Launch Youniversity

Turning Good Intentions into Reality in Your Career, Business and Life

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042: Lessons From Pixar Animation Studios

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Lessons From Pixar Animation Studios
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
042: Lessons From Pixar Animation Studios
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SUMMARY:

From Buzz Lightyear’s “To infinity and beyond!” to Dory’s “Just keep swimming” and Ellie’s heart-string-tugging “Adventure is out there!”—there’s no debate on how impactful and influential Pixar has been over the last couple of decades.

When Jeff was in California, he had the opportunity to tour the creative powerhouse and is sharing his lessons with us on today’s podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

Pixar Animation Studios

LYP 035: Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull [Launch Youniversity Book Review]

Ed Catmull’s 10 Lessons on Leadership and Creativity

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. Ask Big

This lesson happened before Jeff even stepped into the Pixar building. He knew he would be in California, and he knew that he wanted to tour the facility. So he asked. At the time he asked, he figured there was almost no chance of his email being seen let alone answered, but sure enough, it worked out. When you don’t ask big, you’ve already told yourself no. 

2. Invite Feedback

Pixar movies aren’t great because every idea they have is great, they’re great because they invite and recruit feedback. When you create in a vacuum, it’s hard to see anyone else’s perspective other than your own. Feedback is critical to your success.

3. Playfulness is serious business

On one hand, the Pixar brand is funny and playful and incredibly creative. But on the other, Pixar is a movie powerhouse with multimillion dollar budgets and goals to manage. It could be easy to get caught up in the high-pressure situations of hitting deadlines and coming up with the next iconic movie, but Pixar keeps playfulness central to their company culture.

041: How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge with Clay Scroggins

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SUMMARY:

Can you lead if you’re not the person in charge? Clay Scroggins thinks so and he’s joining Jeff and Shane on today’s episode to tell you why. Whether you own your own business or work within an organization, Clay is sharing his valuable wisdom on leveraging influence, thinking critically and launching yourself and your products into the market. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we do.

HELPFUL LINKS + RESOURCES:

Clay’s Website

Pre-Order Clay’s Book: How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge

Clay on Twitter

Clay on Instagram

RELATED READING:

5 Ways to Bounce Back From Failure

The Best Leadership Advice I’ve Ever Received

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Lead Yourself

You might not always be in a position of power in your business or organization, but no matter what role you have… you have a responsibility to lead yourself well. This means holding yourself accountable to following through on your ideas, dreams and goals the way you would if you were holding someone on your own team accountable for them.

2. Choosing Positivity

All of us have been in a position where we’ve been handed down a decision that we didn’t make… and maybe, we don’t even believe it’s right. And then, we’re the ones who have to execute on it. In that moment, one of the best things you can do to lead is by choosing positivity. This doesn’t mean letting yourself be steamrolled or not sharing your ideas when appropriate, but it means setting the emotional tone for yourself and the team… even if you aren’t “the leader.”

It’s not saying “If I were them, I would have done this…” But instead, saying “what will we learn and what can we take forward?”

3. Thinking Critically

Even though you are choosing positivity, it doesn’t mean you turn off your brain and force yourself to think that everything is great. Critical thinking is a skill you practice in tandem with choosing positivity. It’s looking at any given situation and asking yourself “How could I or we add value here?”

Bonus tip: Make space for thinking critically. If you’re rushing into work a minute before you need to be there and then go from meeting to meeting to meeting, you don’t have the mental space to think about ways to add value. Like Shane said, creativity is somebody spending just a little bit more time thinking about something than someones else.

TWEET IT OUT:

You don’t have to wait on authority to begin leading, you can start leading now. – @clayscroggins

You have more influence than you think you have, and influence is what makes you a leader. – @clayscroggins

037: Life Lessons From Launching An Agency with Blake Howard of Matchstic

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Life Lessons From Launching An Agency with Blake Howard of Matchstic
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
037: Life Lessons From Launching An Agency with Blake Howard of Matchstic
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Summary:

On today’s episode of the Launch Youniversity Podcast, David is sitting down with Blake Howard. Blake is a passionate entrepreneur and co-founder of Atlanta-based Matchstic, a brand identity firm. Blake is sharing his story on how he got started, how he built a thriving business and the lessons he learned along the way.

Welcome to episode 37 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Matchstick

Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team by Alina Wheeler

Creative Mornings

Sid Mashburn on LYP Pt 1

Sid Mashburn Pt 2

Belay Solutions

Three Takeaways:

1. Find Your Genius.
This is something we say as often as we can on the podcast. Find your genius: the place where your talent and passion collide. Blake had a talent for art and a passion for business. This led him to graphic design, which was the first step in ultimately opening up his own branding agency, Matchstic

2. Let Tough Seasons Shape You.
Matchstic was hit hard in the 2008/2009 recession. They lost clients and had to make painful layoffs. They could have let the recession sink them, but they let their hard season refine them. It was in those times where they realized the need to find what they were the absolute best at and focus on it. That’s how they narrowed their focus on branding.

3. Perfect Your Pitch.
Blake told David that Launch Youniversity’s own Jeff Henderson gave him advice years ago on how to prepare and perfect a pitch: Problem, solution and action.

