Episode 3: Jacob McKean of Modern Times Beer on Running a Rapidly Growing Startup, Creating a Utopia, and What Budweiser is Really Selling
Welcome to Episode 3 of Products of the Mind. I’m excited to bring you the first full-length interview.
On this episode, I speak with Jacob McKean, founder of Modern Times Beer.
An Extremely Brief History of Craft Beer
According to the Brewers Association, in 1978 there were 89 breweries operating in the United States. Today we’re at about 4,000, and that number is growing by about 500 per year.
Basically, every day in America, a new brewery opens. Almost all of these are referred to as craft breweries, which has a complicated definition, but it basically means everything other than the big brands: Budweiser, Miller-Coors, you get the idea.
Modern Times
In 2013 Jacob founded Modern Times Beer and it’s been wildly successful from day 1. They keep doubling their capacity over and over again, but they still can’t make enough product to meet the demand. In the very crowded field of craft beer, Modern Times stands out, both because of the characteristics of their beer and because of their distinct branding. Most of their beers are named after historic and imaginary utopian communities. Their marketing copy reflects Jacob’s strange sense of humor.
Jacob has created his own little corner of the world according to his particular vision of how things should be. He’s not afraid to share his opinions, as you’ll hear on this episode.
What’s it like running a wildly successful startup on a day to day basis? How does Jacob deal with those moments when things seem to be spinning out of control? What are Jacob’s thoughts about the recent purchases of small breweries by the major beer companies? We talk about all this and more on this episode.
Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!
If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.
Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.
The Credits
As always, the music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!
This episode and these show notes © 2015 David Lizerbram
Products of the Mind Episode 2: What Is A Trademark?
Welcome to Episode 2 of Products of the Mind. In this episode, I answer a question that I’m often asked – and that sometimes people are too afraid or embarrassed to ask: What Is a Trademark?
Don’t worry, the concept is pretty simple. A trademark is anything that identifies the source of goods or services. Common types of trademarks are brand names, business names, logos, and slogans or tag lines.
Trademarks are a type of Intellectual Property (which is often shortened to “IP.”) That’s a term for a class of intangible things that an individual or a business can own.
I always encourage people to think of trademarks (and IP in general) not as problems to be solved, or business expenses, but as a set of tools granted by the law that can help you own and protect what you create: the products of your mind, if you will. Understanding the basics about trademarks and IP will be invaluable for the growth of your business or the success of your creative projects.
Plus, it’s just a fascinating topic – for me, at least.
This Episode Includes
In future episodes, I’ll discuss copyright, trade secrets, and other IP related topics.
If there was anything in this episode that wasn’t perfectly clear, or something you’d like me to expand on, please let me know.
Free Giveaway
Click here for your free Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs Checklist!
Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!
If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.
Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.
The Credits
As always, the music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!
This episode and these show notes © 2015 David Lizerbram
Welcome to Episode 1 of Products of the Mind. This episode features something that’s never been done before (to my knowledge.)
Not only is this the first episode of this podcast, it’s the first podcast I’ve ever created. I knew that I wanted to talk about creativity and business, and I listened to tons of podcasts to get inspiration on how to make this the best show that I could do.
And I wanted to start out with a bang. So let’s consider this not just the first episode, but also a Very Special Episode. I decided to do something that, to my knowledge, has never been done before. I approached 16 of the top podcasters, people I really admire who’ve been successful in this medium, and asked them all the same question.
I’m calling this my 1 Question Interview.
The question is, “When do you feel most creative?“
In this episode you’re going to hear about creativity from podcasters including Pat Flynn, John Lee Dumas, Kate Erickson, Jaime Tardy, Michael O’Neal, Omar Zenhom, and many more.
It’s like The Avengers of podcasting - all your favorite heroes in one exciting adventure.
The range of answers to my 1 Question Interview surprised me. Some people talked about times of the day. Some made reference to a certain type of activity. A few talked about specific places where they felt creative. But those places ranged from “sitting on my furry rug” to “traveling through North Korea."
I definitely didn’t expect that one.
But first, a bit about me.
I’m David Lizerbram. I’m a business law strategist. Oh, and now I can add “podcaster” to the list of things I do. I podcast from sunny San Diego, California, where for the last ten or so years, I’ve been helping entrepreneurs solve problems and achieve their goals.
I have a background in the creative arts - I went to USC film school (then known as the School of Cinema-Television; now the School of Cinematic Arts) and spent years playing in rock bands. But I’ve also always been fascinated by business and entrepreneurship.
Over the years, I’ve found that entrepreneurs and people who consider themselves creative professionals have a lot in common. I started this podcast to have a conversation about those traits and what leads people to become innovative problem solvers and communicators.
So in future episodes, I'm going to do interviews with interesting people to try to dig into that. I’m also going to do some episodes where I share some legal tips and case studies to help give a bit of guidance to my listeners.
On to the 1 Question Interviews.
Remember: the question is “When do you feel most creative?”
The first few answers had to do with the time of day when people feel creative. Check out the show for answers from:
• Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income
• John Lee Dumas of EOFire
• Mike Vardy of Productivityist
• Anthony Tran of Marketing Access Pass
• Lou Mongello of WDW Radio
The next few answers had to do with places that spark creativity.
• Michael O'Neal of The Solopreneur Hour
• Jaime Tardy of Eventual Millionaire
• Omar Zenhom of $100 MBA
• Steven Shalowitz of The One-Way Ticket Show
The final group is a bit of a catchall – let’s call it circumstances where one feels creative.
• Elise Cripe of Elise Gets Crafty
• Cliff Ravenscraft of Podcast Answer Man
• Joel Boggess of The ReLaunch Show
• Jordan Harbinger of The Art of Charm
• Meron Bereket of Inspiring Innovation
• Joon Han of Your Biz Rocks
• Kate Erickson of Kate’s Take and EOFire
For those playing along, the shortest answer was from Meron Bereket of Inspiring Innovation and the longest was from Steven Shalowitz of The One Way Ticket Show.
I hope this got you thinking about when you feel most creative. Feel free to leave a comment on the podcast page at Productsofthemind.net or through Twitter @davidlizerbram and let me know when you feel most creative.
And I guess it’s only fair that I answer the question too. So here we go:
I’m David Lizerbram from Products of the Mind and I feel most creative when I’m in a conversation with someone who is sharing their insights and life experience. I don’t think most people have the ability to just sit on a remote mountaintop and come up with great ideas. Creativity comes from interacting with other people, collaborating, arguing, trying things out.
Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!
If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.
Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.
The Credits
As always, the music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!
This episode and these show notes © 2015 David Lizerbram