How creative thinking and empathy drive business innovation

What if your organization stopped competing—and started creating? In the latest On the Brink with Andi Simon podcast, I speak with Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer of the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), about how they applied Blue Ocean Strategy to reimagine value creation across a global supply chain. Max shares how IFPA is future-proofing its industry by shifting from red-ocean competition to blue-ocean innovation—building growth around global influence, data intelligence, and culture-driven collaboration. What you’ll learn: How IFPA’s intelligence engine uses verified data and AI to deliver insights members need, when they need them. Why food safety is evolving from a regulatory checkbox to a culture of accountability and trust. How culture serves as the operating system that makes strategy stick, sustained through quarterly leadership reflection and renewal. Key takeaways: Apply the Four Actions Framework—Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, Create—to deliver the right kind of value. Move from content-push to personalized engagement. Treat culture as strategy, not a support function. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.SimonAssociates.net. If this resonates, share it with a colleague ready to rethink growth and value creation. Search "On the Brink with Andi Simon’" on your favorite podcast app. #OnTheBrinkPodcast #BlueOceanStrategy #InnovationLeadership #CorporateAnthropology #CultureChange #FutureProofing #FoodInnovation #SupplyChainTransformation #PurposeDrivenBusiness

I listened to a Skip Kimpel's podcast recapping #MURTEC Executive Summit 2025, and here’s what caught my attention. Toby Malbec from Church's Texas Chicken said that restaurants shouldn’t compete in IT. They should build unified products, collaborate, and share experiences. His logic: technology mistakes are too expensive, so it’s better to agree on standards than keep stepping on the same rake. Makes sense. But I can’t help disagreeing. If restaurants stop competing in technology — what’s left to compete in? The winner won’t be the one with the biggest menu, but the one who delivers faster and more accurately — who can make the last mile cheaper. The one whose ML system figures out that I want fries with my chicken, not a burger. The one who suggests Coke Zero because my order is already overloaded with calories. That’s also technology. And a very competitive one. At the same time, I do agree with Toby on this: 🔹 without clean data – none of this works. 🔹 without a solid base – no ML will ever perform well. 🔹 without fixing tech debt – there’ll be no room left for innovation, testing, or improvement. So to standardized, one-size-fits-all tech solutions, I’d still say – no. They won’t help you scale or solve your specific challenges. But to get to that point, you first need to get your house in order – and on that, I completely agree. Wish I’d been at the summit – I only listened to the podcast, but it sounded like it got pretty heated.

That detail your competitors dismiss? It could give you the marketing edge that makes you irresistible. In our Straight from CBL series, we spotlight fresh insights from The Consumer Behavior Lab podcast—where co-hosts MichaelAaron Flicker and Richard Shotton recently interviewed Rory Sutherland (author of Alchemy) on the power of “irrational” ideas. Sutherland calls it "reverse benchmarking": finding value in the spaces nobody else thinks about or measures. It's how DoubleTree built loyalty not with fancier rooms, but with warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in. Inside Episode 73: 🍪 Why DoubleTree's cookies drive deeper preference than rational amenities ever could 🍺 How restaurant 11 Madison Park became number 1 by obsessing over … beer and coffee 🎯 The behavioral principles that make "irrational" touches unforgettable The insight for indulgence brands? Stop asking, "What are competitors doing well?" Start asking, "What are they ALL neglecting?" Then double down on what everyone else overlooks. 👇 Find the link to our full Straight from CBL piece in the comments. 🎧 Listen to episode 73 of the "Behavioral Science for Brands" podcast here: https://lnkd.in/ehfFwv-H    And tell us: What small, seemingly "irrational" brand experience stuck with you far longer than you expected?

New episode alert! 🚨 On this 86 Reason Podcast episode by Over Easy Office, host Xavier Mariezcurrena Vega welcomes Ty Shehadi, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Restaurant365, for a conversation that challenges how we think about restaurant technology. Tired of investing in software only to see it gather digital dust? Ty's core message? Cutting-edge technology alone isn't the answer for single-unit operators. The real game-changer is pairing that tech with the support services that make it actually work. From his days as a busboy to leading strategic partnerships in restaurant tech, Ty knows firsthand why independent restaurants struggle with implementation, and why bridging this gap creates competitive advantage. This episode isn't just about software features; it's about making technology serve the people who use it every day. Key takeaways: → Why tech implementation fails without proper support → How an "ownership mindset" transforms back-office operations → What strategic partnerships really mean for restaurant efficiency Question for hospitality leaders: What's your biggest hurdle when implementing technology in single-unit or small restaurant groups? 🎧 Link to the episode in comments #RestaurantIndustry #HospitalityLeadership #RestaurantTech #Restaurant365 #RestaurantOperations #SingleUnitOperators #RestaurantFinance #86ReasonPodcast #OverEasyOffice

