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  • #267: Swiss Miss – Bye Bye Milkman

    #267: Swiss Miss – Bye Bye Milkman
    2026/07/29
    The Sanna family of Chicago saw the end of the milkman and needed adapt their dairy business for the future. Hello Swiss Miss. 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. [Seaside Plumbing Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. I’m Dave Young and Stephen Semple sitting here. And he just told me what the topic is. And it took me back to, gosh, it took me back to my young teens sitting in a ski lodge drinking some hot chocolate. Stephen Semple: There you go. That’s a good one. Dave Young: This was the innovation in hot chocolate, and we’re going to talk about Swiss Miss. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: All right. And I’m trying to think of when that would’ve come out. Probably, I’m guessing the ’60s, ’70s? Stephen Semple: Yeah, it was ’60s. Dave Young: And it wasn’t long before my mom had a recipe for it would make a giant tub of it. It wasn’t Swiss Miss obviously, but it was like it’s powdered milk and cocoa and whatever else. I would just eat it by the spoonful dry. Stephen Semple: Wow. Really? Okay. There you go. Dave Young: Sure. I was doing those kinds of YouTube challenges before YouTube was around all by myself in my mom’s kitchen. Stephen Semple: Well, Swiss Miss was actually launched in 1961. 1961. It was created by the Sanna family, as you’ll learn in this. And it’s a bit of an interesting story. It’s almost like a seven-act play in terms of- Dave Young: The Sanna Family? Stephen Semple: Sanna family. S-A-N-N-A, Sanna. Dave Young: Sanna. Okay. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And it said it’s a bit of an interesting journey. It’s almost like a seven-act play in terms of the stuff that happened. Dave Young: And I don’t know where this is going. I’m going to throw a weird guess out. Stephen Semple: Okay. Dave Young: One of the things that my mom put in her hot cocoa recipe was a powdered milk. And we used to drink this, a powdered milk called Sanalac. Stephen Semple: You’re right on the money, Dave. Dave Young: Is that right? Okay. Stephen Semple: Yep. Once again, ding, ding, ding. Dave nails it. Dave Young: All right, continue. Stephen Semple: Okay. Well, we’re done. We’re done now. Dave Young: For some reason, I saw it with one N, but yeah, it was weird. There was a period of a couple years where she didn’t buy milk at the store. She bought powdered milk and we had these jugs that had these plungers that stirred it up and we had powdered milk. It was almost like war rations in the ’70s or something. I don’t know why we did it. Stephen Semple: So this is a big part of the story. Now, Swiss Miss was started in ’61. It was sold in 1967 to Beatrice Foods. Now, the price wasn’t disclosed, but it’s estimated it was somewhere in the $10, $12 million range, which is not bad for 1967. Today, they’re owned by Conagra, and it’s estimated that they sell 50 million boxes a year of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, which is pretty- Dave Young: That’s a lot of hot chocolate. Stephen Semple: That’s a lot of hot chocolate. Our story starts with Anthony Sanna, who’s an Italian immigrant in Chicago, who starts Sanna Dairies, which is a milk distribution company. And at the time, milk was a really regular delivery. There was the milkman who came to the neighborhood delivering bottles of milk. Dave Young: Yeah. And we had a milkman. Maybe she didn’t like him and decided, “Sorry, we’re going the powdered route.” I don’t know. I don’t know. Stephen Semple: Interesting. Dave Young: We’ll never know. Stephen Semple: Following World War II, US consumers start going through a large transition. Suburbs, boom, refrigeration in the home becomes common, grocery stores emerge. Guess what? The writing on the wall for home milk delivery is there. Dave Young: The refrigerated section of the grocery store. Yep. Stephen Semple: Right. So Anthony sees this opportunity to create maybe...
