February 13, 2025 • 32 mins
Scott East, Founder and CEO of MSIGHTS, joins Trent and Patrick on “At Home with Roby”. Founded in 2004, MSIGHTS is a global marketing technology company that helps companies integrate and unify all their marketing data to deliver actionable reporting, advanced analytics, and smarter marketing decisions. Scott shares his career path to MSIGHTS and hilarious stories from his days as “Otto the Orange” at Syracuse University.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Three two one. Welcome to that Home with Roby. I'm
Patrick Kaak from Roby Commercial and Services on with Trent
Hayson from the Roby Family of Companies. We are your host, Trent.
We're back episode number two of our new podcast on
iHeart Radio. We are here, We are here, and we're
gonna have Scott East join us here in just a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got him hit in the room closet. He's somewhere around.
I didn't know they had so many clausets in this place.
It's a lot of a lot of things going on
around I Art Media.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You gotta watch out.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You can't just go walking up in a room. You
don't know what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Somebody might.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
What were you think you were gonna say something? So no,
you gotta be careful. But here we are.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
If you missed the last episode we got to we
had Jim Rhodes was our inaugural inaugural.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Guess that's a hard word to say.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Man, you got me crying.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I was gonna say somebody might be in there crying
because we don't let them in the studio yet.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
That's what I was gonna say. It wasn't even anything bad.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It's like a cry room.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm crying. I need where's that clauset it? But uh,
I just noticed it. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Uh, I don't know if it was the background on
the first show. We're now we're now video in these shows,
which we did early on and we didn't do for
a long time.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
On our show. But we got a new logo at
Home with Roby.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
So Vanessa sent that to us about two weeks ago.
So I knew that in your email.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
You didn't.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
You were just testing everybody to see if we got
a new logo. But yeah, she she freshened us up
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I mean, why isn't Vanessa, since you're gonna listen to
this show, why is our slogo not with the logo?
Our slogo is entrepreneur nors plural playbook.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Isn't that right?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I think that's right. So you did see that the entrepreneurs,
You saw it. You you're being coy. You did see
it then, because this is what she sent out to.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Us, and she said to Ed Brings the construction industry,
that that we Roby family in there. She said that
we're the Roby family. We're not just the home side anymore.
With commercial and services, real estate. Uh so Roby's prominent,
and uh I like the logo and and I was
(02:21):
questioning because our goal on this show is everybody's got
a cool story, so let's be funny, have a good time,
and get the cool story out of them.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
It happens to be a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Of folks labeled as entrepreneurs because they started a business.
We have an entrepreneur today. I think, uh, Quinn essential
one of your EO entrepreneur organization buddies. And right about
that you are. But I said, you know, I have
friends on here that aren't entrepreneurs. They just got great stories,
(02:56):
and uh, people want to hear them. And and but
but this everybody's kind of on when the cool things
you do in life, when you when you go take
risk at any level, whether it's social, you know, with
your family, and it makes for a good story or
a funny story or something that needs to be working on.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I think it has an entrepreneur aspect to it. So
I like it. How about that.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
I'm glad you like it.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I'm really honestly trying to get Browning points with Vanessa.
I think Christian and I about a decade ago, got
start off on the wrong foot.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I got a chance to recalibrate here.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
No, I don't believe that.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I know Christian is influencing.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
I don't believe that at all. So if we are
referring to Christian who is the czar of the radio show,
and then of course Vanessa from our marketing team, who
is wonderful, But Je Trent, I mean this is this
is a big difference for us. You know, from where
we came from to where we are now. We have
turned the radio show, which is now by podcasts, into
(03:58):
its own entrepreneurial thing and it evolves and grows and
has its own story.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
The radio show.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, what are you talking about? What am I talking about?
I said, the written to the radio show is also
something that we went on on a limb, and it
is an entrepreneurial thing that has grown.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And because we started it nine years ago. Okay, thanks
for explaining that.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
The evolution of the show.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Because when it first when it first started, we were
talking and it wasn't me, it was Ash Davis and
you talking about what colors to paint your kitchen cabinets.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
You can only do that for how many shows.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It takes a lot longer to go into cycle. They're
white for years and then so much still wait. And
then I talked to some guys the other day and
they said no, they said that, they said to maple
and the cherry and the ashes coming back.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
And maybe we need to be talking about cabinets more
often than I stand corrected.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's been been a decade right under, and you know,
and that's when you read all the business books as
a young person. You think everything that you know, the
cycles of recession and bull market and this and that
happens instantly, and then we're human. It seems like it
takes forever, and then in hindsight, it happened in a flash.
(05:19):
So we've seen some cycles that I've seen some cycles
in my twenty five years.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Well, I mean, even this, it doesn't feel like it
was nine years ago when we started this. I remember
sitting in the conference room saying, hey, we went to
a radio show.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah I remember that as.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, and Travis was like, no, no, that's my brother,
but but yeah, I don't know's you don't know t
you know.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Well, yeah, I think that's what that's that was set
on the last show experience.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I say this, my dad, God, rest his soul is
a wonderful man. He used to say, yeah, man, we'd
be talling. He said, Man, that was like five years ago.
I was like, it was eighteen years ago, dad, And
now I do exactly the same thing, and my kids
punk on me. So I don't know, man, It's the
(06:11):
cycle of life. I say, every every day you get
more experience. It's an exponential more value to your life
and how much more meaningful it is. And when you're
young and inexperienced, you don't even want to hear that,
but you don't think it's possible.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well that you don't really understand it until you live it. Well,
let's talk about our guests. Man, I've got to have
got Scott East. Yeah, his businesses, insights. What I will
tell you about Scott is he's one of the smarter
people that we're going to have on this show. And
some of the stuff that he does is remarkable from
not ameral standpoint. So you right, Scott and I are
(06:52):
Forum mats and EO recently something that I've been a
part of for about you four or five months now.
But Scott's really remarkable guy. And you have not met Scott,
So I think this would be really interesting to you
for you to get to hear history.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I'm excited. Welcome out of the closet.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Thank you. I'm not sure where to go with that comment.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
But where are you crying?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
I'm glad to be in the studio.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
You try, no, I mean, the more you talk about
being an entrepreneur, I slept like a baby last night.
Every entrepreneur seems like a baby. I wake up crying
every two hours, and you gotta change my diapers.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I like that, well played, sir.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
You know I I've cried for reasons of business throughout
the night sometimes.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
But hey, well it ain't all rosy, but the rose
is beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So exactly, and I think if you have that mindset,
you'll make it. I was talking to somebody earlier. I said, man,
it's just faith, and they said, you were right.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, it's with one of the few things in life
where you can go from sheer terror to absolute jubilation
with him matter of minutes.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Literally as highs and lows, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Scott. Where are you from?
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I grew up when I was kind of a small kid.
I grew up in Abilene, Texas, where I don't know
if you remember that show Friday Night Lights. It's actually
technically Odessa, but that's really where I grew up, moved
to Houston. My dad was in the oil business. Moved
to Houston and went to undergrad at Syracuse, moved back
to Texas and ping pong to Boston, then Northern Virginia,
(08:27):
and now Charlotte. Since two thousand and nine. I absolutely
love it here.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Though. How did you go to Syracuse out of Texas?
