How to Inspire Creativity in Business with Lee Kitchen
Lee Kitchen:
A lot of people are told throughout their careers that they're not creative. And especially in the corporate world, they designate a whole team of people, hey, those are the people that do creative. So, you're not responsible for ideas. And then they're like, "Oh, well I'm just not creative." Well, yeah you are. The creativity is just kind of beat out of us for a while and it's a skill. Right? And so you have to practice that skill and you have to get confident.
Dusty Weis:
Greetings, innovators, and welcome to Back of the Napkin, where we explore big journeys in the world of small business, with the personalities who make it happen.
Stephanie Davis:
This is where small business leaders can hear about unique ideas that have launched successful enterprises across America and meet entrepreneurs who aren't afraid to think differently. And it's brought to you by SurePayroll where small business is their business. I'm Stephanie Davis from the SurePayroll team.
Dusty Weis:
And I'm Dusty Weis, a small business owner from the Midwest, and we are fired up to get this adventure started. On today's episode, we are going to be talking to Lee Kitchen, a creative guru and consultant from Florida who, after a 30-year career at Disney, is now helping companies and groups apply that creative mindset to their own internal problems.
Stephanie Davis:
Also, his livestream DJ sets on Twitch are the stuff of legends, but we'll get to that in a second. First, we'd love if you took a moment and subscribed to Back of the Napkin in your favorite podcast app. We'll be releasing our Season One episodes over the next few weeks, and we don't want you to miss any of them, so take a moment to hit that subscribe button.
Dusty Weis:
And, hey, if you enjoy the show, why don't you do us a big favor and give us a five-star rating in your favorite podcast app, or even leave us a review and tell us what you liked and you might just be helping another entrepreneur like you find that bolt of inspiration that they need.
Stephanie Davis:
So, Dusty, have you ever been in a situation where you had a bolt of inspiration, you just couldn't get it down on paper?
Dusty Weis:
Steph, I'm sure it won't surprise you to hear that I have made a career out of being inspired but then just being unable to actually make that idea materialize. This happens to me all the time and it is a constant source of frustration, I think, for a lot of small business owners out there. But the case that I think that you are referencing specifically is when we were first trying to come up with a name for this very podcast. And luckily you had our first guest on speed dial.
Stephanie Davis:
That's right. Lee Kitchen is a creative guru and consultant who equips businesses across the country with the tools they need to be more creative when solving business problems. Following a career with The Walt Disney Company, Lee began offering his creative services to businesses who need some help fleshing out their creative ideas. And, yes, I just so happen to know him because we worked together at Disney and he's helped the SurePayroll marketing team with some creative brainstorming as well.
Dusty Weis:
Whether a company has a specific problem, like trying to name a new product, develop a campaign, or they just need a gentle push out of their comfort zones, Lee is armed with exercises and tools to help shake things up. So, today we're going to be talking to him about how he enjoys the small business journey, how his experience with The Walt Disney Company prepared him, and what led him to branch out on Twitch. So, Lee, thanks for joining us today.
Lee Kitchen:
I'm so happy to be here. First of all, I am taking you guys everywhere to introduce me. That was like the most awesome introduction.
Dusty Weis:
I have learned that Stephanie is a great hype person. She's got that natural energy that she brings to it.
Stephanie Davis:
Thank you, guys.
Lee Kitchen:
That's awesome. Well, thank you guys for that great introduction, and actually, that's what we do in the facilitation world too. If you co-facilitate with somebody, we get the other facilitator to introduce you because then you don't have to brag about yourself. You have somebody else telling great things about you. So, keep that in mind.
Stephanie Davis:
I like that.
Dusty Weis:
That's already a great tip to take forward here.
Stephanie Davis:
Yes.
Dusty Weis:
Lee, you worked at Disney for over 30 years and Disney, of course, that's a dream job for a lot of people. So, how did your experiences there prepare you to go out onto your own and become an entrepreneur?
Lee Kitchen:
Oh wow. I was lucky. Disney was my lifelong dream. Since I was six years old, I could not wait to work at Disney. I graduated high school. I turned 18 and I moved in the very same weekend and basically fulfill my lifelong dream at 18, and the rest was a whole lot of cake. And it was so great because I was lucky enough to work in about 10 different areas with many, many different people. All those people that I met, they were all my first clients as I left Disney. So, the people that had moved on and gone to other places were the first people that called me to do business with us. So, everybody at Disney, Stephanie, you know this, most people, that was their dream job too. So, it was so great to work in an environment where everybody was just as passionate as you were about working. I really loved that part.