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    19 分
  • #266: Yoohoo – Means I Love You

    #266: Yoohoo – Means I Love You
    2026/07/22
    Natale Olivieri wanted to sell bottled drinks so people could take them home. Noticed no premade chocolate milk, so… YooHoo! 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. [Central Heating & Air Ad] Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here alongside Stephen Semple. And we’re talking about empires, big businesses, big enterprises that have gone global, have gone ballistic and become huge, huge names. And Stephen whispered in my ear that we’re going to be talking about Yoo-hoo. Stephen Semple: Yoo-hoo. Dave Young: Not yahoo. Stephen Semple: Yoo-hoo. Dave Young: I thought he was just trying to get my attention when he said it. But no, Yoo-hoo. It’s a soft drink, right? Is it like the predecessor of Mountain Dew? Is it related? Stephen Semple: Somewhat. Somewhat but it’s a- Dave Young: I kind of remember drinking a bottle of Yoo-hoo when I was a kid. Stephen Semple: It’s a chocolate drink though. Dave Young: Oh, it’s the chocolate thing. Yeah, yeah. No, I don’t think I’ve ever drank a bottle of that. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Well, and the reason why it’s kind of a predecessor to a bunch of things is that it really was the first in the made to drink category. It actually invented that category of made to drink type. Dave Young: Made to drink as opposed to a soda fountain where you’re mixing the syrup and the soda at the point of consumption. Stephen Semple: Correct. Or an orange juice where you mix the concentrate. It was sort of, again, one of the very first made. Today it’s part of Keurig. And as we- Dave Young: Is it really? Stephen Semple: Yeah. It’s part of Keurig today. Yeah. Dave Young: I don’t know why that doesn’t seem to fit what I think of- Stephen Semple: Well, Keurig owns a bunch of things now, like their Dr. Pepper and there’s a number of things in the Keurig world today. Dave Young: I’m not keeping up with the… Pretty soon they’re all going to be owned by one company. Stephen Semple: Well, you’re not keeping up with the mergers and acquisitions? Dave Young: No, not at all. Try to hide from it. What are you going to do? Stephen Semple: Because Keurig doesn’t break out the sales, the estimates are somewhere between 100 million and 300 million in sales through Yoo-hoo. But what we do know is it’s a pretty big deal to be part of that group now. Now it was started by Natale Olivieri in 1928 and he sold it to Max Geller, who was an advertising executive in the early 1960s for a million bucks. But a million bucks in the 1960s was good money, right? Dave Young: Probably good retirement for the guy in the ’60s. Stephen Semple: And that’s basically what he did. He retired, moved to Florida, and didn’t work again. Natale’s an Italian immigrant and he’s a soda shop owner in New Jersey. Dave Young: That makes sense. That tracks. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And he’s making his own bottle of fruit sodas, but he’s struggling to differentiate from Orange Crush and Nehi. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: And his drinks are called True Fruit and he uses these high quality ingredients and they’re sold in these take-home bottles, which was unusual at the time. But what he noticed is a lot of people, he was losing a lot of business to the chocolate drinks sold at the soda fountain across the street. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Because remember, soda fountains is where we used to go and get all sorts of things like milkshakes. Right? Dave Young: Yeah. But he was doing bottled drinks and take them home. Stephen Semple: Bottled fruit drinks. Dave Young: Fruit drinks. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Bottled fruit drink. Dave Young: Okay. Not sodas. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Not sodas. But he also looked around, he saw there was no pre-bottled chocolate milk on the market. Dave Young: Okay. Yeah. Stephen Semple: So he had this idea, what if I could make a shelf-stable chocolate drink that customers ...