1.     Identify the problem you’re trying to solve

2.     Explain the solution

3.     Invite people to take action

If you’d like Jeff to dedicate a full podcast episode on perfecting your pitch, let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

019: Launch Lessons with Shani Godwin, CEO of Communiqué

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Launch Lessons with Shani Godwin, CEO of Communiqué
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
019: Launch Lessons with Shani Godwin, CEO of Communiqué
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Summary:

This week, Launch Youniversity is honored to be joined by Shani Godwin, President and CEO of Communiqué USA, Inc, a marketing communications firm based out of Atlanta. After completing her MBA in Marketing, Shani realized that her unique blend of education, professional background and natural talents could help companies find their voice and communicate more effectively with their consumers. So in 2002, Shani left her job in Corporate America and founded Communiqué USA. They started small, but grew organically and quickly, and now, 15 years later, they advise large national brands on everything from global communications strategy to local marketing.

Welcome to episode 19 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Communiqué USA Website

Communiqué USA LinkedIn

Three Takeaways:

1. Understand your “why”. What are you passionate about? Begin to think about how that idea can be used in the marketplace. Shani purposely pursued careers that allowed her to connect with her passions. No one ever directed Shani towards entrepreneurship, but it was very clear when she started down the path that it was in her zone and in her sweet spot.

2. Take a step of faith—not a leap. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” When you don’t make a move, you can miss the opportunity and the moment. Don’t let yourself get sucked into the paralysis of analysis. Surround yourself with advisors to encourage you to take that next step—and help you avoid pitfalls.

3. You can’t grow until you let go. As Communiqué grew, Shani had to focus on leading instead of doing, so her advisors had a 90 day transition plan created. Shani told herself, “If I let go of the work, the business will fail.” But what she found was that the quality of the work only increased, and making the decision was the hardest part. Once she took a step back from doing the work, she was able to focus on being the visionary the company needed to succeed.

017: Culture, Influencers and Ingenuity: Our Conversation with Sid Mashburn Pt 2

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Culture, Influencers and Ingenuity: Our Conversation with Sid Mashburn
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
017: Culture, Influencers and Ingenuity: Our Conversation with Sid Mashburn Pt 2
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Summary:

This week, Launch Youniversity is honored to be joined again by Sid Mashburn, accomplished entrepreneur and owner of the #1 men’s independent clothing store in the US. In this episode, Sid talks about experience and business growth, team culture, and positive influencers in his life. If you missed Part One of our conversation, listen now!

Welcome to episode 17 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Sidmashburn.com

Annmashburn.com

GQ Style’s Profile on Sid Mashburn

Three Takeaways:

1. Use your experiences to see new opportunities. As soon as Sid got his driver’s license, he went to work in a men’s store. He loved clothes. He loved working with people. He loved sharing. Sid dreamed about becoming a designer, and even wanted to leave college and go straight to design school in New York, but his father encouraged him to wait. After years of experience working for large companies like British Khaki, J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Land’s End, Sid learned the essentials of design, product development, and sourcing. With his combined experience working in small specialty stores and learning from large companies, Sid saw an opportunity like no other.

2. Healthy team culture leads to great customer service. Sid doesn’t believe in commission for selling in his stores. He wants employees that see this job as a real vocation, not a stepping stone to other positions and industries. He wants his employees to feel they’re part of something bigger than selling clothes. They’re really taking care of a piece of someone’s life. Treating his employees this way has lead to above and beyond acts of customer service from his team.

3. Positive influencers make the journey easier. The closest person to Sid is Ann Mashburn, his wife. Sid relies on her judgement, honesty, and trusts her advice on all subjects. Another trusted voice in Sid’s life is David Supple, his COO and business partner. Sid and his team have also established a board of directors for further counsel. Sid firmly believes in welcoming advice from all his trusted family, friends, and peers.

016: Sid Mashburn on Launching the Number One Men’s Independent Clothing Store in the US Pt. 1

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Sid Mashburn on Launching the Number One Men’s Independent Clothing Store in the US
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
016: Sid Mashburn on Launching the Number One Men's Independent Clothing Store in the US Pt. 1
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Summary:

This week, Launch Youniversity is honored to have accomplished entrepreneur, Sid Mashburn, join us on today’s episode. Sid is the owner of the number one men’s independent clothing store in the US. This is part one of our conversation with Sid, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you don’t miss part two next week.

Welcome to episode 16 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Sidmashburn.com

Annmashburn.com

GQ Style’s Profile on Sid Mashburn

Three Takeaways:

1. Do your own research. When Sid was scouting a location for his store in Atlanta, he drove down every single street within a several-mile radius. He looked at the license plates of cars driving around to see what surrounding counties they were coming from. He noted the restaurants, where people were hanging out, who his neighbors would be. After spending time finding out who the people are and what surroundings they enjoy, he was able to determine the need.

2. You can’t go wrong when you put people first. Building community is part of the Sid Mashburn business model. Sid says that when people cross the threshold into his store, they are his guest. What do you do when a guest comes into your home? You offer them a drink. Simple gestures of graciousness, like offering customers a beverage, have turned a clothing store into a place where people come to hang out. The Sid Mashburn store is a place where anyone can shop and everyone is welcome.

3. Great Product. Great Price. If you can accomplish the dynamic duo of fantastic products and prices, you don’t have to live in fear of the ebbs and flows of the economy. Sid launched his store at a time when everyone in retail was trying to leave retail. He knew that if he put out a really great product, at a really great price and wrapped it up in exceptional service, it would be okay. He was right.