A Conversation with David Hieatt

David Hieatt explains the importance of telling stories in brand building and how he applied the skills he learned in advertising to build globally recognised brands. His life is so unusual that it's hard to be sure what our listeners will take away, but he is clearly grounded in what he is doing now, recognised as successful in the eyes of his peers, and has built a brand, business and events that have impact and meaning for him, and others and his local community in Wales.

He co-founded Howies which was acquired by Timberland, later The Hiut Denim Co, whose mission was and is to bring jeans making back to his hometown in Wales, and a popular & unique event called "The Do Lectures" which attendees say is better than TED and/or Burning Man.

While taking us through some of the big moments in his life, he shares how his interest in brands got him into advertising, how he managed to position himself as an expert in marketing sports brands to young consumers at the age of 13, and to lose half his father's savings when he was 16.

We hear about the power of persistence, doing things that other people don't do, and counter intuitive episodes in his life. We hear how half the people in his company were happy when he sold Howies to Timberland because he drove things too hard, and the exit made him unhappy. How he showed up with his friend for job interviews and was rejected 150 times and moved from living on "beans on toast" to a senior position in a global advertising agency through working all hours, studying hard, and taking the jobs that nobody else wanted. We get some insights into the "Mad Men" alcohol fuelled culture of "chaos with bright people". He asks an important question for any entrepreneur "Why would you sell something you love for money?".

We learn how a good entrepreneur who wants to build a brand needs to have two factories: one producing the product, the other producing the stories.

If you listen to this episode you may learn where you should never ever underestimate the power of a sticker.

We hear about the challenges of success associated with the Do lectures event which, despite being expensive, sell out, and from which amazing people have to be turned away. Perhaps in 2022 they will have randomised selection.

About David Hieatt and other links

Read interviews with David life here and here

David’s Linkedin

The Do Lectures "The idea is a simple one: To gather together the world’s DOers, disruptors and change makers, experts and pioneers, to share their stories, and encourage others to go and DO."

The Hiiutt Denim Company "We make jeans. Nothing else. No distractions. No bobble caps. No perfumes. We focus on doing one thing well."

To compare Do Lectures events with TEDx- check the global TEDx or look at articles about how TEDxKazimierz is organised by Richard Lucas Getting a ticket to TEDxKazimierz ,

Getting to speak at TEDxKazimierz and How to build community at events

The NBN Entrepreneurship and Leadership podcast aims to educate and entertain, sharing insights based on the personal story of our carefully selected guests aiming for the atmosphere of an informal conversation in a bar or over a cup of coffee. Find links to all the episodes here.

About Kimon Fountoukidis Twitter Linkedin Kimon is the founder of both Argos Multilingual and PMR Both companies were founded in the mid 90s with zero capital and both have gone on to become market leaders in their respective sectors. Kimon was born in New York and moved to Krakow, Poland in 1993. Listen to his story here

About Richard Lucas Twitter Linkedin Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded or invested in more than 30 businesses, including investments in Argos Multilingual, PMR https://www.pmrmarketexperts.com/en and, in 2020, the New Books Network. Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre- to business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Listen to his story in an autobiographical TEDx talk here.