Dusty Weis:
When you work in a place where it's everybody's dream job, are there still the people that you bump into in a normal corporate environment where they're like, "I don't want to be here."
Lee Kitchen:
Oh yeah.
Stephanie Davis:
For sure.
Dusty Weis:
Even at Disney?
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah, they're still there. It's funny because creativity is my living, and so I have to invite those people to brainstorms because they might be partners with us and they might have a decision to make in the process. But I immediately set the ground rules when we come into a session like that. And you guys saw, I signal, "Okay, hey, we're going to put no because away. We're only going to say yes and." And I basically disarm them right at the beginning and kind of get that positive vibe going, and it works. It works when you just tell people up front what you expect. The brainstorm usually comes out really great.
Dusty Weis:
We know how this works from personal experience, but essentially your business model is that a company comes to you with a creative problem that they need to solve, and they hire you to come in and facilitate a brainstorming session where you run them through some exercises, get them to let their inhibitions down, and then, if all goes well, guide them to finding a solution. And so I imagine that that's pretty tricky to do if there's grumpy Gus in the room.
Stephanie Davis:
I mean, it's no secret, you are easily one of the most upbeat, positive people I know. You don't drink coffee, but you have so much energy. I don't think I ever had a moment where I saw you down or discouraged about anything. So, yes, to Dusty's point, how do you disarm those people, but how do you keep that up for yourself and keep it going when things aren't necessarily the greatest?
Lee Kitchen:
That's a really great question. First clarification, I do actually drink coffee. I just try not to drink coffee before sessions because I'm already so wound up and excited. I mean, basically, I am perpetually 12 years old. It's one of those Walt Disney things. The adults that keep those childlike things into their adulthood are really lucky, and I consider myself really lucky because I have that. I tend to just naturally disarm those negative Nellies that you talk about because they find it hard to be negative around me too. So, I take advantage of that to make a really good session.
Dusty Weis:
Steph and Lee, you guys worked together at Disney, so I kind of have to ask both of you here as someone who hasn't worked at Disney but always thought it would be pretty cool, what were your exact jobs with the company?
Stephanie Davis:
I worked at Disney twice. The first was I did The Disney College Program my sophomore year of college, and that's when I was in the park. So, I had the whole costume. I worked on Main Street.
Dusty Weis:
Oh man.
Lee Kitchen:
You worked on Main Street? That's so cool.
Stephanie Davis:
I was in the Emporium, which is the second-largest retail store in all of Walt Disney World property. It was insane. It was exactly where I wanted to be because that is the Disney vibe is Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. Like, Cinderella's castle? That's it. So, I loved it but had to go back to school. After grad school, I went back for one of their professional internships and that's when I worked with Lee. So, that internship was amazing. My teams that I worked with were responsible for promotions. So, all of that enter to win a chance for a Disney vacation, those were my teams. There were two sides that there was broadcast and they worked with ESPN, ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel.
Stephanie Davis:
On the other side of my team, we'd work with our corporate alliance partners. So, any of the big companies that have partnerships with Disney, like Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines, Kimberly-Clark, and so for those, you'd be working together to make a Disney promotion. So, whether that's something on a Kellogg's cereal and you needed to find the sweet spot in the campaign between Disney and the other company. And that's when I got to work with Lee.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah. And we did a lot of brainstorms together and it's funny, Dusty, because so many times our promotions and our alliance marketing people, they would go out and sign these huge contracts to partner with somebody, but they didn't have an idea before they signed the contract. So, they're like, "Hey, we just signed this multimillion-dollar contract. Can you help us come up with an idea of the sweet spot for those kinds of places?" And so I did a lot of those acting as the unbiased person that kind of brought those two people together to kind of emerge some ideas that they hadn't thought of yet.
Dusty Weis:
So, you were, in a sense, sort of a corporate mediator of saying, "Hey, we know we need to work together, now we need to figure out on what."
Lee Kitchen:
Exactly. Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
And so after all that time in the corporate world and 30 years of using that skill set, how have you enjoyed the transition to being your own boss? And when you were a company man, was striking out on your own even something that was on your radar?
