You Should Talk To

Nicolle DuBose, CMO at Playa Bowls

YouShouldTalkTo Season 1 Episode 44

In this episode of "YouShouldTalkTo," host Daniel Weiner chats with Nicolle DuBose, CMO of Playa Bowls. Nicolle has an incredible wealth of industry knowledge and joined us this week to shed light on the importance of staying connected with customers and adapting to the ever-changing landscape of technology. And we’re not just talking about AI! Automations are becoming a bit too distracting. It’s time to prioritize our team over all these new technologies. 

Nicolle emphasizes the value of returning to simple, feel-good marketing tactics that truly resonate with customers. She believes that, despite the rapid advancements in technology, the basics of marketing still hold immense value. Daniel shared that the best marketing leaders he’d worked with excel by making sure that their marketing strategies are always customer-focused. Together, Nicolle and Daniel explore how listening to customers can lead to some of the most effective and authentic marketing practices.

When asked about her worst agency experience, she opens up about a challenging experience with an agency that initially seemed promising but quickly ran into undeniable communication issues. She emphasizes that open and honest discussions about project scopes are essential to a successful relationship. 

They also talk about the ever evolving role of technology and automation programs in marketing. Nicolle talks about her experience with the benefits and potential drawbacks of these tools. While they can enhance efficiency, she worries about losing the personal touch that makes effective marketing so impactful. She found that her best practices always came from leaning on her very capable team. Nicolle shares how much she has learned from her young team and how their fresh and innovative approaches teach her how to see things from new perspectives. 

Check out this week’s episode to hear more about Nicolle DuBose’s dos and don’ts for maintaining amazing relationships with agencies and how to prioritize your amazing team over the shiny new industry toy.


Guest-at-a-Glance

💡 Name: Nicolle DuBose, Chief Marketing Officer at Playa Bowls

💡Noteworthy: When in doubt, listen to your customer. 

💡 Where to find Nicolle: LinkedIn


Key Insights

Evolving Scope of Work

On this week’s episode, Nicolle shares a positive experience she’s had with an agency. She emphasizes that the best part about working with this agency was their  fluid and realistic scope discussions. She advocates for a rational and flexible approach to evolving project scopes, which would also ensure that agencies are fairly compensated for their time and intellectual property.


Human Connection 

When asked for her best piece of marketing advice, Nicolle encouraged marketers to stay true to themselves and not get distracted by every new industry trend. Automations and AI should not be your priority. Look to your team for that undeniable passion for the job and mastery for the fundamentals. She believes that leaning on her team and learning from the industry without losing the human touch are the keys to success.


Thoughts on Consumer Behavior

Nicolle’s favorite college class on consumer behavior and she still finds ways to use what she’s learned in her work to this day. She stresses that understanding consumer behavior is critical. 


(Final Video) Nicolle DuBose, CMO of Playa Bowls, "Jersey Shore's Finest"

 

Daniel: Hello and welcome to another episode of the You Should Talk To Podcast. I am Daniel Weiner, your host. Uh, this podcast is currently brought to you by myself as well as You Should Talk To, where we pair brands and marketers for free with vetted agencies and or freelancers because finding great agencies is time consuming and a pain in the ass.

Excited to be joined today by Nicole Dubose, who is CMO of one of my favorite places to get a meal these days, Pliables. Nicole, thank you for joining. 

Nicolle: Thank you, Danny. Great to be here. 

Daniel: Tell us about pliables for those who do not have the luxury of having a pliables 50 ft from their front door would 

Nicolle: love to.

Pliables has been around for 10 years. It was started by two founders that are actually surfers and they were surfing down in Central America and started to really enjoy acai bowls and super fruit. And wanted to bring that back to the States. So they grew up on the Jersey Shore, they brought it back to the Jersey Shore.

Um, started with a little acai cart and the business is now, um, just blossoming, honestly, scaling to over 250 locations. Plus we're opening 75 locations this year. Um, the business is really about great food, healthy, um, supporting healthy lifestyles, but also when you want to indulge a little bit, you just still feel better about yourself with Um, the products, it's super fruit, it's smoothies, it's juices, but you know, we do bowls really well and that's our bread and butter.

