Clement Mok – Wild Business Growth Podcast #268: First-Mover Advantage, Dynamic Designer

Where could you benefit from diving into a new space before the majority of people have? That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Clement Mok. Clement is a Legendary Designer and Serial Entrepreneur. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 268: Clement Mok – First-Mover Advantage, Dynamic Designer

Clement Mok, the Legendary Designer and Serial Entrepreneur, joins the show to share his journey from the early days of Apple to disrupting image libraries, web design, and restaurants. Hear his top lessons from Apple, how to attack complex problems, why you should ask why, what SUGARFISH and other top restaurants do best, and the most unique food he’s tried. This episode covers everything from stock photos to sushi. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Clement work on links before the Internet existed
• Why did he get into the restaurant industry
• How did he start the first royalty-free image library
• Do different types of restaurants operate differently
• How did Clement get into the digital design space
• What’s the biggest adjustment moving from NYC to California
• Jersey Diners
• What’s the biggest lesson Clement learned working with Steve Jobs

Connect with Clement at ClementMok.com.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Apple
  • [0:35] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:44] Connect with Clement at ClementMok.com
  • [2:07] The All-Time Designer!
  • [2:25] That’s a guarantee
  • [2:46] What were the early days of Apple like
  • [3:04] Macintosh (Mac)
  • [3:19] Apple Headquarters, Cupertino, CA
  • [3:48] CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Steve Jobs
  • [4:29] Silicon Valley
  • [4:37] What did Clement learn from his time at Apple
  • [4:42] Kool-Aid
  • [5:35] How did he work on links before the Internet existed
  • [5:50] Apple Education
  • [6:01] HyperCard
  • [7:02] User Interface (UI)
  • [7:10] Did they use the term “link” back then (shoutout the links in this blog post)
  • [7:20] Bill Atkinson, Apple Lisa
  • [7:31] Robert Brunner – Wild Business Growth Podcast #255: Beats by Dre Designer, Founder of Ammunition
  • [7:53] Back to the Future

• First-Mover Advantage & Design
  • [8:25] How did Clement start the first royalty-free image library
  • [8:49] Product Manager, Startups
  • [9:09] Desktop Publishing (DTP), Color Calibrators
  • [9:38] Licensing
  • [9:50] B-School (Business School)
  • [10:40] How do you attack a complex problem at a reasonable pace
  • [12:04] NetObjects
  • [12:18] How did Clement get into the digital design space
  • [14:44] WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
  • [14:58] Why should you ask why
  • [16:23] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
  • [16:25] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Restaurant Design
  • [17:04] Why?
  • [17:38] Why did Clement get into the restaurant industry
  • [18:00] Internet Bust
  • [19:04] Cooking Class
  • [19:41] Jerry Greenberg
  • [19:58] Bring to the table
  • [20:15] Supply Chain Management (SCM)
  • [21:01] Inventory
  • [21:15] Chef Nozawa (Kazunori Nozawa)
  • [22:34] Supply Chain
  • [22:48] Operations (Ops)
  • [23:02] SUGARFISH
  • [23:12] Do different types of restaurants operate differently
  • [25:11] In-N-Out, Chipotle
  • [25:32] Jersey Diners
  • [25:56] Matzah Ball Soup

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [27:24] Monkfish Liver, Pompano
  • [27:44] What’s the biggest adjustment moving from NYC to California
  • [28:31] Palm Springs, Coachella Valley
  • [29:03] What’s the biggest lesson Clement learned from working with Steve Jobs
  • [30:31] Connect with Clement at ClementMok.com
  • [30:43] What are Clement’s Final Thoughts
  • [31:02] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [31:24] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [31:26] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [31:28] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [31:32] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Clement Mok on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And try out SUGARFISH while you’re at it. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!