My guest this week is Michael Duda, and the topic of our conversation is the role that brand plays in business and investing.  Michael has worked on and invested in a wide-range of brands including Birchbox, Casper, Harry's, Citibank, DirecTV, Google, TripAdvisor, Under Armour and vineyard vines. His background in advertising made this a unique and interesting conversation. please enjoy. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes 1:11 - (First Question) – Mission of Bullish 2:15 – Typical relationship they have with companies 3:01 – Defining brand             4:35 – Ryan Caldbeck Podcast Episode 5:51 – A dive into how brands make people feel 7:54 – Does the emphasis on brand still matter to consumers and if so, where 10:01 – Process of building up a brand 14:53 – What has changed most in the planning of a brand strategy 18:35 – How does his thinking impact his investing strategy 21:48 – Where does he differ from the rest of the market 23:34 – Advice he would give to companies in general 26:18 – How advertising has changed in the current landscape 28:35 – The screening process for picking potential investments 35:16 – How they analyze valuation 37:31 – Unusual traits he likes in founders 40:12 – Categories most ripe for young companies to disrupt 44:03 – Most interesting marketing channel for direct to consumer businesses 46:45 – Marketing piece he is most proud of 49:23 – Companies that embody the best of what has been discussed 52:31 – His love for people in business 53:41 – Kindest thing done for Michael   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag