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Eric Friend - Paper is Luxury for Individualism's Sake - Ep.94

Eric Friend - Paper is Luxury for Individualism's Sake - Ep.94

Published 4 years, 8 months ago
Description

My guest on this episode is Eric Friend. I reached out to Eric after seeing him talking on Twitter about his family's printing business, Friend Paper, which was founded in 1908 in Zion, Illinois, by Eric's great grandfather. As a print publisher through our quarterly publication called the Operator's Handbook, I was curious to hear what ideas he had on using print as a content medium.

It turns out he's an even bigger print publishing nerd than I am, and we hit it off immediately. I forgot to hit the record button during our first phone call, but Eric agreed to be on the podcast to share more about his family business and print as an underloved medium.

Eric shares his journey from investment banking to his fourth-generation family printing business, challenges inherent in family businesses, the rebranding effort, and how companies today can use print to stand out from their competitors with customers and create unique experiences. ​​We also spent quite some time nerding out about print publishing and the business cards from the movie American Psycho. Enjoy.

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