The Larry Vaughn Show

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The Larry Vaughn Show

15 - LVS - Building A Sustainable Brand From The Inside Out with Helen Smith

May 08, 2026 • Larry Vaughn

0:00 | 5:00

In this engaging interview, Helen Smith from the UK shares insights into her role in marketing and sustainability, her collaboration with industry leaders like Jon Bailey, and the importance of employee wellbeing and mental health initiatives. Discover how leadership and culture shape successful businesses and the personal stories behind industry collaborations.

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SPEAKER_00 0:12

All right, tell me a little bit about what you do for John. Okay. Now are you in the US or you're in the UK?

SPEAKER_02 0:17

I'm in the UK. Okay, so I'm in Yorkshire in the UK. So the the north of England. Yeah. So I do John's marketing and sustainability as well.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Did not know that. Yeah. Certainly didn't.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

So all the brand, all the culture side of things, which is really important for us in terms of developing that brand, starts from the inside of the business before we can go outside. So yeah, I look after all of that.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Well, now does John Tolly still work?

SPEAKER_02 0:44

He does, yeah. So John uh looks after a number of our larger customers in the connected part of our business, so the print on demand part of our business, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

What about Gary Peeling?

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Gary Peeling's also around still, yeah, yeah. So he's based in Dagenham, he's down in Dagenham.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Yeah, so so Gary's involved as well. I will do. I will do.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

I'll never forget this is many years ago. I I talked to um uh John Tolly.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

And he was talking to me about his son being dyslexic.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

You know?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

I am very dyslexic. And so I gave him a book that I wrote, and then he gave it to his son. Right. You know, and so he was so tickled, and I got to talk to his son too. So it was uh it was wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Yeah, and John's John's big thing is about book production, and so that would have, you know, that would have been an amazing thing for him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Well, so good guys. Yes. And when they joined up, and I I said I told them I was so proud of them because this worked out perfectly. Yeah. And how they got there.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

And I think it's important because you know what what that what that was all about was it was three guys who got very, very similar views of the world. Yeah, very similar cultures, not quite the same in terms of the businesses, but very similar cultures, a very similar vision of the future of the industry and of our businesses. And yeah, it's come together great.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Different personalities, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

But yeah, you know, all different strengths and weaknesses, I guess, from all three of them. But yeah, they create a brilliant team. Really proud to work for them.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

But you do great work, and we really appreciate everything that you for here for him to keep him all uh live.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

I keep them in line, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

That's good. Big good boy. I talked to him. He was on my podcast, he was, yeah. And then uh we had him with Sheep for Brains, yeah. Yeah, and they were on there too.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Yeah, and I think you know, John, you know, John, not not just with his Sheep for Brains thing, but within our business, before Sheep for Brains, John has been a huge advocate of employee well-being and mental health, and you know, it's great to see that now, stretching outside of the business that with the work that he's doing with Sheep for Brains. That, you know, it's it's lovely for the rest of our organization to be able to see what John's doing for the industry with that.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Okay, well, real quick, tell me about the organization. I mean, they uh uh embraced it and they started taking it on, started listening to him and what he was talking about and there, because some people, you know, they just go, you know, they're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah, I think you know, I think we're we're really we're really lucky. The leadership team as a whole sees the importance of employee well-being, you know, happy, engaged, motivated, and and people who are are well, yeah, and um and positive about their lives and the impact that they can have in the business makes for a successful business. Yeah, yeah. And I think we're we're really, you know, as a leadership team across the organisation, it's really important to us that our our employees feel like that and feel like they want to be there and feel like they are able to develop both, you know, professionally and personally within the organization. So it's great to see what the guys are doing with sheep for brains.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Fantastic. Yeah, they all of them are good boys. Yeah, yeah. Well, I appreciate you stopping by. My pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

I surely do. My pleasure. Lovely to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Oh, lovely to meet you. Yes, you know, because uh well, John and I have been around together, you know, for a pretty long time. You know? Really? Yeah. I'm the one oh he didn't you have to give him to tell you the story of that uh me telling you to go to Disney World.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Because we were talking, I said, Well, John, this is what you gotta do, and and because he was born to go, and I said, Well, my wife and I go all the time because we're Disney World Vacation Club Honors, okay? And when he got through and he got back, and then the next year he was a lady because of the amount of money that he spent when he got the family there. I said they did everything, so it was good.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Amazing, amazing.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

But I appreciate it, bro.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Thank you, Larry. Thank you. Thank you. If you're enjoying the Larry Vaughn show, don't forget to give the episode a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, and ring that notification bell to ensure you never miss a new episode.