Scaling for Good with Mike Beckham: Recent Episodes
Mike Beckham
From We Are For Good Studios and Simple Modern, welcome to Scaling for Good, a limited podcast series giving you the playbook to start, build, grow AND give generously. Here you’ll get to hang with, Mike Beckham, who started and built a 9-figure insulated drinkware company, Simple Modern… with one simple goal: to give generously. In each of these six episodes, Mike breaks down a principle learned from his journey that can revolutionize your business, organization or just about anything you’re building. Plus, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. We believe in the power of good to change the world, and something tells us you do too. So pull up a seat and join us! Tweet Mike at mikebeckhamsm or visit scalingforgood.com where you can download a free guidebook to help you get the most out of this series.
Mike shares his wisdom around when to scale, how to scale, and how to empower and develop the team around you. We believe this has been the secret sauce behind Simple Modern’s success.
💡Learn:
- How to scale well: develop yourself and develop others
- Stages of CEO/leader
- Attracting A players
- Funding’s role in scaling
- Keeping vision in front of your people
Learn more: www.weareforgood.com/scaling
CONNECT WITH MIKELinkedIn / Twitter
CONNECT WITH SIMPLE MODERN
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube
"Should I stay, or should I go?" When faced with the question, "What do we do now?," you have three options. Mike breaks those down and shares a personal story of when it was time to quit, and what led to what is now Simple Modern.
💡Learn:
- 3 options when facing, “what do we do now?”: Persist, Quit, Pivot
- Why it’s hard for entrepreneurs to quit
- Sunk cost fallacy
- Changing the narrative on quitting
Learn more: www.weareforgood.com/scaling
CONNECT WITH MIKELinkedIn / Twitter
CONNECT WITH SIMPLE MODERN
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube
Radical Giving: The Secret To Life. When you inject generosity into a company it will flourish as well as the people, and Mike has witnessed that in action at Simple Modern. Tune in to hear how they have fostered holistic generosity within the culture at Simple Modern - from the very beginning.
Episode Highlights
- Tone setting + why Simple Modern leaned further into generosity during the pandemic (0:45)
- Foundational story that shaped how Mike thinks about generosity (3:45)
- Generosity as a cornerstone - how Simple Modern started with the “why” and worked back to the “what” (5:00)
- Four reasons why generosity is crucial (5:40)
- Questions you can ask today to apply these principles (9:00)
- Tips to create vibrant internal cultures through generosity(11:45)
- Tips for applying generosity to external relationships (16:50)
- Focus on process instead of results(18:55)
- How Simple Modern stands apart with a generous spirit (22:10)
- Giving without expectations of the impact + the ripple effect of generosity (27:20)
- Mike Drop Moment: Generosity enlarges the future for others. (29:50)
Learn more: www.weareforgood.com/scaling
We’re diving into innovation and differentiation. The secret to success is finding the white space. Do what’s already working . . . Just do it differently and better. Hear how Mike and his co-founders landed on drinkware as their product to sell.
💡Learn:
- The trap many entrepreneurs get stuck
- Step-by-step instructions to differentiate from competitors
- Finding the white space
- Experimentation & iteration
Episode Highlights
- Tone setting + creating something that has value (1:00)
- How Simple Modern saw the white space in an already saturated market (4:00)
- Where the white space lives (6:00)
- Three things to look for when trying to start something new (8:30)
- Questions to ask yourself today (10:00)
- Advice for entrepreneurs experiencing self doubt or intimidation by competition (13:00)
- What kind of decisions Mike and the team have made strategically as they’ve looked at competitors (16:00)
- Is there a time you're ever you should ever not be experimenting? (18:00)
- Mike Drop Moment: In any industry, there is room for a really well run executed company. (23:00)
Start with Culture
What is the day-to-day environment? Discussion on the dream culture that the founders wanted, what culture is, and how do you create the vision.
💡Learn: Key aspects to culture + Defining generous culture + Why good culture matters + 4 ways to build exceptional culture + Retaining culture during periods of growth