94: MJ Yang (CU) and Ethan Decker, Founder, Applied Brand Science and Proprietor/Mixologist, Pits & Stems (Boulder)

This time, we return to perhaps our all-time favorite establishment, one that’s so special we can’t even tell you where it is because it's an actual, modern-day speakeasy located somewhere in the wilds of central Boulder. We first visited Ethan Decker and his wonderful establishment, Pits & Stems, on episode 63, way back in March 2024, and then again for episode 70. For our third time back, we’re joined by MJ Yang, CU Assistant Professor for Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations. The conversation starts with Ethan telling us about how he went from a Ph.D in Ecology to an expert in brand strategy, Brand Science Training, and the universal, immutable laws of branding. He offers several actionable insights applicable to businesses ranging from the smallest startups to the largest conglomerates. Ethan places a particular emphasis on “the myth of the passionate customer,” and reminds us that you don’t have to explain the brand proposition in your marketing; you just need to make it memorable, and noticeable - aka “sticky.” Brad talks about the importance of your first adopters being your biggest brand ambassadors. Our discussion also touches on the Olympics (how DOES one become a bobsledder, anyway?), and we get Ethan’s jaw-dropping tour of Pits & Stems. All that, plus some AI talk, and of course everyone's thoughts on Ethan’s divine concoctions. Enjoy and cheers! — This episode of Creative Distillation as recorded at Pits and Stems in Boulder, Colorado. Unfortunately, that’s about all we can say about it. We’ll be back at Pits and Stems next time for a deeper discussion into MJ Yang’s work. -- Learn more about CU's Deming Center for Entrepreneurship: https://deming.colorado.edu Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. - An Analog Digital Arts Production for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship Produced, recorded and edited by Joel Davis "Whiskey Before Breakfast" [Traditional] performed by Jeffrey York and Brad Werner. Recorded, mixed and mastered by George Figgs ___ CREATIVE DISTILLATION University of Colorado-Boulder professors Jeff York and Brad Werner distill entrepreneurship research into actionable insights. Jeff York | Associate Professor | Research Director [email protected] Brad Werner | Instructor | Teaching Director [email protected] Deming Center for Entrepreneurship | CU Leeds School of Business 303.492.9018 | [email protected]