The Empire Builders Podcast

De: Stephen Semple and David Young
Escúchala gratis

  • Resumen

  • Reverse engineering the success of established business empires.
    The Empire Builders Podcast
    Más Menos
Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo Marketing Marketing y Ventas
Más Menos
Episodios
  • #203: Parker Brothers – Their Monopoly Story

    #203: Parker Brothers – Their Monopoly Story
    Apr 30 2025
    Making games better and getting them into the world seems like the thing to do when your dad passes and you need money. Sounds like Monopoly. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [Tapper's Jewelry Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to The Empire Builders Podcast. I'm Dave Young, and I'm here with Stephen Semple, who's been researching yet another empire for us to dissect and discuss. And today it's Parker Brothers, the game mogul. Were these guys on Game Row? Didn't we talk about it in another episode, the inventor of a game that was like he was over there in the part of town where all the games come from? I'm assuming. Stephen Semple: No, this kind of predates that. This sort of predates that. We're going way back. Dave Young: I mean, Parker Brothers, I know the name and I'm trying to even think of a game that's Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers. Who are these guys? Stephen Semple: We're going way back. The business was started by George Parker when he was 16 years old back in 1883. Dave Young: See, I was thinking you were going to go back farther than that. Stephen Semple: Really? Dave Young: These guys invented the stick. But 1883, that's okay. 1883 or 18... Stephen Semple: 1883. Dave Young: 1883. Okay. Stephen Semple: Yeah, so we're going back a little bit here, going back here a little bit. And one of the things that was happening around that time, because we're talking about the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, and one of the things that was being created was the eight-hour workday, which actually started to build leisure time for people. Dave Young: Because before that, the work day was waking hours. Wasn't it? It was just like... Stephen Semple: Basically. Pretty much. Yeah, pretty much. And so board games had started to come out, but most board games at that time were developed with an agenda. They were dealing with the moral decline of America is what a lot of them were. And they weren't really all that interesting or fun. And basically, George Parker was the youngest of two older brothers, and his father was a successful merchant, but had passed away and he had to find a way to make money. And what he noticed was at this time, capitalism was really changing. It was becoming actually acceptable. So for example, in 1840, there were 60 millionaires in the United States. By 1880, there were 1,000. Dave Young: Wow! Stephen Semple: Wealth was exploding, and people were actually able to imagine being wealthy. It was not just the aristocracy. There were actually regular people breaking through. And the first game he creates is a game called Banking. Dave Young: Banking. I'm pretty sure he didn't invent banking. Stephen Semple: But he invented a game game called Banking. And it's rejected by several publishers, but he spends his life savings, prints 500 copies, takes a month off school to go and sell it. He does sell all the sets for a profit of 80 bucks, but it was a lot of work, but gives him kind of a taste of success. And this is in the era of tycoons, and they were being admired. And Parker wanted to create an idea that taps into this. Dave Young: The Vanderbilts and all the... Stephen Semple: Yeah, the Carnegies and all of that stuff. And he didn't like business, so he convinced his brother Charles to join, and they formed Parker Brothers. So basically, Charles is going to manage the business, and George is going to create the games.
    Más Menos
    16 m
  • #202: Sour Patch Kids – Gummy Bears Meet Cabbage Patch Kids

    #202: Sour Patch Kids – Gummy Bears Meet Cabbage Patch Kids
    Apr 23 2025
    Sour Patch Kids were the result of paying attention to the industry and the wants and delights of the world at large. And delivering what the people wanted. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So, here's one of those. [Waulkie Feet Ad] Dave Young: Welcome to Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here, along with Stephen Semple. All Stephen told me for this episode is that he's excited about doing it because it's got a Canadian tie-in, but he didn't whisper the name of the company or anything into my ear as we counted down. Stephen Semple: I forgot to. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: Oh, I forgot to. Dave Young: He just stood there looking at me. Stephen Semple: I'll tell you now, Sour Patch Kids. You know the candy? Dave Young: Sour Patch Kids. Oh, gosh. Are they the origin of all the little sour candies that are out now? Stephen Semple: It's always hard to say if they're the exact origin, but they were certainly one of the first ones that went big, for sure. Dave Young: And the candy was after most of my candy-eating days. So let's dive in. Stephen Semple: So you're trying to tell me you eat no candy now? None? Dave Young: Well, that's what the doctor says should be happening. But as a child, I'm just too old to devour a lot of Sour Patch Kids, I think. Tell me when this started. Stephen Semple: So the Sour Patch Kids started basically in the early 1970s, is kind of when they came out. It was a Canadian company, but the other thing is it didn't, first of all, start as Sour Patch Kids. It was actually first called Mars Men. And in 1985, they renamed it Sour Patch. Dave Young: Okay. I was adulting by then. Where did this start? Wait, Mars Men? Stephen Semple: Mars Men. Dave Young: Yeah, that's not a good name. Stephen Semple: No. So today, it's part of a big conglomerate, it's part of the Mondelēz Group, and it's estimated that there's about $248 million worth of Sour Patch Kids sold every year. So that's a lot of little kids. And it was started by a little Canadian company. There was a guy by the name of Frank Galatolie who was working at Jaret International, and he was admiring the American candy revolution, and he was the sales and marketing manager for Jaret. And what Jaret did was they were an importer of food that foreign transplants would like. So they would go out and they would find some sort of food that people from India would like and bring it in or from Poland and they would bring it in. So basically, they really specialized in this whole idea of finding foods that foreign transplants would like. Dave Young: Interesting. I like that idea. Stephen Semple: And he wanted to do a twist on gummy candy. So in 1920, Hans Riegel, in Germany, made the first gummy, and that was like a gummy bear. And they were really popular in Europe, but they weren't super popular here. And he didn't want to do a traditional sweet candy, and Halloween was really growing candy, and candy could now be found in different places, and all of this other stuff going on. And he also started to notice that there was an emergence of a different type of candy, like the Atomic Fireball came out and sour Lemonheads came out. So he was noticing that there was this desire for stuff that was not just sweet, and they were really the first to do this whole idea of sour and sweet. So they combined two acids, so it would be super sour and that super sour would drop off and then would come back as being sweet.
    Más Menos
    16 m
  • #201: Cabela’s – From Furniture to Fishing Flies