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    18 分
  • #264: Ferragamo – Comfortable Luxury

    #264: Ferragamo – Comfortable Luxury
    2026/07/08
    Salvatori Ferragamo didn’t make beautiful shoes, he made shoes that work with the human body beautifully. 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. [Rocket Cooling Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here along with Stephen Semple, and we’re talking about businesses and empires and how people grew their business and the decisions they made and all of those things. Hi, Stephen. Stephen Semple: Hey, David. Dave Young: I’m struggling here because you told me we’re going to talk about Ferragamo. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: And you’re not even going to understand this. I think it’s a clothing thing, a fashion thing. Stephen Semple: Yep. Dave Young: But let me tell you what comes to my mind, my adult 60-plus-year mind. Stephen Semple: Oh, this should be entertaining. Dave Young: I think back in the ’70s, I think, the University of Nebraska Cornhusker football team had a quarterback named Vince Ferragamo. Stephen Semple: Oh, there you go. Dave Young: He’s a pretty good guy. Pretty good quarterback. And that’s what I though of when you said Ferragamo. Stephen Semple: Okay. Not him. Dave Young: Fashion didn’t come into it. So it’s not him. Stephen Semple: Not him. Dave Young: So there’s another Ferragamo somewhere. Stephen Semple: There is, believe it or not. Dave Young: Oh, I’m all ears. Stephen Semple: Well, here’s the thing that’s kind of interesting about Ferragamo. They’re a pretty big player in the luxury brand space. They mainly do shoes, but it’s not as big as Gucci or Hermes or some of those other ones, but they still do like a billion dollars in sales. They’ve got, call it about 3,500 employees worldwide. They have 450 stores. 85% of their sales are shoes and their shoes for the most part run from about $750 US to about three grand. Dave Young: Okay. Are you wearing yours right now? Stephen Semple: I do not have a pair. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Do not have a pair. But what’s really interesting, so the company was founded by Salvatore Ferragamo, who was an Italian immigrant. The company was started in 1923 when he opened the Hollywood Boot Shop in California where he became known as the shoemaker to the stars. Dave Young: I was thinking this would be an Italian company, but this is an American immigrant story. Stephen Semple: Well, except in 1927 he returned to Italy and he established the company in Florence. And in 1938, he purchased the historic Palazzo Spini Feroni, which remains the company’s headquarters. And this is kind of where my story starts. Dave, as you know, I was recently in Florence where I spent two weeks just wandering the city and I literally came across the Ferragamo headquarters, which is this stunning old building that’s just right off the banks of the Arno River in the center of the city. It’s this beautiful store that on the ground floor, there’s a store on the ground floor, there’s the offices above. It’s all been beautifully restored and a museum in the basement. Dave Young: Wow. Stephen Semple: So I had to visit the museum. Dave Young: And we missed the opportunity for you to just have me fly over and we’d do this live from the plaza. Stephen Semple: That’s it. We did miss this opportunity, but it’s always an opportunity for an update. So I had to visit the museum and this is where I learned the story of Salvatore Ferragamo, which actually turned out to be really fascinating. He is a very real Renaissance-style man, or he was. Engineer at heart, studied anatomy, had patents for other industrial machines. And this is what really made him different. In the early 1900s, most shoemakers believed their job was to make attractive shoes. That’s kind of how the industry leaned. And Salvatore believed his job was to make shoes that worked with the human body. So he did something different. He studied anatomy. Dave ...