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah. When I went out on my own, the first thing I was like, "Why didn't I do this sooner?" I started thinking about it, actually, Stephanie, when you and I worked together because the unique skill set that I was being taught in the department that I was in was something that other companies just don't hire for, and I thought, "Wow, I could probably be really successful at this outside just because people don't have creativity, innovation, design thinking, creative, problem-solving experts on their payroll." So, I actually started moonlighting a little bit before I left Disney, just to see if there was an appetite for it, and I got four or five clients even before I left, and so when I left Disney, I was lined up with clients already, which was great.
Stephanie Davis:
That's awesome.
Dusty Weis:
And then you've continued to grow the business since then. I know from having to try to schedule you for things that you're jumping right now. You've got a full dance card.
Lee Kitchen:
It's really great. I have over a hundred clients. I also have this amazing business manager. Her name is Sarah. She's also my fiance, and she's really good at all this stuff that I'm not good at. So, she put me together this amazing access database that basically showcases all my clients, and when I work with them, and how I'm connected with them, and kind of puts it all together for me. It's amazing. I'm lucky though, because most of my first clients out of the gate were, like I said, former Disney colleagues who knew of my skill set and didn't have people in their organization to do what I do. So, the first two years in business, I didn't really even do any marketing because my funnel was being fed from my former colleagues, which networking and connections is everything in small business, and I'm sure every other entrepreneur would tell you that. But because I had such a great network up front, I was able to kind of sustain myself for the first couple of years that way.
Stephanie Davis:
It's worked out that you have had all of the people, your business ideas down. You've had to pivot with all of the virtual stuff in everything. Was there anything about running your business that you weren't prepared for?
Lee Kitchen:
Well, I definitely wasn't prepared for the pivot because all my stuff was done in person. Right? I mean, I'm a presence when I'm in person. And, Steph, you've been to live brainstorms with me. I gather people in the room. I make everybody stand up and frolic around, and we put sticky notes on the walls, and things like that. So, having to kind of get my presence across in a virtual setting was a really difficult prospect and a difficult thing. And, really, I went and I learned from a bunch of different online groups, et cetera, but I basically, I put it together myself and I try to make it as in real life as possible. And I would say, I wasn't really ready for the downtime. Right? Because you work 40 hours a week at a corporation, you got to be there at 9:00 and leave somewhere between 5:00 and 7:00 to have a life kind of thing. And I had a lot of time to myself, which is why I started that DJ feed because I'm like, "Wow, I can actually be creative myself now," which is, it's a great perk of being an entrepreneur.
Dusty Weis:
In my own small business journey, what I've learned is how important it is to just define a niche, to find a spot where the supply of a service that you provide is exceeded by the demand. And I feel like what you do, creative problem solving and facilitation for corporations, I feel like there's not a lot of supply of that. Did you see a vacuum when you were sitting there and thinking about striking out on your own?
Lee Kitchen:
Oh yeah, definitely.
Dusty Weis:
I mean, who else does what you do?
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah. And actually, we have a small microcosm of that at Disney because we were only eight people in the department, but we went out to every different place. I mean, I did sessions for Lucasfilm. I did sessions for ABC News. I traveled to Hong Kong, and Shanghai, and Paris, and Argentina. And so I saw that there was definitely demand. And then when I left, I saw a lot of my colleagues who left at the same time as me, they were getting all kinds of other different clients. I was getting different clients so there was plenty to go around, definitely plenty to go around. And like I said, most companies don't hire design thinking experts anymore. So, I'm definitely in demand because everybody needs to change, to pivot, to think about their business differently, and I'm the guy that they call because I help rally the team around it. And I don't know your business really well. I'm an unbiased guy. I come in there and I help rally you guys so you can think about your business differently.
Dusty Weis:
Hi, huge Star Wars nerd here. Can you tell me more about your Lucasfilm adventure?
Lee Kitchen:
Yes, I can, but it's all top secret.
Dusty Weis:
Hush-hush.
Lee Kitchen:
But we got to go out and help them with the marketing plan for Solo. Actually, it was my former work wife, Gert, who led the charge on that. And she continually brags about that because she got the insider information before I did. She got to find out all the content of the movie, and so she rubbed that in my face for a long time. Still does. I was really jealous, really, really jealous. But, yeah, that's great because it's part of Disney and we also got to, if you remember, Stephanie, we did a lot of work with the synergy teams because synergy was responsible for kind of making those things come to life at the parks. So, once a year we would do this epic brainstorm with people from Lucasfilm, from Marvel, from ABC, from anybody who had something going on that year and how they integrated into the parks. And those are some of the best, I mean, those were like giant 60-person sessions, and all day long, and all kinds of stuff, come up with really, really great ideas.
