The days when men shaved with safety razors – where the user inserts a single double-edge blade into a shaving implement – are long gone, made obsolete by cartridge blades and electronic razors.

Or are they?

Since 2012, Douglas Smythe, founder of Phoenix Shaving, has seen demand for his safety razors, blades, and other related grooming products for men boom. Douglas attributes the success of his business to three main factors: 1.) safety razors provide a more comfortable shave, despite all the hype around 3-blade and 5-blade cartridges.  2.) The replaceable blades cost only a fraction of cartridges.  3.) Men fondly remember their fathers or grandfather’s using a safety razor.

As Douglas tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, he is using 21st Century marketing – including a YouTube breakfast-hour show called I’d Lather Be Shaving – and an annual confab of hobbyists and other shaving enthusiasts, to drive sales and an expanding line of related products.

Believe it or Not: Rotbart brand razors, blades, and accessories were the best-selling shaving products in Germany in the early part of the 20th Century. In fact, in about 1927, Gillette bought out Rotbart and for many years thereafter used Rotbart’s designs and patents.

Photo: Douglas Smythe, Phoenix Shaving
Posted: January 28, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 41:53

Not for the first time, or even the second, or the tenth: Dean Rotbart’s scheduled guest on this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio was a no-show.

You absentee guests know exactly who you are.  Shame on you!

The good news is that without a guest, Dean is able to reach into his Reputation Tool Chest and share three self-marketing gems for companies and individuals who seek the attention of journalists and other influencers. 

Dean has taught at The Wizard Academy since the early 2000s, first sharing his Newsroom Confidential insights, then Buzz Snatching, and most recently Reputation Tool Chest.  All three workshops have this in common: they defy the conventional wisdom of how influence is created, relying instead on deconstructing real-world success stories.

When they show up, Dean always enjoys interviewing business owners and experts, because he can not only share their wisdom with listeners, he can learn from his guests himself. This week, alas, he can only pass on what he already knows.

Photo: Dean Rotbart, Host, Monday Morning Radio
Posted: January 14, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 10:00

If the most popular episodes of Monday Morning Radio in 2018 are an accurate barometer, then last year was one filled with both hopes and anxieties for America’s entrepreneurs.

Listeners by the thousands tuned to the weekly podcast, hosted by Wizard Academy alumnus and faculty member, Dean Rotbart, to learn how fellow entrepreneurs were succeeding, overcoming their mistakes, and discovering means to avoid making those errors in the first place.

Join guest host Maxwell Rotbart as he counts down the Top 10 Monday Morning Radio episodes of 2018. Maxwell is the 26-year-old son of host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, and himself an entrepreneur and radio veteran.

Photo: Maxwell Rotbart

If you missed any of these ten amazing episodes, now is the perfect time to catch up. 

10. Your Company May Very Well Face Opioid-Related Liabilities, Even If You Don’t Sell or Distribute the Painkillers

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Opioid_Crisis.mp3

9. The New Tax Code Will Save Most Listeners to This Podcast Thousands of Dollars
   http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Tax_Savings.mp3

8. Forget About Email and Social Networking Marketing: Text Messaging Is Where It’s At

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Mobit.mp3

7. You Can Eradicate Sexual Harassment in Your Organization

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Sexual_Harassment.mp3

6. How Influence and Thought Leadership Are Manufactured in the Competitive Marketplace

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Adam_Witty.mp3

5. If This Company’s Stock Was Publicly Traded – It’s Not – Would You Invest in It?
   http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Luminora.mp3

4. Sears Once Resembled the Amazon Juggernaut – What Happened?

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Sears_Bankruptcy.mp3

3. The Time to Call in the ‘Swat Team’ is Before You Ever Need Them

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Armoured_One.mp3

2. CEOs, Celebrities, and Politicians Turn to One Man When Their Reputations Are on the Line

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/The_Fixer.mp3

1. Carl Schramm, “The Evangelist of Entrepreneurship,” on the Proven Formula for Success

http://traffic.libsyn.com/mondaymorningradio/Carl_Schramm.mp3

Photo: Maxwell Rotbart, Guest Host
Posted: January 7, 2019
Monday Morning Run Time: 14:35