Transcription
****Please forgive any and all transcription errors as this was transcribed by Otter.ai.****

[intro music]
Shark 0:16
Welcome back and thank you for joining A Shark's Perspective. I am Kenneth "Shark" Kinney, your host and Chief Shark Officer.

Shark 0:23
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Shark 0:26
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Shark 0:51
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Shark 1:14
On today's show, let's think about this. If you gotten frustrated of corporate life, especially with the BS from some big agencies, and you wanted to start your own company or agency and hang out your own shingle, then what could you learn from someone who started their own agency three decades plus ago, especially from a woman owned agency who persevered in a male dominated world and how do you do all that while servicing your customer and the customer of your customer, all while you go through the revolving door of CMOS and brands reshuffling the deck so often. Sue Kruskopf is the CEO, Founder, and Queen Bee (with two E's) of Kruskopf and Company, aka KC truth. And she's also the co founder of my wonderful life dot com, a "Shark Tank" TV show featured site where you can plan your own funeral online.

Shark 1:59
And on this episode, we'll discuss a woman owned advertising agency lasting three decades plus, women in the agency workplace, getting frustrated and ridding the world of BS, the truth of a company, plan B and planning your own funeral, the Shark Tank experience, grit and perseverance, attracting bees, measuring results, hiring the right talent, staying relevant, doin' the bird and a lot, lot more. So let's tune in to a truth agency teller with a shark, who is oh so young at heart on this episode of A Shark's Perspective.

Shark 2:33
Sue, thank you so much for joining us today on the sharks perspective. Tell us a little bit about your background and your career today.

Sue Kruskopf 2:40
Oh, good. Good to meet you, Kenneth. Well, I'm probably one of the oldest people in advertising. Oh, come on, I started back in 1988, at the young age of 28. And with a partner and just got frustrated at a big agency and decided we were going to go off and do our own thing and started an agency back then not having a clue what we were doing, which was probably the best thing. Ignorance is bliss, you know. And so we just weren't making any money at the big agency. So we might as well not make any money at a small agency that we started and, and that's what we did, and didn't have a rich uncle or anything like that just started doing our own doing our own stuff. And you know, brick by brick things got built. To be honest, we probably went out of business, oh, maybe three times in the following four years. But you know, it doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? So every, every time we went out of business, I learned something new that came back and kept me you know, pick myself up by the bootstraps and kept going.

Shark 3:47
So why is the company called KC Truth?

Sue Kruskopf 3:50
Well, just because, you know, I think it's me rebelling against my growing up in a big agency, which I thought was full of BS. And I just thought, you know, that's our mission to read the world of BS and find the truth. And the truth is, that's one of the strongest motivators on Earth, if you can get at the core of a truth of a company, and what they truly are not sugar coated, or, or, I mean, that sugar coat, that's not the right word, but it's, it's like finding their their essence of what they what is so true to to their soul, that you can weave that into a really great story. And so that's always why we've stood for truth forever. I mean, that's why we have a bar on the first floor called the truth bar, because it's just like, we're gonna own it, and we're gonna own it big and, you know, and that's how we're known in town. People just call us, you know, truth or, you know, tasty truth. I mean, it's just, you know, that's always been at the core of who I was, and it just worked, you know, I mean, from then and through the years, it stands the test of time, right. There's a lot of people that keep reinventing themselves. And then every time I think you reinvent yourself, you lose more of your identity. You know, because you're now you're this now you're this now you're this, you know, just stay true to what you are. And that comes within every discipline, whether it's media strategy, creative, it all comes back to finding the truth and each of those areas, so clients like it, I mean, clients, clients like that they come in, and they'll have a truth workshop. And it's like therapy. I mean, it's like therapy when they can sit and talk about, you know, hear what other people have to say, and they can all get in alignment with one another, you know, and it's a it's very, it's a really, really strong part of our cornerstone of, of our business. And, yeah, we've just own that forever. And I think that's good. You know, we're gonna dive

Shark 5:40
a lot into the agency life. But back in 1988, I cannot imagine that there were very many women owned agencies at the time, anywhere in the country, let alone Minnesota. Yeah. And they've been very few that I can imagine if sustained 30 plus years. You know, is there anything that you credit that to other than your own perseverance? Was there any special superpower that you attribute that to?

