[{"_1":2,"_3":-5,"_4":-5},"loaderData",{"_5":6,"_7":8},"actionData","errors","root",{"_137":-5,"_138":-5,"_139":140,"_141":142,"_143":144},"routes/clips.$id.$slug",{"_9":10,"_11":12},"clip",{"_13":14,"_15":16,"_17":-5,"_18":19,"_20":-5,"_21":22,"_23":24,"_25":26,"_27":28,"_29":30,"_31":32,"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":-5,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_44":45,"_46":-5,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":-5},"canonicalUrl","https://howleaderslead.com/clips/1740/small-gestures-build-big-culture","id",1740,"title","Small gestures build big culture","subtitle","transcript","WEBVTT\n\n1\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500\nIt just letting, so initially I am focusing\n\n2\n00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:06.860\non these small opportunities to build culture,\n\n3\n00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:09.780\nbuild connection, build a team.\n\n4\n00:00:09.780 --> 00:00:12.660\nSo I moved down to Ren's, Georgia,\n\n5\n00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:14.940\nwhere our candy plant is for a month.\n\n6\n00:00:14.940 --> 00:00:17.300\nI rented a little farmhouse,\n\n7\n00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:19.180\nI stayed out in the country,\n\n8\n00:00:19.180 --> 00:00:21.500\nand I've shopped where they shopped.\n\n9\n00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.860\nI would see some of our employees at Peggy's diner.\n\n10\n00:00:24.860 --> 00:00:27.420\nYou know, I just got to know the community\n\n11\n00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:29.880\nand what their culture is.\n\n12\n00:00:29.880 --> 00:00:33.260\nAnd then I made sure I knew all the people's names\n\n13\n00:00:33.260 --> 00:00:35.220\nwho worked in the candy plant.\n\n14\n00:00:35.220 --> 00:00:38.020\nAnd then we did, this is something so small,\n\n15\n00:00:38.020 --> 00:00:40.180\nbut this is where I think there are lessons\n\n16\n00:00:40.180 --> 00:00:41.180\nwhere you can build culture\n\n17\n00:00:41.180 --> 00:00:45.580\nand not have these big, audacious gestures.\n\n18\n00:00:45.580 --> 00:00:47.580\nI noticed in the shop one day,\n\n19\n00:00:47.580 --> 00:00:49.060\nwe have a little retail shop connected\n\n20\n00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:50.500\nto the factory store.\n\n21\n00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:52.660\nSo one store we own and operate.\n\n22\n00:00:52.660 --> 00:00:55.060\nAnd we have these Stuckey hoodies.\n\n23\n00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:58.420\nAnd one of the employees was in there during her break,\n\n24\n00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:00.160\nand she was buying a hoodie.\n\n25\n00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:02.880\nAnd I said, don't pay for that hoodie,\n\n26\n00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:04.560\nwe'll take care of it.\n\n27\n00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:06.600\nAnd then I thought, wait, if I get her a hoodie,\n\n28\n00:01:06.600 --> 00:01:08.640\nI need to get everyone else a hoodie.\n\n29\n00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.080\nSo in our next all hands on deck meeting,\n\n30\n00:01:11.080 --> 00:01:14.560\nI said, hey, we're getting everyone a hoodie.\n\n31\n00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.520\nAnd then someone standing next to me said,\n\n32\n00:01:16.520 --> 00:01:17.720\ncan we get our names on it?\n\n33\n00:01:17.720 --> 00:01:20.360\nI'm like, yeah, and you're getting your names on it.\n\n34\n00:01:20.360 --> 00:01:22.680\nThey were so excited.\n\n35\n00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:24.000\nAnd you know, it's cold in a,\n","pretty_transcript","start_time",2367379,"end_time",2447909,"keywords","generosity, talent management, appreciation, employee morale, acquisition","slug","small-gestures-build-big-culture","origin","cms","mux_playback_id","i17HOenDwkmGJLqYMUycicNFCWUDmXfksdMiN1XTRRc","mux_asset_id","KhMez02E7byFOQjY6yf01HTEbtpfCmswtXxrPTrLaqr01o","leader_id",68,"episode_id",217,"updated_at","2025-02-26T19:45:08.000000Z","meta_title","meta_description","og_image_media_id","web_url","https://www.howleaderslead.com/clips/1740/small-gestures-build-big-culture","og_image_url","leader",{"_13":36,"_101":102,"_103":104,"_105":106,"_25":107,"_108":109,"_62":110,"_59":110,"_111":112,"_69":113,"_39":114,"_115":-5,"_41":-5,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_116":117,"_89":118,"_44":119,"_120":121,"_122":123,"_46":-5,"_124":125,"_126":127,"_93":128,"_51":-5},"episode",{"_13":38,"_15":52,"_27":53,"_17":54,"_55":56,"_18":57,"_20":58,"_59":60,"_61":-5,"_62":60,"_63":-5,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":-5,"_69":-5,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":-5,"_35":36,"_39":75,"_41":-5,"_42":-5,"_43":-5,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":83,"_84":-5,"_85":-5,"_86":87,"_88":-5,"_89":-5,"_46":-5,"_90":91,"_92":-5,"_93":-5,"_51":-5},"og_image_media","How to Reimagine Your Brand","how-to-reimagine-your-brand","Learn how to think creatively about generating revenue, inspire your team to be more innovative, and leverage your company’s past to propel you into the future.","summary","

Today's guest is Stephanie Stuckey, the CEO of Stuckey’s. This company started in 1937 by Stephanie's grandfather who opened a single store in eastern Georgia. It was one of the country's first roadside retail shops. At its peak in the 1970s, Stuckey’s had grown to 368 stores in 40 states, along pretty much every major interstate. From humble beginnings to a roadside empire. But then, things turned for the worst due to external threats and internal weaknesses. When Stephanie took over the business in 2019, she was faced with challenges in every aspect of the business.

How do you reimagine a brand and get the train back on the track? Well, you can't live in the past. You can't be thinking about how it used to be. You have to think about how it has to be TODAY. So she went to work thinking about new possibilities, new ways to make money, and new ways to satisfy customers. The result? A company that was losing money is now profitable again and the brand legacy has been restored.

So whether you're leading a turnaround like Stephanie is or simply need to reimagine the way you get things done in your company or with your team, there's a lot you can learn from this week’s episode, like:

How to revive a brand
How to generate new revenue streams
The benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset
How to build rapport with customers and partners
How to cultivate employee involvement
PLUS, how a has-been company is making a comeback in 21st century style.

Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:

