HUGE thanks to our pals over at SHEPENCO for sponsoring this fine broadcast. For 90 years – and four generations of family ownership – they have defined stability by caring about the success of their distributor partners. Head over to shepenco.com to start your next project today! You bet it’s time for Ep. 91 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In today’s “Opening Shot,” Bill talks about the PPAI Global Impact Report and what it tells us about our industry. Aft

In a sea of sameness, a little irreverence might be exactly what helps you stand out. If you know me at all, even just a little bit, you know I have a hard time ignoring an opportunity for a little mischief. Not the kind that gets someone arrested, fired, or escorted out of a trade show by security. I'm talking about the kind that raises an eyebrow, challenges an expectation, bends a rule that probably didn't need to exist in the first place, and reminds everyone involved tha

BIG thanks to our pals over at Seven Sourcing for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re ready to be the partner your clients want – one that delivers unique, custom, and bespoke branded merch designed exclusively for them – reach out to Russ and his team at sales@sevensourcing.com. You know it’s time for Ep. 90 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In this week’s Opening Shot, Bill talks about how annoying tactics have taken the humanity out of the sales pr

The false security of the known can be far more limiting than the uncertainty of starting over. In July of 2020, I resigned as president of PromoCorner and started brandivate. Looking back more than six years later, it would be incredibly easy to clean that story up a bit. I could tell you I had an unshakable belief in myself, a crystal-clear vision for what brandivate would become, and the confidence to bet everything on my ability to make it happen. That would also be c

HUGE Thanks to our friends over at BEL Promo for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re looking for the lowest minimums, deepest inventory, 5-star and A+ service – you know you can BEL Promo that! It’s Friday and time for Ep. 89 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with your host, Bill Petrie. In the Opening Shot, Bill shares some thoughts on the very interesting findings from the ASI State of the Industry report. After that, he welcomes the President and CEO of Image Source

Great service isn’t about eliminating limitations as much as it is taking ownership of them. There are very few questions in life that I can answer before someone finishes asking them, and this is one of them: "Is Pepsi okay?" The answer is as quick as it is consistent: "No, no it isn't.” Now, before you Pepsi-loving folks tell me how wrong I am, let me explain. When I order a Jack and Coke Zero - or even just a Coke Zero - with dinner, there's a better-than-average chance th

This episode of Between Two Brands has been brought to you by the good people at CoasterStone – home of the original absorbent stone coaster. With that combination of stone-cold quality, striking decoration, low cost-per-impression, retail packaging, and unmatched value, David Glenn and his team at CoasterStone are ready to help you make a ROCK-SOLID impression with your clients. Email them at promo@coasterstone.com today! You bet it’s time for Ep. 88 of the Between 2 Brands

Great leaders read the room, then give it what it's missing. After my beloved Texas A&M Aggies opened the football season with a 50-0 win over Missouri State on September 5th, you might imagine the mood in the locker room was pretty damn good. After a shaky first half, the team dominated the Missouri State Bears in the second half and, understandably, the players were elated and celebrating. However, when head coach Mike Elko was asked why he was calm and collected during a p

HUGE thanks to our pals over at SHEPENCO for sponsoring this fine broadcast. For 90 years – and four generations of family ownership – they have defined stability by caring about the success of their distributor partners. Head over to shepenco.com to start your next project today! Damn straight it’s time for Ep. 87 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In today’s version of the “Opening Shot,” Bill talks about OpenAI rolling out ChatGPT for teens and why it’s imp

Not every day needs to be about what comes next. We spend an awful lot of our lives looking ahead: the next project, the next client, the next goal, the next event, the next deadline, and the next "thing" on the seemingly never-ending list of things we convince ourselves that absolutely must get done. Today, don't. It's Labor Day, and while the holiday gives us a much-needed break from the constant pressure to "do," maybe it can also give us a moment to appreciate the wor