Speaker 5 (08:34):
I think I looked at what school was farthest away
from Houston.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So that's how you hit it up there.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
Yeah, but I remember my dad and I we went
and visited the school when I was a senior and
it was snowing, like in March, and I'm like, who
would go to school here? And so I just wanted
something different. I wanted a completely different experience. And the
first real big snowfall though, I remember my buddy and
I were walking back from a fraternity party. I had
black loafers on and just like a like a windbreaker,
(09:02):
and he's like, he's like, is that all you got?
And I'm like, that's all I got and he's like,
we have got to get you a jacket. So but
it was a great experience. Man, I'm I'm struggling right
now as a Syracuse fan with our basketball team.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
But but all good, so so funny story about that.
My brother moved from Atlanta to Chicago with home depot
many years ago, and literally all he had was like
a like a running jacket yea, and like the first
cold he called, you know, I think you know, called
my dad and was like, I gotta go get a coat.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
This isn't gonna work exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
It's a whole different level of cold.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
Yeah, but that was back in the day when I
actually had to call a phone number with ll Bean.
I mean that that was back in the in the
late eighties, so fast forward.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
But you were still ordering out of the kettle, all.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Yeah, right, gracier dude, you don't remember getting to like
the remember like the Service Merchandise catalog and stuff will
come out of it.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
It was like in Encyclopedia.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah, we get that joker and song.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
All we did was shopping it and then my mom
would go to Service Merchandise and put it on layaway.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
Yeah. And I asked my dad, I was like, what
was the purpose of layaway?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He said, you reserved the rights to buy that product,
pay for it over time. I said, dang, these entrepreneurs
and these stores like Service Merchandise knew what they were doing.
Oh yeah, now you you get it instant gratification and
you pay for it over time.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, it's unbelieve pay for it every time, you get
it right away.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
All these prepay loan companies and all that. That's the trend.
So it's evolution. Heard that of the consumer.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So, Scott, did you play basketball at Syracuse?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
No, but I was a student athlete. Just to clarify,
for two years, I was Auto the Orange. I was
the mascot at Syracuse.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I was hoping you would talk about that a little bit.
It was awesome.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yes, you're the first school mascot.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
It was awesome.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Man.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
I actually used that story in business like every single day.
But it was the very first year that they opened
up tryouts. Syracuse actually did not technically have a mascot.
And so I was stumbling back from a fraternity party
and some buddies of mine were like, man, you should
try out for the Orange. So I'm like, you know what,
I'll go ahead and do it. And I ended up
becoming one. I think there were six of us that
(11:20):
did it that year because we did every single sport,
all the school functions and city functions.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I mean, did you have to be athletic.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
I'm assuming that you saw me when I walked in,
and I mean a decently athletic actually, out of seriousness
that there were a couple stunts that were very very
difficult to do. So during that's me. So during basketball,
the the band would start playing Hawaii five oh, and
they would hold up a cheerleader, like a guy cheerleader,
(11:51):
so that they were like this and the guy was standing.
They would put me down as a surfboard up in
the air and then put me under the guy or actually,
I'm sorry, they put me under the guy that was
the surfboard. I was sorry the cheerleader, and then they
would drop me on him and then that's when the
band would play Hawaii five oh. And I'm serious, man,
it was a very it was a very very difficult
stunt because you can't see your feet, it's just all balanced.
(12:14):
And I never fell, but I did get I did
get into fisticuff at Penn State in football.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Was that is that real?
Speaker 4 (12:21):
The state?
Speaker 5 (12:22):
No, that that's that's a real story. So I'll do
it real quick. If you want to hear it, yeah,
we want to hear it. Yeah. So so I went
to Happy Valley, which is which is a misnomer in itself,
walking across the walking across the field, and all the students,
you know, sit in the back, and all of a sudden,
they're like, we want the orange, we want the orange.
And so I grabbed the nose, which you can assume
(12:44):
by looking at the picture where the nose is located
on me when I had the uniform on. But I said,
I just kind of shook my head. Penn State cheerleader
came over. He goes, hey, man, what they want to
do is they want to pass you to the top
of the stadium. I'm like, there's just there's no way.
He's like, oh, he gets on a microphan. The orange
is a little nervous about coming up in the stands.
Let's give a big pin State welcome. And at this
(13:05):
point a third of the third of the crowd is
just screaming, we want the orange. So I got totally
caught up in the moment and I went into the stands.
And then you're supposed to kind of go like this
real tight and laid back and then they passed you
to the top and I made it up I think
like three rows. They took my hat off tole my shoe,
(13:25):
took my pants down, and just started beating the living
crap out and what and while chanting we want the orange.
So police had to come escort me out of the stands.
And I'm going down the tunnel and I'm actually kind
of hurt, to be honest, I mean, besides obviously emotionally
in my ego, but I'm walking down the tunnel and
Kirby Dardar, he was like one of our star players,
(13:47):
played in the NFL for a while. I tutored him
in math and my nickname in college was Text. He
put my arm around, his arm around.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Me, he goes, text.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
God. They had to beat the crap out of our
mascot too, So it was great. It was a great time, man,
it was It was awesome. Uh, it was a really
fun experience. I know, I always worry about telling people
that in the business setting. I see it's great because
like half an hour later, I'm like going through the
pitch about insights and this. They'll go, Man, I'm sorry,
(14:17):
I just I know you're being serious, but I kind
of vision that.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
You're doing this.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
We won't the orange if we want the won't you
and the orange juice.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
It was a great time, man, It's all awesome experience.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
That's crazy, man. I did not hear that story before.
So that's what we always talk.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
You only do it two years?
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Yeah, well they this was the first year they opened
up trials. Was my junior year. Oh oh, I see
most of us drink it out of college in four years,
and so I was, you know, I was out. But
but technically I have two years of eligibility. I mean,
I could always go back.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
I don't know if you've heard Scott, but there's some
pretty good nil money out there.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
I'm not sure they're diving any up for the mask guy.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
Actually, at the time, our that our our our north
star was the San Diego Chicken. That was like kind
of like our north Star as a mascot. But but
it was awesome, man. It was a fun experience and
and it always it's still good stories today.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
It's good fodder, all joking. Aside.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
A guy I went to high school with was he
He was the Walton Raider when we were in high school,
and then he became the Auburn Tiger Auby when he
was in college and then he made a career out
of this.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
He was the cult for the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
That is awesome, actually, Abby, which is where my daughter
goes to college. Abby's in the the mascot Hall of Fame.
That's right, Otto, the Orange is in the Hall of Fame.
I just didn't want to walk in here with my
gold and get my gold jacket on. I wanted to
be approachable on video.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Well, well i'll tell you, I'll tell you another mascot.
So Auby.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
My brother lives in Auburn with his family, and my
daughter Scarlett had a terror just was terrified of mascots,
like the Chick fil a Cow was like, I mean,
the worst thing that she's ever seen, and hated Matt.
Anytime a mascot would come around, I'm like, crap, we
gotta leave wherever we were at.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
The Chick fil a Cow scared.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
I mean, she was mortified of the Chick fil Cow.
She went and climbed up the top of but she
can we were telling this, climbed up at the top
of the playground. I couldn't get up there and wouldn't
come down when she was like four until it left.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
So I had to go talk to the cow.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I'm like, hey, listen, mister cow, uh, would you mightn't
stepping outside for like five minutes? My daughter's freaking out there.