Sue Kruskopf 6:04
I just think I just think just what you said, grit and perseverance, I mean, I, once I got a taste of having my own thing, and I was so sick of, I worked at the time, a big agency in Minneapolis was like, Campbell, methuen, it must have been like four or 500 people. And I just got so sick of the politics and the Bs, I just, I was an art director, and my, my, and I worked with a copywriter. And, you know, we just get so frustrated with trying to get good ideas out of the out of the agency that we just quit, and I, you know, and went and just went, let's just try this on our own worst cases, we'll build a portfolio and go get a job at Fallon, you know, because Fallon was the hot agency back in the day. And that's where everybody wanted to be. But I mean, Minneapolis was a hotbed back in the 80s, back in the 80s. And so that's what keeps you going, you want to be as good as the other guys, right? You want to do that kind of work, you want to do that type of, you know, that have that reputation. And that wasn't happening to either of us were at the agency we were working at. So that was kind of our plan B was that we get a better portfolio put together and then go go get a job at one of those other places if it didn't work out.

Shark 7:16
So this stagnation where where ideas go to die that exists, whether it's agency life brand or anything else? Do you feel that way? Ever now, where your own agency where you're not nimble enough? I mean, I guess when do you get to that level to where you become too big to succeed?

Sue Kruskopf 7:34
Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, that was always the old line, right? Like too big to be bad. Nobody ever wanted to get too big to be bad, which were not at all. You know, but I, I think that one thing we learned coming from being creative people, you know, the, the idea back in the day was you just go cram ideas down your clients throats and hope that they would buy them. I mean, that was just it. That was your goal. And that's kind of how you were brought up and account people were enemies. And it was just this really like, obnoxious framework for a company. And that's why we decided, we're not going to do that we're going to like our clients, we're going to work closely with them, we're going to walk down the path together. And that's still the way we are today, just because I just think you attract more bees with honey, and you get better work done, if you're all on the same page. And you all want to strive for that same, that same kind of work. And, and now, of course, more than any thing, you know, we're held accountable, you know, all the time for results. I always say, you know, it's always art and science, but it used to be more art. And now it's more science, you know, so it's finding that it's always finding that balance of how do you, you know, there's still a magic that comes in a great idea and a great strategy, but you got to prove it all the time. Right?

Shark 8:48
Yeah. Well, I used to always say there's an art to the science, but there's a science to the art. So I would phrase it but how do you think the creative agency today should be measured? How is it that you measure results without it being all performance driven?

Sue Kruskopf 9:03
Well, I have to say, I mean, we're not, I wouldn't call us a creative agency, because I think that's a really hard model right now to just be a creative shop. I mean, that's why we have almost an insult calling somebody

Shark 9:18
artsy.

Sue Kruskopf 9:19
Yeah. But we have, we belong to a network of global agencies that we buy all the tools you need, like your toolbox full of measurements that you know, in data, resources, all that sort of stuff, we buy all those tools collectively together. So we have the tools and resources of an agency much larger than ours. And so that allows us to be held accountable for our results of everything that we do. And you know, that's important because that doesn't, you know, the doors stay open because what we do works and we can prove it and I think that's the hardest part because clients today you know, CMOS last, you know, 18 months or whatever it is. At a job, you know, in these days, and they have to, you know, their success is our success. So we have to make sure we're constantly delivering. So I think it's a harder challenge these days, if you're just a creative shot, I really do, because I just think, you know, the CMOS are held to accountable for, for the success. And so you have to make sure that you're, you have all those things working together, you know, so I think staying relevant and staying ahead of the game is sort of what's kept us, you know, going for so many years, it's just staying ahead of the ahead of the game, you know, it's like, there's a firehose of stuff coming at you all that kind of thing, figure out what the next thing is. So you're always, you know, educating your clients how they can be successful too.

Shark 10:44
Well, you're not an army of one, obviously, you've got a good sized team, when you think of how you've hired over the last 30 something years, the people that support you, how's that really changed, when you look back through the types of personalities, the demands that so many of them have in a week for a while, we went through the nap pod phase. But obviously, the talents and skills that come along with it, you know, those have grown the tool sets, but mentality to be a success in marketing is also something that not everybody is equipped with, just because they know how to run PPC ads, right? Or ads on Facebook,

Sue Kruskopf 11:20
right? Now, I think, Well, you know, I would say you learned stuff from growing up. I mean, I think, you know, my dad was an entrepreneur, and he always said, hire people smarter than you. And I don't think that's as true today as I hire people that are different than me, because they're still smart. I mean, not gonna hire anybody that's not, but they have to complement and be different and offer something different than the next person next to them is so I mean, if we had an agency of people just like me, we'd be out of business. I mean, there's no question about it. So it's just, I think always hiring people that are different and bring new skill sets, and, and who are really driven to we call our agency like passionate problem solvers, you know, to try to figure out what the next thing is, you know, so everybody has that mindset to, to, you know, to find the answers for what we need to prove to our clients, for sure, you know,

Shark 12:16
well, you made a joke earlier about being old, which or not, but when you think through where your own personality is, especially as a CEO, and I know, it's gonna be hard to to look at this and take a step back. How do you look for somebody that's different from you,

Sue Kruskopf 12:30
I think that it's just hiring people with a lot of potential like, you can see, they're smart, you can see that they are curious, you know, about the world. And you can see that they want to make a difference. And, and that's who I am. I mean, I'm not like I my skill set is, you know, pretty narrow in terms of, you know, that I just really think I can recognize good people. And I think they have to be smart, but they have to have a good heart and, and be wanting to work hard. So I think that's maybe one of the things I do okay, at because we've had quite a bit of longevity with some people at our place. You know, and I treat people how I want to be treated myself, you know, everything I tried to do was not like the big agency, well did it, you know, I wanted to make sure and treat my people better than I'd see them being treated at other places. And so, you know, and just being a woman back in those days, you know, that, I mean, my competition was middle aged white guys, you know, and so I just had to always punch above my weight, you know, and that's still something in our agency today that we always say, we have to punch above our weight, we always have to punch above our weight. I mean, you can never rest on your laurels, you just can't, you just got to keep keep going. And I think that's that's what that's, you know, those are the couple of things that I think I do well, and I really like to dig in and understand how a business works. That's really interesting to me. So, you know, it's different than when you're in a creative or if you're in a big agency. And, you know, you just get a creative brief and you go off and do it, we're all a part of putting that brief together. Because then you really understand the business. And if you understand the business better, you can make the work better.

Shark 14:18
One of the things I always struggle with agencies, and it's not meant to pick on any of them, but if you're working on the brand side, you're focused on the customer, the agency suffers somewhat from that because you're removed even further back from that. How does an agency go about better servicing the customer of their customer so that there's more cohesion, if you will, because it's something that I don't care if you're on the performance side, the creative side, what side it is, at the end of the day, the customer doesn't care if x y z brand is is doing well, they don't care if x y z is working with Sue. They care if what x y z and Sue are doing together helps them solve problem. And I think, unfortunately, so much of that, especially with the big agencies gets completely lost in servicing the customer of their customer. Yeah, well, I

Sue Kruskopf 15:08
think we work really hard to understand the audience's that we're talking to, because we always say, they're the ones with the money, you know, if you don't convince them, you know, they're the ones with the money. So that's why we use all the tools, we have to really understand the mindset of that end user that we want to buy or purchase whatever this product is, or a service. So I think that that is the thing that a lot of people miss is really understanding the mindset of what are smaller and smaller audiences. Now, you know, they're the long tail, they're the smaller audiences that we're trying to reach. Because we do a lot of b2b. And that's a those are, you're just not dealing with the masses. But I frankly, find it more interesting, because it's harder to deal to sell to the masses, and get them to do something than it is if you have a really finite, this is the type of person it's the Chief Technology Officer, you know, you have a feeling for who these people are. And in some ways, I think that's, that's better and more interesting to me and to us, then, then not that we wouldn't like be a big consumer campaign. But I mean, I'm just saying it's, if you really understand the mindset of that person, it helps you make the message and the strategy better, all the way around, right.

