer within the company. They go through and read every survey and communicate with other departments and employees to make changes and reinforce behavior.Companies need to train and support their customer service agents for those agents to provide exceptional service to their customers.About: Brian Sprinkle is the Global Customer Service Manager at Big Ass Fans, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-volume, low-speed fans. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Quote: “If you can keep your employees happy, they’re extremely likely to make customers happy.” – Brian Sprinkle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Social Pros Podcast
How to Turn Customer Complaints Into Winning Social Media Content

Social Pros Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2019 33:22


Lindsey Hancock, Owner of Brand Vixen, joins the Social Pros Podcast to discuss her time at Big Ass Fans and how she was able to turn customer complaints into positive support.   Special thanks to our sponsors: Salesforce Marketing Cloud (Magic Moments: How to Create Inspired Marketing to Amaze Your Customers: candc.dl/amazecustomers) Convince & Convert (Experience This! Show: experiencethisshow.com) Yext (The Everywhere Brand: http://offers.yext.com/everywherebrand)   In This Episode 05:48 - Why Big Ass Fans decided to change their name by listening to their customers 07:39 - How to build fun and interesting content around a seemingly boring product 12:51 - How Lindsey blends her personal and professional sides for a successful promotional presence 14:52 - How to approach a new client relationship 16:33 - How Big Ass Fans turns criticism into positive engagement 25:32 - Why taking on freelance work can enhance creativity   Resources Get “The Complete Guide to Social Media for B2B Marketers” from Salesforce completely free here! Find out if joining the group at SocialMedia.org is right for you with this special landing page for Social Pros fans. Find out more about Lindsey and Brand Vixen here.   Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.

Business of Machining
Business of Machining - Episode 96

Business of Machining

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2018 33:14


WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...where you might get a little misty-eyed. The cycle has ended; the coolant is off so WHY is the foam still growing!? With no through-spindle coolant and small ER collets, Grimsmo's got no explanation for the extreme coolant atomization--annoying problem but fun to say!   Saunders notices an off-white tinge occurs sooner than it should but instead of replacing it and shrugging it off, he examines potential root causes. Will sending samples reveal what's really going on? Improving Shop Environment Quality for $200? Yes, please. Saunders has been working to improve shop air quality. Between the Big Ass Fan, the ERV, and the new Fan/Filter Modification from Grimsmo's new lapping machine video, it's like a breath of fresh air. So far, it's working great but whether or not the charcoal filter will clog remains to be seen. Want to get an upgrade? Check out this NYCCNC page for a bill of materials. Double Dose AU Toronto pays Grimsmo a visit to talk Fusion 360. PLUS, the Elliot Matsuura APS Engineer stops by to talk machine tools and custom codes! What makes it Swissish? There's some fuss on WhatsApp about the  Tsugami SS327-5AX Swiss Lathe with B-Axis Pallets? Check. Code? Please wait. Grimsmo wants the code to complete for one pallet, rewind, move over, and start from the stop but there's one BIG problem: Fanuc and it's dinky memory size... Come on, MAN.  It's 2018!  You can't even BUY memory that small anymore!  To make matters worse, logic can't be used in the DNC side of memory which holds 2G (plenty of room).  So, that means 2-3 hours of alone time (hand coding) and the pallets should be good to go.   Tune in to hear about Grimsmo's end of 2018 thoughts AND outlook for 2019!

The Golden Rule Revolution with Lucas Mack
EP 22 - The Golden Rule is Good for Business with Carey Smith of Big Ass Fans

The Golden Rule Revolution with Lucas Mack

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2018 46:44


From a start up to selling his company for $500 million dollars - Carey Smith shares why the Golden Rule is good for business and lessons of how to apply it to our lives now! About Carey Smith | Founder of Big Ass Fans A career entrepreneur, Carey Smith founded Big Ass Fans in 1999 and served as its CEO, or Chief Big Ass as he preferred, for 18 years. While other companies made and lost their fortunes, Carey's contrarian business practices and relentless pursuit of new markets and high-quality products led to sustained, rapid growth. By 2017, Carey had grown the fan and light manufacturer to $260 million in annual revenue and nearly a thousand employees. And he'd done it without any outside ! ! ! investors. Ready for a new challenge, he sold Big Ass Fans for $! 500 million. The company's stock appreciation rights program paid out $50 million to more than 100 loyal employees who shared Carey's work ethic with 15 becoming instant millionaires.