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    22 分
  • #263: The Beauty Way – Part 2

    #263: The Beauty Way – Part 2
    2026/07/01
    Jyoti Lohman continues to tell us her business journey creating The Beauty Way experience and why it is important. Listen to part 1 first. 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. [Handyside Ad] Gary: Told you, Brian. Brian: Told me what? Gary: This is part two of last week’s episode. Brian: Oh yeah, and it was getting good. Gary: If you missed it, go back and listen to part one first. Take it away, fellas. Stephen Semple: So tell me about getting this out the gate, what were some of the challenges that you faced getting this rolling? Jyoti Lohman: Well, again, no business degree. Stephen Semple: Yeah, [inaudible 00:01:55] Jyoti Lohman: No business degree, no chemistry background, no beauty background. I had a really successful career in fashion. I studied fashion marketing and went to school in Paris and did trend forecasting and fashion styling. And worked in Los Angeles for years in more visual direction and sort of the aesthetic side of fashion. We moved from California to Austin when I was six months pregnant. I had my now eight-year-old and I have a five-year-old, so I was a stay-at-home mom for years and years. And it was an absolute intentional choice to be home with them. And when my daughter was about one, I went, “This is awesome and I’m a creative.” And so I just started, there’s a little tiny backstory, where I actually had a clean beauty company 13 years ago, never got off the ground. I was in LA, I was selling out of my house quite literally, three products, very, very small. But it was before the clean beauty revolution was even a thing, so I was ahead of the game. People didn’t understand the toxins, they didn’t understand why it would be more expensive. I ended up meeting my husband. We decided to get married on our third date. Whirlwind, traveled the world, did lots of research at spas in Bali and Morocco. And brought some of those products home that I ended up or ingredients that I ended up putting in some of my formulas. This has been brewing for years and years. And when my daughter was about one, it was time. And so I just like kind of the audacity of like I’m a stay-at-home mom and I’m going to create this beauty empire. Sure. And people are like, “Is this ever going to launch? What are you doing?” And I knew what I was doing or actually didn’t know what I was doing, but I believe in the message and the purpose and the products and the time and intention I put into it. So I launched and I have, again, not really … I couldn’t afford agencies or marketing or coaches or any of that, and so I just started getting out there and showing up. Stephen Semple: Right. And this is the interesting part is, what did you do? When you say get out there and showing up, tell me specifically what you did? Jyoti Lohman: In person events. I brought that six-foot table and tablecloth and products to everything I could. I went to every single event that I was asked to be at. And again, because that’s where you’re connecting with people one-on-one. And I do an activation. So I pour water over your hands, you get to use the polish, you get to use the cream, you get to smell it. We talk about the affirmations. And I have you for a few minutes because you’re doing this and I can talk about the story and help you fall in love with the brand. So that’s what I mean showing up. Quite literally lugging around a table and products and getting out there. And going to stores. Is your buyer here? Is your owner here? Never taking no for an answer. Stephen Semple: Right. And when you’ve done that, beyond making the sale, what are the things that you’ve learned when you’ve done that? Jyoti Lohman: This has been a huge part. It’s such a great question. And I think it’s something that people miss out on a lot. Because you can get that sale...
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    21 分
  • #262: The Beauty Way – Part 1

    #262: The Beauty Way – Part 1
    2026/06/24
    Jyoti Lohman started The Beauty Way, a spa experience and product line to inspire women to pause and be taken care of. 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. [AirVantage Heating & Cooling Ad] Stephen Semple: Hey, it’s Stephen Semple. Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, and this week we’ve got a really fun, great interview so we’re not going to be talking to Dave Young this week. We’ve given him yet another week off for Dave. He’s busy with things at the academy in any case. So we’re here with Jyoti Lohman from The Beauty Way, and we had a conversation and there was just so many things that you shared that it was one of these ones where I really have to get you onto the podcast. So this is going to be awesome. But before we get into a bit of the history of the company, tell me a little bit about where the business is today in terms of the success that’s happening because you’ve gotten into some pretty big places where your product is now being sold. Jyoti Lohman: Yeah, I have. Well, I’m so happy to be here, Stephen. I couldn’t wait for this conversation. We had such a great first connection, and I was excited to be doing this with you, so thank you for having me on. Stephen Semple: Oh, and before you go on to that, the funny thing was we discovered I was literally in Austin, Texas. We got on and did a call and not only that, near Dripping Springs, you’re like, “Oh, I’m near Dripping Springs.” I could have drove over and saw you that day. Jyoti Lohman: I know. I love that synchronicity, right? That was our first thing and I was like, “Okay, this is going to be a good one.” Yeah, that was really cool. So my whole mission here has been to inspire women to create that purposeful pause and to feel nurtured and to feel cared for. And where we’re at now, it’s transformed into these signature Beautyway treatments. I’ve got something at the Fairmont here in Austin. So you can have a Beauty Way