Stephanie Davis:
You have helped us with brainstorming. So, I did the brainstorms with you, then you helped SurePayroll a couple of times, helping us name this podcast, just doing things to get us more creative. So, you've done hundreds, if not thousands of these brainstorms, worked with a bunch of-
Lee Kitchen:
Definitely thousands.
Stephanie Davis:
Yeah, tens of thousands.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah.
Stephanie Davis:
All of the people, all of the different industries, have you found that there's one specific problem that anybody's trying to solve for? Is there anything you continuously run into?
Lee Kitchen:
I think specifically in the last year, it's the pivot and how they rethink what they normally do. So, most people prior to that, I was tasked a lot for marketing, and PR, and operational types of things. So, hey, we have this guest data and we don't know how to use it, but we want you to inspire us with it and help us change our processes. That was a big one, especially in the healthcare and the manufacturing world. In the corporate or the travel world, it's a lot of we've got to get new business from a different segment or things like that so I help a lot with that. But I would say now it's we have a lot of great offerings, but none of it is relevant now, so now we have to think about what kind of new products that we can make out of the stuff that we normally do. And I've been doing a lot of that this year.
Lee Kitchen:
I feel like I'm really helping people not go out of business. Right? And it's a wonderful feeling. A lot of times they'd call me, they were super desperate. They're like, "Hey, if we don't hit this mark, we're not going to be anymore." And so I feel good about the stuff that I'm providing them because it's basically saving their business and I've done that about three or four times this year. It's been fun helping people get outside of their comfort zone when they wouldn't have thought about that last year.
Dusty Weis:
Oh, that's really awesome, and super timely too, just to what everybody's going through in 2020. And I've said before, and I'll say again, that if you can't pivot in 2020, there's not a lot of hope for you. And so we want to ask you some more questions about your journey as a small business owner and some of those pain points that you help people through. So, we're going to continue this conversation with Lee in a moment. But first, a quick look at the SurePayroll bulletin where we cover news, events, and other important info that small business owners should know about.
Stephanie Davis:
This is SurePayroll's Back of the Napkin podcast where entrepreneurs share stories of their big journeys in small business. I'm Stephanie Davis.
Dusty Weis:
And I'm Dusty Weis, and we're talking to Lee Kitchen, a creative consultant and brainstorming facilitator from the Orlando, Florida area. Lee, we're going to continue our conversation but first, it's time for a fast five. These are five fast questions to get to know you a little bit better. So, lightning round.
Stephanie Davis:
Okay, let's do it. I'm ready.
Dusty Weis:
What was the first job you ever had?
Lee Kitchen:
My very first job, I was 12 years old and I worked at my dad's warehouse. He sold marine parts, wasn't really legit because they paid me under the table. But my first official job was at a carwash, which kind of shows you how old I am. So, there you go.
Dusty Weis:
Nice. Speaking of car washes, what about the first car you ever owned?
Lee Kitchen:
The first car I ever drove was a yellow Volkswagen Squareback station wagon, but the first car I ever owned was a Chevy Blazer. My parents helped me buy it and they did it because they thought a young kid's going to kill himself in a car. Well, the car actually saved my life. When I moved to Florida, I got into an accident, rolled that car. It was perfect. I was perfect at the end.
Dusty Weis:
They really are indestructible, those things.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah. It only got six miles to the gallon, but what the heck? I could stuff 12 people in there to go to a nightclub. That's all that mattered.
Stephanie Davis:
Amazing. When the pandemic is over, what's the first place you'll go to or the thing that you'll do?
Lee Kitchen:
Well, I've been separated from my fiance in Canada for six months so I'm definitely going there, even before the pandemic is over. But when it's all over, I got to get back to my boat. I'm a boat owner here in Florida, and I can't wait to get back on the boat and go check things out and maybe go to the Keys or something like that.
Dusty Weis:
Oh wow.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
I just...
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
Every time I ask somebody how's the pandemic impacted you, I am always just stunned at how deeply it's hit some people. But not seeing your fiance for six months? That is insane. Question the fourth. What's the last good book you read?