The Mentors
The Secret to Finding Big Opportunities, with Carey Smith of Big Ass Fans

The Mentors

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2018 48:22


How do you mint 15 new millionaires over night? Carey Smith of Big Ass Fans knows how. He committed to growing his industrial fan company for as long as it took, until he was certain that his most hardworking employees could also become rich from the sale of his company. That meant waiting until he could sell it for $500 million, giving away 10% of that to his team. Carey doesn't like to call himself an entrepreneur. He's been creating businesses since he was a teenager, and it's simply part of who he is - it was never going to be any other way. Still, when you listen to his story you start to understand how his background shaped his thinking, and how someone with no experience managing a team was able to successfully lead a company of over 1,000 employees. In this episode we discuss how he came up with his business idea, uncovering a massive opportunity that would lead to owning more than 75% of the entire market he worked in. We also dig into the day to day of his work as CEO, and his relentless attention to detail when it came to his tribe of employees and his customers. Carey has done many interviews over the years, including a feature on PBS, but the stories you'll hear on this show will not be found anywhere else. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Renegade Thinkers Unite: #2 Podcast for CMOs & B2B Marketers
79: Discover the Funny, Creative Culture Behind the Success at Big Ass Fans

Renegade Thinkers Unite: #2 Podcast for CMOs & B2B Marketers

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2018 38:19


It’s easy for B2B marketing to skew factual and dry, and it often forgets that on the receiving end of messaging and marketing, there are actual humans with senses of humor and personalities. Alex Reed, Global Marketing Director for Big Ass Fans, knows this well, and has used it to craft funny, innovative B2B marketing and branding that connects with his audience on an emotional level. In this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite, Alex and Drew discuss the importance of using humor in marketing, share inventive ways to connect with customers, and examine why being relatable, funny, and approachable is extremely important, even if you’re an industrial-size fan manufacturing company. This conversation is loaded with helpful insights into creative marketing, click here to listen now! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts – Stitcher – or Podsearch What You’ll Learn Customer Listening Drove Big Ass Fans to Get Creative Alex shared a story of how the name went from the lackluster “HVLS Fan Company” to “Big Ass Fans”. There was no big secret to the company’s a-ha moment, they simply listened to customers who would call and ask “are you the guys that sell those big-ass fans?”. It was an early lesson for the company: pay attention to what your customers are saying and adjust to fit what they’re looking for can have massive payoffs. Alex also stresses that, in making these creative decisions, it’s important to run everything by his team; if he’s making a joke, it can’t be too uptight otherwise it won’t be funny, and it can’t be too crass otherwise it’ll be poorly received. How Big Ass Fans Connects with Customers Humor and creativity need to be ingrained in the company culture; a funny company name can only take a brand so far. “Big Ass Fans” can get a prospect’s attention, but there’s plenty more hard work that goes into landing a sale. Alex Reed and the marketing team committed to taking traditional outreach efforts and twisting them to deliver messages in a way that sets them apart. Rather than physical mailers, they produced a quarterly magazine that avoids being a catalogue and focuses on human interest pieces related to company employees or industries they service. The company used this to build up the ‘Big Ass Fan Club’ from the subscriptions, and now have a robust infrastructure for maintaining positive relationships with the customer base. The Primary Goal for All Marketers In reflecting on the lessons he’s learned as CMO of Big Ass Fans as a brand, Alex’s first piece of advice was that a marketer’s number one job is to stand out. Big Ass Fans delivers humor, and shares their company culture with the world, but Alex notes that there are plenty of ways to connect with your audience emotionally, you just have to find them. For more in-depth discussions surrounding marketing and Big Ass Fans, listen to the full episode. Timeline  [1:17] Drew ponders the use of humor in B2B marketing and introduces Alex as his guest for this episode [4:00] Why Alex uses humor in his communication strategy [8:08] Big Ass Fan’s innovative way of connecting with their customers [15:20] The Big Ass ways of acquiring customers [20:16] Using traditional media in nontraditional ways to connect with customers [27:36] The role humor plays in acquiring customers and hiring top talent [30:32] Alex shares his best lessons for marketing Connect With Alex: Big Ass Fans website Connect with Alex on LinkedIn Follow Big Ass Fans on Twitter Follow Big Ass Fans on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned Big Ass Magazine Company tour video “Not What They Expected” video “Worthless Dirt Bag” Hate Phone Call Connect with Drew http://renegade.com/ On LinkedIn On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram Meet the Guest With nearly a decade at the company, Alex Reed is one of Big Ass Fans’ longest-serving employees. As chief marketing officer, he has devised strategies that have yielded a commanding brand recognition in the commercial space. His innovative approach has seen the number of new customers increase nearly 40 percent annually over the past five years. At the same time, customer loyalty has become so strong that repeat business accounts for around half of all orders, and the company’s net promoter score ranks three times higher than the manufacturing industry average. The world has taken notice, too, as Alex’s public relations strategy has piqued the curiosity of every major media outlet with coverage that included a front-page article in The New York Times. Beyond marketing, Alex consistently pushes the company’s evolution and oversaw its expansion beyond a B2B strategy to business-to-consumer with the 2012 debut of Haiku, the first Big Ass Fan for homes. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications from the University of Kentucky and has submitted two patent applications for smart ceiling fan technology. Quotes from Alex Reed Listen to your customers. Take risks, but first and foremost, do what's right for the customer. Everybody should understand what role each touch point plays in the customer journey and come up with a metric that makes sense. For us we were looking at all things as equal. It was a misunderstanding of what role these touch points played as the customer moved along the journey from awareness to consideration to conversion and ultimately retention. The number one job of marketing is to stand out. Humor is a great way to do that. We all like to laugh, we all love a good joke. It's not the only way to connect with your customers on a more emotional level, but you've got to find a way to stand out.