Shark 16:18
But it also helps that you've not only serviced b2b, but you've also worked on the brand side yourself. And we'll dive into the Shark Tank experience. So, but tell us about what the brand was that you started with your co founder, my wonderful life?

Sue Kruskopf 16:34
Oh, my wonderful life. So Well, there's two themes here in my life is that? Well, one is I always have a plan B, I always see if this isn't gonna work, I better do something else. That's one thing. The second thing is I in general, I, when I worked at Campbell with him back in the day, I was 28 years old, and I was a woman. And I didn't see any women that were past 35 or 40, in the whole agency. And I thought, well, I wonder what happens once you get past that age? Because there was plenty of older guys there. But there wasn't any women there. And I went well, this doesn't look very good. So again, back to my plan B.

Shark 17:11
What did you find out? Did they just ship them off to a foreign country? I don't know. Yeah.

Sue Kruskopf 17:16
What the heck knows, you know, that was a lot more drinking and cigarettes going on back here. You never know what happened. But, but I you know, so so my point with my wonderful life for since you asked Kenneth is that my wonderful life is a website where you can plan your own funeral online. And I started that in 2008. there when the death of a friend happened, and I just realized, you know, this wasn't that long after, you know, the internet was, you know, I mean, there was just the first iPhone, I remember. But I thought, my goodness, why can't you plan your own funeral online. So I bought the URL from a guy in France, my wonderful life, and just decided this was going to be my plan B, because I thought I'm gonna get old in the agency business, but I'll never be old in the funeral business, right? So I thought it's perfect. So I can, we can develop this product that we thought at the agency that we thought was really necessary, right? Because it's not like a lot of agencies, you go out and you develop a beer or a chocolate or, you know, something like that. But this could be a really useful tool, and nobody was doing it. So we did build the build the brand, build the company. And it's been running now for Well, let's see, eight, like 13 years. And we were on Shark Tank in 2012, which was a great experience, because that was the best dog and pony show that you've ever had to do in your life. And so that's my side business. That's my side game, you know, so, so that just keeps running. And so when I can get done with my agency, or I want to feel like I want to move on, I'll move over to that full time, hopefully, provided as so keeps going well, but I think it's a service that people need. And I feel like it's doing something good and giving back to people, you know, to that came out of personal experience.

Shark 19:09
So let's talk about the Shark Tank experience, one of the greatest shows ever, for you as a marketer, how did you prepare for it? I think we're all marketers, if we're entrepreneur, but right with somebody who actually is running an agency, how did you prepare for it?

Sue Kruskopf 19:25
I have to admit, it was an advantage because that's kind of what it is, is all marketing. Because then I think it's a great idea. And I think it's a great name, you know, my wonderful life. Calm is the site, you know, but it was knowing how to put things together because we had to compete against you know, there were only 60 slots and we are competing against 10,000 entries or something that year, you know, so you just have to, you know, at least we know how to put a good video together how to do all those things. So there's definitely advantage to be in marketing. You know, I'm not gonna lie, we didn't get any money. Because we had just started the company and we weren't making any money yet, so it was a good thing to, at least, you know, but get out there because back then Shark Tank wasn't as big as it is now. So now it's the gift that keeps on giving. But, but I just think, yeah, as marketers, you know, you're always have good ideas. And if you believe in good execution, you know, you can make all that work together. And that's what we did, you know, just if we treated it just like a regular client and, and entered just like everybody else, and luckily made it to the final round and got on the premiere of the 2012 season.

Shark 20:34
From a logistics standpoint, how long did it take you to get from pitch to being on the show, and when it aired,

Sue Kruskopf 20:42
it was probably three to six months, you have to sign your life away with legal, you know, legal stuff, I mean, it's just unbelievable the amount of work, a lot of people get eliminated just because there's, there's a legal issue or something else, you know, so you got to get through all those hoops. But I think it was, yeah, it was probably three to six months,

Shark 21:05
and then they still get a percentage of the company guilty,

Sue Kruskopf 21:10
that you have to sign your life away that they do, but most of them don't even take it and don't care. I mean, and and you know, and back then you don't even know if you're going to get the money from them or not. So it's only to get money, they can have the option to do that. But you know, that was back in the early days of shark tank that was almost 10 years ago, you know, so little different now.