I'm just gonna get her out of here and then
you can come back.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Little Did you know that was your new buddy, Scott East.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
I had a plan.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
B Well, he came back too soon. Like I'm walking
Scarlet out the door and he comes walking around the corner.
I mean, we like locked eyes with the cow and
it was, I mean just water works everywhere. But the
first mascot that she ever would communicate with was the
auburn tiger. We went to a h a charity walk.
My nephew was a premium and they did they did
(16:44):
a big walk, and the tiger walked up to her
and pulled his tail out.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
And handed her his tail.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Oh wow, and kind of backed away slowly said whoever
had trained the tiger had realized that this is a
way to get kids to engage.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
And so the other day I was.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Going through my phone. I gotta new phone, and a
bunch of old videos populated and I found one with
Scarlett when she was like Force, and I was like,
who's your favorite mascot?
Speaker 4 (17:07):
She goes, Abby, that is awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
It's a it's a lot of work, Like because it
was the very first year that Syracuse had a mascot,
we didn't have like a playbook of the personality, so
we actually had to we actually had to name the mascot,
so we came up with Auto the Orange, So we
had to kind of develop the whole persona for the
mascot as well. But it's it was it was such
an awesome experience and like I absolutely it was just awesome.
(17:34):
It's one of my favorite college stories.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Well we'll take us take us out of college. Scott
graduates from syrahcuse you go back to tell did you study?
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I was a political science major. Holly sa Polly SiZ
So worked on the presidential campaign we lost, and I'm like, man,
I need to I need a new career. Actually, my
dad was like, I don't think politics is for you.
So I'm gonna he goes, you need to find something
more stable. So I went into advertising, which.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Is only like one notch of high in politics. Go
be a matt, Go be the cow.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
So you went, where'd you go to remind me where
you went to graduate school.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
I went to Georgetown. I got my MBA from Georgetown's right.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Oh wow, he's we could smile.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
And so after Georgetown you got into ad sales And
where did did that take you to Boston?
Speaker 5 (18:20):
No, So I've always been in digital marketing. So actually
I was doing digital marketing in the mid nineties, if you
can believe it, but I was working for GTE in Dallas,
which later became Verizon. Moved up to Boston, worked for
an agency up there. They're really good to me. And
then AOL called and said, hey, we had just merged
with Time Warner and uh, they were going to start
putting together the very first cross platform deals. Like today
(18:43):
it's like no big deal, right, like you cross sell
all these different properties, but it was like some of
the very first cross platform deals. So moved down northern
Virginia and worked at AOL and absolutely love my job,
like it was probably is my favorite job, and it
just was really unfortunate when they asked me to stop
doing it. That was actually in two thousand and two,
(19:09):
and so they I had a really good severance package
and so I was going to take off a couple
of years, and I just had gotten married at the time,
and so I was going to take a couple years
sabbatical that lasted I think two weeks, and just decided
to do some consulting and then and kind of fast
forward to two thousand and three, got a call from
a friend of mine who was doing digital marketing at
(19:30):
Nextel and said, Hey, I know you're really good with
like spreadsheets. I'm having a hard time tracking all of
our digital marketing stuff. I've got to figure out this
data is and lots of different places. Can you help
just kind of put it together and create reports? And
I'm like, yeah, absolutely, So that started that in two
thousand and three, and before there was really marketing technology
(19:51):
companies and is very very early on, and built a
database because it was just it was just a colossal
It was really tough with all the different data pieces.
And then fast forward to twenty twenty five. Insite's been
around now for over twenty years, so it's been a
crazy ride because early on, again, like you know, we
were one of the very first marketing technology companies and
(20:13):
now marketing technology or martech, it's a I think it's
like twenty two billion dollar industry now and it's like
almost twenty five percent of a marketing budget goes to
technology tools. So that's been a great vibe. Man, It's
been a lot of fun, been real blessed along the way.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
So what brought you to Charlotte.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
I was married at the time, and so she just
wanted to be closer to her folks who were going
to eventually retire in Wilmington. And because I was doing
I was traveling so much at the time, it didn't
really matter. I just needed to be close to a
really good airport. And so, but Charlotte's been awesome, man.
Charlotte's a great, great town, very easy to get around,
great to raise kids. It's a small town, but a
(20:54):
big town. I love having big companies here because we've
got a great arts and just a lot of great
assets here, you know, as an overall city. So I've
loved it here well.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Growing up, one of my top dad said, there's three
things you need to but know about Charlotte, Jerry or
building our airport.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Uh was a reason for our livelihood opportunity.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
Absolutely, so it's huge.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yeah, our airport is such a big asset, probably probably
the biggest.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Hands Absolutely and then having you know, some big companies
anchored here really helps because they put so much money
into the community and so you'd get the benefit of
all these things around us.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Well, they wouldn't be anchored here without the airport exact. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Well, so Scott tell us a little bit like, I mean,
who who's a target client or what the type of
industries are you guys going after with with insights.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Yeah, so we we typically work with large enterprise that
are that spending millions and millions of dollars in media
because if they're spending that much money, their data is
in lots of different places, and so the sweet spot
of what we do is we help integrate and unify
that data and get it ready for decision making. So
imagine you have all these individual raw materials, like in
(22:06):
your business, for example, You've got all these individual raw materials,
and you need people to put those pieces together to
create an end product that's usable. And that's really what
we do from a data perspective for media professionals, so
they can log into our platform, run reports, optimize their media.
Nowhere to run their media. I'm sure iHeart is always
(22:27):
performing extremely well for media campaigns. But they can optimize
their media channels SCTAT plug in there, but they're able
to optimize their media and optimize their creatives. So it's
a good business. I mean, it's a really really good business.
Data is just is the oil of business these days,
especially in marketing and media.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
So you work with companies all over the world.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, all over the world. Actually, most of our I
think it's like sixty percent of our revenues generated outside
the US.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Really.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Yeah, we're a small company, but we've got office is
in Mexico, Switzerland, Singapore, we've got people in the Philippines.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Good.
Speaker 5 (23:04):
So we provide support for our clients and users twenty
four to seven, multiple languages. We integrate data from all
different languages. We were double byte compliance. We can integrate Mandarin,
so lots of lots of different ways to be able
to get data.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
In Yes, when we were in Europe for our forum trip,
Scott was off closing deals in.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Early did to take you places for me? Yeah? With you,
but it wants to let's go get some deals done.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
That was kind of a flucaw. We ended up going international.
That wasn't kind of the plan. Even though I have
an international MBA that wasn't the plan. But SAP has
been one of our clients for fifteen years and they
allowed us an opportunity to be able to expand with
them globally. So that's been a really really I could
think of worse places to go than going to having
to go to Switzerland. And yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Man, hear that international NBA from Georgetown. We over here
just trying to get by.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I am it's impressive. He's done a lot of impressive things. Uh,
I'm I'm in awe.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
But so.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, I think that all of the successful entrepreneurs and
companies and businesses that we want to follow that have
grown regionally across the US or internationally follow their clients
and they fulfill that need. And it's not forced. It's uh,
it's square pegs and square holes, so to speak.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
Yeah, I number one core value is help clients win,
and so everybody in the company knows just do what
the right thing is for the client and make sure
that whatever you're doing, you're helping them win. And so
that that's actually been I think a really good kind
of rallying cry for just you know, decisions that we
make or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
But we've got.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
We've been blessed to have some just really awesome clients
along the way.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Now us to amen. Yeah, amen, what a story. Uh
what do you do in your spare time?