Daniel: Yeah. I think I've mentioned to you, my brother uses you all as a, uh, an indulgent dessert spot. Whereas I use it as like a healthy, bring myself back to life spot. So something for everybody. And I think I just saw you were, you all are one of the fastest growing, uh, in the country. Yeah, 

Nicolle: we're really proud of that.

We've gotten a lot of great recognition. So, um, I mean, it's a true testament to what's happened and franchisees. Franchisees are, are really the lifeblood of the business and they've been passionate. They've been entrepreneurs and really guerrilla marketers, which of course warms my heart because it makes my job easier.

Daniel: Great. 

We'll dive into the actual portion of this stuff. What's an unpopular opinion you have in the marketing world or uptake of sorts? The more controversy, the better. I said, 

Nicolle: yeah, I think, I don't know that this is controversial, but I think about, 

Daniel: I 

 

Nicolle: know, I know. Uh, it's, it's supposed to be all, um, crescendos, right?

So, um, I, I think it really is about automation and what the future of that, um, In intertwining with today's marketing, today's advertising, what is that going to look like? And is it going to lose its luster in terms of hitting that emotional connection with consumers? I would go back to my days of consumer behavior was my favorite class in college.

And that consumer behavior, I feel like sometimes as, as marketers and as someone immersed in the industry, we get ourselves more removed from listening to the customer. But listening to the customer takes us back to some of the most simple tactics and feel good things that, that really resonate with customers.

So, um, I'm not scared of technology, but I do worry about just some of the automation that, um, transforms things into less of a personalization experience. 

Daniel: Yeah, I would argue that talking to or listening to the customer is really all that matters. Uh, I find with a lot of, uh, like the best marketing leaders that I work with do a really good job of taking themselves out of what they're doing because they know they're not the target necessarily.

And I feel like sometimes you get bogged down where you do something and I'm thinking in my head, like, is this for them or for the customers? So, uh, yeah, it's definitely great advice and an unintentional segue, uh, to my next question about consumer behavior, uh, tell us a little bit about your journey to, uh, to the CMO.

Uh. The peak of the marketing mountaintop and what you've seen, uh, about, you know, consumer behavior changing over the course of your career so far. 

Nicolle: Yeah, I started my career. Uh, my family owned Dairy Queens, so I started my career running. You just got 

Daniel: a blizzard is my guilty pleasure. So I know I had one, I had one last week for the first time in a while.

And, uh, it was so, uh, it was amazing. It's so satisfying. 

Nicolle: It was so great. So I, that's where I started my career at 13 years old. Running the drive thru and I was serious about that drive thru. Um, but, but my family being in that part of the business, it was really, um, you know, it's, it's kind of interesting how my career has parlayed and stayed in food.

So I started my career in advertising and was a media buyer. Arby's was my client back then. And, and then quickly got on to the client side. And, um, you know, I have just loved food because it's something everybody consumes. It's a fast moving, fast paced environment. Um, and, and there's a lifestyle component to it.

So while we all have to consume food and that's a part of our daily lives, um, we get to choose. And part of where I came from in the last 14 years, focus brands now, um, go to foods, I spent a good time there really growing up through the marketing world, growing up through those legacy brands. And, um, part of what I was yearning for was really.

Um, a younger customer base, digital savviness, the technology, um, and a space that I would call, this is a combination of spaces. It's, you know, not only a meal replacement, it's also a snack. It's a dessert for people. Um, it's breakfast for some, it just has so many occasions. And that was what drew me to Playa Bowls is, wow, this is carving out a new space for You know, where the food's going to go in the next, next, uh, couple of years, next 10 years, 20 years, who knows what's to come.

Um, and I think truly the, the excitement of the digital consumer. So 40 percent of our customers are loyalty customers, which is pretty much, I mean, it's right on par with Starbucks where Starbucks sits. Um, I haven't experienced that in my career previously. And it's always been a challenge to get loyalty members and to, to truly build that CRM component.

So I've just been knee deep in that part of the business and truly working with our new agency on what does that look like segmentation? And so part of the CMO role for me has just been really, um, leaning in, embracing what are we doing and how do we talk to our customers and, um, using that loyalty database.

to its full advantage. 

