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Send us a textNetworking isn't just about exchanging business cards; it's about building authentic connections that transform careers, businesses, and lives. In this episode, we explore the 3 Levels of Networking that reshaped Bill Wallace's journey and can do the same for you.Whether you're an entrepreneur, business professional, or someone seeking personal growth, this conversation reveals powerful networking strategies, success stories, and practical tips you can start applying today.What you'll learn:✅ The 3 Levels of Networking: from initial meetings, to net weaving, to servant leadership✅ How building genuine relationships leads to career success and business opportunities✅ Why accessibility, approachability, and accountability are the cornerstones of meaningful connections✅ How to separate yourself from the crowd and stand out in any room✅ The impact of networking on entrepreneurship, personal transformation, and long-term growth✅ How mentorship from Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, shaped Bill's journey and perspective on networkingIf you've ever wondered how to build a powerful network that actually creates opportunities, this episode is your roadmap.This episode isn't just theory; it's a masterclass in networking through the lens of Bill Wallace's 35+ years of experience building authentic connections. From his early career to becoming a connector who has reshaped businesses and careers, Bill shares stories, strategies, and lessons you can apply to grow your own network and create opportunities that last.
Allen and RD are back with some cold brews and a ton of topics.Thanks for watching!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/strikeout-beer--2992189/support.
The guys discuss texting etiquette, Erik's habit of texting everyone Happy Thanksgiving, why Chris is a 10 though you'd never know it, paying for the tab when you eat out with friends, tarantulas invading Chris' house, white girl rappers, mayors pushing weight, Southwest Airlines requiring plus size people to purchase 2 seats to fly, fat people on planes, the downfall of Will Smith and much more! Get this episode AD FREE + 2 PATREON ONLY episodes/month only at https://patreon.com/thegoldenhourpodcastDraftKings - Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use code GOLDEN. That's code GOLDEN for new customers to get $300 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucksSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Episode 1783 - brought to you by our incredible sponsors: Poncho - If you've been looking for the perfect shirt—something breathable, fits great, feels even better, and stands out in a good way—give Poncho a try. Go to ponchoutdoors.com/HARDFACTOR for $10 off your first order. Lucy - Let's level up your nicotine routine with Lucy. Go to Lucy.co/HARDFACTOR and use promo code (HARDFACTOR) to get 20% off your first order. Lucy has a 30-day refund policy if you change your mind. Brooklyn Bedding - Go to brooklynbedding.com and use code HARDFACTOR at checkout to get 30% off sitewide. This offer is not available anywhere else. DaftKings - Download the DraftKings Casino app, sign up with code HARDFACTOR, and spin your favorite slots! The Crown is Yours - Gambling problem? Call one eight hundred GAMBLER 00:01:20 Happy 40th to Pat, how do you feel? 00:05:40 The River Thames has a wet wipe island, and it's disgusting 00:11:00 South Carolina elections chairman might have tried, allegedly, to dose his granddaughters with ecstasy via a DQ Blizzard!? 00:23:05 Stories from the Discord “Bad News” Thread, including Chinese Hacking, Joe Gibbs trending, horrible Cowboys trades, 00:27:25 Sam's Club employee with enormous forehead stabs customer with scissors 00:33:45 Bad news for fat people who fly Southwest Airlines 00:40:40 Jason Vaughn from Fat Guy Tested, a hidden gem on the internet, is must-watch content 00:43:35 The Japanese want to limit cell phone usage Thank you for listening!! Go to patreon.com/hardfactor to join our community. We love you, and most importantly HAGFD! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Southwest Airlines changes its long-standing “customer of size” policy. Plus-size passengers must now proactively buy extra seats, with refunds only if flights are not full. The PBD Podcast debates body shaming, viral outrage, airline economics, and America's obesity crisis.
The Conservative Circus Ringmaster James T. Harris takes any early Labor Day weekend, but never fear, Leeland Conway is here. Leeland talks about the Minneapolis shooting and talks about how we can feel safer in our places of worship. Leeland interviews Rob Chadwick about putting together emergency plans for tragic events. Leeland also speaks with Betsy Brantner-Smith, National Police spokeswoman, about arms aren't the problem. Leeland also goes over the safety of our border, our Nothern border, which now has seen more activity with the crackdown in the south, Art del Cueto joins the show to go over those details. Taking you to your holiday weekend, take a listen to the Conservative Circus.
From breaking down imposter syndrome and the eerie Power Ranger curse, to questioning if Southwest Airlines should charge bigger passengers more, we didn't hold back. We also react to the crazy headline of Lil Nas X getting arrested, a 16-year-old Liverpool player saving the day at stoppage time, and share what would instantly turn us off if we walked into a girl's house.Plus, we cover how Rampage Jackson's son almost killed a wrestler, Gio dos Santos' emotional final game with Barca, and the all-too-relatable experience of getting ghosted on the first date.Tap in for laughs, hot takes, and real convos you won't hear anywhere else.
0:00 Welcome1:15 Chris Brown Meet and Greet7:12 Mayor Mike Duggan has officially backed City Council President Mary Sheffield for Mayor of Detroit. 10:10 DCFC Will Pay Property Taxes from the new stadium.17:30 MDOT Might close old bridges by 2035.23:10 Southwest Airlines issued a new policy requiring fat passengers to purchase two seats starting in 2026. 33:00 Bullsh*t from TRUMP.36:25 STUPID CRIMINALS....(6 criminals this week...)46:05 The Butt-Sniffing Bandit.51:00 Top 10 Overrated Stadiums in Sports. Join Kris and friends as they dive into fun discussions on pop culture, music, trending topics, and everything in between! Whether you're looking for laughs, hot takes, or just something to vibe to, KrisCross Corner has got you covered. — MORE FROM KRISCROSS CORNER —YouTube: www.youtube.com/@kriscrossstudios iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/kriscross-studios/id6449445819 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/21S54f6JNK3mxkVkVgGAxH
This week on GMH Hotels, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk unpack some of the biggest moves in travel and hospitality. Hyatt expands its loyalty program into lifestyle perks, while Hilton reimagines its 106-year-old flagship brand for a new generation of guests. In Las Vegas, a closed Strip hotel is auctioning off iconic memorabilia, raising questions about preservation and reinvention in hospitality. The crew also covers Ryanair's return to major OTAs, Hertz's furry new “Gold Squad” delighting airport travelers, and the controversy swirling around Southwest Airlines's new plus-size seating policy. With industry shake-ups across airlines, hotels, and guest experiences, this episode takes a closer look at where loyalty, design, and customer connection are heading next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Southwest Airlines in the US has just changed its long-standing policy for plus-size travelers, one that for over 30 years allowed them to get a second seat for free or be reimbursed if needed. But now, that's no longer guaranteed.So, what does this mean for passengers of size? Is it fair to ask them to pay for an extra seat in order to fly comfortably, or even to fly at all? What about accessibility, dignity, and affordability?Should plus sized passengers be made to pay for an extra seat?Joining guest host Ciara Doherty to discuss is Eoghan Corry, Editor of travelextra.ie, as well as listeners.
Southwest Airlines going to make plus-sized passengers pay for extra seat. What's your Fantasy Football Name? CFD REPLAY...Lisa (Elkwood)...realized her date had a connection to her sister. Tati from Clinton gives Toby low impact exercise advice about his knee.