The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go

Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day

Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

","WEBVTT\n\n1\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.200\nWelcome to Hal Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I\n\n2\n00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:07.520\ninterview some\n\n3\n00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:09.760\nof the very best leaders in the world.\n\n4\n00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:13.220\nI break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have\n\n5\n00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:13.800\nsomething\n\n6\n00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.920\nsimple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.\n\n7\n00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:20.040\nThat's what this podcast is all about.\n\n8\n00:00:20.040 --> 00:00:24.320\nToday's guest is Stephanie Stuckey, the CEO of Stuckeyz.\n\n9\n00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:29.460\nThis company started in 1937 by Stephanie's grandfather who opened a single\n\n10\n00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:30.440\nstore in eastern\n\n11\n00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:31.440\nGeorgia.\n\n12\n00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.960\nNow, that was one of the country's first roadside retail shops.\n\n13\n00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:42.870\nAnd at its peak in the 1970s, Stuckeyz had grown to 368 stores and 40 states\n\n14\n00:00:42.870 --> 00:00:43.360\nalong pretty\n\n15\n00:00:43.360 --> 00:00:49.560\nmuch every major interstate, from humble beginnings to a roadside empire.\n\n16\n00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:53.200\nBut then things turned for the worst.\n\n17\n00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:59.140\nStephanie took over the business in 2019 and was faced with challenges in every\n\n18\n00:00:59.140 --> 00:00:59.640\naspect\n\n19\n00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:00.960\nof the business.\n\n20\n00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:02.600\nSo how do you get started?\n\n21\n00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:05.120\nWell, you can't live in the past.\n\n22\n00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:07.880\nYou can't be thinking about how it used to be.\n\n23\n00:01:07.880 --> 00:01:11.360\nYou have to think about how it has to be today.\n\n24\n00:01:11.360 --> 00:01:17.220\nSo she went to work re-imagining the brand, thinking about new possibilities,\n\n25\n00:01:17.220 --> 00:01:17.720\nnew ways\n\n26\n00:01:17.720 --> 00:01:21.120\nto make money, new ways to satisfy customers.\n\n27\n00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:24.440\nShe's making progress and is getting things done.\n\n28\n00:01:24.440 --> 00:01:28.210\nSo whether you're leading a turnaround like Stephanie is or simply need to reim\n\n29\n00:01:28.210 --> 00:01:28.720\nagine the\n\n30\n00:01:28.720 --> 00:01:33.060\nway you get things done in your company or with your team, let me tell you,\n\n31\n00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:33.640\nthere's\n\n32\n00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:37.040\na lot you can learn from today's episode.\n\n33\n00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:47.750\nSo here's my conversation with my friend and soon to be yours, Stephanie Stuc\n\n34\n00:01:47.750 --> 00:01:48.800\nkey.\n\n35\n00:01:48.800 --> 00:01:53.480\nStephanie, you've got a huge challenge rebuilding the Stuckey's brand.\n\n36\n00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:54.840\nI know that.\n\n37\n00:01:54.840 --> 00:01:57.080\nAnd I want to go deep on how you're doing it.\n\n38\n00:01:57.080 --> 00:02:01.680\nBut let's start by just having you give us a quick history lesson on Stuckey's.\n\n39\n00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:03.120\nYes, I'd be delighted.\n\n40\n00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:09.520\nStuckey started by my grandfather in 1937, literally as a side hustle.\n\n41\n00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:12.930\nIt was during the Great Depression and he had to drop out of law school at the\n\n42\n00:02:12.930 --> 00:02:13.480\nUniversity\n\n43\n00:02:13.480 --> 00:02:16.000\nof Georgia to work on the family farm.\n\n44\n00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.160\nHe was farming cotton and hated it.\n\n45\n00:02:19.160 --> 00:02:22.600\nAnd so he started selling pecans.\n\n46\n00:02:22.600 --> 00:02:23.840\nIt was a bumper crop.\n\n47\n00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.730\nAnyone who knows anything about pecans, they have on years and off years in\n\n48\n00:02:26.730 --> 00:02:27.560\nGeorgia, the\n\n49\n00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:30.320\npecan capital of the world, really.\n\n50\n00:02:30.320 --> 00:02:34.080\nAnd so pecans were plentiful even though jobs were not.\n\n51\n00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:38.670\nAnd he started buying up pecans from farmers after he worked on the farm all\n\n52\n00:02:38.670 --> 00:02:39.480\nday and then\n\n53\n00:02:39.480 --> 00:02:43.440\nhe would sell them to a local shell or mark it up a few pennies.\n\n54\n00:02:43.440 --> 00:02:45.000\nAnd that's how he made his profit.\n\n55\n00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:50.580\nHe built up his capital from there and after a few years of steadily doing that\n\n56\n00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:51.560\n, he opened\n\n57\n00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:54.240\na roadside store.\n\n58\n00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:01.110\nAnd that was really the first roadside retail that offered gas, clean restrooms\n\n59\n00:03:01.110 --> 00:03:02.680\n, cold drinks,\n\n60\n00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:08.120\nhot snacks, and we've always sold candy, kitschy souvenirs.\n\n61\n00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:10.400\nAnd of course, continued to sell the pecans.\n\n62\n00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.060\nSo from the very humble beginnings at first store in Eastman, Georgia, it grew\n\n63\n00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:14.400\nat its\n\n64\n00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.400\npeak in the 1970s.\n\n65\n00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:18.880\nHe had a sign company.\n\n66\n00:03:18.880 --> 00:03:20.080\nHe had a trucking company.\n\n67\n00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.840\nHe had a candy company, largely vertically integrated.\n\n68\n00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:28.520\nHe sold the company and there was a couple of different corporate owners, some\n\n69\n00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:28.960\nhostile\n\n70\n00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.480\ntakeover by one of them.\n\n71\n00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:33.520\nAnd the brand plummeted.\n\n72\n00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:34.520\nExternal factors as well.\n\n73\n00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:37.640\nMy grandfather died in 1977.\n\n74\n00:03:37.640 --> 00:03:40.880\nThe road trip declined with the Arab oil embargo.\n\n75\n00:03:40.880 --> 00:03:42.920\nAir travel became affordable.\n\n76\n00:03:42.920 --> 00:03:43.920\nPeople started flying.\n\n77\n00:03:43.920 --> 00:03:48.960\nSo all this stuff happened and the brand just plummeted.\n\n78\n00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.240\nWe lost hundreds of stores.\n\n79\n00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:53.440\nSo my dad got the company back in 1985.\n\n80\n00:03:53.440 --> 00:03:55.440\nHe got the company back.\n\n81\n00:03:55.440 --> 00:03:58.320\nIt was literally on life support.\n\n82\n00:03:58.320 --> 00:03:59.640\nHe got it stabilized.\n\n83\n00:03:59.640 --> 00:04:01.800\nHe was running several other businesses.\n\n84\n00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:06.280\nStuckies was never his main focus because he was making money off of his other\n\n85\n00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:07.360\nbusinesses.\n\n86\n00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:14.170\nAnd being his business partners retired in circa 2011 and left Stuckies at that\n\n87\n00:04:14.170 --> 00:04:14.600\npoint\n\n88\n00:04:14.600 --> 00:04:18.960\nbeing run almost on autopilot by a skeleton crew.\n\n89\n00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:21.600\nAnd since 2015, I've been losing money.\n\n90\n00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.360\nAnd I came in 2019, November 2019.\n\n91\n00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.480\nYou know, I remember the Stuckies brand when I was a kid.\n\n92\n00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:32.030\nYou know, I grew up in sort of small town America and you know, we did a lot of\n\n93\n00:04:32.030 --> 00:04:32.360\nroad\n\n94\n00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:33.360\ntrips.\n\n95\n00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.240\nSo, you know, I've protected a lot of Stuckies food in the past.\n\n96\n00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.680\nAnd it was a great experience back then, you know.\n\n97\n00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:42.900\nAnd so now as I understand it, you've invested your life savings in the Stuck\n\n98\n00:04:42.900 --> 00:04:43.600\nies business\n\n99\n00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:45.840\nand you bought it from your father.\n\n100\n00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:49.520\nAnd I understand it that some consultants and advisors told you that they\n\n101\n00:04:49.520 --> 00:04:50.120\nwouldn't touch\n\n102\n00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:51.440\nit with the 10-foot pole.\n\n103\n00:04:51.440 --> 00:04:55.710\nI mean, tell us the state of the brand when you bought it and what you saw in\n\n104\n00:04:55.710 --> 00:04:56.600\nthe business\n\n105\n00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.200\nthat other people didn't see.\n\n106\n00:04:59.200 --> 00:05:05.760\nI did consult with several business advisors and they looked at the financials.\n\n107\n00:05:05.760 --> 00:05:10.200\nAnd most of them told me not only walk, run from this.\n\n108\n00:05:10.200 --> 00:05:13.520\nThis is not a good investment.\n\n109\n00:05:13.520 --> 00:05:15.280\nAnd it was losing money.\n\n110\n00:05:15.280 --> 00:05:17.520\nWe were six figures in debt.\n\n111\n00:05:17.520 --> 00:05:21.720\nBut what I bought was a brand.\n\n112\n00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:25.520\nAnd I knew the value of Stuckies.\n\n113\n00:05:25.520 --> 00:05:27.840\nLike you said, it was an experience.\n\n114\n00:05:27.840 --> 00:05:32.640\nAnd I thought there's a need for that still in this country.\n\n115\n00:05:32.640 --> 00:05:35.840\nAnd it was bigger than my family, but certainly I wanted to revive my\n\n116\n00:05:35.840 --> 00:05:36.960\ngrandfather's legacy\n\n117\n00:05:36.960 --> 00:05:39.000\nbecause I knew him and I loved him.\n\n118\n00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:44.840\nBut I thought the road trip is something really uniquely American.\n\n119\n00:05:44.840 --> 00:05:47.160\nAnd it's something that we need to celebrate.\n\n120\n00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:48.680\nWe need more of that.\n\n121\n00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:54.880\nWe need these special unique curated experiences when we're taking a trip by\n\n122\n00:05:54.880 --> 00:05:55.240\ncar.\n\n123\n00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:59.400\nAnd so I knew that the brand had that magic.\n\n124\n00:05:59.400 --> 00:06:02.040\nAnd that is not on the financial books.\n\n125\n00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:03.400\nThat's what convinced me.\n\n126\n00:06:03.400 --> 00:06:10.500\nNow what I actually bought, the physical assets, was a rented warehouse with\n\n127\n00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:12.440\ninventory, mostly\n\n128\n00:06:12.440 --> 00:06:17.000\nconsisting of rubber snakes and ashtray shaped like toilets that say, put your\n\n129\n00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:17.800\nbutts here,\n\n130\n00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:22.160\nkoonskin caps, like the classic kitschy souvenirs that Stuckies is known for.\n\n131\n00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:23.440\nI bought a ton of P.K.\n\n132\n00:06:23.440 --> 00:06:27.480\nLog rolls in inventory, lots of candy and nuts.\n\n133\n00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:28.800\nThat's what I actually bought.\n\n134\n00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:33.550\nWe didn't own the candy plant anymore, trucking company, sign company, long\n\n135\n00:06:33.550 --> 00:06:34.160\ngone.\n\n136\n00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.720\nWe don't own or operate any stores.\n\n137\n00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.040\nThey're not even a franchise program anymore.\n\n138\n00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:40.960\nIt's a licensing program.\n\n139\n00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:43.440\nWe only have 20 standalone stores.\n\n140\n00:06:43.440 --> 00:06:48.580\nAnd then there's 45 co-branded stores within a store concept that is called St\n\n141\n00:06:48.580 --> 00:06:49.760\nuckies Express.\n\n142\n00:06:49.760 --> 00:06:54.300\nIn varying degrees of shape, some of them are really great brand forward\n\n143\n00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:55.280\nlocations.\n\n144\n00:06:55.280 --> 00:06:58.040\nSome of them need a lot of love.\n\n145\n00:06:58.040 --> 00:06:59.440\nSo it's all across the board.\n\n146\n00:06:59.440 --> 00:07:01.680\nSo that's what I got.\n\n147\n00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:05.940\nYou know, I remember when I was president of KFC, all everybody talked about\n\n148\n00:07:05.940 --> 00:07:06.720\nwas Colonel\n\n149\n00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:07.720\nSanders.\n\n150\n00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:09.560\nThe Colonel did this, the Colonel did that.\n\n151\n00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:12.240\nAnd meanwhile, the brand was very unsuccessful.\n\n152\n00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.200\nThere's been eight straight years of those sales growth.\n\n153\n00:07:14.200 --> 00:07:16.040\nSo we're in a major turnaround situation.\n\n154\n00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:18.800\nAnd you know, my view was, hey, I love the Colonel.\n\n155\n00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:21.640\nHe's great, but we've got to start creating some new memories.\n\n156\n00:07:21.640 --> 00:07:23.040\nYou've got to create new memories.\n\n157\n00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:27.010\nHow do you balance managing the past and then really stimulating the kind of\n\n158\n00:07:27.010 --> 00:07:27.600\nprogress\n\n159\n00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:31.120\nyou've got to have to really turn the business around and maximize this brand\n\n160\n00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:32.360\nthat you bought?\n\n161\n00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:33.360\nThat's such a great question.\n\n162\n00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:34.720\nAnd I get asked it a lot.\n\n163\n00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:38.480\nAnd I am constantly reflecting on what's the best way to do it.\n\n164\n00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:39.480\nSo it's evolving.\n\n165\n00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:43.560\nBut I like to say, I'm looking back while moving forward.\n\n166\n00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:48.000\nI definitely have a strong sense of our roots.\n\n167\n00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:52.160\nAnd I'm so proud that we are a nostalgic brand.\n\n168\n00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.680\nThere's something amazing about a brand that has sticking power.\n\n169\n00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:57.800\nAnd Tucky Fried Chicken is certainly one of them.\n\n170\n00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:01.880\nIt's been around 80 plus years Stuckeys has.\n\n171\n00:08:01.880 --> 00:08:03.880\nAnd we're in it for the long haul.\n\n172\n00:08:03.880 --> 00:08:10.560\nAnd so I don't shy away from the retro aspect of our brand.\n\n173\n00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:15.760\nBut at the same time, I am looking at how to capture a new market share.\n\n174\n00:08:15.760 --> 00:08:21.080\nAnd part of that is what I reflected on earlier is it's bigger than Stuckeys.\n\n175\n00:08:21.080 --> 00:08:24.600\nIt's bigger than selling key-can log rolls and kitschy souvenirs.\n\n176\n00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:26.480\nIt's the road trip.\n\n177\n00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:30.500\nAnd if you think about who we really are trying to attract, it's people who\n\n178\n00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:30.760\nlove to\n\n179\n00:08:30.760 --> 00:08:31.760\nroad trip.\n\n180\n00:08:31.760 --> 00:08:36.400\nAnd that defies demographics, that defies age, that defies being in the past.\n\n181\n00:08:36.400 --> 00:08:40.480\nPeople of all ages and all generations have loved taking to the open road.\n\n182\n00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:44.240\nNow maybe not everyone does, and that's Seth Godin calls them our tribe.\n\n183\n00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:48.000\nBut they may not be our tribe, but they don't enjoy getting on the road.\n\n184\n00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:53.440\nBut anyone who likes to travel the interstate highway system or the back roads,\n\n185\n00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:53.640\nand that\n\n186\n00:08:53.640 --> 00:08:59.480\ncould be pleasure trippers, that could be truckers, that could be traveling\n\n187\n00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:00.200\nsalesmen\n\n188\n00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:01.600\nand women, what's left of them.\n\n189\n00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:06.800\nBut people who travel for business, that could be baseball teams, minor league\n\n190\n00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:07.440\nbaseball\n\n191\n00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:12.280\nteams, that could be rock and roll bands, traveling artists, the whole gamut.\n\n192\n00:09:12.280 --> 00:09:17.030\nAnd so I think the more we talk about and embrace the road trip, we're going to\n\n193\n00:09:17.030 --> 00:09:17.480\nstart\n\n194\n00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:21.350\nbeing more of a forward brand, but still letting people know we've got sticking\n\n195\n00:09:21.350 --> 00:09:21.960\npower.\n\n196\n00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:25.960\nWe've been around 80 years, and I'm not planning on going anywhere.\n\n197\n00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:31.160\nWell, you know, vision and purpose is so important for every business.\n\n198\n00:09:31.160 --> 00:09:35.920\nAnd how have you been able to simplify and describe the vision you have for the\n\n199\n00:09:35.920 --> 00:09:36.560\nstuckies\n\n200\n00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:38.260\nof the future?\n\n201\n00:09:38.260 --> 00:09:40.800\nWe make road trips fun.\n\n202\n00:09:40.800 --> 00:09:42.240\nThat's my vision.\n\n203\n00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:44.800\nAnd that's the direction in which we're heading the brand.\n\n204\n00:09:44.800 --> 00:09:49.600\nAnd everything that I message and talk about revolves around that.\n\n205\n00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:55.150\nEven if it's talking about the candy, you want people to associate our products\n\n206\n00:09:55.150 --> 00:09:55.280\nwith\n\n207\n00:09:55.280 --> 00:09:57.280\nan experience.\n\n208\n00:09:57.280 --> 00:09:59.960\nBecause otherwise, we're just another piece of candy.\n\n209\n00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:04.040\nIf you have an emotional connection to something, that's what gives it meaning.\n\n210\n00:10:04.040 --> 00:10:06.000\nThat's what gives it selling power.\n\n211\n00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:07.840\nThat's what really creates a brand.