Speaker 5 (24:59):
U Uh, let's see here.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
We're looking for a mass ruby.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Man. I need to go to the transfer portal. I'm
evaluating offers right now.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Roscoe the Roby dog. We can come up with something.
We can collaborating.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
No, I love to travel. I'm absolutely love to travel.
But dating someone long distance, we're engaged, but she lives
in Greensboro, so I'm traveling on eighty five quite a
bit these days. And uh, I love spending time with
my family and uh, but but yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Uh, you have children. I do.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I have a daughter that's a sophomore at Auburn, and
then a son that is a junior in high school.
She actually is an intern for for the company. And
the very first day she was late and for our meeting,
and she showed up with nothing.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
And I said, I said, okay.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I'm gonna treat you like I treat any employee late
as being five minutes you know, if you're not five
minutes early. And but and you need to be a
Lombardi time exactly, and I said, you need to show
up with a piece of paper and pen and your
laptop and ready to go. And she's been a rock star.
She's been done a really good job.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Scott runs a tight ship.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Sound like us, be on time. We have Roby notepads.
I see you have one. I think all your details
on it. It's kind of a little gift we give.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
It matches our grid here in the back. That's what
the grids designed off of. It all started from My
dad always carried a yellow legal pad around, you know,
and by the time you got three quarters away through
the legal pad bending pages back, it would it would
get round and be all warped. So, uh, that hints
to the design of our notepad. But people want to think
(26:41):
you're listening and know you're listening, and so writing things down,
uh is valuable. Acting like you're prepared as valuable. It
all sets first impression, right.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
That's awesome. I mean, that's a cool story that you
mentioned about your dad, and that's ingrained into your brain
so that I'm sure you've passed that down to your
kids as well.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
But the problem with my dad, though, is when I
got into business, and I was giving him a hard
time about dumb stuff now that I'm now him, but
i'm the age, and he would lose, misplaced his notepads.
He'd get it on, so he never knew how to
find his notes because it was eight note path two
(27:22):
in the truck one and the floorboard one at home
three of the office.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
You can see this something in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I was like, and I would number mine, so I
got to like one hundred and ten pads, and I
would date the time frame so on the back I
would write it on the marker number and date it
to start dating then when.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
I wrapped it up.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So I have a big stack of them under my desk,
but I haven't archived him.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
But I don't think.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I've numbered one and about a decade. That's awesome, Dad,
I love you now. Your dad was something else.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I did not know that about the notebook, so I
think that's the first time I heard that.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, that he would lose him all.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
He would lose it.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
And I was like, dude, we be trying to we'd
be trying to help somebody, and he's like, I got
it on a notepad somewhere, and I'm like, man, what
is your problem?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
And I'm in Assouri. He's like, leave me alone.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
A big big drag off that sick.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
He's like, he's like, go do something outside of my
ear So. Uh, man, maybe one day I'll see see
him in heaven and tell him I'm sorry for that.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I'm sure he's looking for his note pad up there.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Hey he did a ton of things right. Uh. But so, uh,
I'm gonna put you on the spot here. Uh. I
mean you kind of said this in your mission statement.
What what is.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
One one thing that do you live by one one
of the principles you live by both your business and
and your life and family and personal.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That uh that mantra you hang your hat on.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
It's interest sane. I think it's I'm not it's a
really really good question.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah, I know you.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Scott of course was so nice and said, hey, can
you give me some stuff that I need to be
brushed up on before the show? That's the first thing
he asked me and I told him no. And then
the second thing earlier today I think I mentioned this,
he said, Hey, is this thing on video? I'll go no, man,
don't worry about it. Earlier Yeah, where whatever you need.
You don't you don't need to worry about clean up.
There's forty eight cameras in this room.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
I'd say, you know that it learned how to have
a difficult conversation. Oh and and I think that that
is something that I'm not saying. I like, lean into
controversy or confrontation, but you do. Yeah, but you need
to need to really know and have difficult conversations. And
I think that as I've gotten older, and I'm trying
to instill that in my kids as well. But just
(29:49):
have difficult conversations.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
We had somebody come on the show. You you'll probably
remember one of your YPO buddies.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
I'm Rich Ballot.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
It said he has the most hard conversations.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Wins. That was I was gonna. I was to say that. Sorry.
He said. The most successful people.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
In the world, whether it be their happiness or success
in business. He said, they have the hardest conversations. And
I was just on a trip with Rich last week,
the largest Verizon dealer store front Ballot.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Yeah, yeah, he's in my form.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Oh he's a good dude. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead, it would know, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
He his executive coach Mark Moses yeah, I've known Mark
for a long time.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
I mean I hung out with Mark all night or not.
I'll show you a picture in a second. But Mark
Moses is also made big happen. We need to have
Mark on the show now. Yeah, wonderful. But I had
dinner with him. Rich told me the next day. I
sat beside him and Rich told me the next day
he said, Mark thought loved you to death. He said,
But he said he didn't understand. But twenty percent of
what you said. I don't know if my language classes
(30:52):
are working.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
We were working on getting that draw taken out of
the show over here, he said.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I was looking at Brent Beeson, who you've known for
almost fifteen years.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
He doesn't understand anything you say.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
Rich is a great guy. I've only met him one time.
We were I can't I think we're in Greenville and
he rolled in with Jim schwartz on and a.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
T shirt the show that's a suit.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Yeah, he's just such a great guy. His story is
just phenomenal on what they've been able to do as
a as a as a company. So he as an
entrepreneur man suit I aspire for that. I mean, he
hies a highs are high and the lows were low,
but he persevered and kept.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Going a wireless space out of Greenville. Yeah, I found
an entrepreneur kiosk in them all five thousand dollars Rich
and Dave Ballot.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
It's crazy, great story.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
But yeah, but uh, my wife said, go check the
Rich Ballot show out.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
He was on what a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
And but my wife, after having ten meals with him,
and she's known him for thirteen years as well, she said,
he is so pleasant to be around. He's just so
matter of fact and his delivery is so tactful. So, uh,
that is so cool that you know Rich and uh,
maybe I have to get together sometime when he's around town.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
He probably didn't doesn't even know who I am, but
I'm definitely a fanboy for what for the things that
he's doing.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
We don't worry.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
I'm gonta send him a link to your radio show
so or your podcasts. Uh there you go, Well, well,
how can people look you and your business up?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Yeah, so it's you can look me up on LinkedIn,
Scott East on LinkedIn, and then our website U R
L IS M S I G h T S dot
com Insights dot com.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I love it them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Sure you're doing all right man, rolling people here, I
love it. Listen, Patrick, thank you, Scott, thank.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
You, appreciate it. Guys out that y'all made this super easy.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I mean, man exponential to funny.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
Uh, thank you for listening.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Go do the Golden rule today. Treat others the way
you want to be treated. Carry a smile around on
your face. Thanks for listening to At Home with Ruby
Three two one. Welcome to that Home with Roby. I'm
Patrick Kaak from Roby Commercial and Services on with Trent
Hayson from the Roby Family of Companies. We are your host, Trent.