Lee Kitchen:
It's a funny question. Every time people ask that, I'm like, "Well, if the book had a subwoofer, I would read more books." I'm a movie guy. I'm a visual guy. So, I read creativity books just to stay ahead of it. But no, I'm a movie guy. So, the last good book that I read was something in the creative world. It was Tim Hurson's Think Better. I use all of the tools in there and if you don't have it in your creativity collection, I highly recommend it. But yeah, I mean, if you want to ask me about movies, I watched the end scene for Avengers: Endgame about 20 times. I watched it again last night. I can't get enough of when the hammer comes to Cap and he finally says the line.
Dusty Weis:
Pure goosebumps.
Lee Kitchen:
That's the greatest thing in the world. Come on.
Stephanie Davis:
So, you worked at Disney. Lots of things happen. I mean, this doesn't have to happen there, but who's the most famous person you've ever met?
Lee Kitchen:
That is a great question because I used to be a tour guide, and for two and a half, three years of my life, I was a VIP guide. You may notice them in plaid when they walk around the parks. So, I was lucky enough to host the entire Van Halen band.
Stephanie Davis:
What?
Lee Kitchen:
So, I hosted Eddie, and Alex, and Michael Anthony. Sammy Hagar had gotten sick that week, so they decided... They were only there for Wolfgang's fourth birthday party, and then they decided to stay for the week. So, I got to hang out with Van Halen for a whole week, which was great. Stephanie, I also used to back up another tour guide friend of mine with Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin. I was only the secondary on that though so I wasn't like buddy pals with Regis. I hosted Steve Young three years for the Quarterback Challenge. Great guy, he used to leave me voicemails and stuff like that. But my most famous one that for me was Duran Duran because in high school I was a huge Duran Duran fan. So, I got to hang out with Simon, and Nick, and their families for a day at the Magic Kingdom, and again, fulfilled a life-long dream.
Dusty Weis:
Incredible. I just-
Stephanie Davis:
I think you just blew Dusty's mind.
Dusty Weis:
Steph, I think we have to retire this question. Nobody is ever going to answer it better than that.
Stephanie Davis:
No.
Dusty Weis:
When I lived in Florida, I got to know a few people that have worked at Disney, and so I know that the Disney thing to do when you're off the clock but still want to be connected to Disney is to go to Epcot, and have a drink in Japan, and have a drink in Mexico, and you can work your way around the world there. Did you work your way around the world with Van Halen?
Lee Kitchen:
Absolutely, yeah, drinking around the world with Van Halen. Yeah, it was really, really great. Really amazing. What's a bummer about that is as a tour guide, you weren't allowed to get pictures with your stars. So, I have so many times where I had famous people, but I can't get pictures, and nowadays, it's a habit that's hard to break. I got to be the executive host for Mads Mikkelsen during the Rogue One launch when they turned the Spaceship Earth into the Death Star. Hung out with him, we went out to dinner, and my friends were like, "Did you get a picture with him?" I'm like, "No, you're not supposed to do that." I'm like, "Dude, you're not a tour guide anymore. You should have got a picture." I was like, "Darn it. I should have got a picture." He was like the nicest guy, by the way, super nice guy.
Dusty Weis:
Old habits die hard. That's a missed opportunity right there. But wow.
Lee Kitchen:
It's hard for me to walk through any theme park or mall without wanting to pick up the trash. Stephanie, you've probably experienced this too. Like, when I walk through Universal, I struggle with not wanting to pick up all the trash at Universal just because it's a habit, man.
Stephanie Davis:
Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
I'd do the same thing, but it's because I'm a nice Midwestern boy.
Lee Kitchen:
Nice.
Dusty Weis:
That's just the way that you're raised.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
I imagine that after hanging out with Duran Duran, Van Halen, all that list of people, that it helps you as a facilitator just have the confidence to just power through any social interaction. But do you find that, oh, I've been a tour guide for Van Halen helps you in other ways in your professional career now?
Lee Kitchen:
I have to say that it helps humanize everyone. So, if I go and I do a brainstorm with a bunch of super executives, senior vice president, executive vice president, there's so many people that I've worked with that are just so nervous and scared of working, and I'm like, "No." I stand them up and make them do the dances too. I mean, like I'm not scared of an EVP or a president of a company because, in my mind, I want them to set the example. If I signal that we're going to say yes and, if they say no because, it'll ruin the whole session so I'm really specific about, hey, if you don't set the example, it will compromise the session that we're in. And so I find that I can get away with it a lot more than, say, other people in other lines of businesses can do.
