Proton podcast

In the Mind of a Distributor

Benj Cohen sits down with the operators running distribution businesses to talk about what they’ve learned.

Hosted byBenj CohenFounder & CEO, Proton.ai

Latest · E1632 min

How to grow a distributor from $200K to $100M

Larry CohenChief Customer Advocate, Benco Dental

Larry tells his grandson Benj how he grew Benco Dental from $200K to $100M: reinvesting in inventory, learning to delegate, and walking away from a buyer.

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E1533 min
AI pays off when you redesign how the work gets done
Benj CohenFounder & CEO, Proton.ai
Benj lays out the three levels of AI adoption, and what distribution looks like in ten years once everyone has remade their processes around AI.
E1428 min
Testing your way to better CAC, conversion, and industry turns
Kevin WeadickCEO, TricorBraun
Kevin shares how he settled the oldest argument in distribution marketing: does any of it actually help the branches and the reps?
E1328 min
Running a master distributor
Kevin ShortCEO, ORS Nasco
ORS Nasco's strategy as a master distributor: their PE journey, how they partner with distributors and manufacturers, and how they sharpened the value prop.
E1230 min
Using data as your next competitive edge
Erik Gershwindformer CEO, MSC Industrial
How Erik repositioned one of the largest U.S. industrial distributors from a spot-buy catalog supplier into a mission-critical partner on the plant floor.
E1124 min
Future-proofing a 100-year old distribution business
Chuck CohenManaging Director, Benco Dental
Chuck's second appearance, on the biggest structural bet in Benco Dental's near-century history: reorganizing the whole company into three divisions under a new holding company.
E1023 min
Growing a family-owned distributor to 250+ locations
Doug York & Jack YorkEwing Outdoor Supply
Doug on scaling Ewing Outdoor Supply past 250 locations without losing its roots, and Jack on the next-gen view: data, financial discipline, and making future leaders earn their seat.