We're back episode number two of our new podcast on
iHeart Radio. We are here, We are here, and we're
gonna have Scott East join us here in just a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
We got him hit in the room closet. He's somewhere around.
I didn't know they had so many clausets in this place.
It's a lot of a lot of things going on
around I Art Media.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
You gotta watch out.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You can't just go walking up in a room. You
don't know what's going on there.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Somebody might.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
What were you think you were gonna say something? So no,
you gotta be careful. But here we are.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
If you missed the last episode we got to we
had Jim Rhodes was our inaugural inaugural.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Guess that's a hard word to say.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Man, you got me crying.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I was gonna say somebody might be in there crying
because we don't let them in the studio yet.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
That's what I was gonna say. It wasn't even anything bad.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
It's like a cry room.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm crying. I need where's that clauset it? But uh,
I just noticed it. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Uh, I don't know if it was the background on
the first show. We're now we're now video in these shows,
which we did early on and we didn't do for
a long time.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
On our show. But we got a new logo at
Home with Roby.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
So Vanessa sent that to us about two weeks ago.
So I knew that in your email.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
You didn't.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
You were just testing everybody to see if we got
a new logo. But yeah, she she freshened us up
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I mean, why isn't Vanessa, since you're gonna listen to
this show, why is our slogo not with the logo?
Our slogo is entrepreneur nors plural playbook.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Isn't that right?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I think that's right. So you did see that the entrepreneurs,
You saw it. You you're being coy. You did see
it then, because this is what she sent out to.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Us, and she said to Ed Brings the construction industry,
that that we Roby family in there. She said that
we're the Roby family. We're not just the home side anymore.
With commercial and services, real estate. Uh so Roby's prominent,
and uh I like the logo and and I was
(02:21):
questioning because our goal on this show is everybody's got
a cool story, so let's be funny, have a good time,
and get the cool story out of them.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
It happens to be a lot.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Of folks labeled as entrepreneurs because they started a business.
We have an entrepreneur today. I think, uh, Quinn essential
one of your EO entrepreneur organization buddies. And right about
that you are. But I said, you know, I have
friends on here that aren't entrepreneurs. They just got great stories,
(02:56):
and uh, people want to hear them. And and but
but this everybody's kind of on when the cool things
you do in life, when you when you go take
risk at any level, whether it's social, you know, with
your family, and it makes for a good story or
a funny story or something that needs to be working on.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
I think it has an entrepreneur aspect to it. So
I like it. How about that.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
I'm glad you like it.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I'm really honestly trying to get Browning points with Vanessa.
I think Christian and I about a decade ago, got
start off on the wrong foot.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I got a chance to recalibrate here.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
No, I don't believe that.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I know Christian is influencing.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
I don't believe that at all. So if we are
referring to Christian who is the czar of the radio show,
and then of course Vanessa from our marketing team, who
is wonderful, But Je Trent, I mean this is this
is a big difference for us. You know, from where
we came from to where we are now. We have
turned the radio show, which is now by podcasts, into
(03:58):
its own entrepreneurial thing and it evolves and grows and
has its own story.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
The radio show.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, what are you talking about? What am I talking about?
I said, the written to the radio show is also
something that we went on on a limb, and it
is an entrepreneurial thing that has grown.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And because we started it nine years ago. Okay, thanks
for explaining that.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
The evolution of the show.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Because when it first when it first started, we were
talking and it wasn't me, it was Ash Davis and
you talking about what colors to paint your kitchen cabinets.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
You can only do that for how many shows.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It takes a lot longer to go into cycle. They're
white for years and then so much still wait. And
then I talked to some guys the other day and
they said no, they said that, they said to maple
and the cherry and the ashes coming back.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
And maybe we need to be talking about cabinets more
often than I stand corrected.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's been been a decade right under, and you know,
and that's when you read all the business books as
a young person. You think everything that you know, the
cycles of recession and bull market and this and that
happens instantly, and then we're human. It seems like it
takes forever, and then in hindsight, it happened in a flash.
(05:19):
So we've seen some cycles that I've seen some cycles
in my twenty five years.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Well, I mean, even this, it doesn't feel like it
was nine years ago when we started this. I remember
sitting in the conference room saying, hey, we went to
a radio show.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah I remember that as.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, and Travis was like, no, no, that's my brother,
but but yeah, I don't know's you don't know t
you know.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Well, yeah, I think that's what that's that was set
on the last show experience.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I say this, my dad, God, rest his soul is
a wonderful man. He used to say, yeah, man, we'd
be talling. He said, Man, that was like five years ago.
I was like, it was eighteen years ago, dad, And
now I do exactly the same thing, and my kids
punk on me. So I don't know, man, It's the
(06:11):
cycle of life. I say, every every day you get
more experience. It's an exponential more value to your life
and how much more meaningful it is. And when you're
young and inexperienced, you don't even want to hear that,
but you don't think it's possible.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Well that you don't really understand it until you live it. Well,
let's talk about our guests. Man, I've got to have
got Scott East. Yeah, his businesses, insights. What I will
tell you about Scott is he's one of the smarter
people that we're going to have on this show. And
some of the stuff that he does is remarkable from
not ameral standpoint. So you right, Scott and I are
(06:52):
Forum mats and EO recently something that I've been a
part of for about you four or five months now.
But Scott's really remarkable guy. And you have not met Scott,
So I think this would be really interesting to you
for you to get to hear history.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I'm excited. Welcome out of the closet.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Thank you. I'm not sure where to go with that comment.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
But where are you crying?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
I'm glad to be in the studio.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
You try, no, I mean, the more you talk about
being an entrepreneur, I slept like a baby last night.
Every entrepreneur seems like a baby. I wake up crying
every two hours, and you gotta change my diapers.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I like that, well played, sir.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
You know I I've cried for reasons of business throughout
the night sometimes.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
But hey, well it ain't all rosy, but the rose
is beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So exactly, and I think if you have that mindset,
you'll make it. I was talking to somebody earlier. I said, man,
it's just faith, and they said, you were right.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Well, it's with one of the few things in life
where you can go from sheer terror to absolute jubilation
with him matter of minutes.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Literally as highs and lows, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Scott. Where are you from?
Speaker 5 (08:06):
I grew up when I was kind of a small kid.
I grew up in Abilene, Texas, where I don't know
if you remember that show Friday Night Lights. It's actually
technically Odessa, but that's really where I grew up, moved
to Houston. My dad was in the oil business. Moved
to Houston and went to undergrad at Syracuse, moved back
to Texas and ping pong to Boston, then Northern Virginia,
(08:27):
and now Charlotte. Since two thousand and nine. I absolutely
love it here.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Though. How did you go to Syracuse out of Texas?
Speaker 5 (08:34):
I think I looked at what school was farthest away
from Houston.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So that's how you hit it up there.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
Yeah, but I remember my dad and I we went
and visited the school when I was a senior and
it was snowing, like in March, and I'm like, who
would go to school here? And so I just wanted
something different. I wanted a completely different experience. And the
first real big snowfall though, I remember my buddy and
I were walking back from a fraternity party. I had
black loafers on and just like a like a windbreaker,
(09:02):
and he's like, he's like, is that all you got?