Stephanie Davis:
You have worked with a lot of big personalities, a lot of big brands, and really big teams. A lot of the SurePayroll customers have just a handful of employees. For the small business owners juggling at all, plus having a small team, what is your advice for how they can embrace creativity?
Lee Kitchen:
So, top three for me would be collaborate as often as possible. So, a lot of times in the small business world, you would think you have to take all that burden yourself. I have a creative sidekick and her name is Sura, and I have another one in Canada, her name is Emily. And anytime I have a challenge, we call each other and walk through our challenges together, and we both bounce ideas off each other. So, finding that person to collaborate with, even if it's just one of your staff members. I mean, I told you, Sarah, my fiance, is my business manager so we constantly collaborate back and forth.
Lee Kitchen:
The other one is find a way to make creativity a habit and less of an epiphany. So, it's not like, "Hey, we're going to bring the brainstorm off the shelf and open up the creativity box." Let's think about ways to think differently all the time. And you've been in sessions where I tell people this, but don't marry your ideas. Let's find a lot of ideas before we walk down the aisle with them to make sure that the right idea is the one we actually marry. Right? So, creating a volume of ideas is super important. And one final thing I'd say is diversity. If you have a brainstorm session, don't just invite the experts. Invite your colleagues from other businesses, things like that. It's really a great way to get ideas when you have a really diverse mix of people in the room.
Dusty Weis:
To that ends, I've seen you run a session, and one thing that I think that you do particularly well is when you take a group of people in a brainstorming session, let's say you've got 12 people. Normally, you're going to get two or three people who are going to contribute 90% of the creative mojo to it, and the rest are going to sit back and go, "Yep. Yep. Okay. Yep." You do a really good job of mixing it up and of forcing everybody to get out of their comfort zones. How do you do that and why is that so important?
Lee Kitchen:
It is important because you can't let the extroverts run the show. Because if it's up to us, that's the only people that would talk. So, one of the things I do is I break people up into smaller groups. And it's more like you're sitting at the bar writing on the back of the napkin. Right? I mean, how many times have you gone to a high top table at a bar or a restaurant and you've got some colleagues, and you're like, "Wait, I got this really great idea, you guys," and you're like, "Oh, you need to write that down," and you're writing it down on the napkin? That's where good ideas start. Right?
Lee Kitchen:
So, I try to create an environment where it's less like a big room that you're throwing a lot of information at one person and more like it's casual. We're just sitting around our house playing with ideas. It's disarming because everybody's kind of at the same level. That's another purposeful reason I don't do a big introduction at the end to see who is who. Because there's always intimidation if there's someone at a higher level or a more experienced or something like that. So I just stick to names, and fun stuff, and then get people together to create ideas. It alleviates a lot of that stuff.
Dusty Weis:
Why is it, do you think, when you get a big group of people together that most people prefer to just kind of hang out on the periphery of that discussion?
Lee Kitchen:
I think it's idea confidence. A lot of people are told throughout their careers that they're not creative. And especially in the corporate world, they designate a whole team of people, hey, those are the people that do creative. So, you're not responsible for ideas. And then they're like, "Oh, well, I'm just not creative." Well, yeah you are. Somehow you got dressed today and all your clothes might not have been clean or your dry cleaning wasn't done, but you figured out a creative outfit that you didn't wear yesterday.
Lee Kitchen:
So, I mean, we all have it inherently. I think it's just drilled out of us. I make the joke about when you go into kindergarten, you get a big box of 68 crayons or 128 crayons, and then when you graduate high school, you get one pin. Right? So, the creativity is just kind of beat out of us for a while and it's a skill. Right? And so you have to practice that skill and you have to get confident. That's why people that are in the creative business, art directors and copywriters, things like that, they're really good at it because they practice it every day. It's easier for them to do it. For those of us who don't have to make ideas all the time, we're just not as practiced in it. So, it's a matter of confidence.
Lee Kitchen:
I found actually at Disney after working the process for so long that every brainstorm got considerably better, and everybody was equally as confident, and the results at the end of the session were percentage better each time. It was amazing because everybody just built up that muscle memory and that confidence, and it led to really great idea.
