In this 6‑questions‑in‑7‑minutes interview, Professor Pete Alexander hosts Doc Williams, a solution architect and marketing educator at Brand Factory Inc. Doc highlights the ever‑changing nature of the marketing industry and the need for adaptability. He stresses that the most valuable chapter for companies is how to create effective goals, emphasizing alignment with a genuine brand personality and culture rather than chasing industry trends. He advises leaders to focus exclusively on work they are truly passionate about, warning that lack of passion leads to burnout and loss of resilience. Doc recommends fellow serial entrepreneur Danny Lear as a guest, praising his character and collaborative history. He shares his early entrepreneurial roots, running a candy shop at age 7 and working as a wedding DJ at 12, illustrating a lifelong pattern of following personal interests. The episode concludes with Doc’s contact details (brandfactoryinc.com and Twitter @docwilliams).
Chapters
This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
So my name is Doc Williams from Brand Factory Inc. and I'm a solution architect and marketing educator.
Doc, it's so great to have you on the show. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
It's ever-changing and you can be very— you can create your own solution and I love that about it. You got to be adaptable and it's just new every day. I love it.
Oh, that's really good. So I'm assuming that you're getting to learn as you do each project that you work on?
Exactly. Every single time you're just starting from scratch and then going from there. So it's great every day.
That's cool. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
Um, how to create effective goals.
I like that. So how would you— what would be the intro to that chapter if you were going to expand a little bit?
I would say if it's a personal brand or if it's a company, you've got to be comfortable with your own personality or what personality you want to display as a company. And then, and then go with that. Create the product, create the culture around that. If you're uncomfortable with it, you've got to reevaluate your company, where you want to go, or really lean into that feeling, how you're going to be, and then you'll be successful. If you try to just go with what the industry wants or whatever, you're going to crash and burn eventually because it's not going to be real.
I love that. That is so much insight just in that one answer. I love it. Question number 4: Other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
Only do what you're really great at or passionate about. Everything else, just scrap it.
I love that. So, if you're not passionate about it, what would happen?
You're going to make money most likely, but you'll burn out because you're not passionate, or when things get tough because you have no passion, you will not have the energy or anything to get through that. You'll just stop. You'll see that roadblock and then you'll say, no, I can't handle it.
You'll burn out. And I would imagine there's an additional stress that's going to happen with that because going back to the previous question, you said you got to be true to yourself. Am I right?
That's exactly right.
Got it. Got it. That's cool. Question number 5. What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Danny Lear from Caffeine and Kilos. He is a serial entrepreneur. One of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life. We used to have a business together and he's just wonderful.
Oh great, I'll reach out to Danny. Thank you for that referral. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
My first job would be, ah, let's see, this one, it was probably my candy shop when I, uh, when I was about 7 or 8. So that was my first That was my first job. It was hard for me to decide because I also was a wedding DJ when I was about 12, but between those two are my favorite.
How cool is that? I mean, so you had your own shops like a, uh, that you basically did out of the garage or out, you know, in front basement. Love it. And you were only 7 years old?
Yeah, it was, uh, candy, and then I would, um, try to hustle my grandparents to agreeing for contracts to buy me a subscription to certain comic books as well. But it was mainly a candy shop. But I always tried to— I wanted a newsstand, but I wasn't old enough, and I knew I wasn't. I always imagined I wanted it at like a Chicago newsstand for some reason. So that's— I started as a candy shop, and that's what I was going to move up to.
Oh, I love it. And then stayed with the entrepreneurship with, uh, with the DJing at 12 years old. So that's both— are those are quite impressive, you know, to do just at a very young age.
Yeah, yeah, it was— I don't know, it just always— every business I've been into, it's just What I've been interested in— as a child, I loved candy. I was a very rotund child because I indulged too much. And then I always loved music, so then I went that way.
So it's following your passion in both of those, it sounds like.
Absolutely.
So Doc, thank you so much for being on the show. How can people find you?
Yeah, they can find me by going to brandfactoryinc.com, or I'm always on Twitter, @docwilliams, D-O-C Williams. And you'll find me there.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or iTunes and search for the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Thanks for listening.
