Dig In

This episode of Dig In is a beauty. Anie Rouleau's founder's story is particularly compelling because she knew what her mission was before she knew how she'd make it happen. Fast forward 10 years and she's built one of the fastest growing businesses in the country, as recognized by the Globe & Mail's Report on Business.Tune in to learn:the good and the bad of being single-minded about the business' missionwhy Anie doesn't take note of how global CPG brands are innovatingabout the ripple effect of fostering an organic, grassroots community on Instagramwhy her team didn't rely on paid endorsements from influencers on socialthe challenge of getting investment as a mission-driven business just a few years agowhat having B-Corp status means for Anie and the team

In this week's Founder's Spotlight, Ian sat down with Mark Baltazar, the Co-Founder of Peak MultiFamily Investments. Mark has had an interesting career, spending the last couple decades as a brand researcher before flexing his entrepreneurial muscles as a Co-Founder of a residential business.Mark will speak to the opportunity he couldn't pass up in real estate, how his background in research and brand strategy has helped him build his brand, the surprisingly limited impact of Covid-19 on his business, and more.

Adam is a President and CEO, board member, best-selling author, and Forbes Business Council member. Through his experience executing a buy-and-build strategy, he has bought and sold more than 100 companies ranging in size from $1M to $1B. Not to mention his private equity cult classics - both of which are #1 Amazon Best Sellers.In this week's episode of Dig In, Ian sits down with Adam to demystify common stories around private equity, connecting these myths to the insights industry at large. Tune in to learn:Why private equity is not a win for investors and a losing battle for entrepreneurs/business ownersThe good, the bad, and the ugly of private equityIn Adam's words, "the different flavors of ice cream" in private equityThe sustainable growth rates that attract private equity partners to a businessThe signals a CEO should look for when joining a particular industry or companyThe value private equity brings (beyond $!) to a growing businessThe differences and similarities behind strategic and financial private equity

Thigh Society's founder Marnie Rabinovitch Consky is sort of obsessed with thighs. And over the last decade or so, she's made it her mission to perfect a breathable, comfortable, anti-chafing shorts line.Not for nothing: Thigh Society was recognized as one of Canada's fastest growing companies by the Globe & Mail this year, and they've got a cult-like customer base that can't get enough of what they're doing.We love to spotlight customer-obsessed founders doing something different in their industry. In this month's Founder's Spotlight, Meagan sat down with Marnie this week to chat all things building a business. Tune in to learn:How Marnie bootstrapped the businessWhere the vision behind Thigh Society came fromHow she leveraged industry forums to validate her business qualitativelyThe thoughtful fabric and manufacturing choices that make the products unique (and durable!)The issue with shape wear marketing today, and how TS is doing it differentlyWhere the brand hopes to go next

Risa Duesing is the VP of Consumer Insights, Analytics, and Sensory at Tyson Foods. Tune in to learn:why getting an MBA helped her be a better researchthe ways in which Risa fosters creative and strategic thinking in her team membershow she trains her team to be better storytellershow to effectively choose a research methodology through risk assessmentthe ways she's attempting to 'predict' the future for her customer, in a world that's entirely unpredictable

John, Co-Founder of Civil Pours, is back again to update us on his entrepreneurial journey. Tune in to learn:-  how he's leveraging Upsiide to build a strong business case for distributors- how they're leveraging the Civil Liberties brand in their new venture- the way he and his partner are differentiating amongst a crowded market- what next steps look like for the brand

Clodagh Forde, Senior Manager of Human Insights at Coca-Cola was a delight to have on the podcast. Meagan chats to Clodagh about:How she ended up in research, and then innovation, and then research againWhy she's a better researcher because of her time spent working in creativity and innovationHow she brought design thinking to her research practicesThe impact of a few key mentors on her career trajectoryThe rationale behind Coca-Cola's consolidation of 450 global brands to 180How she and her cross-functional team are assessing research tools for the business's innovation practiceThe distinction between human and consumer insights within Coca-Cola

Mike Stevens joins our CEO Paul to chat about the trends their seeing across the research, analytics, and data industries (or is it 'industry'?). They'll discuss key acquisitions and what they signal, how buyers are becoming suppliers (and why that might be), and the importance of behavioural research right now.Ipsos acquires InfoTools and elects a new CEO (congrats Ben Page!). Pepsi launches PepViz, a brand new revenue stream for the consumer brand. Behavioural research is fast-expanding in definition and practice. Lots is going on, and Mike and Paul give their candid opinions on this and more.

In today's episode you'll learn:How Walid is planning for success in 2022The importance of integrating observational data into research strategyWhy Coca-Cola rebranded their research function to 'human insights'why Walid believes we're seeing a resurrection of retail, and what other industries can learn from itHis predictions for the future of in-store shopping

In this week's episode, you'll learn:why Ron believes brands need to operate like media propertiesthe challenge of futureproofing the name of your agencywhen it makes sense to fire a client, and how to share that news with your teamhow perspective on governance can shift when you're responsible for the bottom linewhy agencies should operate like teams, not families