Dave and Chuck the Freak talk about Dave prepping for the show annoying Chuck, International Lottery Day, Banana Day, emailer says Dave ruined the phrase ‘Pretty Good,’ things not to say in the bedroom, Cracker Barrel changing logo back, man described what it was like to be struck by lightning, Daytona Beach stores with vulgar shirts, postal worker accused of drinking and driving, Southwest Airlines making overweight people buy extra seats, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engaged, Jay Cutler cuts deal to close out DUI case, Kelly Osbourne responds to Becky Lynch, Lil Nas X speaks after walking nude in public, Henry Winkler fan has him sign coffin, celebs that you hate for no reason, couple accused of trying to bang in their seats on Delta flight, couple busted having sex at gas station in Florida Keys, guy turned on porn during sex, woman asked gas station customers to blow for her interlock device on car, man set fire to restaurant because they were out of mayo, has cuckolding saved your relationship?, old guy still surfs and rescued swimmers, update on kayaker who faked his own death, homeowner builds retaining wall that car crashes into the next day, woman put tracker on ex’s car 2 times in one week, buyers want to try out homes before buying, running and jumping on all fours new exercise trend, and more! This episode of Dave & Chuck is brought to you in part by Profluent http://bit.ly/4fhEq5l
INTRO (00:24): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Tennessee Vol Lager from Yee-Haw Brewing Company. TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.” COURT NEWS (12:55): Kathleen shares news announcing that Snoop Dogg is continuing his youth football camps, Colorado State University is starting a class called “Spanish for Swifties,” and Dolly's musical is being considered for another extension in Nashville. TASTING MENU (4:05): Kathleen samples Terrapin Ridge Farms Dill Pickle Aioli, Lay's Frank's Red Hot Potato Chips, and Pringles Ghost Pepper Ranch chips. UPDATES (30:23): Kathleen shares updates on Red Lobster's official exit from bankruptcy, Anna Delvey is selling Bunnygate t-shirts, Vegas has announced a new Blake Shelton residency, and Burning Man had an apocalyptic start. HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (39:25): Kathleen reveals that a 6 ½ foot long orange nurse shark was caught off the coast of Costa Rica, and first edition copy of The Hobbit has been found while cleaning out a home in Britain. FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (44:35): Kathleen shares articles on Cracker Barrel's recent logo change, AppleTV is raising their rates, Southwest Airlines has a new policy for excessively overweight people, Disneyland is changing their early entry policy, Chick-Fil-A is implementing a Teen Chaperone policy, Bed Bath & Beyond is boycotting California, Burning Man opens to apocalyptic weather, and Walmart pulls radioactive shrimp from its freezers. SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:26:22): Kathleen reads about St. Agatha, patron saint of jewelers, breast cancer patients, bellfounders and fire. WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (34:25): Kathleen recommends watching “America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” on Netflix, “Hostage” on Netflix, and “One Night In Idaho: The College Murders” on Prime Video. FEEL GOOD STORY (1:22:44): Kathleen reads highlights of Nike's Phil Knight donating $2B to cancer research, and the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson receives a gift from #BillsMafia.
On this very special episode of The Great Hang Podcast, Myka and Tim are back at it in a very big way. Tim is back on Task Rabbit getting his little jobs to hopefully help his household FINALLY! Myka is secretly beefing with a neighbor in their building. We get deep into the 2026 mandate from Southwest Airlines forcing all plus sized passengers to buy 2 seats on the plane. We give advice to a very busty woman who is having trouble with her job objectifying her. And finally Tim has a play this week that is absolutely INSANE! Great Hang Patreon https://www.patreon.com/GreatHang iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/great-hang-with-myka-and-tim/id1574565430 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0xpCw3jkplXMxp82ow0NCF?si=dc4814443f324a6d Youtube Episode Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnSkFaHeS4o&list=PL0xj2vuOYlctjiD60eEOk3Hl1bTENyWNl Follow Myka @Mykafox https://twitter.com/MykaFox https://www.instagram.com/mykafox/ Follow Tim https://www.instagram.com/hot_comic69/
Southwest Airline used to give you a second seat for free if you were too big and now they're getting rid of that.
Southwest Airlines is changing its policy for plus size people. DC launching a new Driver Education program at 4 local high schools. DC area basketball team wants to set a world record with people dressed as cows. Make sure to also keep up to date with ALL our podcasts we do below that have new episodes every week:The Thought ShowerLet's Get WeirdCrisis on Infinite Podcasts
We start off today learning about bare beating, power point dating, SWA is going to start charging large people for two seats, and the Dallas Police Department has a new recruiting tool...YeeHaw. But first, Birthdays!The Treehouse Show is a Dallas based comedy podcast and radio show. Leave your worries outside and join Dan O'Malley, Trey Trenholm, Raj Sharma, and their guests for laughs about funny news, viral stories, and hilarious commentary.The Treehouse WebsiteGet MORE from the Treehouse Show on PatreonGet a FREE roof inspection from the best company in DFW:Cook DFW Roofing & Restoration CLICK HERE TO DONATE:The RMS Treehouse Listeners FoundationLINKS:Rail operator will issue $116 fines for ‘bare beating' on trains | CNNSouthwest Changing Rules for Plus-Size Passengers: What To Know - NewsweekWould You Let Your Friend Pitch You to a Room Full of Single Strangers? | Glamour
DZ was ready to crash out over his kids and Alley needed ALL the details. He tells the whole story and who he and his wife had to confront. Does size matter? They discuss on the question of the day. A woman wants to know if she's a jerk for making her son's birthday all about her. DZ helps out a woman who doesn't know how to leave a guy's house without making it awkward. Football is ruining 70 percent of people's lives and Alley explains why. Southwest Airlines announced they will start charging obese customers for two seats and Alley and DZ have lots of thoughts on the topic.
The guys discuss the reprehensible Raja Jackson incident, debate what athletic means, and talk the ghosts in Chin's attic, Bryan blowing the death whistle, Southwest Airlines requiring plus-size passengers to buy two tickets, Ghislaine Maxwell's recorded interview on Trump and much more.DraftKings - Download the DraftKings Pick6 app, use code FIGHTER to get $50 in Pick6 Bonus Picks and ride the upside with Pick6 all season longProgressive - https://www.progressive.com/O'Reilly Auto Parts - https://oreillyauto.com/FIGHTERDrive Fast All Gas - Enter to win my Custom 800+ Horsepower RAM TRX + $10K cash: https://drivefastallgas.com/collections/new-releasesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
DCMWG kicks off this episode with an explanation for her absence last week followed by the topics she waited two weeks to discuss with her favorite cousins such as, Lil Nas X's possible drug overdose (4:40), the residents of DC fighting back (6:30) and her sympathy for the family of Young Dolph (7:35). DCMWG briefly touches on the Target boycott (11:55), before telling the story of Pro wrestler Rampage Jackson's son Raja Jackson (12:20). DCMWG and Phelphs weigh-in on Black Americans discovering Black Scottish TikTok (19:45), the Tay Kay conviction (27:05), and Jussie Smollett doubling down on his innocence 6 years after the infamous MAGA attack (29:55). DCMWG reads two Darkside of the DM's (33:40), and Phelps lets everyone know how he feels about the new ‘two seat rule' at Southwest Airlines (38:40). The episode comes to a close with DCMWG discussing recent accusations and stories surrounding Natalie Nunn and Lemuel Plummer (44:25) and sharing details on upcoming Stand Up or Sit Down comedy tour stops (49:10). ------------------------- This episode is sponsored by CashApp. Download Cash App today and use my code DCMWG10 when you sign up, and you can earn $10 when you send $5 to a friend within 14 days. *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. This episode is sponsored by Factor Meals. Visit https://factormeals.com/dcmwg50off and use code DCMWG50OFF for 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for 1 year! This episode is sponsored by MeUndies. Go to https://meundies.com/DCMWG and use code DCMWG for 20% off your first order. ------------------------- Get your real life advice from Mona on the show! Dial 267-225-2492 and leave a question for a chance to have your voicemail answered on an episode. The best voicemails may get a call back on our Callin' All Cousins subscription episodes. ------------------------- See Mona's Stand Up Or Sit Down Comedy Tour at these upcoming shows: 8/29 - Baton Rouge, 9/3 - Charlotte, 9/14 - San Diego. 