Daniel: What's the, is there any crazy difference you see in your world pre covid or post covid? 

Nicolle: Definitely. I think people are just accessibility part of where they get their food and how they get their food is, um, at an all time importance and it's about choice. If I want to pay more and I, you know, that's something that we constantly strive to educate franchisees because it is hard.

The margins are not as profitable and, um, but those spaces are a choice space. So it's a matter of, if I'm very loyal to DoorDash. As a, you know, I love their platforms. They're pumping money into those platforms and I'm going to stay loyal. I'd rather have someone order pliables on DoorDash than, um, you know, a competitor.

So we have to be in those spaces. And I think that truly is just the, it's explaining the why and educating the why to franchisees, but also providing the other avenues of, Hey, we're going to drive consumers to our own channels and we're going to drive consumers in. But we also want them to choose us when they're not in our four walls.

Daniel: What's your, uh, best piece of advice to other markets and CMOs and companies and marketing out there? Other brands of how to, I would say, survive a little bit and thrive in 2024. I find a lot of, uh, I'm still hearing about layoffs and, you know, budgets being cut and all that sort of stuff. What's your best piece of advice to them?

Nicolle: I think. I don't, you know, as a marketer where we are bombarded with stimulation in general and as consumers, of course. So I would say stay true to who you are. And, um, the things that don't get bogged down in too much of the, the shiny, um, new toy and what's going on in the industry. If you are passionate about your job, you're, you have the chops.

Um, it really is about going forth and taking each day with, um, just headstrong, motivated, and, um, You know, what, what are we learning from the industry that a lot of things are technology driven and automated and so instead of feeling like we have to learn every single thing, leaning on our teams. I have a very young team and I have learned so much just by listening and observing and seeing a different way of approaching something and And I appreciate it because not only, I mean, I love to feel like I'm staying young all the time, of course.

So it does keep me young, but I, I am, I am, I know. Uh, but I also, uh, yeah, I mean, I was just leaning on our teams, you know, learning from people of how they see the world differently, and I'm a big proponent of EQ and just, you know, Uh, that emotional intelligence within companies and the workplace and business.

I think, um, of a lot of things that have transpired into corporate America and just business in general, I think that's been one that's been really beneficial. Um, and especially for marketers. 

Daniel: Uh, I'll, I'll ask for a PSA to the other side that I deal with now. Uh, most CMOs and VPs that I talked to, uh, I'm guessing you were the same.

Get hit up. 7, 000 times a day. Uh, you talked about being inundated with stimulation and stuff like that. Are you getting hit up by agencies and vendors and tech partners and ad platforms every day, all day? 

Nicolle: Definitely. 

Daniel: So a message to those folks out there, cause I find, especially in food and franchise, everybody just kind of like assumes you like sit at your desk with like a pile of cash and you're just like doling out money all day to vendors and new agency partners and stuff like that.

To an agency or a vendor who wants to do business with you now or in the future, what's your, your PSA to them? Uh, mine is usually chill out, uh, and like relax and take a breath. Uh, what, what is yours? 

Nicolle: Yeah, I, I understand that it's, it is a lot to be on the sales side of the business and it's a lot to take in, um, trying to weed out what's, what's good and what you need to be looking for.

I would say, um, how do you make it personal to that person, that brand? How is it meaningful when people have reached out and they've made a connection? Again, whether it be a personal connection or a brand connection, that's what gets my interest first. If I've heard about things in the industry, I mean, I am honestly often seeking people out and it may be that I just don't I'm not able to meet with that person for a month.

Um, but I usually try to, I try to make my way through that. And I think if people are flexible as well with, um, you know, it's, it's hard because you never want to sound like, Hey, I have to reschedule. But sometimes the rescheduling truly is just, there's a prioritization of looking at new vendors and sales folks that are interested in the business.

And you really do want the information. So. If you're, if you can be okay with the rescheduling and just, it might be a couple of weeks later, I think that patience is really a key. 

Daniel: No, I love it. Uh, we ran an RFP together. I've seen a big shift, uh, prior to COVID, but especially after COVID, uh, brands moving away from bigger, smaller independent individuals, specialization, call it one to two or three, three.

