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Episode 246: Pat Yates – HappyFeet Slippers and Quiet Light

Pat Yates, the President of HappyFeet Slippers and Advisor at Quiet Light, joins the show to share his journey from running coffee, mall kiosk, and slipper businesses to helping entrepreneurs sell their business. Hear how to position your business to be sold, go from entrepreneur to advisor, get better at time management, Pat’s partnership with Snooki, and how to pronounce Louisville. This episode covers everything from pedicures to ROAS. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What first sparked Pat’s interest in starting a business one day
• How did he get into the slipper space
• A hoppin’ pun!
• How did Pat start working with so many licensing partners
• You’re a catch, Pat!
• How do you grow your business
• What’s something surprising about mall kiosks
• How has running a coffee business impacted Pat’s coffee consumption

Connect with Pat at BuyHappyFeet.com and QuietLight.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 & Serial Entrepreneurship
  • [0:31] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:41] Connect with Pat at FlexScreen.com and JoeAltieri.com
  • [2:17] What first sparked his interest in starting a business one day
  • [3:38] What was it about entrepreneurship that attracted him
  • [4:08] United Inventors Association (UIA)
  • [5:08] Barbara Corcoran
  • [5:20] MaxPodcasting
  • [5:43] Zoom
  • [6:15] What was Pat’s first service business
  • [6:48] John Conti
  • [8:00] Costco

• The HappyFeet Slippers & Quiet Light Story
  • [8:36] How did Pat get into the slipper space with HappyFeet Slippers
  • [8:54] Non-Compete Agreement
  • [9:31] RiverGate Mall
  • [9:40] CoolSprings Galleria
  • [9:54] Atlanta Gift Mart
  • [10:31] GoDaddy
  • [10:42] Shark Tank, DreamWorks, NFL (National Football League), Disney
  • [11:08] Words to live by
  • [11:23] What appealed to Pat about slippers as a business idea
  • [12:05] Lifestyle Business
  • [12:07] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with David Letterman, Jersey Shore
  • [12:35] TikTok
  • [12:41] Stitch Slippers
  • [12:57] ACME from Looney Tunes
  • [13:09] How did HappyFeet Slippers and Snooki start partnering
  • [14:04] Twitter
  • [14:16] Leopard Slipper
  • [15:07] “NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW WITH SNOOKI FROM THE JERSEY SHORE” on Pardon My Take (PMT)
  • [15:30] BuyHappyFeet.com
  • [15:48] How did Pat start working with so many licensing partners
  • [16:09] Po Slippers, Shrek Slippers
  • [17:20] Disney Slippers on Amazon
  • [18:14] Economy
  • [18:56] Walmart
  • [19:17] How did Pat hear about Quiet Light
  • [19:27] Mark Daoust, Joe Valley
  • [19:50] M&A (Mergers & Acquisition), SaaS (Software as a Service), eComm (eCommerce), Amazon
  • [20:28] Brad Wayland
  • [21:41] How do you go from entrepreneur to advisor
  • [22:51] FaceTime
  • [23:18] Chris Guerrera and Carmine Denisco – Wild Business Growth Podcast #241: United Inventors Association
  • [24:39] How do you grow your business
  • [25:17] FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)
  • [25:35] SDE (Seller’s Discretionary Earnings)
  • [25:48] ROAS (Return On Ad Spend)
  • [26:13] 80/20 Rule, Masterminds
  • [26:23] Podcasts
  • [26:58] Accrual Accounting
  • [27:04] COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
  • [27:35] How do you position your business to be sold
  • [27:50] Caught me
  • [28:41] Salary
  • [28:53] Profit
  • [29:17] Run Rate
  • [30:00] So excited to speak at Podcast Movement 2023! It’s August 21-24 in Denver. Register and join the fun at PodcastMovement.com
  • [30:01] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [31:08] How do you find time to unplug
  • [31:37] Emails
  • [31:48] Outsourcing
  • [32:27] A hoppin’ pun!
  • [33:24] How do you get better at time management

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [34:39] What’s Pat’s biggest pet peeve
  • [35:01] Sorry
  • [35:24] What’s a weird talent Pat has
  • [36:40] You’re a catch, Pat!
  • [36:58] What’s a quirk he has
  • [37:05] Chuck Mullins
  • [37:22] Shoutout, Speedy Dana!
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [37:59] What’s something surprising about mall kiosks
  • [38:25] How has running a coffee business impacted Pat’s coffee consumption
  • [38:53] The Playing Field
  • [39:46] How do you pronounce Louisville
  • [40:02] Shoutout, Mike!
  • [40:41] Connect with Pat at BuyHappyFeet.com and QuietLight.com
  • [41:20] Muhammad Ali
  • [41:24] What are Pat’s Final Thoughts
  • [42:35] 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
  • [42:53] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [42:56] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [42:59] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [43:04] 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, 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 max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Pat Yates 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. Then gift each other a pair of HappyFeet Slippers while you brainstorm how to sell your businesses. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!