11/8 - Little Rock, AR. Get tickets at https://linktr.ee/DontCallMeWhiteGirl ------------------------- Executive Producers for Breakbeat: Dave Mays & Brett Jeffries Executive Producer: Don't Call Me White Girl Producer: Zack James Co-Producer: Ebonie Dukes (@iammsdukes) Visual Production: Creative Mind Productions: Vernon Ray (@AllMoneyShots) & Rebel Hill Productions: Zack James (@ZJames_RHC) Instagram: @BreakbeatMedia @DontCallMeeWhiteGirl @PhelpsJugo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As President Donald Trump pushes for a crime crackdown beyond Washington, DC, the House Oversight committee joins the DOJ to investigate the nation's capital. Trump has touted tariff revenue as debt-cutting, but there are some caveats. A new pill for weight loss could be one step closer to becoming a reality. How some kids will use AI in school this year. Plus, Southwest Airlines announced more new rules over seats Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Note: "Act 1" was a separate published audio podcast.*Get a FREE 7 day trial to Patreon to "try it out."*Watch the show live, daily at 8AM EST on Twitch! Please click here to follow the page.Email the show on the Shoreliners Striping inbox: eric@ericzaneshow.comTopics:*EZ has fingers crossed that at least one audience member will get his "old as balls" movie reference.*Grand Rapids car meetups are getting out of hand.*EZ isn't impressed with the level of law breaking at car meetups; provides personal examples of stupid behavior.*"No Fat People" policy at Southwest Airlines.*Colorado Park Ranger stabbed in random attack.*Florida nurse can't control her horny level*Asshole of the DaySponsors:Catholic Charities West Michigan, Oakland Auto Detail, Kuiper Tree Care, Oakland Auto Detail, Pinball Land, Berlin Raceway, Impact Power Sports,, Frank Fuss/ My Policy Shop Insurance, The Mario Flores Lakeshore Team of VanDyk Mortgage, Shoreliners Striping, Blue Frost IT,Interested in advertising? Email eric@ericzaneshow.com and let me design a marketing plan for you.Contact: Shoreliners Striping inbox eric@ericzaneshow.comDiscord LinkEZSP TikTokSubscribe to my YouTube channelHire me on Cameo!Tshirts available herePlease subscribe, rate & write a review on Apple Podcastspatreon.com/ericzaneInstagram: ericzaneshowTwitterSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-eric-zane-show-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Trump targets the show, a hero makes a huge mistake, a massive Haboob hits Arizona, Cracker Barrel is cracking, the NFL is so much worse, big Turnpike semi accident updates, Southwest Airlines vs fatties, Delta vs the Mile High Club, Raja Jackson wrestling attack drama and so much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trump targets the show, a hero makes a huge mistake, a massive Haboob hits Arizona, Cracker Barrel is cracking, the NFL is so much worse, big Turnpike semi accident updates, Southwest Airlines vs fatties, Delta vs the Mile High Club, Raja Jackson wrestling attack drama and so much more!
On this episode of Bulture podcast:-Klay Thompson says Megan Thee Stallion's cooking is the best food he's ever tasted in his life -A new Florida law passed this year allows parents to give schools permission to spank their children, but only under certain circumstances-Southwest Airlines will require plus-size passengers to purchase two seats starting in 2026-BigXThaPlug's motion is on another level as he's now collabing with major country artists like Jelly Roll,-YK Niece & Belly Gang just brought old Atlanta back after YK previews her verse on Belly Gang's “Friend do”-Paul Pierce Tells Ambitious Men to Avoid ‘Pretty Girls' & Date A ‘5 Or 6' Instead While Building Their Careers-Popular TikToker Raymonte Reacts To ‘Baddies' Star Meatball Being Refused Entry at Nashville Club Over “Tacky” Look-Attorney For Celtics Star Jaylen Brown's Father Says $tabbing Was in Self-Defense & Victim Had A G*n-New Orleans, Louisiana woman reveals date left her to pay for her own meal because she didn't know how to properly eat a steak-Officer faces backlash for Supplex a teen who was attacking his teacher-Cracker Barrel Defends Logo Swap + Blames Outrage On ‘Vocal Minority' & Vows to Offer ‘Fresh Energy'-Offset Seemingly Reflects on What Led to Cardi B Split in New Song ‘Move On': ‘You Never Cooked N****s No Food'-Woman went viral after boasting about rejecting a man's coffee date request because she's too ‘high maintenance' for it-Serena Williams opens up about using drugs to lose weight and get skinnier for the aesthetics-Woman led police on a high-speed chase with her baby in the car, crashed, and fled, leaving the baby behind-Cam Newton, baby mother / girlfriend Jasmin Brown has a transparent moment and shares her thoughts on if she were to have a son-According to CNN, McDonald's is slashing the prices of its combo meals just a few weeks after the CEO publicly admitted that its menu has gotten too expensive and pledged to fix the problem-GameStop is offering an extra $50 in trade-in credit when you trade in a PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X|S toward the purchase of a new PlayStation 5-NBA Star Malik Beasley No Longer Target of Federal Gambling Investigation-Woman in absolute disbelief as her husband returns to the store to pay for candy their daughter stole-A car suddenly crashed into a restaurant in Houston, TX, as a couple was making a food review video-Accused Yo Gotti CMG affiliate Hernandez Govan threatens to catch Youtuber Ceddy Nash lackin days after being found not guilty of orchestrating Memphis legend Young Dolph's murder-Lil Nas X reportedly hospitalized for a possible overdose after roaming Los Angeles streets at 4 AM in his underwear-Stephen A. Smith's daughter revealed she used to have a crush on LeBron James's son, Bryce, and said her dad beefing with LeBron made it weird for her-Fans believe Jake Paul vs. Tank will do more numbers than Canelo vs. Crawford and will decide the true face of boxing, Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis -John Wall has announced he is retiring from basketball after 11 seasons in the NBA-Boston Richey has reportedly won his trial against the feds. He and his co-defendants were facing over 25 years in prison
Here are 3 big things you need to know— One — The White House is touting over one-thousand arrests since deploying Guard troops across the nation's capital earlier this month. According to the White House, 111 firearms have been seized, six known gang members have been arrested, and 49 homeless encampments have been cleared by the multi-agency teams. At this time, it is unclear when the federal police presence will be scaled back in the district. Two --- Gas prices are expected to remain low for Labor Day weekend travelers. AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular should stay below last year's average of three dollars and 33 cents, and should remain low for the rest of the summer as long as Gulf Coast refineries are not hit by hurricanes. And number three --- Plus-sized customers will soon have to deal with a new seating policy on Southwest Airlines. According to the airline, larger passengers who cannot be accommodated in a single plane seat will be required to purchase a second seat ahead of time and can then request a refund after the flight. The changes are part of Southwest's broader shift to assigned seating.
SMH Dil had to leave early today because of his dog. Some customers are a little un easy about King Soopers new policy that has a security guard checking receipts at the door. We find out about a mystery man that Jamie dated in the past we never heard about. Southwest Airlines is implementing a new seat policy for plus size travelers. A family here in Colorado is now suing Meta and the game, Roblox because their daughter was harassed by a predator.
Connect with Matt:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-lipson-55314130/https://www.northmarq.com/property-types-industries/restaurantsClick to text the show! Click to Access the Southwest Airlines 100,000 Point Offer Email Jonathan with comments or suggestions:podcast@thesourcecre.comOr visit the webpage:www.thesourcecre.com*Some or all of the show notes may have been generated using AI tools.
