Listen to “#721 Hey Pepsi, Where Is My Harrier Jet?” on Spreaker.
On this episode of The Small Business Radio Show…
SEGMENT 1 with John Leonard, starting at 0:00: Can you imagine taking on multi-billion-dollar soft drink giant PepsiCo? John Leonard did just that when he tried to claim a Harrier jet from Pepsi as a result of a contest they were running in the 1990s during the peak of what the industry called the Cola Wars. Now, John is the subject of the Netflix documentary series Pepsi, Where is my Harrier Jet? as well as the case Leonard v. Pepsico which is taught in law schools.
SEGMENT 2 with Valerie Cradle, starting at 36:30: Does the future of doing business go through Africa? Our next guest, Valerie Cradle, believes that whether you need a new private label supplier or a Virtual Assistant, Africa is the most untapped market of artisans, creators, and innovators that your small business needs.
Sponsored by Truly Financial.
More on each segment below.
Segment 1: John Leonard was a student when he took on multi-billion-dollar soft drinks giant PepsiCo in the late ‘90s. He joined forces with his friend Todd Hoffman to exploit a loophole in a Pepsi ad and went after the company for a Harrier jet.
- What John saw when he first watched the Pepsi commercial
- Realizing the loophole that the $32M jet was only $700k
- What did you expect Pepsi to say when you sent in the check?
- Tell us about the court battle – they originally sued you?
- The SCOTUS ruling
- Pepsi updated their commercials from 7M points to 70M, 700m, then just kidding!
- Do you still think you are owed the jet?
- What do you hope law students learn about the case?
- How did you think the Netflix docuseries came out? Does it reflect what happened?
Segment 2: Valerie Cradle is the founder of CRDLE, a B2B marketplace that makes sourcing from Africa easy. Her advice and experience in African countries have been featured on PBS, Huffington Post, NBC News, Yahoo, and the Washington Post. Before launching her career, she backpacked the entire length of Africa by herself.
- Inspiration for the launch of CRDLE
- Unraveling the stereotypes of Africa
- Why Africa should be on the radar of small business owners, especially ones that sell products (retailers, wholesalers, etc.)
- Why service-based small business owners should consider hiring African talent for remote positions
- Social impact of doing business with African brands
