Bad Business with Bryan Laurel

We talk seeking out investors for your small business or startup with tips on creating a killer pitch deck. We suggest Googling to find some great templates but also check out this blog post by Adam Waaramaa at bit.ly/1ClGIbQ. Melissa discusses a Huffington Post article about prepating the young for jobs of the future - even jobs that don't exist yet. She'll explain. Check out that article http://huff.to/1d6VjqR. Finally we talk to entrepreneur and superior customer service expert, Susan Brooks. Susan is the founder of the original Cookies from Home and founder of Life Solutions for Professional Women www.professionalwomensolutions.com. Susan is also the author of "Serves You Right. The Ins... The Outs... Great Customer Service". Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be contacted at info@syndicatepr.com

This week's short "A" episode chronicles Melissa and Bryan giving notice and making the departure from their corporate jobs. Leaving their steady paycheck and benefits behind, Bryan and Melissa decide they're ready to take on the new adventure of starting their own company. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be contacted at info@syndicatepr.com  

We're back for another action-packed episode. Melissa talks McDonald's TV spots - specifically, the burger chain's "Signs" spot that was recently unveiled and promptly met with equal applause and boos. Listen to find out why. Bryan is angry. Very angry.  He's been pickpocketed - a domain for a client project was swiped and he's here to tell you how to avoid losing your ideal domain to the faceless evil that lurks online. Then we interview entrepreneur, Eric McCarthy. Eric shares experiences and lessons learned form his two ventures as owner of McCarthy's Car Service, a fleet of cars catering to executives and VIPs AND as owner of several Baskin-Robbins franchises. Anyone considering the leap into starting their own business can learn from Eric.   If you're in need of executive transportation while in the Phoenix area, look Eric up at www.mccarthycarservice.com Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at info@syndicatepr.com  

In this week's abbreviated episode, Bryan and Melissa discuss the beginning of the end of their corporate lives. Recounting the dilemmas and decisions that prompted them to leave their corporate job, they make the choice to alter their personal and professional lives. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be contacted at info@syndicatepr.com

We kick off 2015 with a brand new, super, double-awesome episode. We talk resolutions for 2015. We talk marketing and PR trends for 2015. We coin the term "2015-Style" (we don't know what that means either) but basically, it's a regular 2015-palooza up in here. Our guest this week is the creator of The Mensch on a Bench, Neal Hoffman. Neal, a recent guest on ABC's Shark Tank and former Hasbro brand manager, tells us his journey from idea to production to retail shelves - and the lessons learned along the way. Neal is a regular Josh Baskin and if you don't know what that means, you really need to listen to this episode (and rent the movie BIG). Visit www.themenschonabench.com for more details. Facebook it up at: https://www.facebook.com/TheMenschOnABench Twitter: https://twitter.com/menschonabench Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at info@syndicatepr.com

This week (and most weeks from here on) we'll offer a second episode with a different spin than our typical episode. These shorter, bite-sized episodes chronicle our journey in making the leap from corporate life to starting our own company, Syndicate Public Relations. We're not claiming to have all the answers but these "A" episodes will give a narrative of our successes, mistakes and lessons learned along the way. Our hope is that if you are considering a similar leap to pursue something you are passionate about, these episodes will provide some helpful insight. This week we get an introdution to Syndicate PR principal and Bad Business Co-Host, Bryan Laurel.   Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

This week we reveal the holidays we celebrate and learn one of the Bad Business Co-Hosts isn't really putting forth much of an effort to decorate their home for the holidays. Nevertheless, we discuss the excellent entrepreneurial story behind the popular Mensch on a Bench doll and how non-techy Hackathons can create focus and growth for businesses of any size. We interview Martin Peters, General Manager of AutoNation Ford Scottsdale. Peter tells us how he went from abandoning his first car in a parking lot to becoming the General Manager of one of the largest car dealerships in the Southwest. Good stuff!    Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

This week (and most weeks from here on) we'll offer a second episode with a different spin than our typical episode. These shorter, bite-sized episodes chronicle our journey in making the leap from corporate life to starting our own company, Syndicate PR. We're not claiming to have all the answers but these "A" episodes will give a narrative of our successes, mistakes and lessons learned along the way. If you are considering a similar leap to pursue a professional change, these episodes will provide some helpful insight. This week we get an introdution to Syndicate PR principal and Bad Business Co-Host, Melissa Epstein.   Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