Are Fat People Really To Blame? | Southwest Airlines, Incivility & America's Compassion Crisis ✈️ Southwest Airlines is requiring plus-sized passengers to buy two seats so they “don't spill over.” But here's the real question: why not just design a few rows of larger seats? Instead, society blames fat people for being fat, ignoring the bigger issue — an industry and culture that lack compassion. This episode of the Karel Cast digs into more than just airline seating. From body shaming to public incivility, America is in a compassion crisis. Insults fly daily, strangers fight over parking spots, and violence erupts over the smallest things. Is Trump to blame for fueling division, or is there something deeper and darker behind our collective lack of civility?
Mark, Melynda, and Ed discuss an outrage over Southwest Airlines seating, a new TX House bill on bathroom regulations, and a Houston dad claiming he shot a teenager in self defense.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Send us a textSometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when friends just kick back and speak their minds. In this raw, unfiltered episode of Village Vets, we navigate everything from hometown drama to controversial corporate policies with the candor you've come to expect.When longtime Facebook feuds between local figures spill into the public eye, we don't just rubberneck—we propose solutions. Should there be a mediated sit-down? A boxing match? Or simply letting bygones be bygones? The discussion reveals how deeply we care about healing community rifts rather than exploiting them for entertainment.Money talks when we break down the economics of dating, with each host revealing their first-date spending limits. From the guy who factors in outfit costs before even meeting someone ($500 all-in) to the pragmatist with a strict $250 cap, our different approaches highlight the hidden calculations behind romance. Would you pay $1,000 just to go on a date with a tennis player? We wouldn't either.The conversation takes unexpected turns through Southwest Airlines' "two-seat policy" for larger passengers, Tyreek Hill's eye-popping divorce settlement, and whether establishments like Cracker Barrel create environments welcoming to all customers. Our perspectives might surprise you—or confirm exactly what you already suspected about us.Between serious moments, we dream up a future buffet tour of local spots and reminisce about late-night conversations that cemented our friendships years ago. That's the Village Vets experience: weighty topics and lighthearted banter, served up with absolute authenticity.Subscribe to Village Vets on YouTube and follow us @VillageVetsPod on Instagram and TikTok to join our growing community of listeners who appreciate real talk among real friends.Support the show
Host Paul Pacelli opened Tuesday's "Connecticut Today" wondering why so many progressives have hostile attitudes towards billionaires, many of whom hire and provide good income and benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans (00:36). Attorney and business analyst Parag Amin joined us to chat about a move by Southwest Airlines to have larger-sized passengers purchase two seats on some flights (14:49). Yankee Institute blogger Meghan Portfolio detailed a possible legislative push against Connecticut's home-schooling parents (24:47) Image Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus
Story #1: Will picks up 'Off the Weekend' as President Donald Trump's decision to extend the National Guard strategy from D.C. into cities like Chicago and L.A. prompts accusations of “tyranny” from Democratic mayors. Plus, Snoop Dogg suddenly finds himself questioning woke kids' movies after years of playing the victimhood game and Southwest Airlines changes its seating rules for oversized passengers. Story #2: Social and Political Commentator Jeffery Mead joins Will for a wide-ranging conversation about race, culture, and politics. The two react to a racist sign targeting Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA), the hypocrisies of virtue signaling, and even New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's (D-NY) awkward attempt at the bench press. Story #3: Fox Sports' National College Football Analyst RJ Young returns to break down his Ultimate 136 rankings and preview the upcoming College Football season. RJ explains why he's higher than most on Oklahoma under Brent Venables, how the SEC could send four teams to the playoff, and whether the Big Ten has the depth to match. From Clemson's stacked defense to Oregon's “pillowy soft” schedule, RJ lays out which programs can realistically compete for a national title. Subscribe to 'Will Cain Country' on YouTube here: Watch Will Cain Country! Follow Will on X: @WillCain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, Bill and Bryan shift the focus from post-sale customer experience to what they call "PX 90" - the prospect experience during the sales process. After Bryan shares a fantastic customer service call with Southwest Airlines, they dive into practical ways salespeople can go above and beyond for prospects before they become customers. The guys share practical, low-cost ways to go above and beyond for prospects that will differentiate you from the competition and elevate your position in their minds. From personalized follow-ups to strategic introductions, discover how small gestures can create big impacts in your sales process.=================================Is it time to make a BOLD move in your business? If so, download our brand new book, "12 Bold Moves - Insider Secrets to Reinventing Yourself and Your Business." http://12boldmoves.comThe Insider program is open for enrollment. To check out our small learning group, go to http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insiderIf you haven't already, join 14,000+ other sales professionals in our LinkedIn group at advancedsellingpodcast.com/linkedin=================================Stop being just another vendor - become THE expert they can't ignore. Join ASP Insider September 8th: http://advancedsellingpodcast.com/insider
Beamer is in for Bauerle and today we start off with talking about being a homeowner, and how that is becoming increasingly difficult for the younger generation to do, is it even worth it, is being a homeowner all it's cracked up to be? Also, we talk about a Wall Street Journal poll that found Democrats got the lowest approval rating from voters in 35 years, the closure of yet another business downtown, Misuta Chows, and we wrap up with the new policy being rolled out by Southwest Airlines which would require plus sized travelers to purchase an extra seat.
Extreme weather. No paper tickets. Coffee can improve your mood. Breaking your phone. PSL launch. Blue Bell recall. Life advice from people over 30. Southwest Airlines' new policy.
8:00 - Southwest Airlines updates it's plus-sized passenger policy. 8:15 - The exclusive dating app, Raya, has a 2.5 million long wait list for their services. 8:30 - Ask Handel Anything8:50 - Ask Handel Anything.
Southwest Airlines announced some big changes recently, and customers of the “Love Airline” are not feeling it. Joe Guinto, a business reporter who wrote this season, joins David to discuss the airline's next steps, and what it'll take to keep fans and employees loyal. Later, Bankrate's Benét Wilson (also known as the “Aviation Queen”) https://www.bankrate.com/authors/benet-j-wilson/ explains those high ticket prices, and which credit cards give frequent flyers the most bang for their buck. Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/business-wars/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Southwest Airlines is back in the news, thanks to a passenger who decided to throw hands at a gate agent. She definitely picked the wrong fight. Did she have it coming? Most likely. Meanwhile, people are still debating if it's okay to watch R-rated movies on planes. Kennedy's take: if the airline offers it, don't blame her for watching it. Follow Kennedy on Twitter: @KennedyNation Kennedy Now Available on YouTube: https://link.chtbl.com/kennedyytp Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kennedy_foxnews Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWlNiiSXX4BNUbXM5X8KkYbDepFgUIVZj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode, we explore how Southwest Airlines is shaking up travel with its new Getaways vacation packages, while Alaska Air Group and Way are redefining loyalty with curated experiences—showing how the industry is making travel easier, more rewarding, and more personalized for customers.Are you new and want to start your own hospitality business?Join our Facebook groupFollow Boostly and join the discussion:YouTube LinkedInFacebookWant to know more about us? Visit our websiteStay informed and ahead of the curve with the latest insights and analysis.
