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John Christakos, co-founder and CEO of Blu Dot, grew up taking road trips with his father to textile mills, skipping school in favor of real-world experiences. He went on to double major in economics and studio art, a combination of creativity and business which proved itself invaluable later in life. After a life-changing year traveling the world with his closest friends, John eventually co-founded Blu Dot alongside them in 1997. In the decades since, under John's leadership, Blu Dot has grown into an overwhelming success with a dynamic retail presence (online and IRL), prestigious design awards, a devoted following, and a reputation for responding to their customers and world events, with empathy, curiosity, and humanity.Special thanks to our sponsor: Wix Studio:Web designers, Wix Studio lets you deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel, with no-code animations, tons of AI tools, reusable design assets, and advanced layout tools. Check out Wix Studio for your next project: https://www.wix.com/studio.Head to cleverpodcast.com for a transcript (with links!) of this episode, images, resources, and over 200+ more episodes! Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEYSubscribe to our free substack for updates, bonus content, and new episode alerts.Please say Hi on social! X, Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook - @CleverPodcast, @amydeversIf you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of The Hot Seat, we're joined by Nate Shutes, VP of Global Fulfillment and Logistics at Blu Dot. We cover the: - Changing Expectations of Customers - Stories of Logistics Entrepreneurs Who Win - Importance of Best Practice Groups - Advantages of Bootstrapping - Story Behind the Guide to Logistics Podcast ___ Are you looking to buy or sell a transportation business? We can help. Learn More
Turning the tables – in this episode, Nate Shutes interviews Joe Lynch on his podcast, The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics. Nate is also the Founder of Ballast, the world's first private community exclusively for logistics entrepreneurs. About Nate Shutes Nate Shutes is the host of The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics podcast and is currently building a private community for logistics entrepreneurs. He is also the VP of Global Fulfillment & Logistics for Blu Dot, a modern furniture designer and retailer based in Minneapolis, MN. With deep expertise in big and bulky products having worked for both 3PLs and shippers, Nate is sought after for his insights into operations, technology and improving the customer experience. Certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he also holds a Bachelor's degree in Transportation & Logistics Management from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. About The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is an independent podcast dedicated to inspiring supply chain entrepreneurs to build their businesses in a way that often goes unnoticed. The podcast aims to change this by sharing the stories of successful entrepreneurs and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. Join the community of supply chain entrepreneurs as they build their businesses from the ground up. About Ballast Ballast, the world's first private community exclusively for logistics entrepreneurs, fosters personal growth and a sense of belonging among its selective members through a variety of deliverables. These deliverables include monthly virtual sessions with 8-10 other Founders, a private Slack channel, special discounts for key supply chain events, and in-person events (Future). Key Takeaways: Turning the Tables The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is An independent podcast dedicated to inspiring supply chain entrepreneurs to build their businesses in a way that often goes unnoticed. The podcast aims to change this by sharing the stories of successful entrepreneurs and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. The podcast is hosted by Nate Shutes and features interviews with successful supply chain entrepreneurs. Ballast is the world's first private community exclusively for logistics entrepreneurs. Ballast and the The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics provides practical advice and tips for bootstrapping a logistics and supply chain business. Learn More About Helping Logistics Founders Helping Logistics Founders with Nate Shutes (thelogisticsoflogistics.com) Ballast Nate Shutes | LinkedIn The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics | LinkedIn The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics website The Power of Independent Media & Personal Branding with Joe Lynch Podcast On Apple Podcast On Spotify Episode Sponsor: Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America Radio – Wreaths Across America Episode Sponsor: Lean Solutions Group Outsourced Sales and Marketing with Ryan Mann The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube
In a discipline as rich, deep, and broad as supply chain, it is no wonder that there are also a million entrepreneurial stories waiting to be told – and heard. Nate Shutes, VP Global Fulfillment & Logistics for Blu Dot, has more than 20 years of industry experience working for shippers, carriers, and 3PLs in a variety of roles. He is also the host of The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics Podcast & Ballast Founder Community. In this episode of Logistics with Purpose, Nate joins Enrique Alvarez to talk about why there will never be an end to the small but important conversations in his logistics learning journey.Additional Links & Resources:Learn more about Logistics with Purpose: https://supplychainnow.com/program/logistics-with-purposeLearn more about Vector Global Logistics: https://vectorgl.com/Subscribe to Logistics with Purpose: https://logistics-with-purpose.captivate.fm/listenThis episode was hosted by Enrique Alvarez. For additional information, please visit the dedicated episode page at https://supplychainnow.com/giving-voice-supply-chain-bootstrappers-lwp91
Nate Shutes and Joe Lynch discuss helping logistics founders, which is exactly what Nate does with his podcast, The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics. About Nate Shutes Nate Shutes is the host of The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics podcast and is currently building a private community for logistics entrepreneurs. He is also the VP of Global Fulfillment & Logistics for Blu Dot, a modern furniture designer and retailer based in Minneapolis, MN. With deep expertise in big and bulky products having worked for both 3PLs and shippers, Nate is sought after for his insights into operations, technology and improving the customer experience. Certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he also holds a Bachelor's degree in Transportation & Logistics Management from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. About The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is an independent podcast dedicated to inspiring supply chain entrepreneurs to build their businesses in a way that often goes unnoticed. The podcast aims to change this by sharing the stories of successful entrepreneurs and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. Join the community of supply chain entrepreneurs as they build their businesses from the ground up. Key Takeaways: Helping Logistics Founders The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics is An independent podcast dedicated to inspiring supply chain entrepreneurs to build their businesses in a way that often goes unnoticed. The podcast aims to change this by sharing the stories of successful entrepreneurs and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. Join the community of supply chain entrepreneurs as they build their businesses from the ground up. The podcast is hosted by Nate Shutes and features interviews with successful supply chain entrepreneurs. Provides practical advice and tips for bootstrapping a supply chain business. A valuable resource for anyone interested in starting or growing a supply chain business. Learn More About Helping Logistics Founders Nate Shutes | LinkedIn The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics | LinkedIn The Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics website The Power of Independent Media & Personal Branding with Joe Lynch Podcast On Apple Podcast On Spotify Episode Sponsor: Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America Radio - Wreaths Across America Episode Sponsor: Lean Solutions Group Outsourced Sales and Marketing with Ryan Mann The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube
Kevin welcomes Nate Shutes VP of Fulfillment at Blu Dot and founder of Ballast to the show to discuss how putting yourself in the the right positions is the key to generating luck in life and in sales. Follow the Put That Coffee Down Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows
Kevin welcomes Nate Shutes VP of Fulfillment at Blu Dot and founder of Ballast to the show to discuss how putting yourself in the the right positions is the key to generating luck in life and in sales. Follow the Put That Coffee Down Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows
Standing Out: A Daily Podcast About Sales, Marketing and Leadership
On Episode 83 of Standing Out, Nate Shutes of Blu Dot and Trey talk about their love for logistics, making a career out of something you enjoy, and some struggles they have endured on the way to where they are now. Many thanks to our sponsor, TAFS, the good guys in freight factoring. To learn more and get started click HERE. Standing Out is a daily sale, marketing & leadership podcast powered by BETA Consulting Group, created to highlight best practices from industry leaders with incredible experience and insights! The goal is to entertain, educate & inspire individuals & companies to improve their sales, marketing & leadership development outcomes. For full episode: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6943601701501190144/
Today on Obsessed Show I'm chatting with the founders of modern home furnishings and design brand, Blu Dot: John Christakos & Maurice Blanks. Based in Minneapolis, Blu Dot has 12 locations across the US (with new stores in Miami, San Francisco, and more on the way). You may know Blu Dot from their gorgeous mod pieces that are all over Instagram, or if you're like me and don't have a Blu Dot location in your backyard, Blu Dot may occasionally grace your mailbox with a catalog. In 2020 and 2021 their focus became updating the home office for continued work from home and the need for flexible indoor/outdoor social spaces. Today we're going to be chatting with John & Maurice about how they've continued to innovate and push their design forward in the last two years, meeting these new demands without sacrificing the integrity of their products, so without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with John Christakos & Maurice Blanks.