\n\n212\n00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:11.480\nYou know, you think about your business and where you can take it.\n\n213\n00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:16.410\nHow much of it really requires the physical assets that you've had in the past\n\n214\n00:10:16.410 --> 00:10:16.720\nversus\n\n215\n00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:18.880\nwhat you can do through digital?\n\n216\n00:10:18.880 --> 00:10:22.320\nI mean, everybody's business has exploded through digital.\n\n217\n00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:23.320\nHow about yours?\n\n218\n00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:24.320\nAbsolutely.\n\n219\n00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:28.040\nOur online sales went up 550% last year.\n\n220\n00:10:28.040 --> 00:10:30.800\nOf course, we started almost from nowhere.\n\n221\n00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:36.200\nWe had a really bare bones website when I bought the company.\n\n222\n00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.720\nSo we are definitely looking at digital.\n\n223\n00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:44.440\nAnd then social media has been a huge amplifier for our brand.\n\n224\n00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:48.000\nBut I think also it's out of total necessity.\n\n225\n00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:49.920\nOur stores, we don't own them.\n\n226\n00:10:49.920 --> 00:10:54.650\nAnd so there's so much good about getting a nostalgic brand because you do have\n\n227\n00:10:54.650 --> 00:10:55.120\nall of\n\n228\n00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:56.960\nthis brand equity in these memories.\n\n229\n00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:01.090\nAnd you come with a base of people who like your stores just like you did with\n\n230\n00:11:01.090 --> 00:11:01.440\nKentucky\n\n231\n00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:03.000\nfried chicken.\n\n232\n00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.440\nBut you also get the company as is, right?\n\n233\n00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:10.120\nIt's not the company you would have built from the ground up if you had to\n\n234\n00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:10.640\nstart at\n\n235\n00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:11.640\nzero.\n\n236\n00:11:11.640 --> 00:11:17.090\nAnd so I have to deal with the lack of physical assets, which is one of those\n\n237\n00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:17.760\nchallenges that\n\n238\n00:11:17.760 --> 00:11:22.480\ngets me up at 3 AM that we don't control the stores yet.\n\n239\n00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.800\nSo how I deal with it is I have a business partner.\n\n240\n00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:29.480\nSo we have a short-term strategy, which is like a three-year plan, three to\n\n241\n00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:30.520\nfive years.\n\n242\n00:11:30.520 --> 00:11:35.530\nAnd then beyond that, our longer-term plan is we really will have more physical\n\n243\n00:11:35.530 --> 00:11:36.240\nassets.\n\n244\n00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:41.800\nBut I think if you don't embrace digital technology in this day and age, your\n\n245\n00:11:41.800 --> 00:11:43.200\nbrand is going to\n\n246\n00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:44.920\njust go by the wayside.\n\n247\n00:11:44.920 --> 00:11:47.960\nYeah, I was thinking about your particular situation.\n\n248\n00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:54.920\nAnd you really are a startup with a legacy or heritage brand.\n\n249\n00:11:54.920 --> 00:11:57.600\nYou don't have much to build from.\n\n250\n00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:00.440\nSo now you're really creating this startup.\n\n251\n00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:01.840\nHow do you see yourself?\n\n252\n00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.280\nWell, let me tell you how I see the brand.\n\n253\n00:12:04.280 --> 00:12:08.200\nAnd then I in many ways feel like I am the personification of the brand.\n\n254\n00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:09.440\nIt bears my name.\n\n255\n00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:13.710\nSo it's hard not to identify really on a emotional, personal level with this\n\n256\n00:12:13.710 --> 00:12:14.360\nbrand.\n\n257\n00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.600\nI joke that we are an 80-year-old startup.\n\n258\n00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:22.270\nAnd initially it was really hard for me, but then I decided you need to embrace\n\n259\n00:12:22.270 --> 00:12:23.280\nthat startup\n\n260\n00:12:23.280 --> 00:12:24.280\nmentality.\n\n261\n00:12:24.280 --> 00:12:29.740\nAnd frankly, I think of more CEOs, even those who have totally well-established\n\n262\n00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:30.960\ncorporations,\n\n263\n00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:36.550\nand they've got millions or billions in assets, if you grasp onto that startup\n\n264\n00:12:36.550 --> 00:12:37.760\nmentality,\n\n265\n00:12:37.760 --> 00:12:42.080\nthat constantly innovating mentality, I think it's what keeps your edge.\n\n266\n00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:48.260\nSo I'm in a way really grateful for the fact that we are this scrappy comeback\n\n267\n00:12:48.260 --> 00:12:49.040\nbrand.\n\n268\n00:12:49.040 --> 00:12:53.080\nSo I see myself as an innovator, as an entrepreneur.\n\n269\n00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:56.200\nAnd I think that term often gets overused.\n\n270\n00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:00.560\nSometimes you're not an entrepreneur, you're just a small business.\n\n271\n00:13:00.560 --> 00:13:05.410\nBut if you're an entrepreneur, the way I see it, you're constantly having to\n\n272\n00:13:05.410 --> 00:13:06.360\ninnovate.\n\n273\n00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:11.960\nYou're constantly having to figure out how to move your company forward and\n\n274\n00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:13.200\nyour problem-solving\n\n275\n00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:14.880\nnight and day.\n\n276\n00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:18.400\nWhat's the biggest problem you've had to solve in the last few months?\n\n277\n00:13:18.400 --> 00:13:20.960\nOh, supply chain issues.\n\n278\n00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:27.600\nSo we bought a candy plant, my business partner and I, in January of 2021.\n\n279\n00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:33.440\nI'm a big believer in making bold moves, but don't bet the farm, right?\n\n280\n00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:37.600\nSo take risk, but do them in a way that are structured that you can afford to\n\n281\n00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:38.160\nfail if\n\n282\n00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:39.680\nit doesn't work out.\n\n283\n00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:41.880\nBut this was our bold move.\n\n284\n00:13:41.880 --> 00:13:43.600\nWe felt really confident about it.\n\n285\n00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:44.600\nWe ran the numbers.\n\n286\n00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.680\nWe got great partners with our small town community bank and the small business\n\n287\n00:13:48.680 --> 00:13:49.840\nadministration.\n\n288\n00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.960\nSo we bought this candy plant.\n\n289\n00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:55.610\nAnd I think what's really important to realize, so often we see, especially\n\n290\n00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:56.600\nlike on LinkedIn,\n\n291\n00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.640\nwhich I follow every day, you see these big headlines.\n\n292\n00:13:59.640 --> 00:14:00.640\nWe've made this great move.\n\n293\n00:14:00.640 --> 00:14:02.240\nWe bought this candy plant.\n\n294\n00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:03.240\nBam.\n\n295\n00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:06.560\nWell, there's a lot of work that gets involved afterwards.\n\n296\n00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:09.040\nIt's the, and then what?\n\n297\n00:14:09.040 --> 00:14:10.600\nSo you did this.\n\n298\n00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:11.600\nNow you got it.\n\n299\n00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:12.600\nWhat are you going to do?\n\n300\n00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:16.990\nWe're the dog that caught the proverbial fender when we got the capacity to\n\n301\n00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:17.600\nmake our\n\n302\n00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:19.040\nown product.\n\n303\n00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:22.240\nSo we're having to deal with packaging issues.\n\n304\n00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:28.740\nWe're having to deal with getting our machinery up to standards because this is\n\n305\n00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:29.560\na good problem\n\n306\n00:14:29.560 --> 00:14:30.560\nto have.\n\n307\n00:14:30.560 --> 00:14:32.000\nIt's sales or skyrocketing for us.\n\n308\n00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.570\nNow, are you selling your candy in the grocery stores or just through your\n\n309\n00:14:35.570 --> 00:14:36.240\noutlets?\n\n310\n00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:37.240\nBoth.\n\n311\n00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:44.320\nAnd sea stores and mom and pop gift shops and hotel chains and corporate gifts\n\n312\n00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:45.000\nand break\n\n313\n00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:47.480\nrooms for large companies.\n\n314\n00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:53.320\nSo you really are creating a package goods brand that you want to try to build.\n\n315\n00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:56.600\nSo you look at your hard assets as a way to kind of build the brand.\n\n316\n00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:00.380\nBut the big idea for you in the future is really package goods and selling the\n\n317\n00:15:00.380 --> 00:15:00.840\nproduct\n\n318\n00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:01.840\nonline.\n\n319\n00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.840\nI'm curious about that because how do you bring the road trip idea to a package\n\n320\n00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:07.560\ngoods business?\n\n321\n00:15:07.560 --> 00:15:08.760\nThat's the long term plan.\n\n322\n00:15:08.760 --> 00:15:12.600\nSo the short term plan is I have to drive revenue.\n\n323\n00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:16.440\nYou can't have a company if you don't have money and capital.\n\n324\n00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:18.400\nAnd so we had to make the company profitable.\n\n325\n00:15:18.400 --> 00:15:22.000\nWe first had to get out of debt and then we had to make the company profitable.\n\n326\n00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.850\nAnd how I did that was just looking at the books and figuring out what drives\n\n327\n00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:27.840\nour revenue.\n\n328\n00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:31.840\nAnd I literally put on paper buckets of where we're getting our money.\n\n329\n00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:37.150\nAnd I realized that our licensing slash what used to be a franchise program,\n\n330\n00:15:37.150 --> 00:15:37.840\nthat was a\n\n331\n00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:41.120\nvery modest amount of our revenue.\n\n332\n00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:44.810\nThe bulk of our revenue was from the sale of our product, which is why we\n\n333\n00:15:44.810 --> 00:15:45.480\nbought the\n\n334\n00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:46.480\ncandy plant.\n\n335\n00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.960\nAnd it's also a pecan shelling facility.\n\n336\n00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.200\nSo we make healthy snacks, pecan snacks as well.\n\n337\n00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.120\nWe have a full line of snack nuts.\n\n338\n00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:58.080\nWe were driving our revenue through the packaged goods.\n\n339\n00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:03.930\nAnd so that's how we're getting the brand forward is by getting more retailers\n\n340\n00:16:03.930 --> 00:16:04.560\nand also\n\n341\n00:16:04.560 --> 00:16:06.440\nselling online for the product.\n\n342\n00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:07.880\nAnd we can also control the quality.\n\n343\n00:16:07.880 --> 00:16:12.280\nWe can control the margins and we're now able to private label.\n\n344\n00:16:12.280 --> 00:16:15.620\nSo if we get in a grocery channel and the grocery store says, well, we'd like\n\n345\n00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:16.080\nto have\n\n346\n00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:20.170\nour public's brand or the whole foods brand and not the Stuckey's brand, well,\n\n347\n00:16:20.170 --> 00:16:20.600\nwe can\n\n348\n00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:24.720\nmake product for them because we're the manufacturer.\n\n349\n00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:29.730\nHow we sell the road trip is by being very brand forward in everything we do\n\n350\n00:16:29.730 --> 00:16:30.880\nand constantly\n\n351\n00:16:30.880 --> 00:16:32.960\ntelling the story of the brand.\n\n352\n00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.480\nTo me, it's bigger than marketing.\n\n353\n00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:36.240\nIt's storytelling.\n\n354\n00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:41.130\nSo if you follow me on LinkedIn or on other social media posts, you'll see what\n\n355\n00:16:41.130 --> 00:16:41.600\nI post\n\n356\n00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:47.340\nabout is road tripping, small town America, exploring this country and the\n\n357\n00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:48.360\nbrand is just\n\n358\n00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:49.960\npart of that.\n\n359\n00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:53.720\nBut our displays look like little Stuckey stores.\n\n360\n00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:59.240\nSo we've got a really great display that's got our traditional sloped teal roof\n\n361\n00:16:59.240 --> 00:16:59.760\nwith a\n\n362\n00:16:59.760 --> 00:17:04.900\nStuckey's logo on the side and you really get the experience of visiting a mini\n\n363\n00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:05.520\nStuckey\n\n364\n00:17:05.520 --> 00:17:06.520\nstore.\n\n365\n00:17:06.520 --> 00:17:11.680\nSo we're trying to bring the Stuckey store to other businesses and create that\n\n366\n00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:11.680\nsense\n\n367\n00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:14.720\nof fun that you get from a road trip.\n\n368\n00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.920\nAnd as you think about your licensees and your franchisees, they're kind of the\n\n369\n00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:19.520\nbusiness\n\n370\n00:17:19.520 --> 00:17:21.720\nthat you had in the past.\n\n371\n00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:27.720\nAnd a lot of those outlets, I'm sure, aren't what you really want to have.\n\n372\n00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:30.840\nSo how are you rebuilding the brand with them?\n\n373\n00:17:30.840 --> 00:17:34.200\nAs I'm sure you've got some assets that need a paint job.\n\n374\n00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:37.760\nWe all see those kinds of issues in the restaurant business.\n\n375\n00:17:37.760 --> 00:17:41.440\nHow are you dealing with the franchisees or licensees to make that happen?\n\n376\n00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:42.880\nSo it's a real challenge.\n\n377\n00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:44.160\nI'll be totally honest.\n\n378\n00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.920\nThis is my 3 a.m. problem.\n\n379\n00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:51.700\nI'm doing what I can with what I've got for now while constantly trying to get\n\n380\n00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:52.000\nmore.\n\n381\n00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:56.960\nSo what I'm doing now is we've got a sales team.\n\n382\n00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:01.760\nSo we have sales reps who go out and visit the stores and they work with the\n\n383\n00:18:01.760 --> 00:18:02.600\nlicensees\n\n384\n00:18:02.600 --> 00:18:05.800\nto help them improve the quality of their stores.\n\n385\n00:18:05.800 --> 00:18:09.620\nWe brand and market in a way that promotes the stores to get people excited\n\n386\n00:18:09.620 --> 00:18:10.400\nabout them.\n\n387\n00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:14.810\nAnd we found that as more people start coming to the stores and start talking\n\n388\n00:18:14.810 --> 00:18:15.960\nto the management,\n\n389\n00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:19.320\nthey realize that the brand is getting a refresh.\n\n390\n00:18:19.320 --> 00:18:20.600\nIt's coming back.\n\n391\n00:18:20.600 --> 00:18:26.240\nSo that sort of empowers the franchisees to get more excited about the brand.\n\n392\n00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.600\nWe're also doing what we can to give them like I referenced before.\n\n393\n00:18:29.600 --> 00:18:34.040\nDisplay, signage, marketing, as much as we can within our budget.\n\n394\n00:18:34.040 --> 00:18:40.600\nSo that's my dealing with what my assets are on hand, my capacity now.\n\n395\n00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:44.650\nWhat I'm also doing is constantly pitching, trying to get some financial\n\n396\n00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:45.520\ninvestors and\n\n397\n00:18:45.520 --> 00:18:49.480\npartners who might be interested in the brick and mortar aspect of the business\n\n398\n00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:49.720\n.\n\n399\n00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:53.880\nAnd I kiss a lot of frogs and I am persistent.\n\n400\n00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:55.880\nI am not easily dissuaded.\n\n401\n00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:59.720\nAnd a financial investor to me is like a partner.\n\n402\n00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:05.310\nAnd I've learned so much from frankly kissing frogs that didn't turn into\n\n403\n00:19:05.310 --> 00:19:06.760\nprincess because\n\n404\n00:19:06.760 --> 00:19:11.440\nI realized that a lot of the private equity just that's not a good fit for us.\n\n405\n00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:15.880\nWe're not a three to five year return on investment, flip the asset type of\n\n406\n00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:16.920\ninvestment.\n\n407\n00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:20.080\nWe are a long term brand.\n\n408\n00:19:20.080 --> 00:19:22.240\nIt's the Warren Buffett School of Investment.\n\n409\n00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:26.160\nYou buy a company, you stick with it through the ups and downs.\n\n410\n00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:30.360\nI want Warren Buffett as an investor, but I realize that is probably not\n\n411\n00:19:30.360 --> 00:19:31.280\nrealistic.\n\n412\n00:19:31.280 --> 00:19:34.870\nBut I actually am talking to someone who seems very encouraging, who seems to\n\n413\n00:19:34.870 --> 00:19:36.360\nget the brand\n\n414\n00:19:36.360 --> 00:19:41.240\nwho might be interested in partnering with us to create what I have termed\n\n415\n00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:42.280\ninternally.\n\n416\n00:19:42.280 --> 00:19:45.040\nAnd I also talk about it as the Stuckey's Oasis.\n\n417\n00:19:45.040 --> 00:19:50.520\nSo I have a plan for what the stores would look like moving forward.\n\n418\n00:19:50.520 --> 00:19:52.040\nAnd it's a true experience.\n\n419\n00:19:52.040 --> 00:19:53.720\nYou would pull over.\n\n420\n00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:57.200\nWe would have coin operated amusement machines like Zoltar.