John Edelman is the President and CEO of Heller, an American modern design company that makes and sells indoor/outdoor furniture and accessories. John was previously the CEO of Design Within Reach, which was sold to Herman Miller in 2014.OUTLINE:* (00:00) - Intro * (4:09) - Early years in an entrepreneurial home * (8:13) - Advice for starting a new company * (11:00) - The Importance Of Taste * (14:20) - Learning to love modern design * (18:30) - The art of the flip * (22:27) - Getting a visit from Andy Warhol * (24:35) - The power of window displays * (27:33) - Tips for running a family business * (29:47) - Changing the strategy at Edelman Leather * (33:25) - Dealing with family in your business * (35:37) - Using your competition to power growth * (40:15) - Discovering the Brazilian show business * (42:50) - Selling the family business * (48:09) - Keeping your family happy while running a business * (50:19) - Almost losing a deal in the last moment * (56:06) - How to motivate your team * (1:07:12) - Selling Design Within Reach * (1:16:26) - The 10/80/10 Management Model * (1:19:33) - After selling Design Within Reach * (1:21:24) - Failing in the vodka industry * (1:24:26) - Having a partnership and also a friendship * (1:27:36) - Running the legendary design brand, Heller

EPISODE LINKS:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-edelman-4361a012/ * Heller: https://hellerinc.com/ * Design Within Reach: https://www.dwr.com/ * Herman Miller: https://www.hermanmiller.com/

PODCAST INFO:* Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 * YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z * YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql

SUPPORT & CONNECT:* Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/