Dusty Weis:
That's so awesome and so insightful. And I think that if there's a takeaway lesson in this episode, that that point right there is something that's going to resonate with folks for a long time.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah, you got to practice it. Also, you got to get inspired. Right? I constantly tell people they have to put on their calendar to go someplace to get inspired. Whether or not it's a different website or talking to a person that's has a different viewpoint than them, or asking a kid about a challenge, how they would solve a challenge, you have to get a different perspective than your own and kind of keep your own perspective fresh by looking at how other people are doing similar things. If you're in the healthcare business, don't just go look at what other hospitals are doing, go and look at what travel people are doing or manufacturing is doing, or the car industry is doing. Right? So, don't stick inside your lane. Look at all the other places to get inspiration.
Stephanie Davis:
Speaking of learning new things and trying new things, this year you launched a creative show on Twitch called Inspiration in a Box, which is a spin on what you did in Disney, which was so much fun, and you also are now a DJ on Twitch as well. So, what made you start those? How has that been going?
Lee Kitchen:
It's been going awesome, and I'm really happy I did. Both of those projects, I was sitting on the fence about them for years. Since I left Disney, I've had colleagues saying, "Hey, we should try to replicate creative couch, creative couch, creative couch." And I was like... And I had this one guy, Sean Brown, who I do that show with and it's like, "We should just do it. We don't have to prep. Let's just do it. If we don't do it, that we're never going to do it."
Lee Kitchen:
We tried it once. We got a great response and it was kind of fulfilling a need, specifically with our Disney colleagues because they don't have it anymore at Disney so it was fulfilling somewhat of a need but then it spread out to all of my other clients and colleagues, and it's just a once a month way, if you don't have any other way to get inspiration, join us for that hour, and we will show you 15 inspiring things, ads, products, services, things like that, that hopefully will help you think about your business differently. And it's been a lot of fun. Last time we had over 50 people. We were really excited. We started with like 20 and then the next one was 30, and then the last one was 50 people, so we were totally stoked.
Stephanie Davis:
I love that, and we are big followers up here now. So, I started, since it's on a Friday, it's just kind of worked out that the following Wednesday, at like 11:00 AM, 10:00 AM, everybody's free. And I've set up this just 30-minute block called Coffee and Creativity. So, I'm like, "Bring your caffeinated beverage, bring your creative juices." I pull up all of the examples that you did, and I say, "If you watched it, cool. If you didn't, also cool. Let's talk about the things that sparked any creativity in you." And we've actually had some ideas that were like, "This would be awesome if we could implement something like this." There was an example with AI one time and we're like, "We could do this and guide people through signing up." So, it's definitely has helped us, for sure.
Lee Kitchen:
And you don't have to take any of that content literally. I mean, really, there's so many principles behind of what we're showing. So, I appreciate the fact that you guys are digging deep to that principle because, on the surface, it may not work for you, but there's a principle behind what made it good, and extracting that principle and applying it to your business is perfect. And I really kind of had the same theme when I started my DJ feed. I've DJed since 1985. Right? I used to bring my little turntables and my little Realistic mixer to parties because I hated the fact that people didn't care about music. So, I've been DJing for a long time. I gave it up around 2007 at a wedding that I did because I was tired of lugging the equipment.
Lee Kitchen:
Well, now in the internet world, I can do it all from the comfort of my home, and I've got such a huge music collection. And one of the things I love is music diversity. I love every different kinds of genre. In one night, I will mix '60s music with dubstep, with Broadway, with Bollywood.
Dusty Weis:
Wow.
Lee Kitchen:
I mean, it runs the gamut and I just love it because that's how music is to me. It's a whole different journey. And what I tell people is if you come to the show, then be ready to embrace stuff that you don't normally like. Not just embrace it, but just live it up. Right? Dance like nobody's watching and get yourself some inspiration from a place that you didn't think. I have a good following there too, and I love doing it. It's my little creative outlet. So, I'm going to keep doing that into next year, I hope. Fingers crossed.
Stephanie Davis:
Yeah.
Dusty Weis:
Oh, a wise man once said, my dad, "You don't go to a breakfast buffet and only get the pancakes."
Lee Kitchen:
Right.
Dusty Weis:
And you don't tune in and listen to music and only listen to one genre. So, I'm going to have to tune that in and check it out.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah, 9:00 to 10:30 on Fridays Eastern Time, and then make sure you put me on the home theater system so you can get the thumping because I'm really trying to replicate the nightclub.
Dusty Weis:
You got to have that subwoofer going.
Lee Kitchen:
Yeah man. I mean...
Stephanie Davis:
Yes.
Lee Kitchen:
Don't just listen on the cell phone.
Dusty Weis:
Yeah.