Which sounds is kind of what you were looking for. What's 

Nicolle: know, it depends on the business. It depends on the size of the business, the needs. Um, I'm in a business right now that is scaling and, um, needs attention really in the CRM, the loyalty space. And then we're, we're really just trying to refine, um, You know, friction and getting clarity.

And so those were the things in terms of media buying, um, it's, it's building on phases of what's next and then how do we get from a basic level to an intermediate that really, I knew that meant we wanted an agency that was a little bit smaller that was able to hold our hands through it. Um, that was patient.

With education and telling us, um, Hey, the, you know, when, when we hear acronyms and all of the things, these are the things that sometimes the team hasn't heard, so just the patience in that. Um, but also the brand is primed. So how do we keep doing the right things and not change everything overnight? Um, so the key for us was looking for that boutique agency that specialize in that.

And my favorite thing, honestly, is when I ask an agency, Hey. Do you guys do this or what's your perspective on, um, XYZ? And they tell me, Hey, we don't, we don't do that. I so appreciate that because I felt like at a time in my career, agencies, um, became everything they, they wanted to show up as we are all things and we can provide every solution.

And, um, as a marketer, I know that's just usually not the case anyway. As a person in the restaurant business, we always say when you go in the restaurant, what do they do purposefully well, and what do they do purposefully not well. So I love when agencies are just really clear about who they are. 

Daniel: No, I agree.

Uh, I would say, I think we landed the play super well. I think you were pretty happy with your selection and off to a nice start and enjoy working together. Uh, I normally don't talk about the downside of my business, but I'm curious while we're here, since I'm transparent. The process started off rocky.

One of, one of my agencies did not have, uh, the best showing and they were the first one to go in the intro calls. I'm, I'm curious, you know, obviously hindsight, you know, you're like, Oh, it ended well. I always talk about the order of like agencies going and how the first agency goes, their, their only job is to like set the precedence for the whole thing.

For me, in the sake of giving you confidence, I'm like, yeah, Danny knows a little bit about what he's doing. Purpose behind this I'm curious after that first. Oh, I know we talked and you're like, hey, I just want to make sure like You know, the rest will be you know, slightly different. I'm curious like what was going through your head at that point?

Was it like holy shit? Like what? What have I done trusting Danny with this or was it you know, like, you know, I'm curious your opinion now that we're past it 

Nicolle: Yeah, no, absolutely not. I think what I appreciate from you is you told me And showed me a different way to approach an RFP RFPs in my past lives have always been very formal, very, um, you know, and I'm imagining agencies are spending lots of time and late nights and all of that.

And the process that's different with you was it's a conversation. It's a get to know you. It is a, um, you know, ask a few questions back and forth that are key things that you're really trying to understand about the culture of both parties. And, um, I, I mean, In hindsight, knowing the folks that were a part of the RFP, not all of them are marketers.

And so they had a different perspective and it was, it was my job to help make sure they understood, here's how this looks and to really course correct, just saying, this is the process. So in, before we make a lot of, um, judgments or assumptions onto that next phase, like pause after this process, because you're going to see the same, um, casualness in nature from this beginning part.

So. I think it was great. It just, it was different. And, um, I think it's setting the stage for being comfortable with casual. And as I, I mean, business casual, right? Like that approach, um, can really lend itself to the right fit. 

 

Daniel: Glad we got it back on track. We did. We did it. And it ended in the right spot, is what I care about, but yeah, a stressful beginning.

Uh, I'm curious, can you think of a really great agency experience that you've had in the past? Um, you know. Earlier on in your career or before Playa Bowls and what 

Nicolle: made it so great? Yeah, I think any, my memories of great agency moments are around, um, asking for perspective and getting just agents, agency members.

It's about the people. Quite honestly, it is about asking someone, Hey, what do you think of this? Or, um, what if we did this? And you feel comfortable to ask, it could be something crazy. And I don't, I would, I mean, I hope I'm saying this in earnest. I don't consider myself a way out there, crazy client with all these crazy ideas.

And I've been on the client side with other folks that have been those people. So I try to be, um, you know, somewhat rational, but when I do have an idea that may feel a little wild and out there, it's being comfortable to bring that forth to an agency, get their perspective. And then the agency providing real feedback on like, well, have you thought about this, have you?