Shark 21:32
Well, you didn't get an investment, what was the gist of why you didn't get an investment? And what would you

Sue Kruskopf 21:37
do aren't making any money. It was just an idea at the time, you know, we had ways that we were gonna make money. But you know, at the time, we weren't, you know, we just started that company. And so, you know, that. So we did what we said, so what, we'll go do this thing, and then we'll get free advertising, because that's what it was. And back then there wasn't, you know, people weren't streaming shows. So every time it had a rerun, that's what it was called back then a rerun, you know, 10 years ago that we'd see a spike in traffic to our website, the minute that there was a rerun of shark tank.

Shark 22:09
So do you still get a lot of notoriety out of it? I mean, there's this weird thing that comes with being on Shark Tank in the past, and it gets you a lot of notoriety forever.

Sue Kruskopf 22:18
Yeah, well, for a while, yeah. Now there's, you know, in Minneapolis, I was, at that time, the only person from Minnesota, I think that had done it, there was one other guy. But people always want to hear about the experience, because everybody always wants to get on, you know, you wonder what it's like. And as Mister, you know, wonderful, really a jerk and you know, all that sort of stuff. And it's, it's, it's a big drama show, it has really nothing to do with business. They're all smart business people. But, but really, it's it's about, it's about, you know, what makes good TV for sure. And, you know, so there's a lot of tricks they do to throw you off balance and that kind of stuff. And, and yeah, it was great. I'm so glad we did. It was super fun. It'll be one of those things that, you know, I got some friends from back then I haven't talked to some of them now for a while. But, you know, and to see how people fared after them. You know,

Shark 23:08
it's interesting. You see so much more now, entrepreneurship being discussed across the board. If you were to give advice to the 28 year old version, who's considering starting an agency, what advice would you give them? I mean, I'm sure you're considered a mentor to many, many people, I'm sure there are a lot of 28 year olds that your own agency or any agency locally, who would love to go start up their own? Well, and

Sue Kruskopf 23:31
I have to say, I think it's really hard to start an agency right now, because there are a number of reasons. When I started an agency, you know, we didn't even have the first Mac was just coming out the very first Mac that was look like a shoe box. Like note, like we were like, literally we took you know, we took sketch pads and markers from camera on the phone and went and rented an office, that's all the money you needed. And then next year, computers came out and we bought a Mac, and that was super big deal. You know, like, that was a really big deal to have that first Mac that was just a word processor. So now I think the differences and my back then it was super cheap. You know, I mean, to start an agency, it really didn't take that much. And it was all about ideas and all that now, I do think you need to hire really smart people. And in multiple disciplines, if you want to make it for the long haul. I mean, you know, sitting with an art director, I mean writer, you know, in an office starting up a place. Good luck with that, because, you know, that's going to be a lot harder today, you know, than then than it was back then. So I, you know, I would just say today, if I was just talking to a 28 year old, I'd say make sure you have good backing, make sure you have money, because you're going to burn through it, you know, and make sure you have some good clients already in your pocket, because I think I could take more of a bigger chance back then because it wasn't a big financial investment. And I think now it's a big financial investment. I mean, you know, we've seen plenty of agencies come and go, you know, I've seen you know, in Minneapolis for sure. But I just think it's it's a big financial commitment to get the people the tools, the resources, all that stuff, you need to really make it happen today versus having markers than a pad of paper. And the first Mac, which was such a big deal back in the day, you know, so yeah,

Shark 25:20
well, there's just so many people that enjoy being consultants, but even growing something to 30 people, when you're competing, especially against the Big Five, there's a real advantage to being able to pivot where the big boys and girls can, you know, against publicists and agents and everything else. But again, it's like when a small retailer tries to compete against Amazon, Amazon's always gonna win on delivery. And that gives them some advantages. That can be a pain to keep up with.

