Episodes

May 7, 2021

Interview with Patrick Reasonover on They Say It Can't Be Done

Ron and Ed are joined by Patrick Reasonover to discuss his new film, They Say It Can't Be Done, a documentary that explores how innovation can solve some of the world's largest problems. It tracks four companies on the cutting edge of technological solutions that could heal the seas, solve hunger, eliminate organ waitlists, and reduce atmospheric carbon. Innovation never comes without risk and often brings consequences that can impact our health, safety, and environment. That is why the regulato...
April 30, 2021

Interview with John Tamny - When Politicians Panicked

Ron and Ed will be joined by author and speaker John Tamny to talk about his new book When Politicians Panicked. In the boo, Tamny makes a relentless case that free people don’t just produce the wealth that renders today’s killers yesterday’s news. They also produce crucial information about health threats that shine a light on that which threatens us. This is not about COVID-19, it is about the political response to it. Be ready for an incredibly nuanced dialogue.
April 23, 2021

Interview with Jonathan Stark

Ron and Ed welcome professional business consultant and author of The Billable Hour Is Nuts, Jonathan Stark. He is the host of Ditching Hourly podcast, and writes a daily newsletter on pricing for independent professionals. Join us for what will surely be a screed against the billable and some interesting takes on subscription-based pricing.
April 16, 2021

Interview with Leah Power, Institute of Communication Agencies

Ed and Ron are honored to welcome Leah Power, Executive Vice President, Strategic Operations Consultant, of the Institute of Communication Agencies, in Canada. Leah recently co-authored a study on the broken RFP process. As they write: “The RFP selection process, for all types of clients, brands and agencies, is flawed. That’s why we’re pushing ‘to retire the RFP’ from global business practice. And we’ve got a firm plan for what should replace it. Our QBS Agency Search Guide focuses on QBS (Qual...
April 9, 2021

Interview with Alex Nowrasteh

Ron and Ed are both strong advocates of immigration although they do differ on some policy details. On this episode, we welcome Alex Nowrasteh, the director of immigration and trade at the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. Alex understands not only the subtlety of immigration policy but can cite chapter and verse the latest data on immigration.
April 2, 2021

Interview with Dre Baldwin

Back in December Ron and Ed received an email with a link to a custom video from Dre Baldwin in which he pitched us on why he should be a Guest on The Soul of Enterprise. We get dozens of requests via email and Dre's was NOT the first to have a video, but it was so authentic, we knew we had to have him on. His story of perseverance will knock you out.
March 26, 2021

Interview with Matthew Stewart - The Management Myth

Cited in Episode #1 of The Soul of Enterprise, Declaring Independence from the Tyranny of Taylorism, Matthew Stewart has influenced Ron and Ed's thinking for over a decade. His seminal book, The Management Myth, eviscerates any notion that business is a science. It is art, full stop. During this episode, we will dig deep into Matthew's thinking and what he suggests as alternatives.
March 19, 2021

Why Do Consumers Love Subscriptions?

Join Ed and Ron for another angle on the Subscription Business Model. We’ll dive into the 2020 Subscribed Institute and The Harris Poll international survey on what consumers most value about subscriptions. And some fascinating findings from the latest Subscription Economy Index™. We’ll also answer a listener’s question on pricing and offering options, and how they are different under Value Pricing 1.0 and 2.0.
March 12, 2021

Interview with Joshua Gilder, Reagan senior speechwriter

Ed and Ron are honored to have Joshua Gilder on the show. As former President Ronald Reagan’s senior speech writer, his first speech for the President won acclaim for the line “Go Ahead, Make My Day!” He co-authored two State of the Union addresses and contributed to many of the President’s televised speeches from the Oval Office. He wrote Mr. Reagan’s highly regarded 1988 Moscow Summit address to students at Moscow State University, which opens our show. He has served as a consultant and adviso...
March 5, 2021

Episode #330: In Search of Relationship Value

We all talk about how professional firms are in the relationship business. But is this just lip service? Do our business models reflect this relationship value, or do they reflect a transactional value? Even Value Pricing can focus us on the wrong understanding of what it is the customer truly values. Join Ed and Ron for a discussion of relationship value and how it is often unobserved and underpriced in today’s firms.
Feb. 26, 2021

Interview with Donald Hoffman

Ron and Ed welcome to the show the author of Ed's favorite book of 2019 The Case Against Reality, Professor Donald D Hoffman. (Or do they.) Donald is a cognitive psychologist and popular science author. (Or is he.) He is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science. (Seriously, he is.) (And you are going to ...
Feb. 19, 2021