Truly, I want someone who's consultive and, um, providing me sort of the, the negative and the positive of, let's look at this approach. Have you thought about this? Did you know your competition is doing this? Um, I'm a person that loves seeing what other brands are doing and I can spot an agency person a mile away just by listening to them, um, you know, If they are that kind of person and that's the person that you hope is part of your agency roster Um, and and those are the ones that have just again time and time again I won't pinpoint a certain moment, but it's just giving that perspective and being able to say Hey, have you thought about this and it can take you down a path that is really successful and and flourishes quite honestly

Daniel: what I appreciate about agencies too, is they know when I'm under pressure, they know when that dollar amount or that's part of the goal and that's right. Good ones do.

Nicolle: And they give perspective that, um, sometimes I might, there might be a little bit of a block in front of my eyes, but they're giving me perspective because Not only are they in my corner and they obviously want us to succeed, but they're able to be removed enough to say, Hey, I'm not the one that's, uh, you know, frontline and center answering to this, but if I were, here's the things I would think about.

Those are the people that, I mean, you just, you keep them around. And honestly, the good agencies that I've worked with, I still keep up with some of those folks. 

Daniel: It's wild to me because it's just, it's so painfully obvious to me to think long term and I feel so many agencies do not and that's a perfect testament that you still keep up with people like, you know, obviously it would be lovely if you worked for pliables for the next, you know, 30 years and ended your career there but most CMOs bounce around and they'll take great people with them from job to job and brand to brand and it is wild to me when agencies do such short term work.

Thinking tactics or try to nickel it again. I I'm a big proponent of agencies going for their time and not doing great work, but also like there is a time where like you just talk, right. I'm like so many agencies just can't get out of their own way of those scenarios. That is where you win relationships and they just like their, their mind is blown, you know?

So that's 

Nicolle: great. And, and with the agency that we're working with, one of the wonderful things that they have just taken, uh, you know, Blanket of ease in my daily job, um, off of my back is, uh, when we looked at the scope, we set up the scope, setting up the scope from an RFP is kind of like the cumbersome step, right?

It's, it's like, ah, man, this is, there's a lot to this. I got to get this right. But we're able to just real time evaluate and say, Oh, okay. We, maybe we didn't have exactly everything, right? So we're just going to move this one around. We're going to move that around. Here's the change. Okay. And it's fluid. It just carries on.

It's not this big, um, doldrum of a scope discussion. It is a, a realistic, and I, just like you, I want agencies to be paid for their time, their time, their intellectual property, everything, right? We, I'm conscious of that. So, um, if you just, if we could have a rational conversation about how the scope needs to evolve, um, and it was just approached really well.

So those, those are situations I love. That's. 

Daniel: That's why I treat RFPs like I do, because I think if you write too, um, rigid, you, you mentioned it being a conversation is the process I set up versus like, here's what we're doing. Uh, if you set it up too rigid, you get very rigid responses and you get very rigid answers to your questions and you generally get a very rigid scope, I find, you know, that that's just not how, especially for a brand like you all, you know, like you can't, it's hard to predict.

Uh, there are probably some things that You can say, Oh, we need this every single month, you know, win, lose, or draw rain or shine. We need these deliverables. But in the, in the age of the internet, things change so fast. And that's the most common thing I hear usually from folks in your position is that their agencies have been flowing with them and they're able to change things that it isn't always associated with.

Oh, like we have to have a scope check and they're like, just do the damn thing and let's let's quickly do it as well. Like speed. is such a wild advantage to those who can figure it out. 

Nicolle: Right, exactly. 

Daniel: Can you think of a horrific PTSD driving negative agency experience that you've had in your past and what made it so negative?

Nicolle: Yeah, I can. Unfortunately, I would say, um, one of the things, 

Daniel: it's not unfortunate, you need the good to find the bad. 

Nicolle: I suppose, Danny, I suppose, 

Daniel: um, 

Nicolle: I would say an experience I had, and this was predominantly a PR agency, but we, we were so excited that the agency was great. They were full of just great ideas that we hadn't heard before.

And, um, they were going to resonate with the brand. And I would say probably three months in. There was a kind of a shocking call of just, we had used all our hours for the year, for the year, three months in. Um, so 

Daniel: we'll call you next year when it's, when it's bad. 