\n\n421\n00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:02.920\nBy the way, I met the guy who makes Zoltar and I was super excited about that.\n\n422\n00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:07.760\nSo you really have a Stuckey store of the future in mind.\n\n423\n00:20:07.760 --> 00:20:09.440\nBut you haven't built it yet.\n\n424\n00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:13.600\nSo you're trying to get an investor to help you build that store.\n\n425\n00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:16.800\nAnd then you'll build the rest of your business around that vision.\n\n426\n00:20:16.800 --> 00:20:17.800\nYes.\n\n427\n00:20:17.800 --> 00:20:22.080\nBut in the meantime, we're making it work, we're turning a profit.\n\n428\n00:20:22.080 --> 00:20:28.330\nWe went from about when I bought the company, we had less than 10 employees and\n\n429\n00:20:28.330 --> 00:20:29.360\nwe are approaching\n\n430\n00:20:29.360 --> 00:20:31.000\n150.\n\n431\n00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.080\nAnd it hasn't even been two years.\n\n432\n00:20:33.080 --> 00:20:34.080\nWe're so different.\n\n433\n00:20:34.080 --> 00:20:38.750\nI listen to your show a lot and you talk to companies that are Fortune 500 and\n\n434\n00:20:38.750 --> 00:20:39.240\nthousands\n\n435\n00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:42.320\nand tens of thousands of employees and billions of assets.\n\n436\n00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:46.100\nAnd we're the scrappy comeback brand that is definitely punching above our\n\n437\n00:20:46.100 --> 00:20:46.680\nweight.\n\n438\n00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:47.680\nYeah.\n\n439\n00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:48.680\nWell, you've got a big challenge here.\n\n440\n00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:53.930\nBut it sounds like if you can get that store of the future and then you can\n\n441\n00:20:53.930 --> 00:20:55.000\nbuild the package\n\n442\n00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.560\ngood side of the equation, you can end up with a real brand and you've made an\n\n443\n00:20:59.560 --> 00:21:00.440\nacquisition\n\n444\n00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:04.320\nthat kind of gets you in the better for you arena with the, you call them pec\n\n445\n00:21:04.320 --> 00:21:04.800\nans.\n\n446\n00:21:04.800 --> 00:21:08.240\nI come from the pecan world, not the pecan world, but it doesn't matter.\n\n447\n00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:09.240\nI love pecans.\n\n448\n00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:10.240\nThey're great.\n\n449\n00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:14.480\nSo it seems like you got a lot of upside with this brand, but I am curious, you\n\n450\n00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:14.560\nknow,\n\n451\n00:21:14.560 --> 00:21:18.200\nyou come back into the fray, you buy the business.\n\n452\n00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.960\nNow you've got franchisees, licensees to deal with.\n\n453\n00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:25.280\nThere's been no one to be found in the previous five, six years.\n\n454\n00:21:25.280 --> 00:21:27.320\nSo you jump back into their life.\n\n455\n00:21:27.320 --> 00:21:30.200\nHow have the franchisees and licensees embraced you?\n\n456\n00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:31.800\nIt's all over the board.\n\n457\n00:21:31.800 --> 00:21:37.080\nWe have some that frankly were not serving the brand and it was not a good fit.\n\n458\n00:21:37.080 --> 00:21:38.720\nWe've had to debrand a couple.\n\n459\n00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:40.440\nI'm trying not to debrand them.\n\n460\n00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:42.160\nOne, just the financial reality.\n\n461\n00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:43.240\nWe needed the income.\n\n462\n00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:48.670\nTwo, I'm a big believer in trying to work with people and see if you can\n\n463\n00:21:48.670 --> 00:21:49.880\nsupport them.\n\n464\n00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:54.670\nThat's always been my approach to management leadership is to work with people\n\n465\n00:21:54.670 --> 00:21:55.160\nto bring\n\n466\n00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:58.800\nout the best in them and give them the support that they need.\n\n467\n00:21:58.800 --> 00:22:01.520\nAnd so many of them just need support.\n\n468\n00:22:01.520 --> 00:22:05.040\nWe're just working with them and making sure that they understand the direction\n\n469\n00:22:05.040 --> 00:22:05.400\nwhich we're\n\n470\n00:22:05.400 --> 00:22:06.400\ngoing.\n\n471\n00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:08.800\nI went on a road trip when I first bought the company.\n\n472\n00:22:08.800 --> 00:22:13.630\nI literally got in my car and of course COVID hit within three months, but I\n\n473\n00:22:13.630 --> 00:22:14.320\njust started\n\n474\n00:22:14.320 --> 00:22:19.560\ndriving around the country and started meeting with them one on one.\n\n475\n00:22:19.560 --> 00:22:23.630\nAnd they really appreciated that I took the time and I'd spent time in the\n\n476\n00:22:23.630 --> 00:22:23.920\nstores.\n\n477\n00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.200\nI sat in the stores just like what my grandfather did.\n\n478\n00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:28.400\nI watched people.\n\n479\n00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:30.360\nI watched how they interacted with the stores.\n\n480\n00:22:30.360 --> 00:22:31.360\nI talked to them.\n\n481\n00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:34.540\nI just go up to them and say, why don't you pull over at this store instead of\n\n482\n00:22:34.540 --> 00:22:35.080\nthe truck\n\n483\n00:22:35.080 --> 00:22:36.400\nstop across the street?\n\n484\n00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:37.800\nWhat interested you about Stuckey?\n\n485\n00:22:37.800 --> 00:22:39.480\nWhat made you pull over?\n\n486\n00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:43.050\nThat's interesting because my number one priority was always to get out on the\n\n487\n00:22:43.050 --> 00:22:43.720\nstores, find\n\n488\n00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.600\nout what was really happening with the front line and the people that are\n\n489\n00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:47.280\nclosest to the\n\n490\n00:22:47.280 --> 00:22:48.280\ncustomer.\n\n491\n00:22:48.280 --> 00:22:51.960\nWhat would be the top three insights you picked up by doing that?\n\n492\n00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:57.650\nThe number one was that people knew the brand and that was the most encouraging\n\n493\n00:22:57.650 --> 00:22:58.240\nand a little\n\n494\n00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:02.550\nsurprising because honestly, we are a dusty brand, but it's just been so\n\n495\n00:23:02.550 --> 00:23:03.360\nrewarding to\n\n496\n00:23:03.360 --> 00:23:04.520\nfind out.\n\n497\n00:23:04.520 --> 00:23:11.720\nI think with these nostalgic legacy brands, what you'll see is the people who\n\n498\n00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:12.360\nare loyal\n\n499\n00:23:12.360 --> 00:23:15.200\nto the brand are loyal.\n\n500\n00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:19.870\nAnother was, this was something my grandfather always pushed for, was proximity\n\n501\n00:23:19.870 --> 00:23:21.200\nto the interstate.\n\n502\n00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:22.200\nJust ease.\n\n503\n00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.760\nPeople want what's easy and convenient.\n\n504\n00:23:23.760 --> 00:23:28.920\nSo if the Stuckeys happen to be located right when you pull over, that makes a\n\n505\n00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:30.360\ndifference.\n\n506\n00:23:30.360 --> 00:23:33.630\nAnd here was something my grandfather did and it played out when I talked to\n\n507\n00:23:33.630 --> 00:23:34.160\npeople.\n\n508\n00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:36.680\nThey said, well, I saw these other cars out there.\n\n509\n00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:41.690\nMy grandfather used to get all the employees to park their cars out front, like\n\n510\n00:23:41.690 --> 00:23:42.560\nway up front.\n\n511\n00:23:42.560 --> 00:23:45.510\nAnd then he would just ask people, like, can you get your friends to park the\n\n512\n00:23:45.510 --> 00:23:46.440\ncars here?\n\n513\n00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:51.880\nSo you're more likely to pull over at a business if their car's out front.\n\n514\n00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:53.400\nAnd that's what people told me.\n\n515\n00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:57.360\nThey're like, yeah, I saw the cars out front.\n\n516\n00:23:57.360 --> 00:23:58.360\nI love that.\n\n517\n00:23:58.360 --> 00:24:01.600\nYou know, that's what entrepreneurs do.\n\n518\n00:24:01.600 --> 00:24:06.300\nThey watch customers, they see the behavior and then they pull it off by doing\n\n519\n00:24:06.300 --> 00:24:06.880\nexactly\n\n520\n00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:07.880\nthat.\n\n521\n00:24:07.880 --> 00:24:08.880\nThat's fantastic.\n\n522\n00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:09.880\nYou know, I count license plates.\n\n523\n00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:12.480\nYou'll see me in the parking lot reading of my competitors.\n\n524\n00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:17.160\nI'll be in the parking lot looking at where they're from, what kind of cars are\n\n525\n00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:17.760\nthey?\n\n526\n00:24:17.760 --> 00:24:18.760\nDo they have luggage?\n\n527\n00:24:18.760 --> 00:24:19.760\nI'm real snoopy.\n\n528\n00:24:19.760 --> 00:24:20.760\nI'm looking at them.\n\n529\n00:24:20.760 --> 00:24:23.760\nI'm not a fan of my vacation.\n\n530\n00:24:23.760 --> 00:24:24.760\nIt's the family.\n\n531\n00:24:24.760 --> 00:24:28.340\nYou want to get a sense for who's stopping at your stores or at your competitor\n\n532\n00:24:28.340 --> 00:24:28.760\nstores\n\n533\n00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:30.120\nand why?\n\n534\n00:24:30.120 --> 00:24:32.040\nYou know, you said it up front, Stephanie.\n\n535\n00:24:32.040 --> 00:24:34.400\nNow, you know, the Stucky, that's your name.\n\n536\n00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:37.040\nYou're now the leader of a family business.\n\n537\n00:24:37.040 --> 00:24:39.840\nTell us a little bit about your upbringing.\n\n538\n00:24:39.840 --> 00:24:44.600\nSo I would love to say I had this scrappy hard knock life.\n\n539\n00:24:44.600 --> 00:24:45.680\nAnd I did not.\n\n540\n00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:49.760\nI actually was very privileged.\n\n541\n00:24:49.760 --> 00:24:53.280\nI am the fourth of five children.\n\n542\n00:24:53.280 --> 00:24:56.720\nMy dad got elected to Congress when I was a year old.\n\n543\n00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:59.200\nAnd so we left Eastman, Georgia, our hometown.\n\n544\n00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:05.200\nAnd I actually grew up in Washington, D.C. and went to an elite private school\n\n545\n00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:05.840\nand grew\n\n546\n00:25:05.840 --> 00:25:11.840\nup with Roosevelt's and Kennedy's and all sorts of politicians, kids.\n\n547\n00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:15.400\nRoosevelt's Kennedy's and Stucky's, you know.\n\n548\n00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:20.160\nSo you're like the fourth out of five kids, so you weren't born number one.\n\n549\n00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.080\nYou're kind of like a middle child.\n\n550\n00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:24.560\nI mean, did that motivate you in any way?\n\n551\n00:25:24.560 --> 00:25:25.560\nAbsolutely.\n\n552\n00:25:25.560 --> 00:25:31.230\nBeing, I am such a strong proponent for middle children being good leaders\n\n553\n00:25:31.230 --> 00:25:32.360\nbecause, you know,\n\n554\n00:25:32.360 --> 00:25:34.920\nsomeone said this to me once and I was offended at first.\n\n555\n00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:36.920\nAnd then I thought, you know what, it's actually an advantage.\n\n556\n00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:39.880\nShe said, you got a bit of a chip on your shoulder.\n\n557\n00:25:39.880 --> 00:25:40.880\nAnd I was like, no, I don't.\n\n558\n00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:43.240\nAnd I was like, yeah, actually I kind of do.\n\n559\n00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:45.800\nYou feel like pay attention to me.\n\n560\n00:25:45.800 --> 00:25:47.600\nYou know, like I'm here.\n\n561\n00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:49.360\nI'm putting my hand up.\n\n562\n00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:52.800\nAnd so I think middle children sometimes feel like they have to work a little\n\n563\n00:25:52.800 --> 00:25:53.960\nharder because\n\n564\n00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:54.960\nwe do.\n\n565\n00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:57.960\nWe're also more of consensus builders.\n\n566\n00:25:57.960 --> 00:26:01.370\nAnd there's a bit of like goal on to get along, but then you also pair that\n\n567\n00:26:01.370 --> 00:26:02.120\nwith wanting\n\n568\n00:26:02.120 --> 00:26:03.120\nattention.\n\n569\n00:26:03.120 --> 00:26:05.040\nI think it's just the right mix.\n\n570\n00:26:05.040 --> 00:26:07.600\nBut Stucky's was nothing growing up in D.C.\n\n571\n00:26:07.600 --> 00:26:10.910\nIt was so nice because if I'd grown up in Eastman, Georgia, I would have had\n\n572\n00:26:10.910 --> 00:26:11.520\nthis false\n\n573\n00:26:11.520 --> 00:26:13.800\nsense of being this P.K.\n\n574\n00:26:13.800 --> 00:26:18.720\nLoggerall era is like, I was something bigger than what we are.\n\n575\n00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:19.960\nNo one should feel that way.\n\n576\n00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:22.560\nAnd so I certainly didn't feel that way growing up.\n\n577\n00:26:22.560 --> 00:26:26.480\nJohn Hines was in my class, you know, the ketchup fortune.\n\n578\n00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:28.640\nStucky's compared to Hines.\n\n579\n00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:30.400\nNot in the same way.\n\n580\n00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:32.160\nSo it was good.\n\n581\n00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.960\nBut it sounds like you're pretty competitive though.\n\n582\n00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:34.960\nDoes that really drive you?\n\n583\n00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:39.840\nI mean, it's like you're around all these big time families.\n\n584\n00:26:39.840 --> 00:26:42.400\nThat drive you at all or what drive you most?\n\n585\n00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:45.400\nThat or being the fourth of the fifth kid?\n\n586\n00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:51.070\nI think being the fourth of the fifth kid and also seeing what happened to our\n\n587\n00:26:51.070 --> 00:26:51.560\nbrand,\n\n588\n00:26:51.560 --> 00:26:54.360\nI think the Stucky story is unique in many ways.\n\n589\n00:26:54.360 --> 00:26:57.760\nBut one of the things that's most special about our brand and the only other\n\n590\n00:26:57.760 --> 00:26:58.240\ncompany\n\n591\n00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:02.650\nI'm aware of that has a similar story is Bell's, the department store, that it\n\n592\n00:27:02.650 --> 00:27:03.400\nfell out of\n\n593\n00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:07.920\nour hands and we had lost it for decades and we got it back.\n\n594\n00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:14.980\nI mean, that is just such a motivating factor for me that we lost this and we\n\n595\n00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:16.240\n've got a chance\n\n596\n00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.240\nto remake it.\n\n597\n00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:21.580\nAnd I think how many people have a family brand that had a visionary founder\n\n598\n00:27:21.580 --> 00:27:22.000\nand it\n\n599\n00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:25.300\nfell out of the family hands and it lost the magic and they had a chance to\n\n600\n00:27:25.300 --> 00:27:26.360\nbring it back.\n\n601\n00:27:26.360 --> 00:27:31.640\nI get messages every single day, probably 10 a day from people who lost their\n\n602\n00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:32.200\nfamily\n\n603\n00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:34.800\nbusiness and they say, I am rooting for you.\n\n604\n00:27:34.800 --> 00:27:35.800\nOh, that's great.\n\n605\n00:27:35.800 --> 00:27:39.930\nWe lost it and my grandfather's business was sold, my great grandfather's\n\n606\n00:27:39.930 --> 00:27:40.640\nbusiness was\n\n607\n00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:43.120\nsold, it breaks my heart to see what happened.\n\n608\n00:27:43.120 --> 00:27:45.080\nI want you to make it.\n\n609\n00:27:45.080 --> 00:27:46.080\nThat's great.\n\n610\n00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:49.000\nAnd speaking of grandfathers, you've already talked a little bit about him.\n\n611\n00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:52.690\nYou have obviously had a lot of admiration for him and then you bought your\n\n612\n00:27:52.690 --> 00:27:53.260\nbusiness\n\n613\n00:27:53.260 --> 00:27:57.910\nfrom your father where it sounds like Stucky's was kind of a stepchild, not a\n\n614\n00:27:57.910 --> 00:27:58.920\nreally a big\n\n615\n00:27:58.920 --> 00:27:59.920\ndeal.\n\n616\n00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:02.640\nSo how do you deal with your father today?\n\n617\n00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:04.600\nWell, it's very interesting.\n\n618\n00:28:04.600 --> 00:28:09.050\nSo I will say the first six months were really rocky and not to get into too\n\n619\n00:28:09.050 --> 00:28:10.120\nmuch detail,\n\n620\n00:28:10.120 --> 00:28:13.900\nbut I'm a lawyer by training and it really served me well during this period\n\n621\n00:28:13.900 --> 00:28:14.560\ntrying to\n\n622\n00:28:14.560 --> 00:28:16.480\nnegotiate the sale.\n\n623\n00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:20.220\nThe reason I bought the company, usually you're a three-year third generation\n\n624\n00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:20.760\nof a family\n\n625\n00:28:20.760 --> 00:28:22.960\nbusiness, you don't have to pay for it.\n\n626\n00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.120\nYou inherit the business.\n\n627\n00:28:25.120 --> 00:28:27.680\nBut what happened with me is my dad had business partners.\n\n628\n00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:29.440\nHe had five business partners.\n\n629\n00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:32.680\nSo I initially bought out his business partners.\n\n630\n00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:34.320\nThey wanted to sell.\n\n631\n00:28:34.320 --> 00:28:37.000\nMy dad hung on to his shares.\n\n632\n00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.640\nHe had 51%.\n\n633\n00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:42.280\nAnd those first six months were really hard.\n\n634\n00:28:42.280 --> 00:28:44.480\nEverything I did, he was questioning.\n\n635\n00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:48.920\nHe's retired and he would call me from his lazy boy recliner on his FaceTime\n\n636\n00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:49.600\nand just,\n\n637\n00:28:49.600 --> 00:28:50.600\n\"Why are you doing this?\n\n638\n00:28:50.600 --> 00:28:51.600\nWhy are you doing that?\"\n\n639\n00:28:51.600 --> 00:28:53.240\nYou know, \"Are you watching the bottom line?\n\n640\n00:28:53.240 --> 00:28:54.680\nYou've sent me the balance sheets.\"\n\n641\n00:28:54.680 --> 00:28:58.880\nAnd I finally sat him down and I said, \"I can have a father or I can have a\n\n642\n00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:00.040\nbusiness partner,\n\n643\n00:29:00.040 --> 00:29:01.360\nbut I can't have both.\"\n\n644\n00:29:01.360 --> 00:29:06.290\nAnd it was really a huge sacrifice for me to take a complete career and life\n\n645\n00:29:06.290 --> 00:29:06.960\npivot at\n\n646\n00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:08.720\nage 53 to buy this company.\n\n647\n00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.760\nI said, \"I will pivot back.