We were going, we were in the restaurants looking at the food that we served. And we went into the freezer and looked at the meat blocks. And our ad agency individual even said, look, sell this. This is what you have. Sell what you sell. And that's where we just came up. It just went straight at it. We have the meats. When you think of Arby's, I bet one line instantly comes to mind for you. You know it. You can say it with me.

We have the meets. But what you might not know is why it works so well. Welcome to How Leaders Lead. I'm David Novak and every week I have conversations with the very best leaders in the world to help you become the best leader that you can be.

My guest today is Paul Brown, the co-founder and CEO of Inspire Brands.

Now, that's the parent company behind some of the biggest names in quick service restaurants.

We're talking Arby, Sonic, Duncan, Buffalo Wild Wings, and more.

But before he built that portfolio of brands,

Paul was the guy who came in to turn Arby's around back in 2013.

And the big part of Arby's revival started with that iconic tagline,

We Have the Meats.

You're about to hear the whole story, and let me tell you,

there's a powerful lesson in it that I think every leader needs to understand if you want to break through the noise and get your message across.

So here's my conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours, Paul Brown.

Paul, I got to start out with a real personal question.

What did you have for breakfast today?

I had a double espresso from Duncan, have that at least one of those every morning.

And how about lunch?

What did you have for lunch?

I had the spicy East Coast Italian toasted sandwich from Jimmy Johns.

Oh, my God.

And I know you've got to be planning dinner.

What do you have coming up?

I'm going to have some steak and steakhouse.

...