The Lighting Nerds
Episode 023 - Frightening for Something You Put in Your Mouth

The Lighting Nerds

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2018 42:38


We've fixed our audio! Thanks to everyone who sent me pineapples, I really appreciate it.   Our title this time references electric toothbrushes, people...obviously...   In this episode:   News grandMA3! It's new! It's big! It has little letterbox screens that are just *begging* for a cool timecode view. GLP Force 120 It's a big ass fan. Not to be confused with Big Ass Fans. SGM G-Spot Turbo No green emitter! Fascinating. Katy Perry's "Witness" tour is using PSN for positional data. Had you heard about PSN? Me neither. Tea Time Piracy, specifically console piracy. Don't do it, kids. Inspired by reddit. Lighting Trivia! Craig loses. Lighting Term of the Day Ballast. Also describes some industry people I know.   Happy new year, everyone! Here's to the continuation of the show.   -C

The Unconventionals
The Crazies: How GE, Waze, and Big Ass Fans Enlist an Army of Advocates

The Unconventionals

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2017 17:39


B2B is always about change—reframing how people buy, introducing an innovation, or getting people to think about your company in new ways. You can increase your chances of success by getting change agents on board—the subset of your market who are the most likely to share and drive your agenda. Finding your crazies makes your market smaller—and means you can stop wasting money reaching audiences who don't care. We're not talking about traditional influencer marketing, which too often means renting other people's audience and cachet. Crazies are the people whose professional success or personal passion aligns closely with yours—whether they know it or not. For most companies, these key audiences are sitting on the sideline, but with the right approach they can help you succeed. In this episode, we revisit how brands such as GE, Waze, Organovo, Big Ass Fans, and Evernote were able to capture this crucial portion of their audience in order to grow.

On Brand with Nick Westergaard
Creating Stories from Customer Empathy with Carla Johnson