In the latest episode of the #Provocateurs Podcast, chef, chocolatier, and food systems advocate Selassie Atadika challenges us to rethink what’s on our plates — and what it means for our planet. From her philosophy of “leading through deliciousness” to her call to “vote with your fork,” Selassie explores how food is more than nourishment — it’s a powerful tool for cultural connection, economic growth, and environmental stewardship. In conversation with #Thinkers50’s Stuart Crainer and #Deloitte’s Steven Goldbach, she shares how every meal can be an act of leadership — one that honors heritage, sustains communities, and shapes the future of our food systems. 🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/dHrwhfuY #SelassieAtadika #FoodSystems #Sustainability #Leadership #Culture #Thinkers50 #Deloitte #ProvocateursPodcast #RegenerativeLeadership #Innovation

I had a chance to speak with Laura Derba, SVP of Retail Operations for Global Partners LP, who discusses the company’s Honey Farms and Alltown Fresh banners, its new Bees Knees Benefits loyalty program and much more on the most recent CStoreTalks podcast. Learn about the company’s approach to foodservice, culture and technology initiatives in 2025. Listen in here: https://lnkd.in/dtcXVi_q

🎙️ Podcast Roundup: Industry Insights You May Have Missed This month, we’re highlighting two insightful episodes from our podcast series, exploring key themes in Tech & Innovation across the food and drink sector: 🔹Loyalty in Hospitality: Driving Frequency Through Communications Leading operators and experts discuss the changing landscape of customer communications, including the impact they can have on businesses and consumers and the key to getting them right. 🔹Breaking Barriers: Succeeding in Food & Drink as an Underrepresented Founder Foundervine are joined by three business founders to provide real, practical insights from underrepresented founders who have successfully launched and grown their food & drink brands. 📲 Listen now: https://bit.ly/3L6Y5d8 #FDE2026 #Podcast #ListenNow #Spotify #Apple #Food #Drink #Tech #Innovation Foundervine SweetDoughThings The Matcha Yaad Cháps Oatsu Nell's Pizza QVO Hospitality

🎙️ Podcast Roundup: Industry Insights You May Have Missed This month, we’re highlighting two insightful episodes from our podcast series, exploring key themes in Tech & Innovation across the food and drink sector: 🔹Fighting Food Waste: The Power of Frozen Fieldfare sit down with a panel of leading retailers at the Farm Shop & Deli Show 2025, to discuss the frozen food category in detail and the impact it has had on their businesses. 🔹Farm Shops: A force for nature Our expert panel discusses consumer expectations around sustainable practices, whether sustainability needs to impact profit and hear from leading retailers on how they are driving change and the impact it has had on their business. 📲 Listen now by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4lMummR #FSD2026 #Podcast #ListenNow #Spotify #Apple #Food #Drink #Tech #Innovation

🎙️ New Podcast Episode Out Now! This week, Chris Fletcher 🍞 sits down with Fryderyk (Frederick) Szydlowski, Co-founder of Embargo, to unpack how an all-in-one, best-in-class approach to loyalty, ordering, and CRM can actually move the P&L, without burying teams in complexity. Freddy’s journey takes us from professional basketball in Poland to JOE & THE JUICE on King’s Road to building one of the UK’s highest-rated food & drink apps. We dive into: 💡 Why hospitality still loves loyalty, but hates complexity 📊 Why first-party data > data scrapbooks ⚙️ How Embargo’s “own the journey end-to-end” philosophy drives adoption, repeat visits, and higher direct sales. 🚀 Embargo’s expanding toolkit, web & table ordering, kiosks, payments ⚡️ Rapid onboarding, live in 5–10 minutes per channel 🧠 New AI models that turn weather, behaviour, and lookalike patterns into recommended campaigns you can launch in minutes, not months Tune in to hear how Freddy and the Embargo team are redefining loyalty for the modern hospitality world. 🎧 https://lnkd.in/ezbd2DAN ▶️ https://lnkd.in/eURmCzHQ #Hospitality #Tech #Loyalty #CRM #AI #Embargo #Podcast

We asked nearly 50 multi-unit restaurant CMOs to share what’s actually driving traffic, which tactics are delivering the highest ROI, and what strategies are being scaled up (or cut back) heading into 2026. Bikky CEO Abhinav Kapur joined Michael Halen on Bloomberg’s Choppin’ It Up podcast to break down the results. They discussed some of the most compelling findings from the survey — notably that third-party delivery ads are reaching a saturation point, leading 45% of chains to plan reduced investment in the channel next year. Listen to the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/eXEijqUF