What does your social media strategy look like? Do you find that you’re spending an inordinate amount of time crafting social media updates? Have you ever considered the fact that your current social media strategy probably includes crafting new updates, everyday, for the rest of your life? That quite a time commitment! There has to be a better way…

My guest today, Laura Roeder, is the founder of the social media management platform Edgar. Visit the site at www.meetedgar.com. 

For more stories, visit www.intrepidentrepreneur.net. 

Hap Klopp is the founder of The North Face and author of the book “Almost,” which details 12 months in the life of a San Francisco startup that seemed “on the verge of becoming a household name and being bought by Big Silicon.” This episode is all about the role of failure in success. As Hap says, “Failure is really just applying the scientific method to business.” In science, we develop a hypothesis about how we think something should be. Then, we test it, and more often than not, our expectations fail to pan out. So we develop a new hypothesis and test that one, again and again, until we finally have a break-through: After countless failed attempts, our hypothesis is verified by reality. And this reality is what makes things GO! If you like this episode, share it with a friend or colleague and give it a thumbs up on iTunes!

For complete show notes, visit http://intrepidentrepreneur.net/. 

Dare we say that 2016 is the year when commercialization of the customer experience becomes the kiss of death? Companies that target the lowest common denominator and strive to be consistent to large groups of consumers are just commoditized. And when you try to be great to the biggest group of people you can possibly reach, you actually end up being great to no one.

My guest today, Brad Steward, is an iconic entrepreneur in the active outdoor lifestyle -- and now travel -- markets. He’s a former pro snowboarder and founder of Bonfire Snowboarding. I would even venture to say that he’s one of the founders of the snowboard industry, along with Jake Burton-Carpenter and the late Tom Simms.

Brad’s a visionary and he’s about to point that creativity to a brand-new launch in Caravan Outpost. Caravan Outpost is a hand-built travel experience created for a very specific avatar (target customer).

 Brad has SO many amazing takeaways in this podcast. I advise you grab your notebook and pen, and listen in to Brad and I as we talk about the importance of creating magical moments for consumers, why products should strive to create completely unique, visceral experiences, as well as the path of the founder/entrepreneur. Brad is a perfect example of an adventurous entrepreneur, and I hope his journey inspires you!

After criss crossing the United States, attending a heap of trade shows in the past two months, our resident retail and sales guru Michele Flamer visits the Intrepid Entrepreneur for her third time in the chair!

Michele basically holds a Ph.D. in sales and training development, and this episode is an uncensored look at what it’s going to take for brands and retailers to break out and be a success story in 2016.

We’re in an economy in which the consumer is clearly in the driver’s seat. This consumer expects extremely targeted messaging and communication, and will respond to the brands and retailers adept at making it appear like they’re speaking directly to them. And this is very good news for the smaller retailers, Michele believes. … Why? Because large brands and retailers are usually just too big to accomplish this.

So what does this mean for you? Play to your strengths! As Michele and I talk about in this episode, focus on how you can take your interaction and communication to the next level - and it will pay off for you! Show your consumers the similar values you share - whether it be philanthropic, general interests, or passions - and connect on those issues.

There are plenty more insights in this episode of the Intrepid Entrepreneur. Thank you SO much for listening and please give this a thumbs up in iTunes of you enjoy the episode!