Evolving Through Personalization: Leadership and the Power of the Pivot

This episode of Color Bar is about more than personalization—it’s about pressure, pivots, and what it really takes to evolve.Our guest, Rich Askam, a pioneer in print personalization joins us. Rich and his team were the force behind Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, where they hand-produced 1.6 million personalized bottles in just three months. But behind that success is a story many in the print and marketing world will recognize.Rich shares what it felt like stepping into a family business—balancing legacy with the need for change—and the difficult reality that sometimes, in order to move forward, you have to let go of what came before.“You’ve got to clear the runway sometimes to let another plane take off.” From shutting down a long-standing business to rebuilding from nearly zero, Rich walks through the moments that defined his career—and the mindset that helped him navigate them.This episode explores: The emotional weight of leading a family-owned business  Why businesses don’t fail overnight—they fade when they stop changing  The fear of pivoting vs. the opportunity inside it  How necessity drives innovation and creativity  Why personalization is still underutilized—even today  The balance between AI, technology, and human creativity Rich also shares insights into his upcoming book, Your Name Here, and his personalized children’s series, You Are the Star.A conversation about embracing change, thinking differently, and why the most defining moments in business often come when everything feels uncertain.