Summary

In this episode we interview Scott McLeod. Scott is the Chief Brand Officer of Resident, a direct-to-consumer company that designs and sells home furnishings such as mattresses and bedding. They were acquired by Ashley in 2024 for $1 billion.

Scott and I chat about his background in design thinking and how it has fueled his passion for experimentation, whether it’s building scrappy MVPs with minimal investment or creating environments where failure is not just accepted, but expected as part of innovation.

He shares how he’s helped scale teams while preserving that test-and-learn mindset, why setting clear success criteria is crucial and how to gracefully let go of ideas that don’t deliver.

We also dive into the unique challenges of experimenting with physical products versus digital ones, the role of customer feedback in shaping subjective experiences like comfort, and his optimism for how AI and data-driven decision-making will transform the future of product experimentation.

I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with Scott since our days back at Neo together, and I’m confident you’ll learn a lot from our conversation in this episode.

Guest Links

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mescottmcleod/
Website: https://www.residenthome.com/

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In this episode we interview JL Heather. He’s the Manager Partner at Centered. Centered empowers organizations to innovate by fostering a culture of experimentation.

JL and I explore the intricacies of innovation, design sprints, and the importance of leadership in fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation.

We discuss the challenges of making innovation stick, the role of customer feedback, and the significance of using the right language to engage teams and leaders.

JL emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach to problem-solving and the value of involving customers in the design process.

Guest Links

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlheather/

Website: https://centered.work/

Is your team guessing which experiments to run?

Discover proven ways to test your ideas before you invest.

With the Precoil Experiment Library, you’ll find the right experiment for every assumption.

👉 Explore the library at precoil.com/library

In this episode we interview Cathy Nesbitt. She is the Founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters, a worm composting business focused on sustainability. Cathy shares her journey into the world of worms, detailing how her business was born when the local landfill was shut down and the city began exporting all of their waste.

We discuss the challenges she faced in testing her business and how she eventually pivoted her approach to education through workshops in schools. As Cathy reflects on her experiences, she emphasizes the importance of awareness in driving action and the impact her work has had on the community.

Guest Links
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathynesbitt/

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