    #201: Cabela’s – From Furniture to Fishing Flies
    Apr 16 2025
    1000 fishing flies and an ad that failed turned a furniture store family into a sporting goods store empire. Way to go Cabela's. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So, here's one of those. [No Bull RV Ad] Stephen Semple: Hey, David, we're going to do something different here. Dave Young: Okay. I'm all ears. Stephen Semple: Because you have a special history with this company. So we're going to talk about Cabela's. Dave Young: Okay. Okay. Stephen Semple: Because of the fact that Cabela's started in your little town in Nebraska. Dave Young: Kind of. Kind of. Stephen Semple: Kind of. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So we're going to do this completely unrehearsed, Dave running with things, and I'll fill in certain- Dave Young: You're going to Google dates and names in the background? Stephen Semple: Yeah, that's what we're going to do. So let's give that a roll. Cabela's is an interesting story. Dave Young: It really is, and it still is a brand, right? It's still around, but it's owned by the Bass Pro Shop guy, Johnny, whatever his name is. I didn't get to know him because that's a Missouri thing. So Sidney, Nebraska- Stephen Semple: We don't like talking about those people. Dave Young: Well, he came in and bought it up and saved the company. That's part of the story. But Sidney, Nebraska was the home of Cabela's, the family and the corporate headquarters for years and years. It started, though, in a town about 30 miles away, a town of Chappell, Nebraska. Stephen Semple: Right. Yes. Dave Young: 1962. Stephen Semple: Well actually, you're really good. According to what I have here is December, 1961, but 1962 is a month later. Dave Young: Yeah. '62 is what was always on their logo. Stephen Semple: Okay, cool. Cool. Dave Young: And the shirts you could buy, like Cabela's EST 1962, but yeah, December '61. So Chappell, Nebraska, their dad is in the furniture business, and- Stephen Semple: I didn't realize he was in the furniture business. Okay, cool. Dave Young: Yeah, and the story. As I recall, is that two of the sons, Dick and Jim, well, at least it was Dick that went to the furniture show with dad in Chicago, where you see all the furniture that you're going to buy for your store and you make deals with the manufacturers and all that stuff arrives then over the course of the next year. Well, he found a company that he bought like a thousand Chinese-made fishing flies. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: Little flies for fly fishing. Stephen Semple: Right. And what I have here is it cost him like 45 bucks. Dave Young: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Dirt cheap. Didn't know what he was going to do with them, but he bought a thousand of them and brought them home. Takes out a little ad in a Wyoming hunters' newspaper or newsletter. All right? And he- Stephen Semple: Sports Afield is the name of the- Dave Young: Sports Afield, and the ad, if... So yeah, gosh, now I feel like I'm doing this story and Stephen's fact checking me, live. So this is, I think, from an ad writing perspective and a business making an offer, this is actually the pivotal moment in the genesis of the Cabela's story is that they ran this ad in Sports Afield and nothing happened. Stephen Semple: Right. I think they got one response or something like that? Dave Young: Yeah, but it was the offer. The offer was buy, I think it was 12 hand-tied fishing flies for a dollar,
    Más Menos
    24 m
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro768_stickypopup

Lo que los oyentes dicen sobre The Empire Builders Podcast

Calificaciones medias de los clientes
Total
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 estrellas
    1
  • 4 estrellas
    0
  • 3 estrellas
    0
  • 2 estrellas
    0
  • 1 estrella
    0
Ejecución
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 estrellas
    1
  • 4 estrellas
    0
  • 3 estrellas
    0
  • 2 estrellas
    0
  • 1 estrella
    0
Historia
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 estrellas
    1
  • 4 estrellas
    0
  • 3 estrellas
    0
  • 2 estrellas
    0
  • 1 estrella
    0

Reseñas - Selecciona las pestañas a continuación para cambiar el origen de las reseñas.

Reseñas de Audible.com

Opiniones de Amazon
No hay comentarios disponibles