\n\n648\n00:29:10.760 --> 00:29:13.000\nI'll go back to what I was doing before.\n\n649\n00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:15.000\nI still got my law degree.\n\n650\n00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:17.240\nYou have to sell to me.\"\n\n651\n00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:19.840\nAnd he thought about it and he came back.\n\n652\n00:29:19.840 --> 00:29:22.080\nAnd it got a little complicated.\n\n653\n00:29:22.080 --> 00:29:24.400\nThis is really where the law degree helped.\n\n654\n00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.280\nHe only outright owned 2%.\n\n655\n00:29:26.280 --> 00:29:28.720\nThe rest was in irrevocable trust.\n\n656\n00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:34.270\nSo I had to work with his trustee to make sure that it was a good decision to\n\n657\n00:29:34.270 --> 00:29:35.800\nsell the assets.\n\n658\n00:29:35.800 --> 00:29:40.840\nAnd at that point, I went to my dad at six months because that's when I turned\n\n659\n00:29:40.840 --> 00:29:41.720\na profit.\n\n660\n00:29:41.720 --> 00:29:46.880\nAnd so I proved to him I could make the company profitable.\n\n661\n00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:51.320\nAnd so from that moment on though, it's like, \"I got my dad back.\"\n\n662\n00:29:51.320 --> 00:29:53.560\nWell, that's great.\n\n663\n00:29:53.560 --> 00:29:57.120\nYou're bringing back stockings and you're bringing back your relationship.\n\n664\n00:29:57.120 --> 00:29:58.120\nThat's cool.\n\n665\n00:29:58.120 --> 00:29:59.120\nI love that.\n\n666\n00:29:59.120 --> 00:30:01.000\nAnd thanks for being so honest on that.\n\n667\n00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:04.960\nAnd you mentioned you were a trial lawyer.\n\n668\n00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:07.800\nHow did that prepare you for what you're doing right now?\n\n669\n00:30:07.800 --> 00:30:10.730\nI mean, I know you just mentioned that you got through the irrevocable trust\n\n670\n00:30:10.730 --> 00:30:11.400\nissues.\n\n671\n00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:17.120\nBut what did being a trial lawyer do to get you ready to be this startup leader\n\n672\n00:30:17.120 --> 00:30:17.200\n?\n\n673\n00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:21.790\nSo not only was I a trial attorney, but I was actually a public defender for\n\n674\n00:30:21.790 --> 00:30:22.600\nmany years.\n\n675\n00:30:22.600 --> 00:30:24.400\nAnd then I segued into a different area of law.\n\n676\n00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:26.160\nI did environmental law.\n\n677\n00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:30.000\nBut both of those areas of law, I was always representing the underdog.\n\n678\n00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.270\nI mean, definitely being a public defender, you do criminal defense law and you\n\n679\n00:30:34.270 --> 00:30:34.760\nhave to\n\n680\n00:30:34.760 --> 00:30:39.800\nrepresent people who are often charged with some pretty heinous crimes.\n\n681\n00:30:39.800 --> 00:30:44.940\nAnd what that experience taught me was in order to do that credibly, and I'm a\n\n682\n00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:45.760\nbig believer\n\n683\n00:30:45.760 --> 00:30:48.850\nin being honest and forming an emotional connection, you have to form a\n\n684\n00:30:48.850 --> 00:30:50.560\nconnection with a jury\n\n685\n00:30:50.560 --> 00:30:52.200\nif you're a trial lawyer.\n\n686\n00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:58.880\nSo in order to do that, I had to find something redeeming about my client.\n\n687\n00:30:58.880 --> 00:30:59.880\nSometimes that was hard.\n\n688\n00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:03.240\nI had to figure out a way to connect with them.\n\n689\n00:31:03.240 --> 00:31:08.400\nWell, that's the same thing, trying to sell your brand and appeal to customers.\n\n690\n00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:11.400\nYou have to learn how to relate to people.\n\n691\n00:31:11.400 --> 00:31:16.330\nAnd if you buy a company that's in distress, that's in debt, you have to find\n\n692\n00:31:16.330 --> 00:31:17.200\nsomething\n\n693\n00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:18.920\nredeeming in that.\n\n694\n00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:23.080\nAnd not only that, you have to be able to stand up and advocate for that zeal\n\n695\n00:31:23.080 --> 00:31:25.120\nously and passionately.\n\n696\n00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:27.120\nAnd I learned that trying cases.\n\n697\n00:31:27.120 --> 00:31:28.840\nThat makes so much sense.\n\n698\n00:31:28.840 --> 00:31:33.170\nI always felt it's so important when you go into tough situations that you\n\n699\n00:31:33.170 --> 00:31:33.960\nround up and\n\n700\n00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:35.800\nyou trust in positive intentions.\n\n701\n00:31:35.800 --> 00:31:39.480\nAnd you believe that what you have is really something very important.\n\n702\n00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:43.410\nAnd another thing that I just love about your background is you served as a\n\n703\n00:31:43.410 --> 00:31:45.000\nstate representative\n\n704\n00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:47.480\nfor over a decade.\n\n705\n00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:48.840\nWhat did that teach you?\n\n706\n00:31:48.840 --> 00:31:49.840\nThe same thing.\n\n707\n00:31:49.840 --> 00:31:52.960\nI was passionate about the environment.\n\n708\n00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:59.340\nAnd so a lot of my career in the Georgia legislature, 14 years, was advocating\n\n709\n00:31:59.340 --> 00:32:00.320\nfor environmental\n\n710\n00:32:00.320 --> 00:32:03.200\nprotection, clean air, clean land, water.\n\n711\n00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:08.040\nI did a lot of advocacy work with minority communities.\n\n712\n00:32:08.040 --> 00:32:11.080\nIt was really interesting because of redistricting.\n\n713\n00:32:11.080 --> 00:32:20.570\nI went from a district that was 97% white to 63% African American overnight and\n\n714\n00:32:20.570 --> 00:32:21.360\nwas drawn\n\n715\n00:32:21.360 --> 00:32:25.570\ninto a district where the head of the NAACP for that county was already\n\n716\n00:32:25.570 --> 00:32:27.040\nactively campaigning\n\n717\n00:32:27.040 --> 00:32:28.040\nand running to the seat.\n\n718\n00:32:28.040 --> 00:32:32.960\nSo I had to run against the president of the NAACP and a majority African\n\n719\n00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:34.640\nAmerican district.\n\n720\n00:32:34.640 --> 00:32:40.750\nSo I learned so much from politics, running those campaigns, just putting\n\n721\n00:32:40.750 --> 00:32:41.880\nyourself out\n\n722\n00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:42.880\nthere.\n\n723\n00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:44.240\nThat was really, really hard for me.\n\n724\n00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:46.960\nI remember going to black churches.\n\n725\n00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:50.960\nI went as a kid with my dad actually when he was campaigning.\n\n726\n00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:55.470\nAnd I would go in this church and this mega church in South Dakota, there'd be\n\n727\n00:32:55.470 --> 00:32:56.200\na thousand\n\n728\n00:32:56.200 --> 00:33:01.320\npeople and I would be the only white person.\n\n729\n00:33:01.320 --> 00:33:05.840\nAnd I went to one and it was that big and the minister said, and we've got\n\n730\n00:33:05.840 --> 00:33:07.040\nsister Stucky\n\n731\n00:33:07.040 --> 00:33:08.040\nhere.\n\n732\n00:33:08.040 --> 00:33:09.960\nShe wants to be your next state rep.\n\n733\n00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:13.640\nWe want her to come on up to the pulpit and say a few words.\n\n734\n00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:18.320\nTalk about having to learn to talk quick on your feet.\n\n735\n00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:22.760\nWhat I learned from that is getting out of my comfort zone.\n\n736\n00:33:22.760 --> 00:33:25.360\nThat was really getting out of my comfort zone.\n\n737\n00:33:25.360 --> 00:33:26.360\nAnd guess what?\n\n738\n00:33:26.360 --> 00:33:27.360\nI won.\n\n739\n00:33:27.360 --> 00:33:28.360\nI won the election.\n\n740\n00:33:28.360 --> 00:33:32.960\nSix more years after that and then I decided it's time to let someone else try\n\n741\n00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:33.720\ntheir hand\n\n742\n00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:34.720\nat democracy.\n\n743\n00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:38.800\nI'm a big believer that you should not make politics or public service your\n\n744\n00:33:38.800 --> 00:33:39.480\ncareer.\n\n745\n00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:43.000\nWell I was wondering, you know, given your background that it makes sense.\n\n746\n00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:46.320\nNow this is kind of maybe a stretch, but I'm getting okay.\n\n747\n00:33:46.320 --> 00:33:47.680\nStephanie goes out.\n\n748\n00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:49.040\nShe takes over Stucky.\n\n749\n00:33:49.040 --> 00:33:51.320\nShe brings back this great heritage brand.\n\n750\n00:33:51.320 --> 00:33:54.320\nNow she's got even more visibility.\n\n751\n00:33:54.320 --> 00:33:56.680\nNow she runs for president.\n\n752\n00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:57.680\nNo.\n\n753\n00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:01.800\nI am definitely had a very atypical career.\n\n754\n00:34:01.800 --> 00:34:04.520\nUsually you see people going from business to politics.\n\n755\n00:34:04.520 --> 00:34:07.800\nI went from politics to business.\n\n756\n00:34:07.800 --> 00:34:12.320\nI went into politics because I was passionate about the issues.\n\n757\n00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:15.640\nI was passionate about the environment in particular.\n\n758\n00:34:15.640 --> 00:34:18.380\nAnd I thought that there needed to be more of a voice for the underdog and the\n\n759\n00:34:18.380 --> 00:34:18.800\nGeorgia\n\n760\n00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:21.880\nlegislature, something I still feel.\n\n761\n00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:25.040\nAnd I don't see myself going back to that.\n\n762\n00:34:25.040 --> 00:34:30.340\nBut I do see as I continue to support friends in politics, I do not mix dukies\n\n763\n00:34:30.340 --> 00:34:31.520\nin politics.\n\n764\n00:34:31.520 --> 00:34:34.800\nI definitely am an independent now.\n\n765\n00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:40.200\nI ran on a partisan ticket, but I have learned when you transition to running a\n\n766\n00:34:40.200 --> 00:34:40.960\ncompany.\n\n767\n00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:42.440\nRepublicans by P.K.\n\n768\n00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:44.800\nLog rolls too.\n\n769\n00:34:44.800 --> 00:34:51.200\nI really try to be fair-minded in my approach to politics now.\n\n770\n00:34:51.200 --> 00:34:55.150\nAnd even when I was in office, I really viewed myself as the middle child and\n\n771\n00:34:55.150 --> 00:34:57.280\nconsensus builder.\n\n772\n00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:01.040\nYou know, now you're getting back to the Stuckey's brand.\n\n773\n00:35:01.040 --> 00:35:03.800\nInnovation is the lifeblood of any business.\n\n774\n00:35:03.800 --> 00:35:08.080\nAnd it's absolutely critical in the retail world that you're in.\n\n775\n00:35:08.080 --> 00:35:11.640\nHow do you think about Stuckey's in terms of innovation?\n\n776\n00:35:11.640 --> 00:35:15.220\nAnd what have you done recently that you're really particularly proud of that's\n\n777\n00:35:15.220 --> 00:35:15.720\nbreaking\n\n778\n00:35:15.720 --> 00:35:17.560\nnew ground for the brand?\n\n779\n00:35:17.560 --> 00:35:21.480\nIt's hard for me to point to a lot of good examples given the short tenure.\n\n780\n00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:27.770\nBut I will say innovation-wise, what we're doing is not as customer forward,\n\n781\n00:35:27.770 --> 00:35:29.200\nbut as critical\n\n782\n00:35:29.200 --> 00:35:31.880\nas I referenced earlier, sales are skyrocketing.\n\n783\n00:35:31.880 --> 00:35:35.160\nAnd I'm really a student of brands that I admire.\n\n784\n00:35:35.160 --> 00:35:39.360\nAnd I see what happens often is you get a visionary founder and they have a\n\n785\n00:35:39.360 --> 00:35:41.400\ngreat idea.\n\n786\n00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:45.760\nAnd they may not necessarily know how to scale that idea.\n\n787\n00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:50.040\nAnd that's where I see entrepreneurs having the biggest challenges is how do\n\n788\n00:35:50.040 --> 00:35:50.800\nyou scale?\n\n789\n00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:53.440\nAnd that's what we're dealing with right now.\n\n790\n00:35:53.440 --> 00:35:57.570\nAnd in order to scale, I think you need capital, you need financial capital and\n\n791\n00:35:57.570 --> 00:35:58.520\nhuman capital,\n\n792\n00:35:58.520 --> 00:35:59.720\nbut you need innovation.\n\n793\n00:35:59.720 --> 00:36:03.650\nI really think it's like a three-legged stool to scale your brand or your\n\n794\n00:36:03.650 --> 00:36:04.480\nbusiness.\n\n795\n00:36:04.480 --> 00:36:10.120\nAnd so what we've been doing, more behind the scenes to innovate is we're\n\n796\n00:36:10.120 --> 00:36:10.960\ngetting new\n\n797\n00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:15.840\nequipment, we're working on an extruder machine, which is what spits out the n\n\n798\n00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:16.600\nougat in the\n\n799\n00:36:16.600 --> 00:36:17.600\ncenter of candy.\n\n800\n00:36:17.600 --> 00:36:21.460\nThe amazing thing to me about the candy world is that a lot of equipment hasn't\n\n801\n00:36:21.460 --> 00:36:21.960\nchanged\n\n802\n00:36:21.960 --> 00:36:25.160\nsince that I love Lucy episode that everyone loves.\n\n803\n00:36:25.160 --> 00:36:29.430\nLike so much of that, we have that same piece of equipment that you see on that\n\n804\n00:36:29.430 --> 00:36:30.160\nepisode.\n\n805\n00:36:30.160 --> 00:36:32.240\nThat is one of the funniest episodes.\n\n806\n00:36:32.240 --> 00:36:33.240\nThat's great.\n\n807\n00:36:33.240 --> 00:36:34.240\nI can remember that one.\n\n808\n00:36:34.240 --> 00:36:37.600\nThat was filmed as C's candy, by the way, a Warren Buffett brand.\n\n809\n00:36:37.600 --> 00:36:42.140\nBut we're in the process of getting a new extruder and we've gotten some new pe\n\n810\n00:36:42.140 --> 00:36:42.480\ncan\n\n811\n00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:44.280\nshelling machines.\n\n812\n00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:45.880\nAnd these are six bigger machines.\n\n813\n00:36:45.880 --> 00:36:48.680\nSo for us to get the working capital to make sure that we can scale the\n\n814\n00:36:48.680 --> 00:36:49.640\noperations pretty\n\n815\n00:36:49.640 --> 00:36:50.640\ncritical.\n\n816\n00:36:50.640 --> 00:36:51.640\nSo we've done that.\n\n817\n00:36:51.640 --> 00:36:55.390\nAnd then we're not losing sight that there's still very much a human component\n\n818\n00:36:55.390 --> 00:36:56.200\nto our food\n\n819\n00:36:56.200 --> 00:36:57.400\nand our product.\n\n820\n00:36:57.400 --> 00:37:02.160\nAnd I know it sounds hokey, but I really do think when there's candy that's\n\n821\n00:37:02.160 --> 00:37:03.120\nmade in part\n\n822\n00:37:03.120 --> 00:37:07.560\nby hand, even in an industrial setting, you can taste the difference.\n\n823\n00:37:07.560 --> 00:37:12.400\nAnd so we did hire, we really don't spend a lot of money on consultants.\n\n824\n00:37:12.400 --> 00:37:17.090\nSo when we do, we try to be extremely strategic, but we hired a team to come in\n\n825\n00:37:17.090 --> 00:37:17.640\nand observe\n\n826\n00:37:17.640 --> 00:37:21.320\nour operations and figure out how to make our teams more effective.\n\n827\n00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:23.160\nWe're doing some training.\n\n828\n00:37:23.160 --> 00:37:29.600\nSo our innovation has been machinery and streamlining efficiencies.\n\n829\n00:37:29.600 --> 00:37:30.600\nThat's great.\n\n830\n00:37:30.600 --> 00:37:34.050\nYou know, it's such a fascinating thing that you're having to create almost,\n\n831\n00:37:34.050 --> 00:37:34.360\nyou know,\n\n832\n00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:36.760\nall this stuff basically from scratch.\n\n833\n00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:41.360\nNow you've gone from three people to 105 people, I think you mentioned.\n\n834\n00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:42.360\nOkay.\n\n835\n00:37:42.360 --> 00:37:44.200\nAlmost 150 during peak pecan season.\n\n836\n00:37:44.200 --> 00:37:45.200\nWe'll have that.\n\n837\n00:37:45.200 --> 00:37:46.200\nOkay.\n\n838\n00:37:46.200 --> 00:37:50.470\nSo how do you think about culture and what kind of work environment are you\n\n839\n00:37:50.470 --> 00:37:51.000\ntrying to\n\n840\n00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:53.890\ncreate with your team that's going to get you the kind of results that you're\n\n841\n00:37:53.890 --> 00:37:54.320\nlooking\n\n842\n00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:55.320\nfor?\n\n843\n00:37:55.320 --> 00:38:00.390\nSo culture is hard when you come into a company that frankly has been\n\n844\n00:38:00.390 --> 00:38:03.000\nexperiencing tough times.\n\n845\n00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:07.420\nSo not only did I acquire stockies that was experienced hard times, but then my\n\n846\n00:38:07.420 --> 00:38:07.880\nbusiness\n\n847\n00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:12.130\npartner and I bought this pecan shelling and candy company that had been around\n\n848\n00:38:12.130 --> 00:38:14.400\nsince 1935\n\n849\n00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:16.960\nand has had two families own it.\n\n850\n00:38:16.960 --> 00:38:18.880\nThe second family's had it for 50 years.\n\n851\n00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:24.320\nSo here we come in and who are these people now running our company.\n\n852\n00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:27.520\nAnd so I've really given culture a lot of thought.\n\n853\n00:38:27.520 --> 00:38:33.190\nAnd one thing I've been very respectful of is to not come in like guns blazing\n\n854\n00:38:33.190 --> 00:38:33.720\nlike,\n\n855\n00:38:33.720 --> 00:38:36.160\nhere's our culture, here's my vision.\n\n856\n00:38:36.160 --> 00:38:40.160\nWe're going to revive the great road trip and I want you to buy into everything\n\n857\n00:38:40.160 --> 00:38:40.480\nthat\n\n858\n00:38:40.480 --> 00:38:46.770\nI think and I've been extremely respectful to really get to know the people,\n\n859\n00:38:46.770 --> 00:38:48.200\nget to understand\n\n860\n00:38:48.200 --> 00:38:51.600\nthe existing culture and get to know the people.\n\n861\n00:38:51.600 --> 00:38:57.980\nSo I think a lot of culture is just appreciating people having these small\n\n862\n00:38:57.980 --> 00:39:00.000\nwinds along the way\n\n863\n00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:03.760\nwhere people feel like they're part of something.\n\n864\n00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:07.890\nThey have an opportunity not just to be the frontline candy worker that's\n\n865\n00:39:07.890 --> 00:39:09.320\nworking on the\n\n866\n00:39:09.320 --> 00:39:13.000\nin-rober machine, but they can advance.\n\n867\n00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:16.150\nYou know, one of the things I've always found is no involvement leads to no\n\n868\n00:39:16.150 --> 00:39:17.040\ncommitment and\n\n869\n00:39:17.040 --> 00:39:21.010\nthat if you can get your people to help you define what that culture is in\n\n870\n00:39:21.010 --> 00:39:21.760\nwords that\n\n871\n00:39:21.760 --> 00:39:25.360\nthey can relate to, that's when you've really found the home run.\n\n872\n00:39:25.360 --> 00:39:26.360\nAbsolutely.\n\n873\n00:39:26.360 --> 00:39:27.360\nIt's just letting.\n\n874\n00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:33.480\nSo initially I am focusing on these small opportunities to build culture, build\n\n875\n00:39:33.480 --> 00:39:34.480\nconnection,\n\n876\n00:39:34.480 --> 00:39:35.760\nbuild a team.\n\n877\n00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:40.800\nSo I moved down to Ren's, Georgia, where our candy plant is for a month.\n\n878\n00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:46.550\nI rented a little farmhouse, I stayed out in the country and I've shopped where\n\n879\n00:39:46.550 --> 00:39:47.040\nthey\n\n880\n00:39:47.040 --> 00:39:48.040\nshopped.\n\n881\n00:39:48.040 --> 00:39:50.800\nI would see some of our employees at Peggy's Diner.