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This episode originally released on April 4, 2024.

Will Guidara has never told this story before.

He’s now world-famous, a New York Times bestseller, and has appeared on talk shows, stages and podcasts. But this is the first time he shares how he and Simon Sinek met and connected, ultimately leading to Simon asking him to write a book, ‘Unreasonable Hospitality.’

He opens up about his belief that anyone, in any profession, can choose to be part of the hospitality industry by prioritizing people with the same zeal often reserved for products. His book serves as a testament to this philosophy, emphasizing the power of prioritizing relationships and the human moments that weave through our professional endeavors.

Will is a maestro in the art of making people feel valued beyond the transaction, and applies this to the automotive industry. 🌟 "Every car tells a chapter of your life story," Will muses, highlighting the profound connections between milestones and the vehicles we choose to mark them.

In essence, this interview is not just about the cross-pollination of ideas between industries but a clarion call to infuse our work with humanity, creativity, and, most importantly, unreasonable hospitality. Will Guidara masterfully reminds us that at the heart of every transaction, every service, lies the unparalleled power of making people feel truly seen and valued.

0:00 - Introduction to Will Guidara and the Essence of "Unreasonable Hospitality"

0:23 - Will's Philosophy: Making Hospitality a Universal Industry

1:33 - The Significance of Investing in Relationships Over Moments

3:18 - Embracing People Over Product: Will's Mantra for Success

9:25 - The Story Behind Will's Connection with Simon Sinek

22:24 - Challenging Traditional Rules and Empowering Creativity in Hospitality

34:37 - Opportunities for Hospitality in the Automotive Industry: Celebrating Life's Moments

Will Guidara built Eleven Madison Park into The #1 Restaurant in the World and is the Bestselling Author of ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’

https://www.linkedin.com/in/willguidara/

https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/

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Bob George breaks down why AI won’t save automotive retail—unless the data underneath it is rock solid.

Before Dealer.com became a household name in automotive tech, Bob George was employee number ~80, learning in real time how to scale a company that would eventually grow to more than 1,100 people in Burlington alone. In this episode, Bob shares what hypergrowth actually feels like from the inside—spoiler: even the founders were figuring it out as they went. We talk leadership humility, scaling urgency across teams without burning them out, and why the best leaders don’t pretend to have all the answers.

Now as VP of Product Management at iPacket, Bob is focused on a different kind of scale: data integrity. As AI tools flood the industry promising transformation, he argues that most solutions are only as good as the “regular-i” beneath them—the foundational, structured vehicle data pulled directly from OEM window stickers. The result? Dealers unknowingly leaving thousands of dollars on the table by mispricing vehicles, misrepresenting features, or relying on flawed data inputs. This conversation challenges assumptions about AI, transparency, and what consumers really want when they buy a car: confidence they chose the right vehicle—and got a fair deal.

Timestamped Takeaways

00:00 The Truth About Hypergrowth — “We Were All Learning Together”

03:45 Leaders Don’t Have a Playbook — Why Humility Scales Faster Than Ego

07:16 How to Scale Urgency Without Burning Out Your Team

08:25 Order Takers vs. Critical Thinkers — The Bottleneck Most Leaders Create

13:12 AI Is Only as Smart as the Data Beneath It

15:20 The Two Questions Every Car Buyer Is Secretly Asking

17:28 The $5,000 Pricing Mistake Dealers Don’t Know They’re Making

19:39 How One Missing Vehicle Feature Can Cost You Trust (and Gross)

20:48 Agentic Commerce Is Coming — Is Your Inventory Structurally Ready?

21:22 The Compliance Problem Hiding in Plain Sight on Dealer Websites

23:00 Technology Doesn’t Replace Dealers — It Exposes Weak Foundations

25:36 Is There Even Such a Thing as “New” Knowledge Anymore?

Connect with Bob George at https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebob/

Learn more about iPacket at https://www.ipacket.us/

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Managing 76 dealerships and 11% of Toyota’s U.S. sales isn’t about control—it’s about trust, care, and showing up better every day.

Marcus Williams oversees Toyota’s Los Angeles Region—76 dealerships across Southern California representing 11% of Toyota’s total U.S. sales. That scale brings constant pressure, but Marcus’s approach stays remarkably grounded. His focus centers on leadership development, operational alignment, and making sure dealers are equipped to take care of guests across the entire ownership journey.

In this conversation, Marcus opens up about how Toyota thinks about affordability at the factory level, why captive finance and residual values matter more than most people realize, and how AI is already reshaping service and customer communication. He also shares his leadership philosophy rooted in Kaizen, care, and trust—and why consistent human connection still outperforms any tool or process when it comes to long-term success in automotive retail.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Starting at Toyota’s 1-800 Line Changed How Marcus Leads

2:22 Why One Toyota Region Controls 11% of U.S. Sales

5:30 The Daily Conversations OEMs and Dealers Are Actually Having

6:57 Expanding the Dealer’s Role Beyond Selling the Car

9:04 Who Really Owns the Customer Relationship

9:56 How Toyota Builds Vehicles With Affordability in Mind

11:12 Why Toyota Is Investing in Its Own Battery Production

12:21 Using Residuals and Rates to Keep Payments Manageable

13:51 Care and Trust as the Foundation of Leadership

15:42 What It’s Like Managing 76 Dealerships at Once

17:01 How Dealers Should Be Using AI Right Now

19:46 What Makes a Speech Connect With People

Connect with Marcus Williams at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-williams-b3a1175/

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