The Third Growth Option with Benno Duenkelsbuehler and Guests
Welcome to The Third Growth Option, where we're not just talking about growth—we're making it our mission.
At TGO, we understand that success isn't a fixed destination; it's an ongoing journey with twists, turns, and unexpected detours that take us to new places. Those moments are our Third Growth Options, where we throw away binary choices to create our own path.
Hosted by Benno Duenkelsbuehler, O.G #GrowthNerd, we're on a mission to redefine success inside and outside of business, one episode at a time. From humble beginnings to Fortune 500 companies, our stories are not just about business—it's about the relentless pursuit of greatness in every aspect of life.
With each episode, we don’t just want to share insights—we want to empower business owners across all frontiers to carve their own path to success, their way.
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The Third Growth Option with Benno Duenkelsbuehler and Guests
Heartland Mfg. Innovation to Digital Transformation
Are you looking for a Third Growth Option ℠ ?
In this episode, we are chatting with Trent Guyer, VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy at Grasshopper Mowers in Moundridge, KS—a small town in the heart of the United States. Theirs is a third-generation family business that has embarked on an exciting journey from old-school manufacturing to cutting-edge product and market innovation.
Trent takes us on a fascinating tour of the company's history, which began with his grandfather Elbert Guyer as a custom harvester who developed a groundbreaking solution that found its way into farms across the country. In the 1970’s their head engineer invented the iconic lever-operated steering system for zero-turn mowers, and Grasshopper mowers have become an iconic product.
Other innovation and manufacturing advancements followed and Trent provides valuable insights into the journey from product and manufacturing innovations to thrive driven by digital transformation.
5:36 - “We’re in a really tight labor market… our factory is located (in a county that) is usually an entire percent lower than all the surrounding counties in unemployment. So we had to find ways to be incredibly efficient.”
10:42 - “Are there cultural barriers to overcome to drive a digital strategy? - There have been some because when we build a product, we generally look at it ‘as is’, it's in finality…When it comes to… digital things… it's harder to get people on board because they figure well we've already developed our marketing. So why should we need to change it if we think like we do with our product?”
11:38 - “Marketing is evolving at an exponential pace these days. We need to not only be the easiest to work with, be that company that is easiest to do business with… how a dealer might submit something to us instead of faxing in a paper sales order or a claim or whatever, all that's become digital. If we don't, somebody else will do that.”
22:57 - “Approach everything you do Digital First, your source of truth should be digital.”
25:19 - “It's a mindset change. Take it one day at a time, take it one interaction at a time, and never stop digitizing.”
Always growing.
Benno Duenkelsbuehler
CEO & Chief Sherpa of (re)ALIGN