And I'm like, that's all I got and he's like,
we have got to get you a jacket. So but
it was a great experience. Man, I'm I'm struggling right
now as a Syracuse fan with our basketball team.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
But but all good, so so funny story about that.
My brother moved from Atlanta to Chicago with home depot
many years ago, and literally all he had was like
a like a running jacket yea, and like the first
cold he called, you know, I think you know, called
my dad and was like, I gotta go get a coat.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
This isn't gonna work exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
It's a whole different level of cold.
Speaker 5 (09:36):
Yeah, but that was back in the day when I
actually had to call a phone number with ll Bean.
I mean that that was back in the in the
late eighties, so fast forward.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
But you were still ordering out of the kettle, all.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Yeah, right, gracier dude, you don't remember getting to like
the remember like the Service Merchandise catalog and stuff will
come out of it.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
It was like in Encyclopedia.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah, we get that joker and song.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
All we did was shopping it and then my mom
would go to Service Merchandise and put it on layaway.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
Yeah. And I asked my dad, I was like, what
was the purpose of layaway?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He said, you reserved the rights to buy that product,
pay for it over time. I said, dang, these entrepreneurs
and these stores like Service Merchandise knew what they were doing.
Oh yeah, now you you get it instant gratification and
you pay for it over time.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, it's unbelieve pay for it every time, you get
it right away.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
All these prepay loan companies and all that. That's the trend.
So it's evolution. Heard that of the consumer.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
So, Scott, did you play basketball at Syracuse?
Speaker 5 (10:43):
No, but I was a student athlete. Just to clarify,
for two years, I was Auto the Orange. I was
the mascot at Syracuse.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I was hoping you would talk about that a little bit.
It was awesome.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Yes, you're the first school mascot.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
It was awesome.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Man.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
I actually used that story in business like every single day.
But it was the very first year that they opened
up tryouts. Syracuse actually did not technically have a mascot.
And so I was stumbling back from a fraternity party
and some buddies of mine were like, man, you should
try out for the Orange. So I'm like, you know what,
I'll go ahead and do it. And I ended up
becoming one. I think there were six of us that
(11:20):
did it that year because we did every single sport,
all the school functions and city functions.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I mean, did you have to be athletic.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
I'm assuming that you saw me when I walked in,
and I mean a decently athletic actually, out of seriousness
that there were a couple stunts that were very very
difficult to do. So during that's me. So during basketball,
the the band would start playing Hawaii five oh, and
they would hold up a cheerleader, like a guy cheerleader,
(11:51):
so that they were like this and the guy was standing.
They would put me down as a surfboard up in
the air and then put me under the guy or actually,
I'm sorry, they put me under the guy that was
the surfboard. I was sorry the cheerleader, and then they
would drop me on him and then that's when the
band would play Hawaii five oh. And I'm serious, man,
it was a very it was a very very difficult
stunt because you can't see your feet, it's just all balanced.
(12:14):
And I never fell, but I did get I did
get into fisticuff at Penn State in football.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Was that is that real?
Speaker 4 (12:21):
The state?
Speaker 5 (12:22):
No, that that's that's a real story. So I'll do
it real quick. If you want to hear it, yeah,
we want to hear it. Yeah. So so I went
to Happy Valley, which is which is a misnomer in itself,
walking across the walking across the field, and all the students,
you know, sit in the back, and all of a sudden,
they're like, we want the orange, we want the orange.
And so I grabbed the nose, which you can assume
(12:44):
by looking at the picture where the nose is located
on me when I had the uniform on. But I said,
I just kind of shook my head. Penn State cheerleader
came over. He goes, hey, man, what they want to
do is they want to pass you to the top
of the stadium. I'm like, there's just there's no way.
He's like, oh, he gets on a microphan. The orange
is a little nervous about coming up in the stands.
Let's give a big pin State welcome. And at this
(13:05):
point a third of the third of the crowd is
just screaming, we want the orange. So I got totally
caught up in the moment and I went into the stands.
And then you're supposed to kind of go like this
real tight and laid back and then they passed you
to the top and I made it up I think
like three rows. They took my hat off tole my shoe,
(13:25):
took my pants down, and just started beating the living
crap out and what and while chanting we want the orange.
So police had to come escort me out of the stands.
And I'm going down the tunnel and I'm actually kind
of hurt, to be honest, I mean, besides obviously emotionally
in my ego, but I'm walking down the tunnel and
Kirby Dardar, he was like one of our star players,
(13:47):
played in the NFL for a while. I tutored him
in math and my nickname in college was Text. He
put my arm around, his arm around.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Me, he goes, text.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
God. They had to beat the crap out of our
mascot too, So it was great. It was a great time, man,
it was It was awesome. Uh, it was a really
fun experience. I know, I always worry about telling people
that in the business setting. I see it's great because
like half an hour later, I'm like going through the
pitch about insights and this. They'll go, Man, I'm sorry,
(14:17):
I just I know you're being serious, but I kind
of vision that.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
You're doing this.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
We won't the orange if we want the won't you
and the orange juice.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
It was a great time, man, It's all awesome experience.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
That's crazy, man. I did not hear that story before.
So that's what we always talk.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
You only do it two years?
Speaker 5 (14:37):
Yeah, well they this was the first year they opened
up trials. Was my junior year. Oh oh, I see
most of us drink it out of college in four years,
and so I was, you know, I was out. But
but technically I have two years of eligibility. I mean,
I could always go back.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
I don't know if you've heard Scott, but there's some
pretty good nil money out there.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
I'm not sure they're diving any up for the mask guy.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
Actually, at the time, our that our our our north
star was the San Diego Chicken. That was like kind
of like our north Star as a mascot. But but
it was awesome, man. It was a fun experience and
and it always it's still good stories today.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
It's good fodder, all joking. Aside.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
A guy I went to high school with was he
He was the Walton Raider when we were in high school,
and then he became the Auburn Tiger Auby when he
was in college and then he made a career out
of this.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
He was the cult for the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 5 (15:24):
That is awesome, actually, Abby, which is where my daughter
goes to college. Abby's in the the mascot Hall of Fame.
That's right, Otto, the Orange is in the Hall of Fame.
I just didn't want to walk in here with my
gold and get my gold jacket on. I wanted to
be approachable on video.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Well, well i'll tell you, I'll tell you another mascot.
So Auby.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
My brother lives in Auburn with his family, and my
daughter Scarlett had a terror just was terrified of mascots,
like the Chick fil a Cow was like, I mean,
the worst thing that she's ever seen, and hated Matt.
Anytime a mascot would come around, I'm like, crap, we
gotta leave wherever we were at.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
The Chick fil a Cow scared.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
I mean, she was mortified of the Chick fil Cow.
She went and climbed up the top of but she
can we were telling this, climbed up at the top
of the playground. I couldn't get up there and wouldn't
come down when she was like four until it left.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
So I had to go talk to the cow.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I'm like, hey, listen, mister cow, uh, would you mightn't
stepping outside for like five minutes? My daughter's freaking out there.
I'm just gonna get her out of here and then
you can come back.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Little Did you know that was your new buddy, Scott East.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
I had a plan.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
B Well, he came back too soon. Like I'm walking
Scarlet out the door and he comes walking around the corner.