On today's episode Dooner and The Dude On today's episode, Dooner and The Dude are talking to OOIDA's Norita Taylor about his recent letter to the Department of Commerce regarding the driver shortage. The ATA claims driver pay is causing inflation, but is there any truth to that?SHE Trucking's Sharae Moore gives us the low-down on her upcoming trucking event, SHE Trucking Expo. She'll also let us know the story behind her appearance on Disney+'s "Breaking Bobby Bones.”Reliance Partners' Brian Runnels drops the gavel on mock trials and gets us prepared for trucking court cases.Blu Dot's Nate Shutes joins us to discuss managing employee mental health and stress.Plus, we'll go inside the newsletter to talk about Geoff Milton's milk crate challenge … inventing the modern modular milk crate. Middle school students get an education in trucking. And a look at congestion on land and sea.Visit our sponsorSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts
On today's episode Dooner and The Dude On today's episode, Dooner and The Dude are talking to OOIDA's Norita Taylor about his recent letter to the Department of Commerce regarding the driver shortage. The ATA claims driver pay is causing inflation, but is there any truth to that?SHE Trucking's Sharae Moore gives us the low-down on her upcoming trucking event, SHE Trucking Expo. She'll also let us know the story behind her appearance on Disney+'s "Breaking Bobby Bones.”Reliance Partners' Brian Runnels drops the gavel on mock trials and gets us prepared for trucking court cases.Blu Dot's Nate Shutes joins us to discuss managing employee mental health and stress.Plus, we'll go inside the newsletter to talk about Geoff Milton's milk crate challenge … inventing the modern modular milk crate. Middle school students get an education in trucking. And a look at congestion on land and sea.Visit our sponsorSubscribe to the WTT newsletterApple PodcastsSpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts
Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to John Christakos and Maurice Blanks--two of the three founders of Blu Dot Furniture--about how they used their design thinking to build a business.
Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to John Christakos and Maurice Blanks--two of the three founders of Blu Dot Furniture--about how they used their design thinking to build a business.
When Blu Dot founders wanted to buy well designed affordable furniture as recent architecture grads in the ‘90’s, none was available. John Christakos and Maurice Blanks tell us the story of helping to found a design/manufacturing company to build their own, and offer it to the market. 20 years later, these Cooper-Hewitt Design Award winners have thousands of items in their catalog, and stores around the country.
Host David Anger sits down with furniture designer and entrepreneur John Christakos to discuss his life journey and how he grew a startup boutique into an international furniture brand.
Nuestro experto en cine, José Manuel Sarabia, nos habló de la 3a edición del festival de cortos que organiza: Weird Shots. Marian Buján, creadora de la primera red social presencial de Mallorca nos vino hablar de romperelhielo.es La banda italiana Blu Dot nos hizo una visita antes de su concierto programado en Casa Planas. ¡Y como siempre selección musical y las noticias más burras!
At a time when modern design wasn’t readily accessible to the masses, college friends Maurice Blanks and John Christakos, with their friend Charlie Lazor, channeled a shared passion for art, architecture and design into contemporary furniture brand Blu Dot. “There was a whole segment of the market unexplored,” Blanks says. “The J.Crew of furniture.” The line was a hit when it launched at a trade show in 1997 and the founders never looked back. Today, Blu Dot has stores in eight U.S. cities and in Mexico and Australia and a growing commercial interiors division. Blu Dot won the 2018 Cooper Hewitt National Design award for Product Design. “It's great to see the vision really coming to life now, 22 years later, the way we always wanted it to," Blanks says. "There’s just so much room for continued growth." Blanks and Christakos discuss design thinking—an approach they apply to both furniture and leadership. “Our core value: good design is good. We see everything as a design opportunity,” Christakos says. “It’s not just products, but organizational structure, compensation. Business decisions are design decisions.” To that end, the founders say Blu Dot started as a design company. "It could have been picture frames, knick knacks—we talked a lot from the very beginning about what the brand would be about and how could we create a company that someone would describe like they would describe a person," Blanks says. "With a real sense of self." Christakos adds one of the best pieces of advice he received from a mentor: "Pick something you love to do and trust you'll do it better. It was a real epiphany for me. A lot of folks think when they start a business they have to come up with the big idea, something new. Starting a furniture business is not a new idea." Blanks and Christakos talk about building a company the old-fashioned way: by reinvesting profits rather than taking outside investments, and why they think the availability of VC money has actually made starting a business more difficult. They also talk about the changing retail landscape and how it shifted their sales strategy. After our conversation with Blanks and Christakos, we go Back to the Classroom with the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. Alec Johnson is an associate professor in the department of entrepreneurship. “Most good design is human-centered design,” he says, and offers tips on how to think about a design centered approach to business.