The latest guest on The PR Week podcast is Torod Neptune, a veteran of prominent in-house and agency roles from Medtronic to Waggener Edstrom. Neptune is also a member of the 2025 PRWeek Hall of Fame class, announced just this morning, alongside other industry heavyweights. Now a member of the faculty of the University of North Carolina, Neptune talks about PR and communications in academia, as well as the biggest marketing and communications news of the week, including PRWeek's profile of OpenAI communications leader Hannah Wong. Plus, remembering longtime Southwest Airlines head of PR and culture Ginger Hardage, who passed away last Saturday. AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! Follow us: @PRWeekUSReceive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek
It's 2023 and Southwest Airlines' stock is in a nosedive. With costs ascending, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan freezes hiring and slashes spending. Amid all that, a crisis at Boeing has left Southwest short on jets. With Southwest weakened, an unwelcome, activist investor rushes on board. Jordan jettisons staffers along with longstanding policies like open seating and free bags. It's a new era for the airline. But the question remains: Will Southwest passengers go along for the ride?Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/business-wars/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Building a successful business often means solving problems nobody else sees coming. In this episode of Building Texas Business, I sit down with Merrilee Kick, founder of BuzzBallz, to talk about how she transformed a poolside idea into a ready-to-drink cocktail empire she sold to Sazerac in 2024. Merrilee shares her journey from high school teacher to manufacturing pioneer who bootstrapped through engineering challenges and suppliers who refused to sell her essential components. Her approach demonstrates that when traditional paths close, entrepreneurs must forge their own. We explore how Merrilee built a family-like culture with minimal turnover through practical benefits like daily cooked meals and extended holiday breaks. She discusses why fairness matters more than equality in building loyal teams. During COVID, she created an on-site school for employees' children and manufactured hand sanitizer for hospitals, showing how adaptability serves both business continuity and community needs. Merrilee reflects on mistakes that shaped her success, from coconut cream that solidified at room temperature to trusting the wrong people. She emphasizes that entrepreneurs must trust their gut instincts and move quickly when something isn't working. Her discussion about selling to Sazerac reveals the cultural shifts that come with acquisition and why selecting the right buyer matters as much as the price. The conversation reveals how a teacher's frustration with glass by the pool became a multi-million dollar business through relentless problem-solving and genuine employee care. Listen to discover why sometimes the best business education comes from cleaning your own warehouse bathrooms. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS "S#@t doesn't smell any better with age" - why firing fast is critical to maintaining culture and performance When suppliers demand hundreds of thousands for R&D, sometimes you have to source from Canada and figure it out yourself A $10 daily lunch investment eliminated production delays and built the family culture that kept turnover near zero Creating an on-site school during COVID kept the production lines running when competitors shut down People quit managers, not companies - know your employees' kids' names and eat lunch with them Trust your gut over resumes - the West Point MIT grad who couldn't deliver taught her that credentials don't guarantee performance LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About BuzzBallz GUESTS Merrilee KickAbout Merrilee TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode, you'll meet Merrilee Kick, founder of BuzzBallz. Merrilee shares her story of going from a high school teacher grading papers to a multimillion dollar manufacturer of ready to drink cocktails by trusting her instincts, being honest and fair, and keeping sales concepts funny. Merrilee, I want to welcome you to Building Texas Business. Thank you for taking the time to come on in the podcast. Merrilee: Thanks Chris. Chris: So let's start. You founded a very interesting company called BuzzBallz. Love the name. Tell the listeners what is BuzzBallz, what is the company and what's it known for? Merrilee: So BuzzBallz is a ready to drink cocktail company. It's a manufacturing company based in Texas, and I started it back in 2009. Our first sale was in 2010 and I sold it. I ran it for 15 years and then I sold it last year, may of 2024 to Sazerac, a big company, one of the world's largest manufacturers of bourbon and alcoholic spirits. And they were very interested in us because it was the convenience store channel and it was ready to drink. And so it was a little bit different twist for them. Chris: Very good. So what was the inspiration for you in 2009 to start a alcoholic beverage company? Merrilee: I was going through some hard times with my marriage and I was a high school teacher at the time and I wanted to be more financially independent. And my high school that I was working at said that they would give me a teacher's enrichment program to where I could go get my master's in administration and be a principal. And I was like, oh my God, no, I don't want to be a principal. No, I want to go into my own field, which was business because I taught entrepreneurship, business law, international business marketing, computer science, all those kinds of wonderful subjects to high school kids, and I wanted to get my degree and get my MBA in that. So I convinced them to let me do it. Got my MBA and BuzzBallz was my master's degree thesis project. I was grading papers by the pool thinking of what should my project be for my capstone, my final project for my MBA and I had a little vo of candle with me and drinking a cocktail like a good teacher would, and I should probably not have a glass glass out here by the pool where I'm grading papers. I need to have something plastic. So I came up with the idea and the concept of a little party ball, a little ready to drink cocktail in a ball shape. Then my family and I, we sat down at dinner and we came up with the name Buzzballz. I love it. So catchy. And so that's where it came from and it stuck, you know, and it's one of those names you don't forget. So, that's the genesis of it all. Chris: What a great story. So high school teacher grading papers by the pool comes up with a cocktail and turns it into a wildly successful business. That is a coolest story I think I've ever heard. Merrilee: Yeah, we started out with six different flavors and they were pretty edgy. I'm a pretty edgy person, I guess. So, we came out with names like OJ Screamer because it was right when OJ Simpson was on trial and we had an orange juice and vodka screwdriver and we thought, okay, this will be funny, and funny sells, and it makes people laugh again. It makes it fun. So, We came up with some funny, funny names, strawberry Rum job, you know, like kind of edgy, dirty names, but funny and people loved it. Since then, it's kind of calmed the waves a little bit. We've mellowed it down a little bit, toned it down for the general grocery store shoppers, and more more family focused. But we've been through many renditions, many different flavors and sizes and things over the years. Yeah, Chris: It is really cool. Let's go back to kind of that 2009 or maybe time period. So I guess you had your MBA and you had this idea, but what did you do to get this off the ground and what kind of hurdles were you facing in order to do that? There Merrilee: Was so many hurdles. I didn't know anything manufacturing. I didn't know anything business. I was told by bankers all around Texas that I've applied for loans with that you're just a teacher, you don't have any experience, you don't have any collateral, you don't have any knowledge of manufacturing, how are you going to pull this off? And I just googled everything. Google was a really good friend, but I was looking at how many pounds per square inch does a Coke have on the inner walls of its container and will my container hold that and will this plastic have BPA in it and will it leach into my product? And what is the oxygen scavenging ratio of will oxygen permeate this plastic and degrade the product and what kind of petaloid base do I need on this? So there's a lot of engineering involved to create the container because it is a custom container. And then I was almost to the finish line and then a company, I wanted to put these metal lids on the container and a company came to me and they said, we want you to pay us hundreds of thousands of dollars so that we can r and d and see if your product really can be a good product for the market. And I couldn't afford it, so I just did it myself and I had to launch it myself and they said they wouldn't sell me any lids because of it. So I had to buy 'em from Canada. I had to buy 'em from overseas and then do it myself. So one of the things I learned is you just have to do everything yourself. You have to clean the bathrooms, you have to clean the warehouse, you have to set up the equipment, you have to do all the QuickBooks, you have to do the shipping, you have to do the billing, you have to understand all the details of this business inside now before you can pass it on to anybody. Chris: That's a very common theme amongst entrepreneurs, especially in the startup. You have an inspiration or a passion or something or idea that you believe so much in and are so passionate about that despite all the hurdles you run into, you just figure out ways over the hurdles. Merrilee: That's because if you don't, your failure to do anything and try to get it right means bankruptcy. And most entrepreneurs are going on their last thread, maxed out their credit cards. They can't afford a complete and utter failure. They can afford mistakes, but they quickly pivot and fix it and keep going. They keep swimming Chris: To that point. So you said you have to be able to do everything to get it going. Those are early days. How do you then transition once you've got some legs underneath it to start letting