[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous add to cart guests and ask them five quick questions to get to know them better and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get you through your Friday.
Nathan Bush: Today's checkout features Lou Kendall, director and co owner of Lewin Hyde. Starting 16 years ago as a party plan business, Lehide grew from the unmistakable popularity of brightly colored handbags that Lou and her friend Heidi noticed was a huge gap in the market. Doubling down on bold bags was the right decision, and now the brand is a favorite of many, sold in over a thousand retailers worldwide, both in store and online. Lou, welcome to the checkout. We've heard all about what you're building at Leeuwenhyde and especially around town, team and coaching and leadership styles, which has been fantastic. But we're here to learn a little bit more about you. Five quick questions.
[Voiceover]: Oh, God.
Nathan Bush: Number one, what's the weirdest thing that you've ever bought online?
[Voiceover]: Good question. I buy a lot of things online. Well, last week I bought powdered peanut butter.
Nathan Bush: Powdered peanut butter, Correct. Is this because you're a runner?
[Voiceover]: It's got the protein in it, yes. But I have to admit, I'm just on this little. Yeah, I just got to shift those three kilos, you know, bit of Christmas cheer. Still hanging around. Love peanut butter. Love almond butter. Oh, my God. The calorie content is massive. So I got around with this very good brand, Mama Dukes, and they have a. A powdered peanut butter. You know, every serving's like, you know, I think it's something like 30 calories as opposed to 180. And I, I need those calories right now. So I'm like, I've tried it. Yeah, it's a bit weird.
Nathan Bush: Still. Get your peanut butter hit.
[Voiceover]: I do.
Nathan Bush: Number two, who is your favorite retailer?
[Voiceover]: Look, my favorite clothing brand, High end is Scanlan Theodore, purely because it's always about the cut and the fit and they're high end. But my God, I can put anything. I mean, I don't have a great body or anything. It's not like anything fits me. I'm only 5, 4, 2, so. But anything I put on there just fits. Like, it's just. It's just made so well. And they are such investment pieces. Going past that, sort of more on the more affordable side. It's dish d issh. I cannot believe I only just realized that the only Queensland based last year. I actually thought they were international and I think they might have ventured out in New South Wales right now. But I mean, Even on the weekend, I walk in that store, I'm out with five pieces. Like, I just canopy. They're sort of my age, but they can be a bit younger also for everyone. So I love Dish. As for online, you know, I buy from online when I know that I've. Things have worked. So if I'm coming back to a place like Dish and I have that In a size 8, I sort of know that's my size. So I. I'm quite good at. I mean, I have to say, the Iconic, you know, we're. We're on the Iconic. It is an amazing platform. There is a lot to learn from them, econ wise. Wow. Their returns service is next to none. Like, no one returns the way they do. And again, we're quite, you know, have big involvement on the Iconic, So I see it daily with them. Sadly for us, when people are wanting things, I actually even direct them to the Iconic. I'm like, well, if you want to see it and return it, just go over there. Because we don't do that. We can't offer that yet. We can't afford to offer that yet. But the Iconic is a pretty amazing platform. I have to say, go let them
Nathan Bush: make the loss on that one.
[Voiceover]: I do question it. I'm not going to say anything. We do really well on there. But I'm like, wow, wow, how can I afford this? But anyway, not my problem.
Nathan Bush: Moving on quickly. Number three, which E commerce practice do you wish was history?
[Voiceover]: I have to say, I mean, I gotta be careful saying this because this is, you know, what we probably are doing. It's all the targeting and the email flows. Some people's email flows are just insane. I'm like, you know, when you go to sign up for something, you've actually signed up for about eight different types of emails, not just. And then when you go to unsubscribe, it comes to the service, you're like, I want to unsubscribe. And you're like. And they're like, oh, from here or here or here or here or here. And I'm like, what? I think it's really devious, really. You know, as a brand who is based on trust, I'm like, okay, that's really bad. I'm out. So if I get someone that's targeting me all the time, maybe not so much on online, maybe not so much Facebook and things like that, because I sort of understand the workings there. It's the email flows. I'm just like, I'm out. Why are you doing this? Oh, you've left something in your car. Do you want it? I. Oh, you were interested in this. There's a couple of brands where I've actually been so angry about it. I've actually emailed them and said, you really need to think your. Your email flows. This is irritating. Unsubscribe, Unsubscribe.
Nathan Bush: Yeah, I'm out.
[Voiceover]: I'm out.
Nathan Bush: All right, number four, can you recommend a book or a podcast that our listeners should immediately get into?
[Voiceover]: I'm the worst. I'm like, I'm like Ms. Self Help. I just, I can't read a fictional book. Like, I just can't. I have to read anything that benefits my life, my family, work. So, gosh, lots of people have read this. She is amazing Deeds. Brene Brown, amazing. I can't read half a page without putting it down. And just let me just think about that for a little bit more. The way she articulates how I feel is next to none. I mean, if you can read a book where somebody's verbalizing your thoughts, it's. It's such a game changer. And I think she's amazing. Would I like to work for her? I don't know about that. You know, you're just constantly workshopped. But I think she's amazing, podcast wise. I listen to a lot. You know, I had one the other day. I flew to Japan. Very lucky. Went to Japan in January and on my seven hour flight I just pulled out a few podcasts. I listened to a really great one and it's from that high performance podcast, I think the two English guys. It was on Alastair Campbell, who was Tony Blair's spokesman. His podcast was just amazing. I'm going to buy his book. His insight into people management, high pressure, high stress. I think he even had himself mental health issues. Oh my God. I just wrote that. Just writing and writing. I'm like, you just resonate with me. And within that, his podcast. Sorry, it's not his. It's the high performance podcast about him. He recommends amazing people. Like, I think they call them football managers when really they're soccer coaches in Australia. He recommends those types of people, these high performance situations and getting the best out of teams. I'm so into those types of sport related. You know, again, the hockey coach in me, it's very parallel.
Nathan Bush: I heard hockey coaches are better than football managers anyway.
[Voiceover]: Well, I could show you. No, last question.
Nathan Bush: I have for you. Finish this sentence. The future of retail is.
[Voiceover]: Oh God, technology. Still look, it's technology. The future of Retail, it's how we got to do a faster, quicker. I want it now, I want it in two hours. I don't want it in three days. Oh my God. If you only just shipped it like tomorrow, like 24 hours. That's rank. Really. Do we want to live in that world? I don't think many people do, but I think it's going to be a reality. You know, I really like to look at things like you know, even Shopify. I look at Shopify and as much as I love them and, and it's been working really well for us and we have so much more capability to work with other platforms that you know can all be added in. I do watch them and I go. My biggest takeaway with technology, there's always going to be someone better. Get ready, keep your eyes out. It'll get Shopify, get trumped by someone one day. You know, all you have to do is look at like Netflix and video and Ubers and, and the taxi industry, Spotify and the music industry. I'm like, keep on your toes everyone. Like you'll get trumped one day. So it'll be technology and someone's going to come out with a bigger, better way. And usually the bigger, better way is someone who's really like thought laterally not just to try and improve upon what someone else is doing. It's just a game changing stuff. So you know, Netflix would have been one of them.
Nathan Bush: Amazing. Lou, thank you so much for joining us on the checkout.
[Voiceover]: Thanks Nathan.
Nathan Bush: To hear more from Lou, jump back into episode 280 where Lou shares her unique hiring strategy that gets results for her. She also shares how she loves to work in a project based way as the founder and her 24 hour rule which she can't live without. Thanks for listening and until next time, keep adding to cartoon.