Sue Kruskopf 25:44
Yeah, for sure. No, and that's what I think it is. I think it's really hard to do that today. I mean, I think that I think it's possible, but you have to have a much stronger constitution to be able to suck it up and do what it's going to take to make your success, I think, you know, so yeah,

Shark 26:02
you made a joke earlier about not seeing women over a certain age and agency. Do you see that being any different today? Do you feel better about the chances of people surviving in the agency life?

Sue Kruskopf 26:14
It's gonna come back around? I think, as we've tried to, you know, there's been so much more talk about, you know, inclusion and diversity and all those things, I do think ageism is the next thing to be addressed. Because I think there's a lot of really smart, younger people, but they it's like, especially in the pandemic, I think we've missed learning from people that are older, and that how you develop relationships and how you develop, you know, how you hold a meeting, how do those work and all those things? I was terrible at that when I was in my 20s, you know, and you just think, you know, everything in your 20s and 30s. And then you realize that old saying, you know, you wish you knew what 40 were at? Yeah, at 40. What you knew at 60 is true. I mean, I just think there's a lot to learn from people that are have a little more sage and wisdom. Because I think, you know, people don't realize how important trust and relationships are with clients, and how much you have to work at building that. And all those things, I think come from life experiences. I think those don't come from just being on, you know, social media and all that other.

Shark 27:21
Amen to that? Well, I still think it's funny, though, I always think it interesting when I meet somebody like you, who will talk about this, and in the sense that you mentioned your age earlier. And if you left your agency and went to apply somewhere else today, for a role similar to what you're doing now, it's very likely that you would not be considered because of your age, and you'd have all the experience in the world where someone who does not would get the nod, and they don't. And I just I find that to be fascinating. As we all get older. It's it's something that we all have to deal with. I'm really curious where this will all shake out? I don't know if I have the same opinion that it will be addressed in a positive way. Yeah, if I wanted to hire somebody to run an agency right now, would they look at somebody who's got three to four decades of experience in it, or somebody that has two years in it.

Sue Kruskopf 28:09
And I think it's just you still have to you can still be owner, you sort of stay really relevant. I think that's, that's the difference is like, you can still be my age and still be really relevant. I mean, I'm not as good at some stuff. Obviously, it was people at my office are, but but I always want to know what it's about what does this mean? How does this you know, I want to be at the cutting edge of everything. And I think that curiosity if you you can be in this business at this age, but you have to continue to be curious all the time, you know about things and, and new things and, and all that because that's that, then it all works together.

Shark 28:45
You know, you know, well, what Tick Tok is you just don't necessarily have 1000 Tick Tok videos. Yeah,

Sue Kruskopf 28:50
I know exactly what it is. But it is we are doing media, you know, buying Tic Tac. So, you know, but that's really fun for me to see. Because I know that keeps me you know, young, you know is just is seeing all the new stuff and being able to work in it and see what people are doing. I mean, I think that's really energizing. You know, I just don't know what else if I said if I didn't work right now at 64 years old, I spend too much money and eat and drink too much. So you know, it's like then what's the point of that? Right? I'd rather be working

Shark 29:22
Well, so I ask this of everybody whose been on my show. I have seen sharks in Minneapolis. I went to the Odyssey aquarium when I went to the Mall of America last time. But what is your favorite kind of shark and why? Do you have any kind of shark stories that have ever come up in the agency life? Or Minnesota?

Sue Kruskopf 29:37
They're the ones that I met on Shark Tank. You know, I mean, that was the those are the those are the sharks that I would probably remember versus as varietals. Kind of a shark.

Shark 29:51
So we'll so it's that special time of the show. Are you ready for the five most interesting and important questions that you're going to be asked?

Sue Kruskopf 29:56
Yes, Kenneth.

Shark 29:58
Alright, number one Barbara Corcoran or Kevin O'Leary Barbara Corcoran. Why so?

Sue Kruskopf 30:07
She's just really smart you when you meet her you can she's just she what she's done in her business is amazing. You know Kevin O'Leary is kind of a character. I mean, I think she's truly truly. I mean, he was successful, but I still think Barbara Corcoran has made an amazing career.

Shark 30:22
Yeah, she's amazing. And especially considering considering the field she went against in New York. Yes. Alright, number two famous singers for Minnesota. prints or Bob Dylan?