Nicolle: Yeah. And I, you know, I mean, this was, this was with a different company and, and multiple brands.

And so there was a lot, um, tied into this, but, um, you know, that, that part was really unfortunate because. When you fall fast and you fall in love with who you're working with and the rug gets pulled out because of whatever happened in the business deal that wasn't tightened up enough, man. Um, I mean, even though I would still love to work with that agency, I probably never will again.

Daniel: There was no like update along the way. I'm like, Hey, we're getting real. We're going crazy with hours here. 

No, not at all. I've got to ask, how did it end? You guys paid more or like it just stopped? No, 

Nicolle: we, we quickly moved to a different agency. Yeah. So it was, that's the hard part of it. And I think the part from a CMO's perspective of the amount of time put into an RFP, the hope that you're getting to the right place, you're trying to bring folks along the way.

Yeah. Um, that have different opinions that are outside of the marketing realm. And that takes a lot of energy, takes a lot of work. So when you want to, you want to mostly get it right. And then you, when you, when you get it right, so to speak, then you're working that relationship, um, and you're, you're putting energy into that relationship.

So to not have the. you know, the intel of, Hey, you're getting close to your hours or those kinds of things. That was a little bit of a, um, a jarring memory. 

Daniel: I think it, well, it's, I talked about it, like there's, uh, I posted about this the other day. I won't name who it is, nor will I ask you who this agency was, but there are several agencies that I consistently help brands move away.

Uh,

The biggest thing I have realized since doing this for close to four years now in this regard is there's a huge difference between agencies who are great at winning business and agencies who are. Good at doing the actual work. And ideally you find one that is good at both, which I try to find.

And I think I have found mostly, but yeah, like just because you're, there's so many agencies who are great at winning business and then they have like a huge problem with churn or clients get in there, what the hell is going on? Like this is so different from how it was before the contract was signed and that is a good example of that.

So three, three months in using all the hours, 

Nicolle: Yeah. And then, you know, the hard part is when you really love your account person and the account person's like, Ooh, uh, sorry, but I have a message to delete, to relay.

Uh, yeah. So. I'll 

Daniel: do a whole episode on that, but we'll move on. Uh, what are you most excited about in the marketing space at the moment? And I'm sick of hearing about AI. So tell me, I know that you're excited about. 

Nicolle: Yeah. I mean, I wanted to, I wanted to think of something really exciting and different and all of that, but the honest truth is I'm excited to, um, I mean, I'm excited to see what sticks.

I'm excited to understand the social media landscape and, and how that plays. And, um, I think in a world of, and I know marketers overuse this term authenticity, but I think in that world of influencers, and it's been a big part of our business, I'm just curious how, um, will there, will there be that tire factor from consumers of, Hey, I don't believe this anymore.

Or, um, what am I really buying? Like, I, I think consumers are, they're getting to a threshold of figuring out what's legit and what's not. And that part of how advertising, um, evolves and how people are one to one marketed to versus mass marketed to. I think those are the things that are questions in my mind that I just stay curious about, because.

Um, I watch it from a consumer perspective and I want, I hear and listen to friends and family and then obviously I'm in the business day to day, but I truly think that's going to be the key is everybody's going to be fighting for genuine messages and genuine is going to get harder and harder to, um, break through.

Daniel: Yeah. I think the world you're in, I have empathy for CMOs in general, their jobs are really hard. But, uh, I think in your world. I have even more, uh, largely from working with brands like you when I was at an agency, uh, because food is just a weird animal. You're going up against so many things that you can't control in terms of like, I know for me personally, if you told me right now, like, I don't know, Danny, what do you think about pizza?

I'm like, Oh, that sounds good. I want that. And then if you're like, what about Chinese food? I'm like, well, that sounds good too. 

Nicolle: That's right. 

Daniel: Timing and like, When you get hungry and then getting somebody to seek out your product versus like walking by it and seeing, I mean, it's just, there's so many factors that go into it in terms of that person.

And it's something people do every day. So you can never stop. Like it's so competitive with attention that, uh, yeah, no, no small task for the CMO of, uh, anything edible. 