go of some things and bringing people in because it's your baby and you have to learn to trust some people to take care of it, Merrilee: And you make a lot of mistakes trusting people too. So you'll have a lot of duds people that you hire, some family and friends I would steer away from as much as possible unless that family is under your control, like cousins, aunts, uncles, those are more difficult to work with than your own sons because your sons will do whatever you tell 'em to do. Chris: And I know you have your sons in the business, Merrilee: But it was difficult when I hired friends because they were entitled. They thought they would be able to have more. So it's very different when you're having to hire people that are friends, Chris: That's having a strong team around you is so critical to the success of any business. What did you learn along the way? And aside from maybe don't hire friends to really hone in on your process to improve your hit rate on making sure you were hiring people that you could trust and they could do the job Merrilee: Well, sometimes you hire somebody based on their resume or their referrals or whatever, and that's a good first step, but you're going to still make mistakes. I remember I had a guy that had all the accolades in the world. He was a West Point grad, he was MIT, he had all these accolades, but he couldn't seem to get anything done and talk about delegation. I had to have my son because I was out of town. I was like, Hey, you get to fire this guy and here's this guy that's 30 years his senior and my son has never fired anyone before. And he had to have that experience. It was difficult. But one thing I've learned is crap doesn't smell any better with age. So you've got to get rid of people that are toxic or that even if you have a relationship, a friendly relationship with them, sometimes it just isn't going to work for whatever reason. Either something legal that they did or something that was immoral that they did or just basic laziness or in capability to get the job done. So sometimes if you don't feel it, it's almost like a gut feel. If it's not working right, then there's something wrong and you got to make moves. A Chris: Couple of things there, right? First I think the adage of hire slow fire fast is very true. Easier said than done. I Merrilee: Don't hire slow. I don't like that. I don't like that saying because I think sometimes you hire fast and it's okay. I think the important thing is fire fast if you have grounds to do so and try to get somebody to replace them as quickly as possible. You got to do everything fast when you're an entrepreneur. Chris: So on the fire fast side, right? I mean I think it's whether it's performance or cultural fit, if it's not working, the sooner you move, the better your organization's going to be. Merrilee: But on the cultural fit too, that's a big one because they may have the capability to do it, but maybe at their own pace or maybe not at your pace or maybe they just have a different idea of work altogether. Chris: And one of the things we say here, it doesn't necessarily make 'em a bad person. This isn't the right organization for them and they need to go find that organization that will fit them better. But speaking of culture, how would you describe the culture that you built at BuzzBallz? Merrilee: Okay, so my culture at BuzzBallz, we hardly had any turnover because I treated it like family. I think that people quit managers, and I've heard that before, but people do quit, managers and they quit companies that don't believe in them. And I think that is a big cultural learning. You've got to do things together, you got to take them to lunch, you got to talk to them, you got to get involved with their family life, know their kids' names. You need to know something about the people that report to you. Now when you have a thousand people reporting to you can't possibly do all that, but you can have parties and you can have celebrations and you can recognize people at every level of the totem pole. And I think some of the things to do to build culture, we would have a cook on staff that cooked for everybody every day because that $10 a day savings meant more to, and it meant a lot to me because they could start the lines on time. I didn't have to wait for somebody to go get a burrito down the street and come back. They could just go ahead and keep together. And it built culture that way too. They started to trust each other, they started to rely on each other. And the other thing that we did was we all rolled up our sleeves. It didn't matter whether you were the lead accountant or if you were the CEO, if something needed to get done, you go do it. Chris: I think Merrilee: That's great. So it's not that it's above you or it's somebody else's job. Chris: Yeah. Kind of lead by example, right? No task is above anyone. It's all about getting the job done. Merrilee: Correct. Chris: And I think to your point of knowing your people as best you can, when you start to scale the business as you did, I think it breaks into tier. So within your direct reports or a level or two, you have the ability to get to really know them. And then I think it's important to teach them that they take it another level down and really have good connections within their direct reports and then you can layer that through the organization so that people feel connected. And so Merrilee: One thing I learned too, Chris, is I learned that people are better managers than me. I'm more of an inventor. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm not really a good manager of people. I'm a good people person and I'm a good salesperson, but I don't like doing the management of the day to day of my car broke down or I'm sick or I need PTO approved or I need blah, blah, blah, blah. I don't like doing any of that. All the administrative stuff that comes with management I'm terrible at. It's not that I'm terrible, it's just that I don't want to do it. I would rather have somebody that's better at it do it. I think that it's really important that people see your genuine self and that you're honest and fair to them more than equal. Equality is different than fairness. And I think fairness trumps equality, fairness. Somebody who comes to work every day works their butt off every day, takes care of you, always says they're going to get it done. That person is a person I want to hire versus somebody who's complaining and moaning about equality. If you gave them a day off, I want a day off, I need a PTO day just because I just need a de-stress day, it's buzz off. I don't need you to complain about your daily work. Chris: Everybody has stuff. So despite that, we still have to get a job done and that gets lost sometimes. And that just goes back to the hiring process and making sure, and I agree with you, no hiring process is perfect. It's more of an art than a science, but if you really focus on some of the right things, you're going to have better hits. But again, like we said earlier, once you realize you've made a mistake, you got to make a move. Merrilee: And also about the speed of hiring. When you said hire slow, I've been with companies that hire too slow and they drag prospective employees on for so long doing too many rounds and they lose them Chris: For sure. I guess it slows relative, but yes, if you drag it out immersively long, if you have a good process, you know what you're looking for. And within a couple rounds of an interview, you should know whether that person's going to hit fit or not. We talked a little bit about culture and I guess one thing would be interesting is how do you believe that you've been through a transition in the last 12 months? Has that culture been impacted by that Merrilee: Tremendously? Yeah. Culture is completely different with a big company versus a small entrepreneurial company. Entrepreneur companies are more freewheeling, more giving in terms of the things they allow people to do. They help people more. Bigger companies are more rigid. They have more rules because they have to, they're just bound by more legal problems if I could say. So just they've got more issues to have to Chris: Worry, maybe legal hurdles and regulations and such, Merrilee: And they have just a bigger spotlight on them. So people are always looking at them trying to find fault and trying to sue them for anything possible. There's rules and regulations that they have to abide by that I didn't. So culture has changed also with they had to let go a lot of people and that was really hard because these are people that I loved and people that I cared very dearly about that helped me build the business, but they had their own internal structure and people already filling some of those roles so it didn't make financial sense or business sense to string them along and have two people doing the same thing. So there were some business decisions that were made that affected culture. Yes, Chris: It's almost inevitable when that type of combination happens, right? Because there's going to be some overlap and a business has to run efficiently and can't have two people doing the same thing Merrilee: And they just run it differently. It's not that one's better or one's worse. They just are different. And I tried to pick a company to buy us that would be as close as possible to our culture and I tried to pick one that was privately owned and family owned and manufacturing instead of some other kind of company. I didn't want private equity or anything like that. I wanted somebody that held some of the same beliefs I did and I think I did a good job with this company. I really like them and I think they have a lot of great ideas, but it's different than how I would've done it. Chris: Hello friends. This is Chris Hanzlik, your building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders. Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm@boermiller.com and thanks for listening to the show. So let's talk a little bit about innovation because what you did there was nothing like it on the market. Obviously the initial concept seems unique and novel As you grew the company over those 15 years, how did you incorporate or encouraged innovation within the company to keep it going? Merrilee: We would have so much fun together. We always had happy hours after work and we would sit and brainstorm with a cocktail in our hand and just anything goes. We would talk about anything and everything and we would do fun marketing things too. Things that were a little edgy maybe too far. Like we had Buzz Ball condoms for spring break and we had crazy stuff for marketing and now the marketing is a little more toned down because it's going to the general populace instead of just craziness. So I think that that's changed for sure. Tell me again what you were asking about Chris: Kind of incorporating innovation into Merrilee: Innovation. Yeah, so it's just Chris: Propelling success. Merrilee: We would try different flavors and this tastes gross or this tastes like medicine or no, I don't like it or I don't like the color of it or whatever. So we had an r and d team and they were fun people and that was really important to me. I wanted the ability to have the science aspect of it, but I also wanted the ability, we had a good formulation going so that we could do that. Now, one thing we decided when it was around, I don't know, four or five years in, we were thinking, oh, sales are starting to slump a little bit, wonder what's going on. We should start our own vodka and our own rum and our own gin and our own bourbon and start making those. We could do that. And so we started doing that. The thing we didn't do well was marketing of those products. So those products felt flat over two or three years. We had distribution, but we didn't know how to sell it because we had been selling in a different channel in a different way. So we went back and focused on our core learning from that mistake, just innovation is something else. Do you want to make things in a different shaped container? So we came out with the biggie, the giant biggie, and I had always wanted to make a big bowling ball sized buzz ball and everywhere I went, they were like, no, the Chris: Party size, we Merrilee: Can't do it party size, we can't do it. That's what they kept saying, you can't do it, you can't make it. It won't work. We found a way to make it work and it's one of the coolest looking things on the market and we've got witches potion coming out pretty soon. We've got biggie, BuzzBallz everywhere. Chris: I think one of the things you mentioned there, just it's okay to try new things and expand, but you've got to stay on top of 'em and I guess you said with the vodka and the bourbon and whatnot, eventually we're not as good at this. So you have to know just higher or firing fast, you have to know when to cut that off and go back to your core to really just focus on what you're good at and be the best at that. Merrilee: And so what we did with all that excess booze that we made is we just drank it in our bar. We had it at our bar at work. We had a nice big bar at work, so we would Chris: Some cost savings. We had to go buy support Merrilee: Our habits. Chris: So I'd be interested to know, you said you were in the Dallas area when you started this company. Do you feel that being in Texas as a entrepreneur and startup business had its advantages that allowed you to achieve the success that you have? Merrilee: I knew that Texas is a little bit cheaper than some of the other big cities out there, la, New York, and it's centrally located, so that helps a lot in terms of shipping, but I don't think that Texas particularly helped me other than this is where I grew my family and it was home Chris: Cheaper real estate. I think typically a legislature at the state level that's business friendly. Merrilee: Yeah, yeah, it is. I think that the other thing I wanted to make a point of is we have a big labor pool, not necessarily good though, it's a big labor pool, but sometimes you have to go through a bunch of people to find the right kind of people. What's that work ethic thing? Chris: Of course. So let's talk a little bit then about leadership and how you would describe your leadership style and how you think that evolved over time. Merrilee: I'm a hugger. I walk down the hall, I smile at everybody, I talk to everybody. I give them a hug, I eat lunch with 'em. It's an open door. So I think that is one thing that's different about me. I care about my employees so much. When COVID hit, one of the things we did that I'm especially proud of was we started our own little school. So I knew I needed employees to show up for a manufacturing plant, but how could they do that if they had to stay home to take care of their kids? Their kids' school was closed, so I was like, I'll start a school. And so I started a school onsite, a buzz ball school, hired a Texas education, the agency teacher and an aide, so a TE, a certified teacher and an aide, and we converted a conference room, big conference room into a kids learning center and we got headphones and we had them get their PCs from all their different schools. We had kids' books, we had play mats, we had tents, we had all kinds of stuff. We cooked breakfast for 'em, we cooked lunch for 'em, we gave them a snack, we helped them with their homework and then their parents could bring 'em to work at 6:00 AM before school starts, but 6:00 AM We had somebody there to greet those kids when their shift started, the people working and we'd help the kids, give them a snack, give them their homework, make sure they got everything done, and then their parents could eat lunch with them if they wanted to during that day and then pick 'em up at two or three o'clock in the afternoon when their shift was over. But that's one of the things I'm really proud of. That's like a different thing that we had to do for COVID. So we did a lot of things like the lunches, the free lunches. We also gave everybody time off between Christmas and New Year's, right around December 22nd to January 2nd, I just said everybody gets that time off because of when I was a teacher. That was really important to have that family time and when you're working your job for your first year when you're out of college, or even if you never went to college, you get two weeks vacation. That's not enough for the whole year. So two weeks vacation plus a week of PTO for sick time, and then you get this extra 10 days off paid and you don't have to come to work. You can make that plan and go to New York for your family. And then we also give them a bonus at Christmas so that they could buy some Christmas presents. Some of them were paycheck to paycheck and so it meant lot. Yeah, just little celebrations, chili cook-offs and dinosaur races and silly stuff, but it was good. It was a good relationship, good culture. Chris: What you just mentioned about the school during COVID is fascinating to me and brilliant by the way, so kudos to you that would fit within my definition of innovation. Thinking outside the box and going, one, you have to keep your business going and so how can I do this given what my workforce is dealing with? And you found that is an amazing solution. Merrilee: We also decided that we would be an essential business, so we made BuzzBallz, hand sanitizer, we took some of our spirit based vodka and rum and gin and put these little toppers on them instead of the 50 ml size that's on the airplane that had a screw cap, put these tops on 'em and then made hand sanitizer, gave it out to all the lab corps, all the hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, all of the grocery stores, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, spirit Airlines, we gave it out to so many people and all the hospitals and everything. So that was one way that we could stay in business made us essential. Chris: It's funny, I had some clients do some similar things with hand sanitizers during that time. Of course, looking back, if you remember the spike in alcohol cells during COVID, it seems like it would've been a natural essential business anyway, right? Merrilee: Straight answer from any kind of government saying essential business or not. I was like, we're going to make ourselves essential, and people wanted to buy our hand sanitizer and I'm like, no, we're giving it for free. We're not doing it for money. We're doing it for the betterment of mankind. Chris: At that point, it was so uncertain, right? Merrilee: Yeah, we thought we were going to die, we're going to all Chris: Die. Thank goodness that didn't happen. We've suffered that. I think there's been a slow progression back to normalcy in the business world as a result of COVID. You see it more and more the work remote versus now just this year a lot more about five days a week back in the office, which four or five years ago, you never thought that would happen. Merrilee: That really made me mad too, that everybody was expecting to work from home forever, and I was just like, that's not real life people. You need to collaborate with other people. You need to get things done. And you can't do it in a bubble unless you're like a computer programmer and that's all you do all day is sit in front of your pc. It doesn't make any sense if you're in a people oriented business. Chris: I couldn't agree with you more. And that's what our firm is, people oriented, customer service, customer facing professional services, and we say we're better together and the collaboration is key. It's where learning and training and development come from, and we think where our best client service comes from. So we got to be together. We actually got back in the office in May of 2020 in a smart and safe way, but it was that critical. Merrilee: It's changed time and leveraging technology. I've just noticed such a flowing in customer service and an accountability and when you call somebody to set up an appointment for something, you get some robot on the phone and you push one and you push two and then you push one and then you push three and then you get somebody that's a voicemail or whatever. It's so frustrating. There is such a decline in accountability. It's like somebody's always passing the buck to somebody else or that's not my department. I don't do that. And companies have gotten so big, and I'm talking about the big at ts, the big companies that don't ever answer their phone, they don't have a human that answers their phone. You can't get support. And I think that when it's just so refreshing when you have a company that actually answers their phone, that actually responds to your email that you sent, even if it's a complaint, somebody listened. Somebody responded, oh crap, I'll buy their stuff forever because of that. I was mad, but now I'm happy. Chris: So true. So you mentioned something, it