\n\n882\n00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:56.210\nYou know, I just got to know the community and what their culture is and then I\n\n883\n00:39:56.210 --> 00:39:56.640\nmade\n\n884\n00:39:56.640 --> 00:40:01.600\nsure I knew all the people's names who worked in the candy plant and then we\n\n885\n00:40:01.600 --> 00:40:02.600\ndid, this is\n\n886\n00:40:02.600 --> 00:40:06.180\nsomething so small, but this is where I think there are lessons where you can\n\n887\n00:40:06.180 --> 00:40:06.920\nbuild culture\n\n888\n00:40:06.920 --> 00:40:11.440\nand not have these big, audacious gestures.\n\n889\n00:40:11.440 --> 00:40:15.320\nI noticed in the shop one day, we have a little retail shop connected to the\n\n890\n00:40:15.320 --> 00:40:15.880\nfactory\n\n891\n00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:16.880\nstore.\n\n892\n00:40:16.880 --> 00:40:21.270\nSo one store we own and operate and we have these Stuckey hoodies and one of\n\n893\n00:40:21.270 --> 00:40:22.240\nthe employees\n\n894\n00:40:22.240 --> 00:40:27.440\nwas in there during her break and she was buying a hoodie and I said, don't pay\n\n895\n00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:27.720\nfor\n\n896\n00:40:27.720 --> 00:40:28.720\nthat hoodie.\n\n897\n00:40:28.720 --> 00:40:30.520\nWe'll take care of it.\n\n898\n00:40:30.520 --> 00:40:34.010\nAnd then I thought, wait, if I get her a hoodie, I need to get everyone else a\n\n899\n00:40:34.010 --> 00:40:34.640\nhoodie.\n\n900\n00:40:34.640 --> 00:40:40.130\nSo at our next all hands on deck meeting, I said, hey, we're getting everyone a\n\n901\n00:40:40.130 --> 00:40:40.440\nhoodie\n\n902\n00:40:40.440 --> 00:40:43.640\nand then someone standing next to me said, can we get our names on it?\n\n903\n00:40:43.640 --> 00:40:45.840\nI'm like, yeah, and you're getting your names on it.\n\n904\n00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:47.640\nThey were so excited.\n\n905\n00:40:47.640 --> 00:40:51.080\nAnd, you know, it's cold in a food processing facility.\n\n906\n00:40:51.080 --> 00:40:53.320\nThey have to crank up the air condition.\n\n907\n00:40:53.320 --> 00:40:56.360\nSo you need a hoodie even in South Georgia in the summer.\n\n908\n00:40:56.360 --> 00:41:00.260\nI've got a Blake Shelton voice hoodie that I put on every time I'm playing\n\n909\n00:41:00.260 --> 00:41:00.960\nvoice with\n\n910\n00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:01.960\nmy grandkids.\n\n911\n00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:02.960\nYeah.\n\n912\n00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:03.960\nI think that's terrific.\n\n913\n00:41:03.960 --> 00:41:04.960\nI love it.\n\n914\n00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:07.190\nStephanie, this has been so much fun and I want to have a little bit more by\n\n915\n00:41:07.190 --> 00:41:07.520\ndoing a\n\n916\n00:41:07.520 --> 00:41:09.120\nlightning round of Q and A with you.\n\n917\n00:41:09.120 --> 00:41:10.120\nAre you ready for this?\n\n918\n00:41:10.120 --> 00:41:11.120\nI'm ready.\n\n919\n00:41:11.120 --> 00:41:12.120\nOkay.\n\n920\n00:41:12.120 --> 00:41:14.520\nWhat are three words that best describe you?\n\n921\n00:41:14.520 --> 00:41:15.520\nPersistent.\n\n922\n00:41:15.520 --> 00:41:16.520\nOptimistic.\n\n923\n00:41:16.520 --> 00:41:17.520\nScrappy.\n\n924\n00:41:17.520 --> 00:41:25.800\nIf you could be one person for a day beside yourself, who would it be and why?\n\n925\n00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:27.480\nOh my gosh, that's so easy.\n\n926\n00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:29.480\nI am a huge Dolly Parton fan.\n\n927\n00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:31.760\nI would love to be Dolly for a day.\n\n928\n00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:32.760\nWell, she's scrappy.\n\n929\n00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:34.040\nShe can as scrappy.\n\n930\n00:41:34.040 --> 00:41:35.040\nYou found her.\n\n931\n00:41:35.040 --> 00:41:36.040\nThere you go.\n\n932\n00:41:36.040 --> 00:41:37.280\nSo what's your biggest pet peeve?\n\n933\n00:41:37.280 --> 00:41:39.800\nOh gosh, that's easy.\n\n934\n00:41:39.800 --> 00:41:41.800\nThis drives me crazy.\n\n935\n00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:47.350\nPeople who come to you with problems or complaining and haven't thought about\n\n936\n00:41:47.350 --> 00:41:48.360\nhow to solve it or\n\n937\n00:41:48.360 --> 00:41:51.160\nsome other course like, okay, this isn't working.\n\n938\n00:41:51.160 --> 00:41:53.440\nHere's how we can make it work or here.\n\n939\n00:41:53.440 --> 00:41:57.520\nHere's how we can pivot and do this other thing that would be better.\n\n940\n00:41:57.520 --> 00:42:02.200\nBut just complainers who don't help problem solve.\n\n941\n00:42:02.200 --> 00:42:04.800\nTell us something about you that few people would know.\n\n942\n00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:06.600\nI'm fluent in French.\n\n943\n00:42:06.600 --> 00:42:07.600\nWow.\n\n944\n00:42:07.600 --> 00:42:08.760\nSo where would you rather go today?\n\n945\n00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:10.480\nParis, Texas or Paris, France?\n\n946\n00:42:10.480 --> 00:42:12.680\nI'd rather go to Paris, Texas, but I...\n\n947\n00:42:12.680 --> 00:42:13.680\nOh, come on.\n\n948\n00:42:13.680 --> 00:42:14.680\nI do.\n\n949\n00:42:14.680 --> 00:42:15.680\nCome on.\n\n950\n00:42:15.680 --> 00:42:16.680\nA small town.\n\n951\n00:42:16.680 --> 00:42:17.680\nYou know, it's interesting.\n\n952\n00:42:17.680 --> 00:42:21.270\nI lived in France for a year as a French major in college and I lived in\n\n953\n00:42:21.270 --> 00:42:22.520\nexcellent provost.\n\n954\n00:42:22.520 --> 00:42:25.720\nI chose a small town and I learned the language.\n\n955\n00:42:25.720 --> 00:42:28.240\nIf you go to Paris, it's like any big city.\n\n956\n00:42:28.240 --> 00:42:29.320\nOh yes, I love Paris.\n\n957\n00:42:29.320 --> 00:42:34.930\nI've been like 20 times, but it's a big city and you don't really get to\n\n958\n00:42:34.930 --> 00:42:36.040\nconnect with\n\n959\n00:42:36.040 --> 00:42:38.440\nthe people like you do in a small town.\n\n960\n00:42:38.440 --> 00:42:42.910\nAnd the south of France, the provost region, the people are so wonderful and\n\n961\n00:42:42.910 --> 00:42:43.560\nwarm and the\n\n962\n00:42:43.560 --> 00:42:44.560\nfood's amazing.\n\n963\n00:42:44.560 --> 00:42:47.160\nI speak the language and...\n\n964\n00:42:47.160 --> 00:42:51.070\nSo you're sticking with road trip to Paris, Texas, because you're a road trip\n\n965\n00:42:51.070 --> 00:42:51.720\njumping out.\n\n966\n00:42:51.720 --> 00:42:52.720\nYeah.\n\n967\n00:42:52.720 --> 00:42:54.480\nNow I've road tripped in the south of France too.\n\n968\n00:42:54.480 --> 00:42:57.400\nYou just have to learn how to drive those little cars.\n\n969\n00:42:57.400 --> 00:42:59.840\nSo what's your favorite highway?\n\n970\n00:42:59.840 --> 00:43:02.360\nRoute 66.\n\n971\n00:43:02.360 --> 00:43:04.760\nAnd what's your favorite roadside stop?\n\n972\n00:43:04.760 --> 00:43:06.880\nThe sides of Stuckey's.\n\n973\n00:43:06.880 --> 00:43:12.000\nI'm debating between south of the border.\n\n974\n00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:13.920\nI think I'm going to say south of the border.\n\n975\n00:43:13.920 --> 00:43:17.690\nI was about to say like the world's largest belt buckle because that was pretty\n\n976\n00:43:17.690 --> 00:43:18.040\nfun.\n\n977\n00:43:18.040 --> 00:43:21.760\nThat's in Uranus, Missouri and they have like all these attractions there.\n\n978\n00:43:21.760 --> 00:43:25.220\nBut I'll go with south of the border because that's run by a third generation\n\n979\n00:43:25.220 --> 00:43:26.480\nfamily member.\n\n980\n00:43:26.480 --> 00:43:27.480\nUranus, Missouri.\n\n981\n00:43:27.480 --> 00:43:28.840\nNow that's a new one.\n\n982\n00:43:28.840 --> 00:43:31.280\nSo what's your favorite Stuckey's product?\n\n983\n00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:32.280\nPecan Logroll.\n\n984\n00:43:32.280 --> 00:43:33.280\nThat's it.\n\n985\n00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:34.280\nYes.\n\n986\n00:43:34.280 --> 00:43:35.280\nI eat them.\n\n987\n00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:37.040\nI absolutely love them.\n\n988\n00:43:37.040 --> 00:43:38.600\nYou slice them like pate.\n\n989\n00:43:38.600 --> 00:43:43.240\nYou can serve them with a little toothpick with the frills on top.\n\n990\n00:43:43.240 --> 00:43:45.080\nIt makes a great appetizer.\n\n991\n00:43:45.080 --> 00:43:49.600\nAnd what would be three bits of advice you'd give to aspiring leaders?\n\n992\n00:43:49.600 --> 00:43:52.600\nWork hard.\n\n993\n00:43:52.600 --> 00:43:55.120\nAlways step up to the plate.\n\n994\n00:43:55.120 --> 00:43:56.120\nCan I tell a quick story?\n\n995\n00:43:56.120 --> 00:43:57.720\nI know this is like a pound.\n\n996\n00:43:57.720 --> 00:43:58.720\nAbsolutely.\n\n997\n00:43:58.720 --> 00:44:03.130\nI, so because thinking about aspiring leaders and young people, I've been so\n\n998\n00:44:03.130 --> 00:44:03.920\nfortunate to\n\n999\n00:44:03.920 --> 00:44:07.360\nhave been mentored but also to have the opportunity to mentor people.\n\n1000\n00:44:07.360 --> 00:44:11.340\nAnd when I was head of sustainability for the city of Atlanta, I had a woman\n\n1001\n00:44:11.340 --> 00:44:11.800\nwho was\n\n1002\n00:44:11.800 --> 00:44:17.770\nentry level project manager and she was always, always volunteering to do stuff\n\n1003\n00:44:17.770 --> 00:44:17.880\n.\n\n1004\n00:44:17.880 --> 00:44:20.880\nAnd she came to me one day and she said, why don't we have an intern program?\n\n1005\n00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:23.480\nAnd I said, well, we did, but it was so much work to manage the interns.\n\n1006\n00:44:23.480 --> 00:44:24.480\nI don't have the time.\n\n1007\n00:44:24.480 --> 00:44:25.480\nWe don't have the time.\n\n1008\n00:44:25.480 --> 00:44:27.760\nAnd I didn't feel like it was rewarding to either side.\n\n1009\n00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:30.600\nAnd she said, I want to do that.\n\n1010\n00:44:30.600 --> 00:44:32.880\nI want to run the intern program.\n\n1011\n00:44:32.880 --> 00:44:34.680\nAnd I said, okay, you can do it.\n\n1012\n00:44:34.680 --> 00:44:37.040\nAnd I just kind of like said, all right.\n\n1013\n00:44:37.040 --> 00:44:38.880\nAnd that literally forgot about it.\n\n1014\n00:44:38.880 --> 00:44:43.160\nAnd then a month later, I walk into the office and there are like 20 people in\n\n1015\n00:44:43.160 --> 00:44:43.720\nthe office.\n\n1016\n00:44:43.720 --> 00:44:44.720\nI'm like, what is all this?\n\n1017\n00:44:44.720 --> 00:44:46.120\nAnd they're like, it's the intern program.\n\n1018\n00:44:46.120 --> 00:44:47.120\nIt's the kickoff program.\n\n1019\n00:44:47.120 --> 00:44:49.440\nOh, and the mayor's coming by to get welcoming remarks.\n\n1020\n00:44:49.440 --> 00:44:51.240\nI'm like, what?\n\n1021\n00:44:51.240 --> 00:44:53.000\nShe created this whole program.\n\n1022\n00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:55.640\nWe had 20 interns.\n\n1023\n00:44:55.640 --> 00:44:57.240\nShe had a syllabus.\n\n1024\n00:44:57.240 --> 00:44:59.360\nShe had trips planned.\n\n1025\n00:44:59.360 --> 00:45:03.320\nShe got sponsors to treat them for lunch once a week for lunch and learns.\n\n1026\n00:45:03.320 --> 00:45:07.040\nSuddenly every department head was coming to me saying, how did you do this?\n\n1027\n00:45:07.040 --> 00:45:11.440\nAnd I'm like, her name's Yo Rung G. She's amazing.\n\n1028\n00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:13.560\nShe's a total superstar.\n\n1029\n00:45:13.560 --> 00:45:16.160\nBut I love that she not only volunteered.\n\n1030\n00:45:16.160 --> 00:45:18.160\nShe came to me and said, I want to do this.\n\n1031\n00:45:18.160 --> 00:45:19.640\nCan I do this?\n\n1032\n00:45:19.640 --> 00:45:23.240\nSo just step up to the plate, offer to do stuff.\n\n1033\n00:45:23.240 --> 00:45:27.220\nYou'd be amazed how often your boss will say, yeah, okay, you know, and not\n\n1034\n00:45:27.220 --> 00:45:27.920\neven think\n\n1035\n00:45:27.920 --> 00:45:30.880\nabout it and realize like she was really onto something.\n\n1036\n00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:32.560\nThat was the best program.\n\n1037\n00:45:32.560 --> 00:45:35.080\nSo the third bit of ice, have fun.\n\n1038\n00:45:35.080 --> 00:45:36.800\nDon't take yourself too seriously.\n\n1039\n00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:40.720\nWhenever I get stressed out, I tell myself, it's just candy.\n\n1040\n00:45:40.720 --> 00:45:41.720\nIt's candy.\n\n1041\n00:45:41.720 --> 00:45:42.720\nThat's great.\n\n1042\n00:45:42.720 --> 00:45:46.800\nWe're selling rubber alligators and kundskikats.\n\n1043\n00:45:46.800 --> 00:45:47.800\nHave fun.\n\n1044\n00:45:47.800 --> 00:45:49.000\nI love it.\n\n1045\n00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:53.240\nAnd what advice would you give to others on how to make a family business work?\n\n1046\n00:45:53.240 --> 00:45:56.840\nBecause you've been through the gamut, it seems like.\n\n1047\n00:45:56.840 --> 00:46:02.260\nOften family businesses have too much pressure on them to carry on the family\n\n1048\n00:46:02.260 --> 00:46:03.200\nlineage.\n\n1049\n00:46:03.200 --> 00:46:07.810\nAnd I think part of what I want to instill because I do talk to a lot of other\n\n1050\n00:46:07.810 --> 00:46:08.400\nfamily\n\n1051\n00:46:08.400 --> 00:46:09.400\nbusinesses.\n\n1052\n00:46:09.400 --> 00:46:15.210\nI want to say just relax, sometimes it doesn't have to be a family member who\n\n1053\n00:46:15.210 --> 00:46:16.720\nruns a company.\n\n1054\n00:46:16.720 --> 00:46:19.480\nSo there's ownership and there's management.\n\n1055\n00:46:19.480 --> 00:46:21.760\nAnd I'm already thinking about the next generation.\n\n1056\n00:46:21.760 --> 00:46:26.660\nObviously my son and my daughter may not be the right people to run the company\n\n1057\n00:46:26.660 --> 00:46:27.160\nand that's\n\n1058\n00:46:27.160 --> 00:46:28.560\ngoing to be okay.\n\n1059\n00:46:28.560 --> 00:46:33.710\nSo I would just say, don't get so tied down that it has to be a family member\n\n1060\n00:46:33.710 --> 00:46:34.360\nbecause\n\n1061\n00:46:34.360 --> 00:46:37.640\nsometimes that's the worst thing you can do.\n\n1062\n00:46:37.640 --> 00:46:40.360\nYou want someone who really, really wants it.\n\n1063\n00:46:40.360 --> 00:46:41.360\nI really wanted it.\n\n1064\n00:46:41.360 --> 00:46:44.240\nAnd I really wanted it because we lost it.\n\n1065\n00:46:44.240 --> 00:46:46.960\nYou want it as he's to be giving you a lot of joy.\n\n1066\n00:46:46.960 --> 00:46:48.800\nYes, you have to want it.\n\n1067\n00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:53.180\nAnd if it's just handed to you and it's given to you like an obligation, you're\n\n1068\n00:46:53.180 --> 00:46:53.640\nnot going\n\n1069\n00:46:53.640 --> 00:46:55.080\nto have that joy.\n\n1070\n00:46:55.080 --> 00:46:58.720\nAnd that will permeate in everything you do with the company.\n\n1071\n00:46:58.720 --> 00:47:02.450\nJust don't get so tied to the fact that it has to be someone with the last name\n\n1072\n00:47:02.450 --> 00:47:03.040\n, Stucky\n\n1073\n00:47:03.040 --> 00:47:06.640\nor the last name Hines or the last name Sanders, right?\n\n1074\n00:47:06.640 --> 00:47:11.880\nYou know, Stucky, I love how you decided to take on this big challenge.\n\n1075\n00:47:11.880 --> 00:47:13.920\nAnd I love how it's energizing you.\n\n1076\n00:47:13.920 --> 00:47:17.280\nI really appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation with me.\n\n1077\n00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:18.280\nWell, thank you.\n\n1078\n00:47:18.280 --> 00:47:19.280\nI'm a big fan.\n\n1079\n00:47:19.280 --> 00:47:20.280\nSo pleasure is mine.\n\n1080\n00:47:20.280 --> 00:47:23.970\nYou know, one of the things I've always seen is, you know, you mentioned that I\n\n1081\n00:47:23.970 --> 00:47:24.120\ndo\n\n1082\n00:47:24.120 --> 00:47:27.360\npodcasts with these big huge companies, which I do, right?\n\n1083\n00:47:27.360 --> 00:47:32.580\nBut I've always learned that, you know, it takes the same kind of thinking, the\n\n1084\n00:47:32.580 --> 00:47:33.000\nsame\n\n1085\n00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:38.520\nkind of diligence to run a small business that is really successful.\n\n1086\n00:47:38.520 --> 00:47:43.290\nIt's just there aren't as many zeros next to it, you know, but to get to those\n\n1087\n00:47:43.290 --> 00:47:43.920\nzeros,\n\n1088\n00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:47.000\nyou got to do the same things no matter how big the business is.\n\n1089\n00:47:47.000 --> 00:47:48.000\nWow.\n\n1090\n00:47:48.000 --> 00:47:49.000\nThank you.\n\n1091\n00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:51.240\nThat really made my day to hear that.\n\n1092\n00:47:51.240 --> 00:47:54.000\nI think in many ways it's, well, I wouldn't say it's harder.\n\n1093\n00:47:54.000 --> 00:47:59.390\nIt's just the challenges are different if you're a small scrappy comeback brand\n\n1094\n00:47:59.390 --> 00:48:00.040\nbecause\n\n1095\n00:48:00.040 --> 00:48:02.480\nI don't have this big team.\n\n1096\n00:48:02.480 --> 00:48:04.520\nYeah, I was a corporate manager.\n\n1097\n00:48:04.520 --> 00:48:06.400\nSo I had a team.\n\n1098\n00:48:06.400 --> 00:48:08.600\nI had a CFO that I could turn to.\n\n1099\n00:48:08.600 --> 00:48:13.640\nYou know, I had my skills, but I was surrounded by all kinds of excellence and\n\n1100\n00:48:13.640 --> 00:48:14.720\nresources.\n\n1101\n00:48:14.720 --> 00:48:18.170\nYou know, when you're building this business from scratch like you are, you're\n\n1102\n00:48:18.170 --> 00:48:18.600\nturning\n\n1103\n00:48:18.600 --> 00:48:20.600\nover problems every single day.\n\n1104\n00:48:20.600 --> 00:48:23.490\nAnd then you got to solve those problems and you don't have an army of people\n\n1105\n00:48:23.490 --> 00:48:23.760\nto go\n\n1106\n00:48:23.760 --> 00:48:24.840\nto solve them.\n\n1107\n00:48:24.840 --> 00:48:26.960\nYou got to solve most of them yourself.\n\n1108\n00:48:26.960 --> 00:48:30.330\nIt's not surprising to me that you've taken this business and made it\n\n1109\n00:48:30.330 --> 00:48:31.280\nprofitable and now\n\n1110\n00:48:31.280 --> 00:48:35.230\ngrowing it and you got huge upside ahead and I want to congratulate you on all\n\n1111\n00:48:35.230 --> 00:48:36.080\nyour success\n\n1112\n00:48:36.080 --> 00:48:38.360\nand keep it going.\n\n1113\n00:48:38.360 --> 00:48:39.840\nWe'll be rooting for you.\n\n1114\n00:48:39.840 --> 00:48:40.840\nThank you.\n\n1115\n00:48:40.840 --> 00:48:41.840\nI really appreciate it.\n\n1116\n00:48:41.840 --> 00:48:42.840\nI'm grateful.\n\n1117\n00:48:42.840 --> 00:48:54.610\nWell, that conversation has a lot of insight is so easy to get stuck in the old\n\n1118\n00:48:54.610 --> 00:48:55.600\nway of\n\n1119\n00:48:55.600 --> 00:48:58.920\ndoing things, even if they're not working anymore.\n\n1120\n00:48:58.920 --> 00:49:03.620\nBut if you believe in what you're doing just like Stephanie does, you will be\n\n1121\n00:49:03.620 --> 00:49:04.240\nwilling\n\n1122\n00:49:04.240 --> 00:49:07.600\nto take on the status quo and try new things.\n\n1123\n00:49:07.600 --> 00:49:12.080\nYou have to bring new ideas to the table and fight for what you believe in.\n\n1124\n00:49:12.080 --> 00:49:15.740\nWhen you heard Stephanie's story, was there a particular part of your business\n\n1125\n00:49:15.740 --> 00:49:16.240\nthat came\n\n1126\n00:49:16.240 --> 00:49:17.480\nto mind?\n\n1127\n00:49:17.480 --> 00:49:21.260\nSomething your team or company does that may be broken and needs to be\n\n1128\n00:49:21.260 --> 00:49:22.180\nrefreshed?\n\n1129\n00:49:22.180 --> 00:49:26.120\nWhat I want you to do this week is to take the first step towards improving\n\n1130\n00:49:26.120 --> 00:49:26.960\nthat process\n\n1131\n00:49:26.960 --> 00:49:28.520\nor that product.\n\n1132\n00:49:28.520 --> 00:49:30.200\nWhatever comes to mind.\n\n1133\n00:49:30.200 --> 00:49:32.480\nSo do you want to know how leaders lead?\n\n1134\n00:49:32.480 --> 00:49:36.060\nWhat we learned today is that great leaders are willing to reimagine their\n\n1135\n00:49:36.060 --> 00:49:36.840\nbrand or their\n\n1136\n00:49:36.840 --> 00:49:40.120\ncompany and then do something about it.\n\n1137\n00:49:40.120 --> 00:49:43.320\nSo go do something this week.\n\n1138\n00:49:43.320 --> 00:49:47.440\nThanks again for tuning in to another episode of How Leaders Lead where every\n\n1139\n00:49:47.440 --> 00:49:48.240\nThursday you\n\n1140\n00:49:48.240 --> 00:49:52.640\nget to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.\n\n1141\n00:49:52.640 --> 00:49:56.860\nI make it a point to give you something simple on each episode that you can\n\n1142\n00:49:56.860 --> 00:49:57.720\napply to your\n\n1143\n00:49:57.720 --> 00:50:01.080\nbusiness so that you will become the best leader you can be.\n\n1144\n00:50:01.080 --> 00:50:11.080\n[BLANK_AUDIO]\n\n1145\n00:50:11.080 --> 00:50:21.080\n[ Silence ]","