Nicolle: Um, I love it. I mean, again, my family was in the restaurant business and I think, um, some days are just like, God, we always laugh and it sounds very cliche, but you, you really aren't saving lives, but you're impacting them in a way that, um, listen, when I worked for brands that were Carvel legacy brand, 90 years old, people were telling me about their birthdays for the last 30 years, where they, they had a fudgy, the whale cake.

Daniel: And I mean, that is. It's much more beyond food than it is about the actual product.Yeah. Um, I have a marketing question for you. What keeps you up at night? What stresses you out? 

Nicolle: Um, it's funny because we've been talking about this at our company and, um, my first answer was relevancy.

How do we, you know, I want to make sure we're staying relevant, but the truth of the matter is that's my job every day and I get excited about it. It's to me, that's a, um, that's about growth. That's the challenge. That's the stimulation. And while it keeps me up at night, it also is my obsession and it's what I, it's why I got into this business.

I love it. Um, I'm a sucker for a Tik TOK video. I'm a sucker for, you know, what's new and what research I can do to go find out what people are interested in and what's trending. And so, I mean, while again, while relevancy keeps me up at night, it's, it's what my passion is all about. So. I don't think it'll stop because, you know, there are nights where I don't sleep and I'm like, I just learned everything I could possibly know about the Beach Boys, which has been a recent passion of mine.

And I don't think 

Daniel: I have the rights to their music. I like the background. Uh, yeah. So that's 

Nicolle: what it is. 

Daniel: Good. Well, we'll finish with a couple of fun ones. I already know the answer to this one because you already told us, I was going to ask what your very first job was, but it sounds like you were illegally working at a dairy.

Child labor laws be damned. 

Nicolle: I know, I know. That's the 

Daniel: best drive through attendee ever. 

Nicolle: That's right, I was. I was the best. Listen, I didn't care what was going on with my boyfriend or any of that stuff at the time. I was worried about making the best peanut buster parfait and getting that out the door and not falling into the, you know, the sliding milk or whatever.

Uh, it was fun. It was really fun. 

Daniel: What would your final meal be? 

Nicolle: Mmm. I, I love sushi. And while that sounds a little crazy that that would be my final meal, it probably still would. 

Daniel: I don't think that sounds crazy. I've seen a lot of sushi as well. 

Nicolle: I love it. So good. 

Daniel: Okay. Uh, who is somebody who inspires you personally, professionally, or both?

Nicolle: let's see. I, there, there are two folks that I've worked with in my career, um, and, and they're both a go-to Foods. One is Mike Keho. I worked with him on the international side and Mike is currently the, um, chief Development Officer for Subway.

He was someone that. told me the truth and that's just a quality that I love in people. When I have worked with business folks that have been honest and sometimes have given me feedback, that's tough to hear initially. Um, but at the same time, they've invested in me. So he's one. And, um, Shelly Harris is also at GoToFoods.

She leads the restaurant segment and same thing. She has been honest with me and spent the time to give me feedback when I've learned a lot about conflict and conflict in the corporate world. And, um, a lot of people are afraid of it, afraid of giving feedback that might be a, uh, but. People that lean in and that do a really good job of being real time.

And. Helping people grow. Those are the people that I admire. And Shelly and Mike are those two people for me that I would say have tremendously impacted my career and my thinking and my motivation. 

Daniel: Love it. That was great. Uh, we'll finish with what would you like to tell everybody about Plymouth? Is there any new and exciting menu items or anything people should watch out for this summer?

Nicolle: Yeah, I would say, um, I got to give a shout out to Nutella Ferrero. We have been working with them on four great new products that are launching this summer. So in the next week, it will be, um, those products will be out. So keep an eye out. And then one of the things that we do that I just love our Abby, one of our co founders, she designs our sticker of the month, every, so every first of the month, we launch a new sticker and that's double points day.

So folks, it's our, our form of exclusivity with our loyalty members. Um, but those stickers are, those stickers are cool. Abby's cool. I'm telling you, you gotta get your hands on the stickers. They're free, but people collect them. And I would say they're going to be worth something someday. 

we'd love to hear it. Thank you very much. Thank you, Danny. Thank you for the trust. 

Awesome. Appreciate it.