WOW, what a difference! In this episode, Alan Payne joins the show to talk about the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video. Alan was one of the most successful franchisees in Blockbuster history. He literally wrote the book on Blockbuster -- Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust, which was released in 2021. Alan and Dan discuss the history of the video business, inventory management, new releases versus older movies, and other aspects of the Blockbuster story. Throughout the conversation, you will recognize many concepts and principles from the world of process improvement and operational excellence. And don't worry. You can listen to the show anytime you want! There won't be any late fees.   In this episode you'll hear about: 1:14 - The transition from VHS to DVD 6:00 - The retail price of DVD as opposed to VHS 8:06 - Opening a video store across the street from a Blockbuster 10:30 - The video-rental industry and customer data 12:43 - The early days of Netflix 18:52 - Redbox and the kiosk rental business 22:13 - The Last Blockbuster 23:55 - Closing stores and Blockbuster nostalgia 26:47 - What Alan is doing now   Additional Resources Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust by Alan Payne Alan Payne on LinkedIn MoreSteam's Website Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter MoreSteam on LinkedIn MoreSteam's YouTube Channel   Subscribe to Quality Time with MoreSteam Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music YouTube

WOW, what a difference! In this episode, Alan Payne joins the show to talk about the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video. Alan was one of the most successful franchisees in Blockbuster history. He literally wrote the book on Blockbuster -- Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust, which was released in 2021. Alan and Dan discuss the history of the video business, inventory management, new releases versus older movies, and other aspects of the Blockbuster story. Throughout the conversation, you will recognize many concepts and principles from the world of process improvement and operational excellence. And don't worry. You can listen to the show anytime you want! There won't be any late fees.   In this episode you'll hear about: 2:05 - Concepts and principles from process improvement and operational excellence 4:56 - Alan's start in the grocery business 8:06 - Opening a video store across the street from a Blockbuster 10:19 - Keeping new releases in stock 14:09 - Alan moves to Blockbuster 17:07 - Analyzing the data at Alan's Blockbuster stores 21:15 - Inventory Management at Blockbuster 24:19 - The growth of Blockbuster 28:33 - What people wanted at a video store 31:57 - Voice of the Customer   Additional Resources Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust by Alan Payne Alan Payne on LinkedIn MoreSteam's Website Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter MoreSteam on LinkedIn Webinar: Mastering Destructive Gauge R&R MoreSteam's YouTube Channel   Subscribe to Quality Time with MoreSteam Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music YouTube

Become a force of nature! In this episode, Rich "Raz" Razgaitis joins the show. Raz is the co-founder and CEO of FloWater. On multiple occasions, Inc. Magazine has recognized FloWater as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. In addition to FloWater, Raz has guided multiple startups companies to rapid growth. Raz and Dan talk about the keys to growing a business, Raz's thoughts on leading a team, and the work required to be a successful entrepreneuer.   In this episode you'll hear about: 4:00 - About FloWater 6:16 - Working at large companies as opposed to working at startups 9:01 - Growing a company 11:46 - Building a team 14:19 - The challenges that come with growth 17:18 - Fair balance 20:37 - The beginning of FloWater 22:47 - Highlights and victories 27:03 - Growing pains and hurdles 34:18 - Work-life balance as an entrepreneur   Additional Resources "Raz" (Rich) Razgaitis on LinkedIn FloWater FloWater on LinkedIn MoreSteam's Website Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter MoreSteam on LinkedIn Webinar: Exploring the Convergence of CI Frameworks and Agile Methods The Power of 7   Subscribe to Quality Time with MoreSteam Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music YouTube

Improve your processes by making work visual!! In this episode, Peg Pennington joins the show. Peg is the president of MoreSteam and a member of the board of directors of the Lean Enterprise Institute. Before joining MoreSteam, Peg was the Executive Director of the Center for Operational Excellence at The Ohio State University. Peg and Dan talk about root cause analysis, Peg's background before joining MoreSteam, and the learning that happens outside of your comfort zone.   Time Stamps 1:08 - Making work visual 4:25 - Root cause analysis 8:14 - Peg's time at Ohio State 13:47 - The Center for Operational Excellence 18:04 - MoreSteam's work with Mercy Ships 21:58 - The future of work 24:01 - The learning that happens outside of your comfort zone 28:21 - The importance of being a mentor   Links MoreSteam's Website Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter MoreSteam on LinkedIn Peg Pennington on LinkedIn A Voyage of Continuous Improvement: Transforming Operations at Mercy Ships

Episode 1 of Quality Time with MoreSteam arrives Tuesday, April 2. After that, look for new episodes every other Tuesday at moresteam.com.