David Novak 0:03

Welcome to How leaders lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world, I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That's what this podcast is all about. Today's guest is Stephanie Stuckey, the CEO of stomaches. This company started in 1937 by Stephanie's grandfather, who opened a single store in eastern Georgia. Now, that was one of the country's first roadside retail shops. And at its peak in the 1970s, stuck ease had grown to 368 stores in 40 states along pretty much every major interstate, from humble beginnings to a roadside empire. But then things turn for the worst. Stephanie took over the business in 2019, and was faced with challenges in every aspect of the business. So how do you get started? Well, you can't live in the past, you can't be thinking about how it used to be, you have to think about how it has to be today. So she went to work, reimagining the brand, thinking about new possibilities, new ways to make money, new ways to satisfy customers, she's making progress and is getting things done. So whether you're leading a turnaround like Stephanie is or simply need to reimagine the way you get things done in your company, or with your team. Let me tell you, there's a lot you can learn from today's episode. So here's my conversation with my friend and soon to be yours Stephanie Stuckey.

You know, Stephanie, if you've got a huge challenge rebuilding this duckies brand, I know that and, and I want to go deep on how you're doing it. But let's start by just having you give us a quick history lesson on stomaches.

Stephanie Stuckey 2:01

Yes, I'd be delighted. Stuckey started by my grandfather and 9037 literally as a side hustle. It was during the Great Depression, and he had to drop out of law school at the University of Georgia to work on the family farm. He was farming cotton, and hated it. And so he started selling pecans. It was a bumper crop. Anyone who knows anything about pecans they have on yours and off yours in Georgia is the pecan capital of the world really. And so pecans were plentiful, even though jobs were not. And he started buying up tea cans from farmers after you worked on the farm all day, and then he would sell them to a local Scheller market up a few pennies. And that's how he made his profit. He built up his capital from there. And after a few years of steadily doing that he opened a roadside store. And that was really the first roadside retail that offered gas, clean restrooms, cold drinks, hot snacks, and we've always sold candy kitschy souvenirs, and of course continued to sell the pecans. So from the very humble beginnings at first store in Eastman, Georgia, it grew at its peak in the 1970s. He had a sign company, he had a trucking company had a candy company, largely vertically integrated. He sold the company, and there was a couple of different corporate owners some hostile takeover by one of them. And the brand plummeted external factors as well. My grandfather died in 1977. The road trip declined with the Arab oil embargo, air travel became affordable people started flying. So all this stuff happened. And the brand just plummeted. We lost hundreds of stores. So my dad got the company back in 1985. He got the company back. It was literally on life support. He got it stabilized he was running several other businesses. duckies was never his main focus because he was making money off of his other businesses. And he and his business partners retired in circa 2011. And left stuck us at that point being run almost on autopilot by a skeleton crew. And since 2015, had been losing money. And now I came in 2019 November 2019.

David Novak 4:25

You know, I remember the stomaches brand when I was a kid, you know, I grew up in sort of small town America. And you know, we did a lot of road trips. So you know, I've protected a lot of Stuckey food in the past and it was a great experience back then, you know, and so now as I understand it, you've invested your life savings in the stock. He's business and you bought it from your father. And I understand it that some consultants and advisors told you that they wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I mean, tell us the state of the brand when you bought it and what you saw in the business that other people didn't say

Stephanie Stuckey 4:59

I did. consult with several business advisors and they looked at the financials. And most of them told me not only Walk Run from this, this is not a good investment. And it was losing money. They were six figures in debt. But what I bought was a brand. And I knew the value of stock ease, like you said, it was an experience. And I thought there's a need for that still in this country. And it was bigger than my family. But certainly I wanted to revive my grandfather's legacy, because I knew him and I loved him. But I thought the road trip is something really uniquely American. And it's something that we need to celebrate. We need more of that we need these special, unique curated experiences when we're taking a trip by car. And so I knew that the brand had that magic. And that is not on the financial books. That's what convinced me now what I actually bought the physical assets was a rented warehouse with inventory mostly consisting of rubber snakes and ashtray shaped like toilets as they put your butts here, coonskin caps like the classic kitschy souvenirs that stack uses known for about a ton of pecan log rolls and inventory, lots of candy and nuts. That's what I actually bought. We didn't own the candy plant anymore, trucking company signed company long gone, we don't own or operate any stores. They're not even a franchise program anymore. It's a licensing program. We only have 20 standalone stores. And then there's 45 co branded stores within a store concept that is called stuck us express in varying degrees of shape. Some of them are really great grand forward locations. Some of them need a lot of love. So it's all across the board. So that's what I got.

David Novak 7:01

You know, I remember when I was president of KFC, all everybody talked about was Colonel Sanders, the colonel did this, the colonel did that. And meanwhile, the brand was very unsuccessful, there have been eight straight years of no sales growth. So we're at a major turnaround situation. And you know, my view was, hey, I love the colonel is great. But we've got to start creating some new memories. You've got to create new memories. How do you balance managing the past and then really stimulating the kind of progress you've got to have to really turn the business around and maximize this brand that you bought?

Stephanie Stuckey 7:32

That's such a great question. And I get asked it a lot. And I am constantly reflecting on what's the best way to do it. So it's evolving. But I like to say, I'm looking back while moving forward. I definitely have a strong sense of our roots. And I'm so proud that we are in nostalgic brand. There's something amazing about a brand that has sticking power. Kentucky Fried Chicken is certainly one of them. It's been around 80 plus years stuck us has. And we're in it for the long haul. And so I'm I don't shy away from the retro aspect of our brand. But at the same time, I am looking at how to capture new market share. And part of that is what I reflected on earlier is it's bigger than stomaches is bigger than selling peak and log roles and kitschy souvenirs. It's the road trip. And if you think about who we really are trying to attract is people who love to roadtrip and that defies demographics that defies age that defies being in the past, people of all ages, while generations have loved taking to the open road. Now, maybe not everyone does. And that's a Seth Godin calls them our tribe that they may not be our tribe if they don't enjoy getting on the road. But anyone who likes to travel, the interstate highway system or the back roads, and that could be pleasure trippers. That could be truckers that could be traveling salesman, and women, what's left of them, but people who travel for business. That could be baseball teams, minor league baseball teams, that could be rock and roll bands, traveling artists, the whole gamut. And so I think the more we talk about and embrace the road trip, we're going to start being more of a forward brand, but still letting people know we've got sticking power. We've been around 80 years, and I'm not planning on going anywhere.

David Novak 9:26

Well, you know, vision and purpose is so important for every business and how have you been able to simplify and describe the vision you have for the studies of the future?

Stephanie Stuckey 9:38

We make road trips fun. That's my vision. And that's the direction in which we're heading. The brand and everything that I message and talk about revolves around that even if it's talking about the candy, you want people to associate our products with an experience because otherwise we're just another piece of candy. If You have an emotional connection to something. That's what gives it meaning. That's what gives it selling power. That's what really creates a brand.

David Novak 10:07

You know, you think about your business and where you can take it. How much of it really requires the physical assets that you've had in the past? versus what you can do through digital. I mean, there's everybody's business has exploded through digital, How about yours?

Stephanie Stuckey 10:23

Absolutely, our online sales went up 550%. Last year, of course, we started almost from nowhere, we had a really bare bones website when I bought the company. So we are definitely looking at digital. And then social media has been a huge amplifier for our brand. But I think also it's out of total necessity. Our stores, we don't own them. And so there's so much good about getting a nostalgic brand, because you do have all of this brand equity in these memories. And you come with a base of people who like your stores, just like you did with Kentucky Fried Chicken. But you also get the company as is right. It's not the company you would have built from the ground up if you had to start at zero. And so I have to deal with the lack of physical assets, which is one of those challenges that gets me up at 3am that we don't control the stores yet. So how I deal with it is I have a business partner. So we have a short term strategy, which is like a three year plan three to five years. And then beyond that our longer term plan is we really will have more physical assets. But I think if you don't embrace digital technology, in this day and age, your brand is going to just go by the wayside. Yeah, I was

David Novak 11:45

thinking about your particular situation. And you, you really are a startup with a legacy or heritage brand. You don't have much to build from. So now you're really creating this startup. How do you see yourself?

Stephanie Stuckey 12:01

Well, let me tell you how I see the brand. And then I in many ways feel like I am the personification of the brand bears my name. So it's hard not to identify, really on an emotional personal level with this brand. But I joke that we are an 80 year old startup. And initially, it was really hard for me, but then I decided you need to embrace that startup mentality. And frankly, I think it's more CEOs, even those who have totally well established corporations. And they've got millions or billions and assets. If you grasp onto that startup mentality that constantly innovating mentality, I think it's what keeps your edge. So I'm in a way, really grateful for the fact that we are the scrappy comeback brand. So I see myself as an innovator, as an entrepreneur. And I think that term often gets overused. Sometimes you're not an entrepreneur, you're just a small business. But if you're an entrepreneur, the way I see it, you're constantly having to innovate, you're constantly having to figure out how to move your company forward. And you're problem solving night and day.

David Novak 13:14

What's the biggest problem you've had to solve in the last few months?

Stephanie Stuckey 13:17

Oh, supply chain issues. So we bought a candy plant, my business partner and I and January of 2021. I'm a big believer and making bold moves. But don't bet the farm, right. So take risks, but do them in a way that are structured that you can afford to fail if it doesn't work out. But this was our bold move. We felt really confident about it. We ran the numbers, we got great partners with our small town Community Bank and the Small Business Administration. So we bought this candy plant. And I think what's really important to realize so often we see especially like on LinkedIn, which I follow every day, you see these big headlines, we've made this great move, we bought this candy plant. Bam. Well, there's a lot of work that gets involved afterwards. It's the and then what say you did this now you got it. What are you going to do? We're the dog that caught the proverbial fender when we got the capacity to make our own product. So we're having to deal with packaging issues we're having to deal with getting our machinery up to standards because this is a good problem to have. But sales are skyrocketing for us

David Novak 14:32

now. Are you selling your candy in the grocery stores or just through your outlets,

Stephanie Stuckey 14:36

both and see stores and Mom and Pop gift shops and hotel chains and corporate gifts and break rooms for large companies. So

David Novak 14:47

you really are creating a packaged goods brand that you want of trying to build, you know so you look at your heart assets as a way to kind of build the brand but the big idea for you in the future is really packaged goods and selling the product online? And I'm curious about that, because how do you bring the road trip idea to a packaged goods business?

Stephanie Stuckey 15:07

That's the long term plan. So the short term plan is I have to drive revenue, you can't have a company if you don't have money and capital. And so we had to make the company profitable, we first had to get out of debt. And then we had to make the company profitable. And how I did that was just looking at the books and figuring out what drives our revenue. And I literally put on paper buckets of where are we getting our money. And I realized that our licensing slash what used to be a franchise program, that was a very modest amount of our revenue, the bulk of our revenue was from the sale of our product, which is why we bought the candy plant. And it's also a pecan shelling facility. So we make healthy snacks, pecan snacks as well. And we have a full line to snack nuts, we were driving our revenue through the packaged goods. And so that's how we're getting the brand forward is by getting more retailers and also selling online for the product. And we can also control the quality, we can control the margins, and we're now able to private label. So if we get in a grocery channel, and the grocery store says Well, we'd like to have our Publix brand or the Whole Foods brand and not the stomaches brand. Well, we can make product for them. Because we're the manufacturer. How we sell the road trip is by being very brand forward and everything we do and constantly telling the story of the brand. To me, it's bigger than marketing. It's storytelling. So if you follow me on LinkedIn or on other social media posts, you'll see what I post about is road tripping small town America, exploring this country, and the brand is just part of that, but our displays look like little Stucky stores. So we've got a really great display. This got our traditional sloped teal roof, with a stomaches logo on the side. And you really get the experience of visiting a mini stocky store. So we're trying to bring the Stucky store to other businesses and create that sense of fun that you get from a road trip.

David Novak 17:14

And as you think about your licensees and your franchisees kind of the business that you had in the past, in you know, a lot of those outlets, I'm sure aren't what you really want to have. Okay, so how are you rebuilding the brand with them, as I'm sure you get some assets that you know, need a paint job, you know, we all see those kinds of issues in the restaurant business, how are you dealing with the franchisees or licensees to make that happen.

Stephanie Stuckey 17:41

So it's a real challenge. I'll be totally honest, this is my 3am problem. I'm doing what I can with what I've got for now while constantly trying to get more. So what I'm doing now is we've got a sales team. So we have sales reps who go out and visit the stores and they work with the licensees to help them improve the quality of their stores. We brand and market in a way that promotes the stores to get people excited about them. And we found that as more people start coming to the stores and start talking to the management, they realized that the brand is getting a refresh is coming back. So that sort of empowers the franchisees to get more excited about the brand. We're also doing what we can to give them like I referenced before display signage, marketing as much as we can within our budget. So that's my dealing with what my assets are on hand, my capacity. Now. What I'm also doing is constantly pitching, trying to get some financial investors and partners who might be interested in the brick and mortar aspect of the business and I kiss a lot of frogs. And I am persistent. I am not easily dissuaded. And a financial investor to me is like a partner. And I've learned so much from frankly, Kissing Frogs that didn't turn into princes, because I realized that a lot of the private equity just that's not a good fit for us. We're not a three to five year return on investment flip the asset type of investment. We are a long term brand. It's the Warren Buffett School of investment you buy a company stick with it through the ups and downs. That's I want Warren Buffett as an investor, but I realized that is probably not realistic. But I actually am talking to someone who is seems very encouraging, who seems to get the brand who might be interested in partnering with us to create what what I have termed internally and I also talked about is the stuck us oasis. So I have a plan for what the stores would look like moving forward and it's a true experience he would pull over we would have coin operated amusement machines like Soul tar by the way, I met the guy who makes Zaatar and I was super excited about that.

David Novak 20:02

So you're, you really have a sucky store of the future in mind. Okay, but you haven't built it yet. So you're trying to get an investor to help you build that store. Okay. And then you'll build the rest of your business around that vision.

Stephanie Stuckey 20:16

Yes. But in the meantime, we're making it work. We're turning a profit. We went from about when I started, when I bought the company, we had less than 10 employees, and we are approaching 150. And it hasn't even been two years. We're so different. I listened to your show a lot. And you talk to companies that are fortune 500, and 1000s and 10s of 1000s employees and billions and assets. And we're the scrappy comeback brand that is definitely punching above our weight.

David Novak 20:46

Yeah, well, you've got a big challenge here. But it sounds like you know, if you can get that store of the future, and then you can, you know, build the packaged goods side of the equation, you can end up with a real brand, and you've made an acquisition that kind of gets you in the better for you arena with you call them pecans. I come from the pecan world, not the pecan world, but it doesn't matter. I love pecans. They're great. So it seems like you got a lot of upside with this brand. But I am curious, you know, you come back into the fray, you buy the business. Now you've got franchisees licensees to deal with. There's been no money to be found in the previous five, six years. So you jump back into their life, how have the franchisees and licensees embraced you

Stephanie Stuckey 21:29

it's all over the board, we have some that frankly, we're not serving the brand. And it was not a good fit, we've had to D brand a couple I'm trying not to D brand them. One, just the financial reality we needed the income to I'm a big believer in trying to work with people and see if you can support them, that's always been my approach to management leadership, is to work with people to bring out the best in them and give them the support that they need. And so many of them just need support. We're just working with them and making sure that they understand the direction in which we're going, I went on a road trip. When I first bought the company I literally got in my car, of course COVID Hit within three months. But I just started driving around the country, and started meeting with them one on one. And they really appreciated that I took the time and I'd spend time in the stores. I sat in the stores just like what my grandfather did. I watched people and watch how they interacted with the stores. I talked to them, I just go up to them and say, Why did you pull over at this store instead of the truckstop? Across the street? What interested you about staircase? What made you pull over? That's interesting,

David Novak 22:39

because my number one priority was always to get out in the stores find out what was really happening with the frontline and the people that are closest to the customer. What would be the top three insights you've picked up by doing that?

Stephanie Stuckey 22:51

You know, the number one was that people knew the brand. And that was the most encouraging and a little surprising, because honestly, we are a dusty brand. But it's just been so rewarding to find out. I think with these dis Daljit legacy brands, what you'll see is the people who are loyal to the brand are loyal. Another was this was something my grandfather always pushed for was proximity to the interstate, just as people want what's easy and convenient. So if the stuck use happened to be located right when you pull over, that makes a difference. And here's something my grandfather did. And it played out. When I talked to people they said, Well, I saw these other cars out there. My grandfather used to get all the employees to park their cars out front, like way up front. And then he would just ask people like can you get your friends support the cars here? So you're more likely to pull over at a business if their cars out front? And that's what people told me they're like, Yeah, I saw the cars out.

David Novak 23:57

I love that, you know that's like that. That's what entrepreneurs do. You know, they watch customers, they they see the behavior and then they pull it off. I do exactly that. That's That's fantastic. You know, I

Stephanie Stuckey 24:08

can't license plates. You'll see me in the parking lot reading my competitors. I'll be in the parking lot looking at where are they from? What kind of cars are they? Do they have luggage? I'm real Snoopy. I'm like looking in like they don't vacation. Family. You want to get a sense for Who's stopping at your stores or at your competitor stores and why?

David Novak 24:29

You know, you said it up front Steffi, now you know, the Stucchi set your name, you're now the leader of a family business. Tell us a little bit about your upbringing.

Stephanie Stuckey 24:40

So I would love to say I had the scrappy, hard knock life. And I did not. I actually was very privileged. I am the fourth of five children. My dad got elected to Congress when I was a year old. And so we left Eastman, Georgia, our hometown and I actually I grew up in Washington, DC, and went to an elite private school and grew up with Roosevelt's and Kennedy's and all sorts of politicians, kids,

David Novak 25:11

and Roosevelt's Kennedys and Stuckey. So you know, so you're like the fourth out of five kids. So you weren't born number one, not kind of like a middle child? I mean, did that motivate you in any way?

Stephanie Stuckey 25:24

Absolutely. Being I am such a strong proponent for middle children being good leaders, because, you know, someone said this to me once, and I was offended at first. And then I thought, you know, what is actually an advantage? He said, he got a bit of a chip on your shoulder. And I was like, No, I don't. I was like, yeah, actually, I kind of do. And you feel like, pay attention to me. Yeah, like, I'm here. I'm putting my hand up. And so I think middle children sometimes feel like they have to work a little harder, because we do. We're also more of consensus builders, and there's a bit of like, go along to get along. But then you also pair that with wanting attention. I think it's just the right mix. But stuck. Ease was nothing growing up in DC, it was so nice, because if I'd grown up in Eastman, Georgia, I would have had this false sense of being this P can log roll heiress, like, I was something bigger than what we are, no one should feel that way. And so I certainly didn't feel that way. Growing up, John Heinz was in my class, you know, the ketchup, Fortune stomaches compared to Heinz, not the same. So it was good,

David Novak 26:31

but it sounds like you're pretty competitive, though. Did that really drive you? I mean, it's like you're round all these big time. Families, did that drive you at all? Or what drove you most that or being the fourth or the fifth kid,

Stephanie Stuckey 26:45

I think being the fourth, or the fifth kid, and also seeing what happened to our brand. I think this ducky story is unique in many ways. But one of the things that's most special about our brand, and the only other company I'm aware of that has a similar story is Bill's the department store, that it fell out of our hands. And we had lost it for decades. And we got it back. I mean, that is just such a motivating factor for me that we lost this. And we've got a chance to remake it. I think how many people have a family brand that had a visionary founder, and it fell out the family hands and it lost the magic had the chance to bring it back. I get messages every single day, probably 10 a day from people who lost their family business and they say I am rooting for you. Because Oh, that's great. We lost it. And my grandfather's business was sold. my great grandfather's business was sold, it breaks my heart to see what happened. I want you to make it.