This was a great episode where we talk to some of the stars who will be performing at the upcoming Crypto Stars Event this Saturday! We are joined by David Weiss of media partner Sonicscoop, Filmmaker Christopher Arcella & Bailey Reutzel of Coindesk. David and I reminisce about his early entrance into the crypto space and how much he loves writing about blockchain as a natural evolution from music technology. Next, we have Christopher of The Bitcoin Executor who talks about his short film Satoshi’s Sculpture Garden which will premiere at Crypto Stars on May 11! And last but not least we hear from Bailey Reutzel who has expanded her horizons past just writing about crypto into standup comedy! She tells us a bit about her trip to Belize, her plans for Consensus week, & so much more! About the Guests: David Weiss is the co-founder/co-editor of www.sonicscoop.com. He is also NYC editor for Mix magazine, and the co-founder of MusicSupervisionCentral. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Christopher earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the Virginia Tech College of Architecture where he worked as an assistant to the director of the Virginia Tech Multimedia Lab. Following graduation he gained experience as a designer at IDEO San Francisco and Blu Dot before running an interaction design studio called RUNROBOTS. During this time Christopher built his writing and directing skills by making many of his own movies and working part time at the office of independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. Over the years he has consistently maintained this balance between writer, director and designer resulting in a versatile creative process. Bailey Reutzel is a veteran finance reporter, covering technology, most specifically bitcoin and blockchain at PaymentsSource, American Banker and Digital Transactions. Her latest project Moneytripping is a Gonzo-style journalism project focused on exploring money, politics and finance in America. She has written for Ripple Insights and done PR copy for tech companies. Bailey does not have any investments in digital currencies or blockchain projects. She has previously held value in bitcoin and ether. If you like this content, please send a tip with BTC to: 1444meJi7YjgQGNg3U8Z6qYZFA5cgz4Gmj More Info: TatianaMoroz.com CryptoMediaHub.com Vaultoro.com TheBitcoinExecutor.com SonicScoop.com Coindesk.com/author/baileyreutzel Friends and Sponsors of the Show: Crypto Star Events Proof of Love Blocktap.io
In this episode, we diagnose what goes into creating a good workspace away from the traditional desk. Hear interviews with experts from iconic brands West Elm, Blu Dot and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Plus, Brian Shapland, Steelcase GM of ancillary partnerships, shares some tips on how to design a great informal space.
Making good design democratic has been at the core of modern furniture company Blu Dot since its founding in 1997. Co-founders John Christakos, Maurice Blanks and Charlie Lazor set out to create an American furniture company in an era when venture capital, attainable modern design and an assertive brand voice didn’t exist in the home industry. Twenty years later, Blu Dot’s forging efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. This year, the company celebrated its recognition as the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award winner for Product Design, as well the debut of a memoir chronicling the Minneapolis company’s pioneering journey. This episode is sponsored by Fuigo.
With Blu Dot recently winning the prestigious Cooper Hewitt national Award for Product Design, co-founders CEO John Christakos and COO Maurice Blanks share how a mission to bring good design to everyone continues to create new opportunities for the company.
Ride Bikes Radio 19: The Nineteens Listener shout-outs, schedule updates and other things about bicycles like we like to do! Add in some Strava shaming (we are just as guilty!) and a few other updates before talking about some stories. Ride bikes for a good cause with Tour de Cure. Listener Kevin has started a team that you can donate to. If you have one, let us know! How about a sand crit? Check out Fat Cross 2017 happening in NC. Buy a Blu Dot and they donate a bike Even riding on the weekend only, helps The MINI Clubman makes a rad team chase car Vintage BMX stuff, for the old guys Part 2 for the new cyclists among us, we remind you that you always need a helmet when you ride and investing in some kind of padded shorts are all you really need to get started. If you have a preferred style of kit, sound off in the comments to help the newbies out! This week's show image brought to you by RBR Listener Danyell! If you want to be featured, it's super simple, just '@' reply us on Twitter or Instagram (we are @ridebikesradio on both) or upload it to the Facebook page. It's not a competition, everyone that sends us a photo has a chance of having it featured!