Sue Kruskopf 30:35
Oh my god, France. Hands down. Okay, cuz I used to go see him for $1 at First Avenue when I was 18. Well, yeah, I mean, I was such a diehard fans fan is just Yeah,

Shark 30:47
yeah, I could have asked you prints are more stay but I think most people and I

Sue Kruskopf 30:50
still like the time I like more, a lot more. Stay in the top of the bird, you know? Yeah. That was awesome.

Shark 30:57
We get some what he did do the bird so I sadly remember that way too much. And I've seen both of them in concert. Alright. Number three. Goes to Christmas pass or Ghost of Christmas future. Ghost of Christmas future for sure. So that comes a little bit from its wonderful life. And

Sue Kruskopf 31:18
future I don't I don't like people that live in the past are kind of boring.

Shark 31:22
Alright, number four. Minnesota Twins are Minnesota Vikings?

Sue Kruskopf 31:26
Ah, not either. I'll take I probably take the twins but they're I don't know. I just not a sports fan.

Shark 31:35
Yeah, but a day a day at the park is not bad.

Sue Kruskopf 31:38
Not bad. That's why I'd rather be outside you can pay me on a beautiful fall afternoon to sit in a stadium inside that would just make me

Shark 31:4
Alright. Number five and the most important questions you're gonna be asked is biscuits or cornbread.

Sue Kruskopf 31:49
Okay, I knew you were gonna ask that. And I was gonna say strong. So I'd say I can't ask answer either one of them. But I'd say I'd say it's good because it's the closest what's common.

Shark 31:58
Okay, somewhat. Alright, so Sue, where do people find out more about you your company? Casey? more

Sue Kruskopf 32:06
calm. Yeah, that's that's where they can find out more. Yeah, we've got it. We're good at simplifying complex problems. That's what we're good at. Well, Sue, thank

Shark 32:14
Sue, thank you so much for being with us today on A Shark's Perspective.

Sue Kruskopf 32:18
I mean it. I like listening to your show so very much.

Shark 32:23
Appreciate it.

Shark 32:30
So that was my conversation with sucrose cough, the CEO founder and queen bee of Chris coffin company, aka KC truth, and she's also the co founder of bi wonderful life.com. Let's take a look at three key takeaways from a conversation with her.

Shark 32:42
First, love her thoughts on starting an agency today, you're tired of working for the man or woman and you want to go out and hang out your own shingle? Great, go do it. But be prepared for those of us who are entrepreneurs or have started an agency, including how well Sue has stood the test of time over three decades. Remember that it takes grit and perseverance and lots of financing.

Shark 33:04
Second, wind to creative agencies fail to me it's often when they're too big to succeed in too big to be nimble, some too arrogant understand that they cannot come up with an idea just to make their customer happy beyond the lifespan of the CMO who greenlit those, and those have to answer to their customers and board of directors. But even creative agencies have to be measured. So before you only throw out the agency with the bathwater, dive into why an agency truly failed or succeeded. Just reshuffling the deck really doesn't solve the problem. And the customer doesn't care who your cmo or your agency is anyway.

Shark 33:39
Third, hire smart but hire different she looks for passionate problem solvers. Find people who are curious about the world agency groupthink, es muy mal.

Shark 33:48
And a rare fourth. Don't discount sage and wisdom learned from it. As Sue said, quote, people don't realize how important trust and relationships are with clients and how much you have to do to work at building that. All those come from life experiences. I think those don't just come from social media. Well said, as you get older and if you work for a brand or agency, you've got more expertise and likely a higher paycheck right? Good. You get hired again after only a few years at your own job. Younger doesn't mean more relevant unless you give up on being relevant when you get older. don't discount wisdom on your payroll.

Shark 34:20
Got a question? Send me an email to Kenneth at a shark's perspective dot com. Thank you again for the privilege your time. I'm so thankful to everyone who listens and thank you to the amazing sponsors Invoca and Drips. Would you please consider writing a review and letting me know your thoughts on the show? And remember, sharks live forever, or at least this one well. So please join us on the next episode of A Shark's Perspective. [music]