David Novak 27:44

That's great. You know. And speaking of grandfather's, you've already talked a little bit about him, you have obviously had a lot of admiration for him. And then you bought your business from your father where it sounds like stuck. He's was kind of a stepchild, not a really a big deal. So how do you deal with your father today?

Stephanie Stuckey 28:02

Well, it's very interesting. So I will say the first six months were really rocky. And not to get into too much detail. But I'm a lawyer by training. And it really served me well during this period of trying to negotiate the sale. The reason I bought the company, you know, usually you're a 3g or third generation with family business. You don't have to pay for it, you inherit the business. But what happened with me is my dad had business partners, he had five business partners. So I initially bought out his business partners they wanted to sell. My dad hung on to his shares. He had 51%. And those first six months were really hard. Everything I did, he was questioning. He's retired. And he would call me from his Lazy Boy recliner on his FaceTime and just Why are you doing this? Why are you doing that? You know, are you watching the bottom line and send me the balance sheets. And I finally sat him down. And I said, I can have a father or I can have a business partner, but I can't have both. And it was really a huge sacrifice for me to take a complete career and life pivot at age 53. To buy this company by said, I will pivot back, I'll go back to what I was doing before I still got my law degree, you have to sell to me. And he thought about it and he came back and here's the it got a little complicated. This is really with a law degree helped heal the outright own 2% The rest was in an irrevocable trust. So I had to work with his trustee to make sure that it was a good decision to sell the assets. And at that point, I went to my dad at six months because that's when I turned a profit. And so I proved to him, I can make the company profitable. And so from that moment on though, it's like I got my dad back.

David Novak 29:52

Well, that's great. So you you're bringing back stuck ease and you're bringing back your relationship you know, that's, that's cool. I love that and thanks for being so on. understand that and you know, you mentioned, you know, you're a trial lawyer. Okay. How did that prepare you for what you're doing right now? I mean, I know you just mentioned that you got through the irrevocable trust issues. But yeah, you know what it'd be in a trial while you're due to get you ready to be this startup leader.

Stephanie Stuckey 30:16

So not only was I, a trial attorney, but I was actually a public defender for many years. And then I segwayed into a different area of law, I did environmental law. But both of those areas of law, I was always representing the underdog. I mean, definitely being a public defender you you do criminal defense law, and you have to represent people who are often charged with some pretty heinous crimes. And what that experience taught me was, in order to do that credibly, and I'm a big believer in being honest, and forming an emotional connection, you have to form a connection with the jury, if you're a trial lawyer. So in order to do that, I had to find something redeeming about my client. Sometimes that was hard. I had to figure out a way to connect with them. Well, that's the same thing, trying to sell your brand and appeal to customers, you have to learn how to relate to people. And if you buy a company that's in distress, that's in debt, you have to find something redeeming and that, and not only that, you have to be able to stand up and advocate for that zealously and passionately. And I learned that trying cases.

David Novak 31:26

Oh, that makes so much sense. You know, I always felt it's so important. When you go into tough situations that you round up and you trust in positive intentions. And you believe that what you have is really something very important. And another thing that I just love about your background is you served as a state representative for for over a decade. You know, what did that teach you?

Stephanie Stuckey 31:48

Same thing. I was passionate about the environment. And so a lot of my career in the Georgia legislature for 14 years, was advocating for environmental protection, clean air, clean land, water, I did a lot of advocacy work with minority communities. It was really interesting because of redistricting. I went from a district that was 97%, white, to 63%, African American overnight, and was drawn into a district where the head of the NAACP for that county was already actively campaigning and running to the seat. So I had to run against the president of the NAACP, and a majority African American district. So I learned so much from politics, running those campaigns, just putting yourself out there. That was really, really hard for me. I remember going to black churches, I went as a kid with my dad, actually when he was campaigning. And I would go in this church and this mega church and South DeKalb. And there'd be 1000 people. And I would be the only white person. And I went to one and it was that big. And the minister said and we've got sister Stuckey here, she wants to be your next state rep. We want her to come on up to the pulpit and say a few words, talk about having to learn to talk quick on your feet. What I learned from that is getting out of my comfort zone. That was really getting out of my comfort zone. And guess what I won? I won the election. I served six more years after that. And then I decided it's time to let someone else try their hand at democracy. I'm a big believer that you should not make politics or public service your career. Well, I

David Novak 33:39

was wondering, you know, given your background, that it makes sense. Now, this is kind of maybe a stretch but I'm getting Okay. Stephanie goes out, she takes over Stuckey she brings back this great heritage brand down she's got even more visibility, and now she runs for president.

Stephanie Stuckey 33:56

No, no, no. I've definitely had a very atypical career. Usually you see people going from business to politics. I went from politics to business. I went into politics because I was passionate about the issues. I was passionate about the environment in particular. And I thought that there needed to be more of a voice for the underdog in the Georgia Legislature, something I still feel. And I don't see myself going back to that. What I do see is I continue to support friends and politics. I do not mix duckies and politics. I definitely am an independent now, I ran on a partisan ticket. But I have learned when you transition to running a company, for Republicans by decalogue roles to I really try to be fair minded and in my approach to politics now and even when I was in office, I really viewed myself as the middle child, a consensus builder.

David Novak 34:57

You know, now you're getting back to the Stuckey spread Innovation is the lifeblood of any business. And it's absolutely critical in the retail world that you're in. How do you think about stuck ease in terms of innovation? And what have you done recently that you're really particularly proud of that's breaking new ground for the brand.

Stephanie Stuckey 35:17

It's hard for me to point to a lot of good examples given the short tenure, but I will say, innovation wise, what we're doing is not as customer forward. But it's critical. As I referenced earlier, sales are skyrocketing. And I'm really am a student of brands that I admire. And I see what happens often is you get a visionary founder, and they have a great idea. And they may not necessarily know how to scale that idea. And that's where I see entrepreneurs having the biggest challenges is how do you scale. And that's what we're dealing with right now. And in order to scale, I think you need capital, you need financial capital and human capital, but you need innovation. I really think it's like a three legged stool to scale your brand or your business. And so what we've been doing more behind the scenes to innovate is we're getting new equipment, we're working on an extruder machine, which is what spits out the new get in the center of candy. The amazing thing to me about the candy world is that a lot of equipment hasn't changed since that I Love Lucy episode that everyone loves, like so much of that we have that same piece of equipment that you see on that episode.

David Novak 36:30

That is one of the funniest episodes. Remember that one

Stephanie Stuckey 36:33

that was filmed to See's Candy, by the way, a warren buffett brand, but we're in the process of getting a new extruder. And we've gotten some new T cam shelling machines, and these are six bigger machines. So for us to get the working capital to make sure that we can scale the operation is pretty critical. So we've done that, and then we're not losing sight that there's still very much a human component to our food and our product. And I know it sounds hokey, but I really do think when there's candy that's made in part by hand, even in a industrial setting, you can taste the difference. And so we did hire, we really don't spend a lot of money on consultants. So when we do we try to be extremely strategic, but we hired a team to come in and observe our operations and figure out how to make our teams more effective. We're doing some training. So our innovation has been machinery and streamlining efficiencies. That's great.

David Novak 37:29

You know, it's such a fascinating thing that you're having to create almost, you know, all this stuff, basically from scratch. Now, you've gone from three people to 105 people I think you mentioned Okay,

Stephanie Stuckey 37:41

almost 150 During peak pecan season will help. Okay, so

David Novak 37:44

100. So, how do you think about culture? And what kind of work environment are you trying to create with your team that's going to get you the kind of results that you're looking for. So culture

Stephanie Stuckey 37:55

is hard when you come into a company that, frankly, has been experiencing tough times. So not only did I acquire stock ease that was experienced hard times, but then I, my business partner, and I bought this pecan shelling and candy company that had been around since 1935. And has had two families own it. The second family's had it for 50 years or so here we come in. And who are these people now running our company. And so I've really given culture, a lot of thought. And one thing I've been very respectful of, is to not come in like guns blazing, like, here's our culture, here's my vision, we're going to revive the great roadtrip and I want you to buy into everything that I think and I've been extremely respectful to really get to know the people get to understand the existing culture, and get to know the people. So I think a lot of culture is just appreciating people. Having these small wins along the way where people feel like they're part of something that they have an opportunity not just to be the frontline candy worker that's working on the enroller machine, but they can advance.

David Novak 39:12

You know, one of the things I've always found is no involvement leads to no commitment, and that if you can get your people to help you define what that culture is in words that they can relate to. That's when you've really found the homerun,

Stephanie Stuckey 39:25

absolutely it just letting so initially I am focusing on these small opportunities to build culture build connection, filled a team. So I moved down to Rennes, Georgia, where our candy plant is for a month I rented a little farmhouse, a state out in the country. And I've shopped where they shopped, I would see some of our employees at Peggy's diner. You know, I just got to know the community and what their culture is. And then I made sure I knew all the people's names who worked in The candy plant. And then we did this is something so small, but this is where I think there are lessons where you can build culture and not have these big audacious gestures. I noticed in the shop one day we have a little retail shop connected to the store factory store. So one store we own and operate. And we have these duckies hoodies, and one of the employees was in there during her break, and she was buying a hoodie. And I said, don't pay for that hoodie. We'll take care of it. And then I thought, Wait, if I get her a hoodie, I need to get everyone else a hoodie. So in our next all hands on deck meeting, I said, Hey, we're getting everyone a hoodie. And then someone standing next to me said, Can we get our names on it? And like, yeah, and you're getting your names on it. They were so excited. And you know, it's cold in a food processing facility, they have to crank up the air conditioning. So you need a buddy even in South Georgia and the summer.

David Novak 40:56

I've got a Blake Shelton voice hoodie that I put on every time I'm playing voice with my grandkids. So yeah, I think it's terrific. I love it. Stephanie. There's been so much fun. And I want to have a little bit more by doing a lightning round of q&a with you. Are you ready for this? I'm ready. Okay. What are the three words that best describe you?

Stephanie Stuckey 41:14

Persistent, optimistic, scrappy.

David Novak 41:21

If you could be one person for a day beside yourself, who would it be and why?

Stephanie Stuckey 41:25

Oh my gosh, that's so easy. I am a huge Dolly Parton fan. I would love to be Dolly for a day.

David Novak 41:31

Well, she's scrappy speaking and scrappy you founder. There you go. So what's your biggest pet peeve?

Stephanie Stuckey 41:37

Oh, gosh, that's easy. It this drives me crazy. People who come to you with problems are complaining and haven't thought about how to solve it or some other course like, Okay, this isn't working. Here's how we can make it work. Or here. Here's how we could pivot and do this other thing that would be better. But but just complainers who don't help problem solve.

David Novak 42:01

Tell us something about you that few people would know. I'm fluent in French. Wow. So where would you rather go to de Paris, Texas or Paris, France?

Stephanie Stuckey 42:10

I'd rather go to Paris, Texas, but I'll come on. I do. I'd go small. You know, it's interesting. I lived in France for a year as a French major in college. And I lived in excellent Provence. I chose a small town. And I learned the language. If you go to Paris, it's like any big city. Yes, I love Paris. I've been like 20 times. But it's a big city. And you don't really get to connect with people like you do in a small town and the south of France Provence region, the people are so wonderful and warm and the food's amazing. I speak the language and

David Novak 42:46

so you're sticking with road trip to Paris, Texas. But because you're a road trip junkie.

Stephanie Stuckey 42:51

Now I've road trip to the South of France to you just have to learn how to drive those little cars.

David Novak 42:57

So what's your favorite highway? Route

Stephanie Stuckey 42:59

66.

David Novak 43:02

And what's your favorite roadside stop the sides of stickies.

Stephanie Stuckey 43:06

I'm debating between south of the border. I think I'm gonna say south of the border. I was about to say like the world's largest belt buckle because that was pretty fun. That's in Uranus, Missouri and they have like all these attractions there. But I'll go with south of the border because that's run by a third generation family member

David Novak 43:26

eeriness, Missouri. Now that's a new one. So what's your favorite Stuckey is product?

Stephanie Stuckey 43:31

Pecan logro.

David Novak 43:32

That's it.

Stephanie Stuckey 43:33

Yes, I eat them. I absolutely love them. You slice them like Pate, you can serve them with a little toothpick with the frills on top. It makes a great appetizer.

David Novak 43:44

And what would be three bits of advice you'd give to aspiring leaders.

Stephanie Stuckey 43:49

Work hard. always step up to the plate. Can I tell a quick story and as is lying around, but absolutely. I so because thinking about aspiring leaders and young people. I've been so fortunate to have been mentored, but also to have the opportunity to mentor people. And when I was head of sustainability for the city of Atlanta, I had a woman who was an entry level project manager, and she was always always volunteering to do stuff. And she came to me one day and she said, why don't we have an intern program? And I said, Well, we did. There's so much work to manage the interns. I don't have the time, we don't have the time and I didn't feel like it was rewarding to either side. And she said, I want to do that. I want to run the intern program. And I said, Okay, you can do it and I just kind of like, sit Alright, and that literally forgot about it. And then a month later I walk into the office and they're like 20 people in the office. I'm like, what is all this and they're like it's the intern program is to kick off program. Oh, and the mayor is coming by to give welcoming remarks. I'm like, what? She created this whole program. We had 20 interns. She had a syllabus. She had trips planned, she got spawned. So as to treat them for lunch once a week for lunch and learns, suddenly every department head was coming to me saying, How did you do this? And I'm like it her name is yo wrong G She's amazing. She's a total superstar. But I love that she not only volunteered, and she came to me and said, I want to do this, can I do this? So just step up to the plate offer to do stuff. You'd be amazed how often your boss will say, Yeah, okay, you know, and not even think about and realize, like you she was really on to something that was the best program. So the third bit of ice, have fun. Don't take yourself too seriously. Whenever I get stressed out, I tell myself, it's just candy. Candy. That's great. We're selling rubber alligators and coonskin caps, have fun.

David Novak 45:47

I love it. And what advice would you give to others on how to make a family business work? Because you've been through the gamut. It seems like,

Stephanie Stuckey 45:56

often family businesses have too much pressure on them to carry on the family lineage. And I think part of what I want to instill because I do talk to a lot of other family businesses, I want to say just relax. Sometimes it doesn't have to be a family member who runs the company. So there's ownership and there's management. And I'm already thinking about the next generation, obviously, my son, and my daughter may not be the right people to run the company. And that's going to be okay. So I would just say, Don't get so tied down that it has to be a family member, because sometimes, that's the worst thing you can do you want someone who really, really wants it, I really wanted it, I really wanted it because we lost it.

David Novak 46:44

You want it as he used to be giving you a lot of joy. Yes,

Stephanie Stuckey 46:47

you have to want it. And if it's just handed to you, and it's given to you like an obligation, you're not going to have that joy. And that will permeate in everything you do with the company just don't get so tied to the fact that it has to be someone with the last name stuck at the last name hein. So the last name Sanders. Right,

David Novak 47:06

right. You know, Stephanie, I love how you decided to take on this big challenge. And I love how it's energizing you. And I really appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation with me.

Stephanie Stuckey 47:17

Well, thank you. I'm a big fan. So Pleasure is mine. You know, one

David Novak 47:20

of the things I've always seen is, you know, you mentioned that I do podcasts with these big huge companies, which I do, right. But I've always learned that, you know, it takes the same kind of thinking, the same kind of diligence to run a small business that is really successful. It's just there aren't as many zeros next to it, you know. But to get to those zeros, you got to do the same things, no matter how big the business is.

Stephanie Stuckey 47:46

Wow. Thank you, that really made my day to hear that. I think in many ways, it's Well, I wouldn't say it's harder. It's just the challenges are different if you're a small, scrappy comeback brand, because I don't have this big team. Yeah, I was

David Novak 48:03

a corporate manager. So I had a team, I had a CFO that I could turn to I, you know, I had my skills. But I was surrounded by all kinds of excellence and resources. You know, when you're building this business from scratch, like you are, you're turning over problems every single day. And then you got to solve those problems, and you don't have an army of people to go solve them. You got to solve most of them yourself. It's not surprising to me that you've taken his business and made it profitable. And now grown it and you got huge upside ahead. And I want to congratulate you on all your success and keep it going. We'll be rooting for you.

Stephanie Stuckey 48:39

Thank you, I really appreciate I'm grateful.

David Novak 48:50

Well, that conversation has a lot of insight is so easy to get stuck in the old way of doing things, even if they're not working anymore. But if you believe in what you're doing, just like Stephanie does, you will be a willing to take on the status quo and try new things. You have to bring new ideas to the table and fight for what you believe in. When you heard Stephanie's story. Was there a particular part of your business that came to mind something your team or company does that may be broken and needs to be refreshed? What I want you to do this week is to take the first step towards improving that process or that product, whatever comes to mind. So do you want to know how leaders lead? What we learned today is that great leaders are willing to reimagine their brand or their company and then do something about it. So go do something this week. Thanks again for tuning in to another episode of how leaders lead where every Thursday you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world. I make it a point to give you something simple on each episode that you can apply to your business so that you will become the best leader you can be

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