I mean, we like locked eyes with the cow and
it was, I mean just water works everywhere. But the
first mascot that she ever would communicate with was the
auburn tiger. We went to a h a charity walk.
My nephew was a premium and they did they did
(16:44):
a big walk, and the tiger walked up to her
and pulled his tail out.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
And handed her his tail.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Oh wow, and kind of backed away slowly said whoever
had trained the tiger had realized that this is a
way to get kids to engage.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
And so the other day I was.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Going through my phone. I gotta new phone, and a
bunch of old videos populated and I found one with
Scarlett when she was like Force, and I was like,
who's your favorite mascot?
Speaker 4 (17:07):
She goes, Abby, that is awesome.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
It's a it's a lot of work, Like because it
was the very first year that Syracuse had a mascot,
we didn't have like a playbook of the personality, so
we actually had to we actually had to name the mascot,
so we came up with Auto the Orange, So we
had to kind of develop the whole persona for the
mascot as well. But it's it was it was such
an awesome experience and like I absolutely it was just awesome.
(17:34):
It's one of my favorite college stories.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
Well we'll take us take us out of college. Scott
graduates from syrahcuse you go back to tell did you study?
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:41):
I was a political science major. Holly sa Polly SiZ
So worked on the presidential campaign we lost, and I'm like, man,
I need to I need a new career. Actually, my
dad was like, I don't think politics is for you.
So I'm gonna he goes, you need to find something
more stable. So I went into advertising, which.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Is only like one notch of high in politics. Go
be a matt, Go be the cow.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
So you went, where'd you go to remind me where
you went to graduate school.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
I went to Georgetown. I got my MBA from Georgetown's right.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Oh wow, he's we could smile.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
And so after Georgetown you got into ad sales And
where did did that take you to Boston?
Speaker 5 (18:20):
No, So I've always been in digital marketing. So actually
I was doing digital marketing in the mid nineties, if you
can believe it, but I was working for GTE in Dallas,
which later became Verizon. Moved up to Boston, worked for
an agency up there. They're really good to me. And
then AOL called and said, hey, we had just merged
with Time Warner and uh, they were going to start
putting together the very first cross platform deals. Like today
(18:43):
it's like no big deal, right, like you cross sell
all these different properties, but it was like some of
the very first cross platform deals. So moved down northern
Virginia and worked at AOL and absolutely love my job,
like it was probably is my favorite job, and it
just was really unfortunate when they asked me to stop
doing it. That was actually in two thousand and two,
(19:09):
and so they I had a really good severance package
and so I was going to take off a couple
of years, and I just had gotten married at the time,
and so I was going to take a couple years
sabbatical that lasted I think two weeks, and just decided
to do some consulting and then and kind of fast
forward to two thousand and three, got a call from
a friend of mine who was doing digital marketing at
(19:30):
Nextel and said, Hey, I know you're really good with
like spreadsheets. I'm having a hard time tracking all of
our digital marketing stuff. I've got to figure out this
data is and lots of different places. Can you help
just kind of put it together and create reports? And
I'm like, yeah, absolutely, So that started that in two
thousand and three, and before there was really marketing technology
(19:51):
companies and is very very early on, and built a
database because it was just it was just a colossal
It was really tough with all the different data pieces.
And then fast forward to twenty twenty five. Insite's been
around now for over twenty years, so it's been a
crazy ride because early on, again, like you know, we
were one of the very first marketing technology companies and
(20:13):
now marketing technology or martech, it's a I think it's
like twenty two billion dollar industry now and it's like
almost twenty five percent of a marketing budget goes to
technology tools. So that's been a great vibe. Man, It's
been a lot of fun, been real blessed along the way.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
So what brought you to Charlotte.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
I was married at the time, and so she just
wanted to be closer to her folks who were going
to eventually retire in Wilmington. And because I was doing
I was traveling so much at the time, it didn't
really matter. I just needed to be close to a
really good airport. And so, but Charlotte's been awesome, man.
Charlotte's a great, great town, very easy to get around,
great to raise kids. It's a small town, but a
(20:54):
big town. I love having big companies here because we've
got a great arts and just a lot of great
assets here, you know, as an overall city. So I've
loved it here well.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Growing up, one of my top dad said, there's three
things you need to but know about Charlotte, Jerry or
building our airport.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Uh was a reason for our livelihood opportunity.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
Absolutely, so it's huge.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yeah, our airport is such a big asset, probably probably
the biggest.
Speaker 5 (21:23):
Hands Absolutely and then having you know, some big companies
anchored here really helps because they put so much money
into the community and so you'd get the benefit of
all these things around us.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Well, they wouldn't be anchored here without the airport exact. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Well, so Scott tell us a little bit like, I mean,
who who's a target client or what the type of
industries are you guys going after with with insights.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
Yeah, so we we typically work with large enterprise that
are that spending millions and millions of dollars in media
because if they're spending that much money, their data is
in lots of different places, and so the sweet spot
of what we do is we help integrate and unify
that data and get it ready for decision making. So
imagine you have all these individual raw materials, like in
(22:06):
your business, for example, You've got all these individual raw materials,
and you need people to put those pieces together to
create an end product that's usable. And that's really what
we do from a data perspective for media professionals, so
they can log into our platform, run reports, optimize their media.
Nowhere to run their media. I'm sure iHeart is always
(22:27):
performing extremely well for media campaigns. But they can optimize
their media channels SCTAT plug in there, but they're able
to optimize their media and optimize their creatives. So it's
a good business. I mean, it's a really really good business.
Data is just is the oil of business these days,
especially in marketing and media.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
So you work with companies all over the world.
Speaker 5 (22:51):
Yeah, all over the world. Actually, most of our I
think it's like sixty percent of our revenues generated outside
the US.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Really.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Yeah, we're a small company, but we've got office is
in Mexico, Switzerland, Singapore, we've got people in the Philippines.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Good.
Speaker 5 (23:04):
So we provide support for our clients and users twenty
four to seven, multiple languages. We integrate data from all
different languages. We were double byte compliance. We can integrate Mandarin,
so lots of lots of different ways to be able
to get data.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
In Yes, when we were in Europe for our forum trip,
Scott was off closing deals in.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Early did to take you places for me? Yeah? With you,
but it wants to let's go get some deals done.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
That was kind of a flucaw. We ended up going international.
That wasn't kind of the plan. Even though I have
an international MBA that wasn't the plan. But SAP has
been one of our clients for fifteen years and they
allowed us an opportunity to be able to expand with
them globally. So that's been a really really I could
think of worse places to go than going to having
to go to Switzerland. And yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Man, hear that international NBA from Georgetown. We over here
just trying to get by.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I am it's impressive. He's done a lot of impressive things. Uh,
I'm I'm in awe.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
But so.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, I think that all of the successful entrepreneurs and
companies and businesses that we want to follow that have
grown regionally across the US or internationally follow their clients
and they fulfill that need. And it's not forced. It's uh,
it's square pegs and square holes, so to speak.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
Yeah, I number one core value is help clients win,
and so everybody in the company knows just do what
the right thing is for the client and make sure
that whatever you're doing, you're helping them win. And so
that that's actually been I think a really good kind
of rallying cry for just you know, decisions that we
make or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
But we've got.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
We've been blessed to have some just really awesome clients
along the way.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Now us to amen. Yeah, amen, what a story. Uh
what do you do in your spare time?