Stephanie Davis:
All right. Lee, it has been so great catching up with you. Thank you for sharing all of your insights, and your creative juices, and everything with us to kick off this podcast.
Dusty Weis:
Also, thank you for helping us name this podcast. That was a sticking point that we were stuck at and you saved our bacon.
Lee Kitchen:
And the name is so great because the back of the napkin is where any good idea comes from and any good concept. I bet if you asked all the people who have broke the rules in their industry, it started with the back of a napkin. They probably took a picture of it and they could show it to you. Right? It's so perfect.
Dusty Weis:
I've got some that are on the back of used printer paper, actually. But yes, do that, same ends.
Lee Kitchen:
Same principle, right?
Dusty Weis:
His name is Lee Kitchen. He is a creative consultant and brainstorming guru, a magical dude, as he says. You can find him at magicaldude.com or find him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, whatever your favorite platform is. LeeBeeXLT, That's L-E-E-B-E-E-X-L-T on those social platforms. Lee Kitchen, thank you for joining us on the inaugural episode of Back of the Napkin.
Lee Kitchen:
I'm so excited. Thank you guys so much for having me and I wish you the best of luck. I'm going to tune into this thing all the time. I can't wait.
Stephanie Davis:
Awesome. Thank you.
Dusty Weis:
We won't let you down. It's going to be a lot of fun. Take care.
Lee Kitchen:
Thank you, guys.
Dusty Weis:
Well, Steph, that wasn't so bad for a first episode. Right?
Stephanie Davis:
No, definitely was not as painful as it could have been.
Dusty Weis:
Well, good. I got to say, you're a natural in the role. You crushed it. Super proud of you.
Stephanie Davis:
Thank you. Thank you.
Dusty Weis:
I think Lee brings out the best of both of us though. But seeing as this is the first episode, we got to learn a little bit about you real quick. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you wind up at SurePayroll, and how did you get lucky enough to be assigned to the job of working with me as podcast host?
Stephanie Davis:
So, I joined SurePayroll almost three and a half years ago. I'm the senior content marketing specialist, which means I manage all things content for the SurePayroll blog, the SurePayroll social media channels, the website, and now I get to try out podcasts, which are so exciting. SurePayroll is located in the Chicago suburbs, and fun fact, before starting at SurePayroll, I had never been to Chicago before, which was a big change, but very fun and very different from my Western New York upbringing. But, how about you, Dusty? We mentioned in the intro that you are a small business owner, but it's no coincidence that you got picked to co-host this podcast.
Dusty Weis:
Well, no, not so much. Podcasts are allegedly my thing. I've been a small business owner for about a year and a half now and am thrilled to add SurePayroll to my client portfolio. My business, Podcamp Media, we produce podcasts for brands and associations that want to use podcasting as a way to engage their customers or their members. So, I was just absolutely delighted to make the acquaintance of you, and Carey, and the rest of the SurePayroll team, and we are really excited to work with such a fantastic brand with so many great stories to tell. And I always tell clients be original or don't bother in the podcasting world. You guys have found this wonderful niche of telling these really cool small business owner stories. And so I feel so fortunate to be paired up with a company that has such a unique story to tell, and I'm looking forward to telling many, many more stories down the road here.
Stephanie Davis:
Same. I think it's going to be a great time.
Dusty Weis:
Well, regardless of how we got here, that is all that we have for this episode of Back of the Napkin, where we explore the big journeys in the world of small business with the personalities who make it happen.
Stephanie Davis:
Please make sure you're subscribed in your favorite podcast app, and if you enjoyed the show, leave us a five-star rating or even a review. We would love to hear from you about any ideas you have for small business owners who we should be featuring on this show.
Dusty Weis:
Back of the Napkin is brought to you by SurePayroll. From easy online payroll to 401k support and award-winning customer service, SurePayroll has been serving the payroll and business needs of small businesses for more than 20 years. Learn more at surepayroll.com and get one month free as a new customer.
Stephanie Davis:
Here on Back of the napkin, our executive producer is my boss, SurePayroll's Carey Straetz. Co-producers are Kevin Aubrey, Ashley Peterson, and Dave Pappa, and our production partners are Podcamp Media.
Dusty Weis:
That's where we provide branded podcast production services for businesses. Our editor and producer is Larry Kilgore III. So, thank you for tuning in to Back of the Napkin. I'm Dusty Weis.
Stephanie Davis:
And I'm Stephanie Davis.