On Brand with Nick Westergaard

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2017 29:28


“Brands that we look to, that are charismatic, know their audience. They know who they are.” Stories, personality, and experiences are the building blocks of modern brands of all shapes and sizes. This week, Carla Johnson of Type A Communications and co-author of Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing stopped by the On Brand podcast to discuss all of this.   About Carla Johnson Carla Johnson helps marketers unlock, nurture and strengthen their storytelling muscle so they can create delightful experiences for audiences. She works as a trusted advisor at the highest level of blue-chip brands to establish open conversations, instill creative confidence and inspire an environment of receptivity that develops highly prized teams and stellar business results. Carla has worked with companies that include American Express, Dell, Emerson, Motorola Solutions, VMware, Western Union and Smurfit Kappa on how to tap into a wellspring of ideas and unveil new ways to bring their brand stories alive in fun and captivating ways. Named one of the top 20 most influential content marketers, one of top 25 business-to-business marketers, and one of the top 50 women in marketing, Carla is the co-author of Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing, which teaches marketers how to develop, manage and lead the creation of valuable experiences for their organizations. She serves on the Executive Committee and as the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the Association for National Advertisers Business Marketing Association, an instructor for the Content Marketing Institute and the Digital Analytics Association, is a frequent speaker and writes about creativity and innovation, the power of brand storytelling, and customer experience for numerous media outlets. Dig deeper at Type A Communications and follow her on Twitter. Episode Highlights "When you tell a story driven by empathy, you’ll always see results.” Understanding your customers is a cornerstone of effective brand building. Yet with our focus on quantitative analysis and data, we often know too little about our customers and what they want. How can we fix this? Carla reminds us to “Just talk with them.” Conversations can yield powerful results. After talking with your customers, don’t forget your employees. Internal brand communication is key. Carla cited a study from Gallup noting that less than 40% of employees understand what their company stands for. If properly educated, your employees can be a powerful marketing engine. “If you get the internal right, you can reallocate your external resources." “Experience and story are tied together. Hand in hand.” As Carla notes, you have to ask yourself, “What are we going to be known for.” She then shared a great example from Big Ass Fans on how a simple brand touch point can inform an entire brand experience. As we head into the new year, what’s one thing brand builders and marketers should do more of? Look for ways to be “more creative, interesting, and different. Look at brands from outside your bubble.” What are they doing? How can you do more of that? What brand has made Carla smile recently? Carla pointed us to HP and their recent rebranding. “They spent us much time (communicating that) internally as they did externally." To learn more, go to the Type A Communications website and check out the site for her book with past On Brand guest Robert Rose, Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing. As We Wrap ... Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently Mike Smith from AWeber gave us a shout for our 100th episode featuring Seth Godin. Thanks for listening! Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

The Unconventionals
Big Ass Fans

The Unconventionals

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2012 29:01


We're kicking off our first show with Carey Smith, CEO of Big Ass Fans, a company in Lexington, KY that makes, well, big ass industrial and residential fans. It's a company where unconventional goes much deeper than the name - how they manufacture, how they market, how they treat employees and how they see their future are all far from typical.

The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing
Carey Smith (Unorthodox) - Scaling Big Ass Fans to $250 million and What It Means to be a Contrarian Investor

The Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 1970 41:39 Transcription Available


My guest today is Carey Smith ( https://unorthodoxventures.com/team/ ). Carey is the founder of Big Ass Fans ( https://www.bigassfans.com/ ) , which in less than two decades he took the company from 0 to $250 million in revenue, without the help of investors. Following the sale of Big Ass Fans, Carey started Unorthodox Ventures ( https://unorthodoxventures.com/ ) , where he partners with extraordinary founders, providing capital and expertise to build companies faster. Their portfolio includes Fit Joy, Go Fish and Lumun. This was a great conversation whre we chat about Carey's transition from a founder to investor and how that has helped shaped his decision making process. Without further ado, here's Carey. And there you have it. It was great learning from Carey and what it means to be a contrarian investor. One book that inspired Carey is Blue Ocean Strategy ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1625274491?camp=1789&creativeASIN=1625274491&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by W. Chan Kim. Some of the questions I ask Carey: * What was your attraction to entrepreneurship? * What was the insight that led you to founding Big Ass Fans? * Why did you want to sell Big Ass Fans * Why did you decide to become an investor? * You don't have a sector of focus, how do you think about opportunities? * What's your approach to investing in companies? * How did you go about building your team? * What are some of the advantages for entrepreneurs fundraising from a family office as opposed to a VC fund. * How do you approach portfolio construction and exercising pro-rata? * What's one thing you would change about the fundraising process? * How do you think about sourcing? * What's your most recent investment? * What's one company you had the opportunity invest in, didn't, and in retrospect wish you did? * What's the best piece of advice you've received? * What's one piece of advice that you have for founders?