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The ONE Secret to 10x Creativity with 10x Less Budget - ft. Bold Bean Co, David Bowie and a Lancashire Countryside Pub
Dan Pope
April 19, 2024
The ONE Secret to 10x Creativity with 10x Less Budget - ft. Bold Bean Co., David Bowie and a Lancashire Countryside Pub
2 days after the 2nd nuclear explosion, I found the pub in the grim rain. 43 minutes North East from Manchester. This pub took me somewhere else. Maybe from Manchester to Mars.
A Haughty, naughty, juddering, thundering jaunt upwards to the Space Oddity.
What was the first explosion, I hear you thinking?
Why? Where?
What happened?
The 1st Nuclear Explosion caused people to sway in rapturous, raucous brilliant-bewilderment. In the late 1980’s. Dance met Rock. Punk hugged House. Hacienda. Acid House.
Fokka-ye pal-let’s be fokin’ havin’-ye’s attitude. New Order. Joy Division. Happy Mondays. James. The Smiths. The Stone Roses. Oasis. MADchester changed forever.
Well, well, well,
MADchester 2.0 is here. The Food revolution in Manchester is exploding. Bubbling - - spewing - -spitting - - soaring - - out the Red Brick-sod-off-ye—-prick Manc Metropolis.
Happy Munchdays.
Hautecuisinenda.
New Order-at-the-bar, ya prick.
The Smiths and Western (hahahahahahahhahaha, Dad in Floral shirt-Flairs-and-too-many-bangals-joke, right there)
Manchester’s food scene is flying. Fairground of Fun Flourishing Florid Fabulousness.
Rudy’s Pizza.
Ramona Pizza. Bundobust. The Black Friar. Mackie Mayer. Altrincham Market.
Out of the first Nuclear explosion came a pub called The Cartford Inn.
My friend, Dom, told me about it, saying it’s “the most creative pub in the world, great food and based on David Bowie… you simple have to go and do a podcast with them ”
Me gusto a slither of this sensory joy.
Nay, a thick slice.
No, the full cake.
Nigh, the full shabang.
I’d just recorded a podcast with Warehouse Project Founder and Parklife founder, Sacha Lord.
Tastebuds primed for a Rave of Flave. I headed North. Drizzling rain spat down, clouds a malevolent yummy moodyness in them. Thick, clotting and cloying Rain d..r…i…z..zz..i..lll.ee..dd. down. North, I charged.
The Cartford Inn is different.
Outside. Pleasantly unassuming. Yet, dangerously intriguing. Like an Old Lady you’d see at a mid-morning bus stop with a Bag for Life. Yet at any moment she’s dancing in Hot Pants to Acid House.
Step inside. Narnia-BLAH. And Bowie. And Life on Mars. And Art on the Walls: mosaic of MAD, slicing up the prosaic monotony of MEH.
Feel like my Noggin’s been dunked in a throbbing-pinball machine and explosive glitter-bomb. A gazillion f-lASHES, liGHt- s - s-s . TAKEovaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Quirks and Irks and Besserk. Trampoline for yaaaaa mind, our kidddd.
Easter Eggs look like Eggs from Mars. Colours of Milan Fashion week. Rocking reds. Swaying oranges. Deep greens. High yellows.
Food is FUCKING sensational. Proper comfort hug. No nonsense Northern Grub.
The Young lad looking after me, Ollie, a PPE student, foodie-thru-n-foodie-thru
“Mateee, the Suit Pie, is DE-LECT-ABLE, pal - I’d scran 3 of them, I tells ye, pal”
I order one, obvs.
A bosom of filthy unctuous, unadulterated steaming gluttony plops on the table. Cholesterol-soaked pudding is muddy-meaty-puddles of joy. I devour, hastily.
We live in a world where a panoply of pervading Gastro-wank gobbles up and ruins pubs.
General Managers called Gavin (Gav, when he’s in a good mood) believe they’re Military Generals. River Island Rangers. Sly-Sausage-Roll-Scoffers. Front of House-who’d rather-Be on Sofa’s.
The Cartord Inn is different. Head on Mars. Heart on Earth. Soul in The Cartord Inn.
My time at The Cartford Inn taught me about ONE vital lesson about building creative cultures.
To 10x Creativity with 10x less budget. You have to change the inputs.
Different Inputs = Different Outputs = Edge.
Bold Bean Co. is one my fave brands. Amelia’s a great friend. One of her many geniuses: she constantly changes the INPUTS for her team.
Change inputs = takes her team to work from Barcelona
Change inputs = takes the team to Roxie’s Diner for their Christmas Party
Change inputs = has a weekly cook-a-long lunch
NEW’S FLASH
Your team don’t want to do an Escape Room in London Bridge where the overly-competitive Head of Operations from The Midlands-who-loves-tuppawear goes all Ross Kemp in Afghanistan on the Sales Team.
And guess what?
Every other brand is doing that.
Same input = same output = no edge.
Different Inputs = Different Outputs = Edge.
Different Inputs = Different Outputs = Edge.
Different Inputs = Different Outputs = Edge.
David Bowie: David Bowie: “The Only Art I’ll Ever Study is The Art I’ll Steal From”
Exposing your team to different inputs is exactly how you 10x your creativity with 10x less budget.
Let your team steal ideas for the weird and wonderful places.
North Star. Get listed. Stay listed. And Grow.
Soooooo excited to announce our brand new podcast partner North Star.
North Star is a monthly subscription to an online platform giving you access to category data. Anytime. Anyplace. Anywhere. It’s the Netflix for Data.
Struggling to get your mitts on bloody expensive data?
Struggling to get get your pitches to really speak “buyer” language?
Struggling to actually analyse the data - lost in the Excel vortex?
North Star solve all that.
Get listed. Stay Listed. And Grow.
That’s why ABSOLUTELY BANGING brands use North Star like Bold Bean Co., PerfectTed, Homethings, Neat, Trip and Cheeky Panda.
Anddddd, the even better news?
North Star offers a Fractional-Category Manager service (this is so SICK)
Fly in one of their amazing category managers in time for big range reviews, without paying full whack for a full time category manager.
Check them out here. Thank me later.
Feel free to email Huw or Keiran (they’re both legends) for a demo.
Some of the best podcasts on Inputs = Outputs
if you enjoy… please share these. We grow this pod, one recommendation at a time.
1. Alex Smith, The Strategy Genius
2. David Hieatt, Hiut Denim Co.
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