Interview with Gene Marks

Ron and Ed welcome author, columnist, and TV personality, Gene Marks to the show. Gene Marks appears regularly on MSNBC and Fox News as well as The John Batchelor Show and SiriusXM’s Wharton Business Channel where he talks about the financial, economic, and technology issues that affect business leaders today.
Feb. 12, 2021

Interview with John Warrillow

Ron and Ed welcome the author of The Automatic Customer, John Warillow. John's work has been a staple of the presentations that Ron and Ed have given on subscription-based pricing since the beginning. His nine models for subscription businesses lay the foundation for almost all subscriptions you will encounter. Join us for what promises to be an enlightening conversation.
Feb. 5, 2021

Best books of 2020

An annual favorite, Ron and Ed will talk about the best books they each read in 2020. Sometimes there is overlap, other times none. What will it be this year! If you have any guesses let us know on social media at @asktsoe on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/asktsoe on Facebook.
Jan. 29, 2021

Interview with Virgina Postrel

Ron and Ed are honored to welcome Virginia Postrel, author of The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World. Virginia is also a columnist and speaker whose work spans a broad range of topics, from social science to fashion, concentrating on the intersection of culture, commerce, and technology. Writing in Vanity Fair, Sam Tanenhaus described her as a master D.J. who sequences the latest riffs from the hard sciences, the social sciences, business, and technology, to name only a few sour...
Jan. 22, 2021

Interview with Anne Janzer

Ron and Ed are pleased to welcome to the show, Anne Janzer, the author of Subscription Marketing, and four other books on writing. In addition to being an award-winning author, Anne is an armchair cognitive science geek, nonfiction author coach, marketing practitioner, and blogger. She’s on a mission to help people spread important ideas through writing.
Jan. 15, 2021

Interview with Art Carden

Ron and Ed welcome economist Art Carden, co-author of Leave Me Alone and I'll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World, with three-time Guest Deirdre McCloskey to the show. He is a Professor of Economics at Samford University’s Brock School of Business. In addition, he is a Senior Fellow with the American Institute for Economic Research, a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, a Senior Fellow with the Beacon Center of Tennessee, and a Research ...
Jan. 8, 2021

Interview with Kevin D. Williamson

Ron and Ed welcome fellow with National Review Institute and National Review’s roving correspondent, Kevin writes “The Tuesday,” a weekly newsletter. His latest book, Big White Ghetto: Stone Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Wooly Wilds of the ‘Real America,’ was published in October.
Dec. 18, 2020

Second interview with Dr. Mary Ruwart

Ron and Ed welcome back to the show, Dr. Mary Ruwart. Her book Death by Regulation demonstrates the futility of the US FDA and was prescient with regard to the bureaucratic delays we have seen with the vaccine for COVID-19. We will explore this topic and more with her.
Dec. 11, 2020

Interview with Peter Robinson

Ron and Ed welcome Peter Robinson, host of the Hoover Institution's show Uncommon Knowledge. This show is among Ron and Ed's top listens, but it is Peter's own work about which we want to talk with him. Most famously, he authored the speech given by Ronald Reagan where he implored, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! Peter is also the author of three books: How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life (Regan Books, 2003); It's My Party: A Republican's Messy Love Affair with the GOP, (Warner Books, 2000); a...
Dec. 4, 2020

Interview with Robbie Kellman Baxter

This week Ron and Ed welcome Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Forever Transaction. We will be talking about, of course, SUBSCRIPTION! Robbie's customers include Netflix, the National Restaurant Association, and The Mail Newspapers in the UK, as well as dozens of Silicon Valley SaaS and consumer subscription companies.
Nov. 20, 2020

Third (and a half) interview with Father Robert Sirico

Ron and Ed are thrilled to have one of their favorite Guests back on the show, Fr. Robert Sirico of The Acton Institute. He along with Rabbi Lapin inspired the name of our show. Among the topic we hope to discuss are an update on the situation in Hong Kong especially Jimmy Lai, The Economy of Francesco, and the new papal encyclical Fratelli Tutti.
Nov. 13, 2020

Subscription Economy Update

After the plethora of interviews these past few months, Ron and Ed return to their examination of the subscription economy. They will look at new subscription offerings they have collected including some in professional firms as well as the overall state of subscriptions in the face of C-19. If you have anything to contribute, we would love to hear from you at asktsoe@verasage.com.
Nov. 6, 2020

Interview with Jay Nordlinger

Ron and Ed could not have picked a better Guest for this week’s show. Jay Nordlinger is a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow of the National Review Institute. He writes about a variety of subjects, including politics, foreign affairs, and the arts. He is a music critic for The New Criterion. For the National Review website, he writes a column called “Impromptus.” With Mona Charen, he hosts the Need to Know podcast, and he also hosts a podcast called “Q&A.” In 2011, he filmed The ...