Here at Anvil, we are given the unique opportunity to connect with influential key players across a variety of industries. Our Brown Bag lunches allow us to hear personal stories, receive professional advice, and ask deeper questions of people whose opinions matter most to Anvil employees. These interactive monthly presentations are an exclusive perk of working at Anvil. Below are a few recent examples of notable Anvil Brown Bag presenters. 

Colin O’Brady – Doing the Impossible

Explorer, speaker, and author Colin O’Brady paid Anvil a virtual visit back in the spring. O’Brady is a world record-holding adventurer and New York Times Best-selling Author. He is best known for breaking the Grand Slam world record as well as completing the world’s first solo, unsupported, and completely human powered crossing of Antarctica. The team was excited to ask him questions about his heroic feats! 

Dan Schilling – The Power of Situational Awareness for Personal Safety

In December 2020, we had the pleasure of speaking with ex-military Special Tactics Officer and New York Times’ Best Selling author, Dan Schilling. In his presentation, Schilling discussed the importance of observation and situational awareness for one’s own personal safety. He emphasized the importance of researching new locations before you arrive in order to be prepared, the seriousness of always being aware of one’s surroundings, and the strategy of addressing home security concerns from the perspective of a potential intruder. Schilling also happens to be a Guinness World Record holder for most BASE jumps in 24 hours (201 jumps in case you were wondering) and he’s also a professional-rated skydiver, speedwing pilot, and volunteer ski instructor for those with disabilities. The team was excited to learn more about his adrenaline-fueled adventures in addition to his personal safety tips.

David Rendall – Harnessing Your Freak Factor

In January, the Anvil team had the opportunity to reflect upon our strengths and weaknesses with The Freak Factor author, David Rendall. Rendall’s philosophy, “The Freak Factor” is all about maximizing productivity, happiness, and success through an unexpected strategy: amplifying one’s flaws.  For example, the quality of indecisiveness is traditionally seen as a weakness; however, the Freak Factor argues that those who are indecisive are inherently patient and cautious — obvious personal and professional strengths. Rendall argues that by embracing one’s weaknesses rather than denying them, you can stay true to yourself while maximizing personal and professional success and even improving relationships. Each team member got a chance to reflect inwards on our own strengths and weaknesses, and we eventually shared them with the team in order to strategize ways to maximize potential using the personality traits that we all exhibit. 

Peter Levitan – How to Zoom More Effectively

In February, Advertising agency guru and business development consultant Peter Levitan shared his tips on how to optimize virtual presentations. He shared tips such as the fact that viewers are most likely to remember the first and last slides in your presentation (so you better make them count!). He also emphasized that Zoom backgrounds should be taken advantage of to showcase your brand. This presentation was an important reminder for the team that virtual presentations have their own unique nuances that can be optimized for memorable and successful presentations and sales pitches. The world of Zoom meetings is still upon us, so this was a great reminder to step up our game! 

Taproot Ventures – How to Make Work a More Inclusive and Productive Environment

In March, the Anvil team connected with Taproot Ventures to learn more about creating an inclusive and productive work environment. The team at Taproot discussed how to invite an environment of listening and collaboration in the workplace with a central focus on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). Some values that the Taproot team strives to uphold include belonging, patience, vulnerability, active listening, and trust. During the presentation, the Anvil team broke into small groups to practice our active listening skills and get a chance to connect with each other. 

Rand Fishkin / SparkToro – Improve Marketing Efficacy Via Audience Research

The Anvil recently got a chance to speak with search engine marketing icon Rand Fishkin of SparkToro. Fishkin is the former CEO and Co-founder of Moz (SEO software), as well as the founder of SparkToro, a market research and audience intelligence marketing tool. Fishkin shared startling statistics, including the fact that two thirds of Google searches result in no clicks. He also discussed his latest project, defining “influence marketing”, which he argues is distinctive from both PR and influencer marketing. A main takeaway from Fishkin’s presentation is the importance of brand awareness and asking questions to learn about your audience. Fishkin also gave the team a brief tour of the SparkToro platform, showing us how to identify influencers of audiences with specific interests. 

Brown Bag Podcasts

Our Brown Bag series is now a podcast! We have decided to share the wealth of knowledge and advice that we gain from these speakers with our network. Read more about our recent guests, radio personality Mike Chase and futurist Michael Perman.

Of course, the Brown Bags will not stop there. We have quite a few interesting presentations down the road that the team is excited about, from evolving marketing platform provider Q&As to inspiring discussions with those that have achieved the impossible. 

To be a presenter in our future Brown Bags, or to learn more about our previous presentations, contact Anvil.