manicure and pedicure where we’re not only using the products, but there’s these affirmations that we’re saying. And so these really incredible treatments that are full body and soul. We’re launching in Proper Austin here in May. So this is May 1st, so very shortly here, hopefully in time for Mother’s Day. I am working currently on another signature treatment with Miraval Resort here in Austin and they are a company that’s been around for years and a leader in wellness. So creating these signature treatments that are using the products, but also sort of bringing in focus my mission and my purpose of women taking a moment to really care for themselves and how powerful it is to pour into ourselves because we show up for so many people. I couldn’t be happier about where we are and it’s been a windy road. At first it was just kind of selling online, and I’ve been able to get in touch with these major resorts and create something really from my heart that I know people are feeling cared for. Stephen Semple: And the things that you’re doing for the resorts, they’re a little bit unique for each one, aren’t they? Jyoti Lohman: Yeah. So like I said, this experience has been so cool. So the one with Proper, I’ve worked with their lead therapist and their spa director and it’s over months of really fine-tuning what really connects with that resort and what their purpose is and bringing my purpose together and really connecting those dots. So we’re creating these bespoke really treatments for the different resorts. And I’ll be in Miraval next week and they have a fabric of their own, of their own purpose. And so yeah, we’ll be pulling together what The Beauty Way means. And The Beauty Way is a Navajo philosophy and prayer and they call it walking in beauty and it’s walking in balance, harmony, connection with nature...
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    19 分
  • #261: Scott Paper – Rolling With The Times

    #261: Scott Paper – Rolling With The Times
    2026/06/17
    The Scott brothers saw opportunity when the ‘Crapper’ started to become a household name. Thank you 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. [Kooler Garage Door Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here with Stephen Semple and Steve just whispered the name of the next episode and we were chatting about it just as the recording started. But the theme is Scott Paper. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: And immediately I went to the office for some reason, like Dunder Mifflin. Stephen Semple: I guess because they sell paper, but yeah. Dave Young: Yeah. Well, and Michael Scott. It’s like, okay, but Scott, so this is toilet paper. Stephen Semple: Correct. Dave Young: Yeah. And probably some other things, but toilet paper primarily. Stephen Semple: Well, toilet paper and paper towel. Dave Young: Paper towels. Yeah, Scott. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: I’m guessing some of the things we’re going to be talking about, trees and bathroom kind of stuff. Stephen Semple: Mainly bathroom kind of stuff. Yeah. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: They became a big business in 1995, they were acquired by Kimberly Clark for $9.4 billion. And at the time that they were acquired, they were doing 3.6 billion in sales and basically they’re the inventor of basically toilet paper and paper towel as we know it today. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: They kind of got the whole thing going. They were founded in Philadelphia, two brothers, Clarence and Irwin Scott in 1879. And to really understand the birth of this company, we need to understand the world in the late 1800s. Dave Young: Well, yeah. I mean, corn cobs and I guess a handful of poison ivy leaves. Stephen Semple: Moss, grass, hay. Dave Young: Yeah, all of those things. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And this is the time that’s actually considered America’s second industrial revolution. So while things are modernizing and the country’s changing with electricity, factories and roads and stuff along that lines, modern plumbing, especially in homes, was definitely not there yet. And hygiene was like primitive, man. Cities were bad smelling and full of animal and human waste because if you think about it, animal was still the primary mode of transportation, right? Dave Young: But yeah, the streets are full of it. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Most homes lacked indoor plumbing. It was chamber pots and things along that lines. And like you were talking about, in terms of personal cleaning, it was grass. The one that got me the most was corn cobs. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And really things had not changed much from the times of early Rome really. I mean, it was pretty primitive. Dave Young: The only way to get rid of it is get rid of it. Stephen Semple: Now there was the introduction of the flush toilet, which was starting to be popularized by an English plumber by the name of Thomas Crapper. Dave Young: Crapper, right. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Yeah. Which I always find sort of funny because when people say, “I’m going to go use the crapper,” it’s not an insult. You’re actually talking with the guy who made it… He didn’t invent it, but he popularized it. Dave Young: I wonder, without being vulgar, I wonder if the phrase “take a crap” is shortened for… It was crapper before anybody called it crap. Stephen Semple: Yes, it was. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: I think there’s pretty good etymology for that. Dave Young: Yeah. Heading to the crapper. Yeah. Okay. Stephen Semple: Yep. Dave Young: It just occurred to me. I’m slow on the uptake. Stephen Semple: Yeah, no, absolutely. I expected us to go there. So the toilet was starting to come into homes of wealthy Americans, but this created a need for a new type of product because they need something that was good for cleaning but was also flushable. These old methods would clog these ...
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    1 分
  • #259: Cinnabon – Putting The Cart Before The Horse

    #259: Cinnabon – Putting The Cart Before The Horse
    2026/06/03
    Rich and Greg Komen decided they wanted a empire and then went a built it. Not the normal path, but… Cinnabon! 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. [Maven Roofing Ad] Dave Young: Hey, welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here alongside Stephen Semple and today we’re going to unpack the story of Cinnabon. Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: Now Stephen told me the topic for today. He said, “Now I know you know about this one.” And then he said Cinnabon. And I’m like, “You know, actually I don’t.” Stephen Semple: Really? Dave Young: I’m really more … You know what I’m really more interested in is why you- Stephen Semple: Have you never gone to a shopping mall? Dave Young: … why you think I would know Cinnabon? Just one look at me and you go, “That guy’s seen some Cinnabon.” Stephen Semple: Well, they only have like 1,800 locations. Dave Young: Okay. Here’s the deal. Here’s the deal. Remember I spent the first 50 years of my life in a town that didn’t have a mall. Stephen Semple: I know, but you’ve grown up since then, Dave. Dave Young: I know. Stephen Semple: They’re still around. It’s not like … Dave Young: They’re around, but we would steer our children away from the Cinnabon when we went to a mall. It was like, “No, we’re not just making you all sticky with frosting.” So the times I’ve had any kind of Cinnabon product, and they’re in what, Wendy’s or places now. Maybe it’s not Wendy’s. Is it Wendy’s? Stephen Semple: I’m not sure. Dave Young: They’re somewhere, you can buy Cinnabon stuff. Maybe it’s Taco Bell. I don’t know. Again, remember, I’m not as familiar with Cinnabon as you thought I was. Dive right in, Stephen. Stephen Semple: You’re getting kind of defensive here, Dave. Dave Young: Edumicate us on the Cinnabons. Stephen Semple: Well, they are now like 1800 locations worldwide, 50 countries. They’re now part of go to foods, huge margins in this type of business. And what’s really interesting, all built around one product. And they sell over two million buns a day, just huge. But this is a very different story than pretty much all of the other stories we’ve done because most of the stories we’ve done have started with a problem that the entrepreneur faced. They solved that problem and turned it into a business. Many of them did not start with, “I’m going to do this thing and make it a business.” It’s like, “I’m going to do this thing. Oh, I should turn it into a business.” Dave Young: “Oh, hey, look, people seem to like this.” Yeah. Stephen Semple: Right. It was started by Rich Komen and his son, Greg. And Rich was an entrepreneur who had been involved basically in the food industry, developing franchises, things along that lines. And he got into the food business after graduating because he saw concessions in the malls and said, “These are crappy.” Dave Young: Right. Yeah. Stephen Semple: Because this was back in the early 80s when malls were just … And the food court in the mall was just sort of getting going. And he saw- Dave Young: Like a pretzel or a corn dog. Stephen Semple: He saw the growth potential and so his idea was to develop a food offering, but he was a retail strategist, not a baker. And he set out to create a product that he wanted to be so irresistible it could sell itself in this super competitive environment, the shopping mall, right? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So it was built all from the perspective of the consumer, not the kitchen. And what he wanted to do is have an idea that right from the start he could take national. So it’s 1985 and Rich and Greg Komen, who are [inaudible 00:04:53] father and son team wanted to just basically build this national company and he saw this growth potential in the food court space. He saw that exploding and he had been ...
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    18 分