This year delivered some great things for business and Bryan runs down his list of favorite gadgets, apps and books for you entrepreneur/business types. Melissa provides a helpful list of things to consider when hiring a PR firm (such as their Syndicate Public Relations).  This week we interview veteran photographer, Jeff Noble.  Jeff is an artist and magician when it comes to portrait, product and architectural photography - and he's, like, 17 feet tall with a Nike show fetish. So listen to Jeff talk about that and give advice on starting and maintaining your own company.   Hosts Melissa Rich and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

It's holiday party season.  For good or bad, you're probably attending a work-related holiday party. No matter if it's hosted by your company, a vendor or client's company or a friend, there are some rules to abide by here. Rules many lose sight of after several eggnogs - Melissa is here with tips to have a great time and preserve your professional image as well.  Bryan gets geeked out about Star Wars Episode VII. Yeah, he knows it's a YEAR AWAY, but he has some valuable tips on how your business can jump on the Star Wars Hype, but you need to get started NOW!   Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

Ohhhhhhh! It's almost Black Friday, can you feel the excitement? Melissa can. It's pretty much her favorite day of the year. She discusses the good and bad of what Black Friday has become and small things you can do to Black Friday-it-up for your business. Bryan talks online reviews (Yelp and the like). Many businesses feel helpless when it comes to reviews left online, but this week's episode gives some tips to take control of what is being placed online about your company.  Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

Who doesn't love an end-of-year best/worst list? Crazy people, that's who! Melissa is not crazy so she brings you the creme and crap of the crop in this year's branding that is so chock-full of helpful do and don't tips for your business, you just may cry. Bryan discusses the impact of being late and the damage it does to your personal and professional brand - and how to get your act together.  We interview Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer Steve Schnall.  We talk about Steve's career path and the impact professionals can make by taking the time to focus on community.   Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

Listen to this episode and learn how to navigate and make the most networking events and avoid wasting your time with terrible networking events. Melissa brings some facts and figures about Millennials and how they're slowly but surely taking over businesses everywhere - and why you should embrace them (figuratively speaking, not actually embracing them. That's a bad HR thing there.)  In our third segment we discuss business ownership and career paths with Sheree Hartwell, owner of the Ford Robert Black Modeling Agency in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Oh, and we learn what occasionally makes Melissa cry at work.   Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

Alright, alright, alright. This week Melissa digs into the bizarre but effective Lincoln ad campaign featuring Matthey McConaughey - and the mockery that has come along with it... Mockery that, crazily enough, is actually helping Lincoln sell more cars. Bryan gets real with you to evaluate and improve your website. Speaking of "real", ever hear of MTV's The Real World? Well we interview RW alum Matt Smith who appeared on the New Orleans season (the good one, circa 2000) and talk about his creative agency Smith House. Hilarity and helpfulness ensue.   Hosts Melissa Rich and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

This week Walmart screws up big, just in time for Halloweeen and we dogpile on it while extracting lessons to apply to your business. Melissa talks about sweaty underpants (seriously) and the importance of keeping your employees happy no matter how large or small the company. We also find a way to work in Sexy Corn on the Cob talk, and who doesn't love that kind of talk? Finally, we interview radio icon Dave Pratt aka The Morning Mayor. Dave shares his career journey and offers advice to others seeking to start their own business. Hosts Melissa Rich and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com

This week we discuss the angry uprising of moms over the existance of Breaking Bad toys at Toys R Us and the marketing brilliance behind the Oreo cookie brand. We also interview TV media veteran Tara Hitchcock and get some insight to the life of a news personality. Of course, we tie it all together with tips to benefit businesses and entrepreneurs alike. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com.

Bad Business launches with a short episode of what to expect from this informative, and snarky conversational podcast. Hosts Bryan Laurel and Melissa Epstein, Principals of Syndicate Public Relations (syndicatepr.com) wield more than 40 years of marketing, advertising, event production and public relations experience to help businesses and entrepreneurs grow and improve. With real-world business examples of the "bad, meaning bad" and the "BAD, meaning good" Bryan and Melissa strive to convey helpful lessons that can help anyone in each episode. Having worked for and with brands like Apple Computer, ABC News Washington, AMC Theatres, LifeLock, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Harkins Theatres, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Alzheimer's Association, Bryan and Melissa know what they're talking about and they look forward to becoming a part of your podcast listening schedule.