‘Business Wars’ host David Brown talks business success stories, Warrior Ethos

Brown hosts the hit podcasts “Business Wars” and “Business Wars Daily” from Wondery. He is author of 2021’s “The Art of Business Wars.” “Business Wars,” which has broadcast 588 episodes, explores some of the most intense corporate rivalries and how the leaders and investors involved in competing companies drove their companies to new heights or financial ruin.

Brown said when he was doing research for his podcasts, he discovered the U.S. Army’s Warrior Ethos and how it could relate to corporate culture.

The Army’s Warrior Ethos “came after the Vietnam War,” he said, and “they still try to teach leaders today.”

The Warrior Ethos is “I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.”

Brown said he sees a lot of the Warrior Ethos when he’s researching or interviewing the founders of companies.

“This is something that we see time and again in “‘Business Wars’ … . [Y]ou cannot win without personalizing, without owning these ideas,” Brown said. “Companies that succeed are those companies with strong leaders that cannot fail. They just never give up. They do not give up.”

Brown said another aspect of success in the business world is taking criticism and using it to improve.

“Prior to COVID, Domino’s Pizza always ran No. 2 to Pizza Hut. Then COVID hits, and Domino’s is facing a PR crisis, because online, so many people have nothing better to do, so they’re hammering Domino’s Pizza … tweeting out ‘Domino’s sucks.’ It becomes a real big deal online,” Brown said. “Domino’s could do what some businesses do and try to squash this rising social media bubble that ‘Domino’s sucks.’ Or they can embrace it.”

Domino’s told customers, “Tell us, why does our pizza suck?” according to Brown.

“People started saying, ‘Your crust is terrible, it’s bland, blah, blah, blah.’ Domino’s said, ‘OK, we’re going to take what you said here and we’re going to make a better pizza.’ In 2021, Domino’s overtakes Pizza Hut as the No. 1 pizza chain in the world. It was embracing that opportunity and recognizing that the criticism was an opportunity in the first place.”