Voices 48 - “I Blew Apart the Outline Multiple Times” Ex-Nike Exec Kevin Ertell on How to Write a Business Book, Publishing & Finding Time

Join our newsletter! Our community insights, global commerce perspectives, sent to your inbox every Weekend: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://evolvecommunity.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to join the #01 community of senior commerce leaders spanning 48 markets? Request your application today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https:⁠//www.evolve-community.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠In this episode our host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Edilsa Bueno⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, talks with Kevin Ertell.Kevin Ertell has spent over 30 years turning ideas into results at brands like Nike, Sur La Table, Tower Records, and Borders. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to write a book that delivers value. He shares how he carved out focused writing time amid a packed schedule, structured chapters to make frameworks easy to apply, prioritized which lessons and stories made the cut, and turned interviews with 60+ operators into actionable guidance. He also dives into the behind-the-scenes decisions most people don’t hear about—whether to work with a traditional publisher or go it alone, designing the interior and layout for clarity, and how to maintain quality under tight deadlines.As founder and CEO of Mistere Advisory, Kevin helps teams clarify, align, and act on their strategies. Before founding Mistere Advisory, he led multibillion-dollar retail and digital operations at Nike, tripled e-commerce revenue at Sur La Table, and built the first TowerRecords.com, giving him decades of insight into execution, strategy, and storytelling. When he’s not helping organizations execute, you might find him playing bass, cooking for family, or cheering on Cleveland sports with stubborn optimism.If you’re interested in reading the book that came out of this process, you can pick it up here: https://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Trap-Companies-Execution-Right/dp/1646872320👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!