was a while back, but you talked about making mistakes along the way. Can you give us an example of maybe one or two where you're like failure or mistake, but that you learned through persevered through made you better because you had that experience? Merrilee: Yeah, so I had so many mistakes. I think that it's so important to make mistakes because you don't get better unless you make mistakes. Mistakes don't mean failure. Overall. Mistakes mean it's an opportunity to change it for the better, to make your product better, to make it more solid. One of the things early on that I did was I was making a pina colada and I was using real coconut cream. A lot of these entrepreneurs come to me, I'm going to do everything with real stuff. It's healthy, it's this, it's that. It's whatever. I'm not going to use anything artificial. That's great. Okay, go for it. Is it shelf stable? Was it going to rot on the shelf? All those kinds of questions I have that come up when you do a commercial product. But anyway, I was making this pina colada coconut cream. What I didn't know, what I didn't Google was that coconut cream freezes and turns solid at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So I'm sitting here making this coconut cream. Oh my gosh, taste is so good. The pina coladas were so awesome. And then after that sat there on the shelf for about two or three months, it started to clump up and it looked like cottage cheese in the container. So when people would open it up, they're like, so that was one mistake that I learned from and had to fix, and we did and it's awesome. Another mistake I made was I was using real orange juice in my, instead of triple suck, I was using some orange juice in my tequila, Rita, it was a margarita, and I wanted just a little tad of orange juice in there. That orange juice pulp turned brown over time and you don't notice it when you make it. You don't notice it when you test it, but it looked like fish food floating around in the bottom of my container. You could see through my container Chris: Once it goes on the shelf and sits for a while right then, Merrilee: And people are going, I'm shaking it and there's brown specks going around in here. What is that? So these were all early lessons learned, just things you learned just by running the machinery or by cleaning products or by making the containers. I can't even tell you how many mistakes I've made, but I think most of my mistakes were later on more with people than with product And also just learning who to trust. Trusting your gut instinct I think is one of the most important things entrepreneurs have to do. When you feel something's wrong, it is wrong. Even if you meet somebody that seems to be nice or really important, they might just be weird or they might have a problem. So got to keep your distance. Chris: That's good. On that point, any advice you received along the way from someone that really stuck with you and helped you through the journey? Merrilee: There was lots of times I had advice, but it wasn't really framed in terms of advice. I remember when it was pretty early on, my dad came to see me and it was before we knew any level of success and he sat there and he looked at the buzz ball and he goes, I think you might have something here. And that just felt so good to me to hear that from someone else. And it wasn't because he was my dad, it was just like he was just a normal person looking at a normal product and he was judging it and I thought, wow, okay. He said that. Another one that comes to mind is Blair Casey. He was an original distributor for me, and he was the first guy to bring in my buzz ball product into Texas. He worked for Glazer's at the time, and then I hired him in 2017. He came on board and became my head of sales. Anyway, this guy was always positive. I relate him to Ted Lasso, but he's just so positive. But he always was, glass is always half full with that guy, and I always remember his way of being more than him saying the glass is half full, but the glass was always half full with Blair. And even when you focus on how it's half empty, you got to remember that it's also half full. Chris: Look for the positives in the learning though. That's great. Great stuff. Merrilee really appreciate your insights and sharing your story. A couple of things just to maybe wrap things up more Texas specific. Is there anything, having been in Texas for a long time, any traditions or things that you and your family like to do in the state or in the dallas Fort Worth area? Merrilee: I like to go to Stars games and things like that. My husband loves to play golf. My kids, I've got five grandkids now, so home is special to me. My home is the most important place to me and there isn't really, I can't say I like State Fair of Texas or the PBR Rodeo or anything like that is sticking out in my mind. I like to go occasionally, but I like to stay home a lot and I like to spend time at work a lot and I love Christmas holiday lights. Just the holiday season, seeing all the lights, it just warm my heart. It just makes me feel good. Chris: That's great. Okay. Here's a question for you. Do you prefer TexMex or barbecue? Merrilee: TexMex with lots of cheese. Chris: Lots of cheese. I can relate to that. Merrilee. This has been great. I really appreciate your time. Congratulations on just what a cool story coming from a teacher to a very successful alcoholic beverage manufacturer. Merrilee: Oh, thank you. Thank you. I'm on my new things now and I'm actually making some barbecue sauce and doing some other things with gourmet land that's a completely different new products, new company, and that's where I'm spending a lot of my time now. And RAC is carrying the torch for BuzzBallz and they're doing a great job. Chris: Well, it sounds like you meet the definition of some of my favorite people, which is serial entrepreneur onto the next thing. Merrilee: Can't stop. Chris: I love it. I love it. This has been a pleasure. Thanks again and wishy continued success. Merrilee: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Chris: And there we have it. Another great episode. Don't forget to check out the show notes at boyer miller.com/podcast and you can find out more about all the ways our firm can help you@boyermiller.com. That's it for this episode. Have a great week and we'll talk to you next time. Special Guest: Merrilee Kick.
In this episode of Revolutionizing Your Journey, DeAndre Coke interviews Brian Mullins, a family travel enthusiast and Southwest Airlines expert, to unpack the evolving landscape of airline rewards. Brian shares his journey into the points and miles world, offering insights on how he balances family travel with maximizing loyalty programs. The discussion covers the recent changes at Southwest Airlines, how these adjustments affect traveler loyalty, and why the Companion Pass remains one of the most powerful tools for cost-effective flying.Listeners will also discover Brian's unique “gardening” strategy—a method of patiently monitoring and optimizing travel plans to capture the best opportunities. Beyond strategy and airline changes, Brian emphasizes the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and community knowledge sharing when it comes to rewards travel. This episode not only demystifies the value of Southwest's offerings but also provides families with actionable tips for creating memorable trips while making the most of points and miles.Key Highlights:Brian's expertise: A Southwest Airlines and family travel specialist with deep experience in points and miles.Companion Pass value: One of the most powerful perks in the industry, allowing significant savings for travelers.Airline changes: Recent shifts at Southwest Airlines have affected traveler loyalty and booking habits.Gardening strategy: A proactive approach to monitoring and optimizing travel plans.Flexibility matters: Adapting to new airline policies can create better travel opportunities.Community connection: Travel rewards thrive when knowledge and strategies are shared.Memorable family trips: Points and miles can transform family vacations into unforgettable experiences.Points value depends on goals: Each traveler's best option varies based on personal circumstances.Resources:Book a Free 30 minute points & miles consultationStart here to learn how to unlock nearly free travelSign up for our newsletter!BoldlyGo Travel With Points & Miles Facebook GroupInterested in Financial Planning?Truicity Wealth ManagementSome of Our Favorite Tools For Elevating Your Points & Miles Game:Note: Contains affiliate/sponsored linksCard Pointers (Saves the average user $750 per year)Zil Money (For Payroll on Credit Card)Travel FreelyPoint.meFlightConnections.comThrifty Traveler Premium
Today's SWAPA number is, six. That's the percent acceleration in RASM or revenue per available seat mile in the fourth quarter that was implied during the second quarter earnings call for Southwest Airlines. Now, that's looking down the road, but a lot has happened in the recent past for both the company and the industry as a whole. It's been continuous light chop during 2025 with impacts from the supply chain, trade agreements, and capacity growths. These effects haven't just been felt Southwest, but on the industry worldwide.So, today we're sitting down with our resident experts in this arena. Joining us are Erich Schnitzler and Greg Auld from the SWAPA Economic and Financial Analysis Committee and Second Vice President, Hank Ketchum. Let's take a look back at what's transpired, both at the company and industry at large, what's happening now, and what we can expect for the remainder of the year.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737
It's 2021 and for the first time in nearly 50 years, Southwest Airlines posts an annual net loss. Amid the crisis, thousands of Southwest workers head for early retirement. The next year, Southwest is short on staff as Americans return to the skies. Pilots and flight attendants complain of being overworked. A winter storm cripples Southwest's operations, exposing the airline's underinvestment in technology. Millions are stranded. Lawmakers and the public ask: Will Southwest ever straighten up and fly right?Be the first to know about Wondery's newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/business-wars/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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