Speaker 5 (24:59):
U Uh, let's see here.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
We're looking for a mass ruby.
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Man. I need to go to the transfer portal. I'm
evaluating offers right now.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Roscoe the Roby dog. We can come up with something.
We can collaborating.
Speaker 5 (25:14):
No, I love to travel. I'm absolutely love to travel.
But dating someone long distance, we're engaged, but she lives
in Greensboro, so I'm traveling on eighty five quite a
bit these days. And uh, I love spending time with
my family and uh, but but yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Uh, you have children. I do.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I have a daughter that's a sophomore at Auburn, and
then a son that is a junior in high school.
She actually is an intern for for the company. And
the very first day she was late and for our meeting,
and she showed up with nothing.
Speaker 4 (25:44):
And I said, I said, okay.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I'm gonna treat you like I treat any employee late
as being five minutes you know, if you're not five
minutes early. And but and you need to be a
Lombardi time exactly, and I said, you need to show
up with a piece of paper and pen and your
laptop and ready to go. And she's been a rock star.
She's been done a really good job.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Scott runs a tight ship.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
Sound like us, be on time. We have Roby notepads.
I see you have one. I think all your details
on it. It's kind of a little gift we give.
Speaker 4 (26:16):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
It matches our grid here in the back. That's what
the grids designed off of. It all started from My
dad always carried a yellow legal pad around, you know,
and by the time you got three quarters away through
the legal pad bending pages back, it would it would
get round and be all warped. So, uh, that hints
to the design of our notepad. But people want to think
(26:41):
you're listening and know you're listening, and so writing things down,
uh is valuable. Acting like you're prepared as valuable. It
all sets first impression, right.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
That's awesome. I mean, that's a cool story that you
mentioned about your dad, and that's ingrained into your brain
so that I'm sure you've passed that down to your
kids as well.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
But the problem with my dad, though, is when I
got into business, and I was giving him a hard
time about dumb stuff now that I'm now him, but
i'm the age, and he would lose, misplaced his notepads.
He'd get it on, so he never knew how to
find his notes because it was eight note path two
(27:22):
in the truck one and the floorboard one at home
three of the office.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
You can see this something in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I was like, and I would number mine, so I
got to like one hundred and ten pads, and I
would date the time frame so on the back I
would write it on the marker number and date it
to start dating then when.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
I wrapped it up.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So I have a big stack of them under my desk,
but I haven't archived him.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
But I don't think.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I've numbered one and about a decade. That's awesome, Dad,
I love you now. Your dad was something else.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
I did not know that about the notebook, so I
think that's the first time I heard that.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, that he would lose him all.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
He would lose it.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
And I was like, dude, we be trying to we'd
be trying to help somebody, and he's like, I got
it on a notepad somewhere, and I'm like, man, what
is your problem?
Speaker 4 (28:12):
And I'm in Assouri. He's like, leave me alone.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
A big big drag off that sick.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
He's like, he's like, go do something outside of my
ear So. Uh, man, maybe one day I'll see see
him in heaven and tell him I'm sorry for that.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
I'm sure he's looking for his note pad up there.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Hey he did a ton of things right. Uh. But so, uh,
I'm gonna put you on the spot here. Uh. I
mean you kind of said this in your mission statement.
What what is.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
One one thing that do you live by one one
of the principles you live by both your business and
and your life and family and personal.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
That uh that mantra you hang your hat on.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
It's interest sane. I think it's I'm not it's a
really really good question.
Speaker 3 (29:05):
Yeah, I know you.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Scott of course was so nice and said, hey, can
you give me some stuff that I need to be
brushed up on before the show? That's the first thing
he asked me and I told him no. And then
the second thing earlier today I think I mentioned this,
he said, Hey, is this thing on video? I'll go no, man,
don't worry about it. Earlier Yeah, where whatever you need.
You don't you don't need to worry about clean up.
There's forty eight cameras in this room.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
I'd say, you know that it learned how to have
a difficult conversation. Oh and and I think that that
is something that I'm not saying. I like, lean into
controversy or confrontation, but you do. Yeah, but you need
to need to really know and have difficult conversations. And
I think that as I've gotten older, and I'm trying
to instill that in my kids as well. But just
(29:49):
have difficult conversations.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
We had somebody come on the show. You you'll probably
remember one of your YPO buddies.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
I'm Rich Ballot.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
It said he has the most hard conversations.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Wins. That was I was gonna. I was to say that. Sorry.
He said. The most successful people.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
In the world, whether it be their happiness or success
in business. He said, they have the hardest conversations. And
I was just on a trip with Rich last week,
the largest Verizon dealer store front Ballot.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Yeah, yeah, he's in my form.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Oh he's a good dude. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead, it would know, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (30:24):
He his executive coach Mark Moses yeah, I've known Mark
for a long time.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
I mean I hung out with Mark all night or not.
I'll show you a picture in a second. But Mark
Moses is also made big happen. We need to have
Mark on the show now. Yeah, wonderful. But I had
dinner with him. Rich told me the next day. I
sat beside him and Rich told me the next day
he said, Mark thought loved you to death. He said,
But he said he didn't understand. But twenty percent of
what you said. I don't know if my language classes
(30:52):
are working.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
We were working on getting that draw taken out of
the show over here, he said.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
I was looking at Brent Beeson, who you've known for
almost fifteen years.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
He doesn't understand anything you say.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
Rich is a great guy. I've only met him one time.
We were I can't I think we're in Greenville and
he rolled in with Jim schwartz on and a.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
T shirt the show that's a suit.
Speaker 5 (31:12):
Yeah, he's just such a great guy. His story is
just phenomenal on what they've been able to do as
a as a as a company. So he as an
entrepreneur man suit I aspire for that. I mean, he
hies a highs are high and the lows were low,
but he persevered and kept.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Going a wireless space out of Greenville. Yeah, I found
an entrepreneur kiosk in them all five thousand dollars Rich
and Dave Ballot.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
It's crazy, great story.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
But yeah, but uh, my wife said, go check the
Rich Ballot show out.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
He was on what a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
And but my wife, after having ten meals with him,
and she's known him for thirteen years as well, she said,
he is so pleasant to be around. He's just so
matter of fact and his delivery is so tactful. So, uh,
that is so cool that you know Rich and uh,
maybe I have to get together sometime when he's around town.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
He probably didn't doesn't even know who I am, but
I'm definitely a fanboy for what for the things that
he's doing.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
We don't worry.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
I'm gonta send him a link to your radio show
so or your podcasts. Uh there you go, Well, well,
how can people look you and your business up?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Yeah, so it's you can look me up on LinkedIn,
Scott East on LinkedIn, and then our website U R
L IS M S I G h T S dot
com Insights dot com.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I love it them.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Sure you're doing all right man, rolling people here, I
love it. Listen, Patrick, thank you, Scott, thank.
Speaker 5 (32:36):
You, appreciate it. Guys out that y'all made this super easy.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
I mean, man exponential to funny.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
Uh, thank you for listening.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
Go do the Golden rule today. Treat others the way
you want to be treated. Carry a smile around on
your face. Thanks for listening to At Home with Ruby
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