Business Growth Strategies 2025: Key Findings
- Lay’s global redesign proves that brand systems scale when anchored in truth, giving companies a way to grow across markets without losing cultural relevance.
- Predictive AI is shifting marketing from reaction to anticipation, helping brands engage customers faster and with far greater accuracy.
- Equity-focused career models are outperforming salary-dependent paths, offering founders and teams a clearer route to long-term value creation.
What do PepsiCo, Lenovo, and top strategists in tech and wealth have in common?
They are not reacting to change. They are designing what comes next.
This week on the DesignRush Podcast, we revisit four standout conversations from the past year.
Our guests have led some of the most ambitious moves in branding, AI, and equity strategy.
Each one brings a sharp perspective on how to build for scale, speed, and long-term value.
You’ll hear from four executives across global consumer brands, enterprise tech, AI strategy, and wealth coaching.
Together, they offer hard-won insights on what it really takes to grow in 2025.
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen Spotify.
Designing for Scale with Meaning
In DesignRush Podcast episode No. 110, Carl Gerhards, Senior Design Director at PepsiCo, shares how he led the global rebrand of Lay’s.
It marked the brand’s boldest refresh in nearly a century.
With over 200 markets in play, the goal was to evolve without losing what made Lay’s iconic.
“We retooled the visual identity system to tell our story in an authentic way,” Gerhards says.
“It was real. It was real in the world.”
Why the design system worked? Gerhards says:
“We wanted the design to feel like it came from the people, not just from a marketing team.”
The new look celebrates real potatoes, real people, and real joy, making design a powerful storytelling tool, not just a packaging update.
Predictive AI: Smarter Marketing, Less Guesswork
Alex Banks, founder of The Signal, says on the DesignRush Podcast episode No. 75, the future of marketing is predictive.
While generative AI is everywhere, the brands that lead are using data to anticipate needs before customers even act.
“The end of guesswork is here. AI knows before your customers do,” Banks says.
“Predictive AI will dictate not just your marketing strategy, but your entire business.”
It’s not about reacting faster. It’s about knowing what’s next.
"Data shouldn’t just inform; it should predict. That’s how we future-proof marketing.”
From Salary to Equity: Building Wealth That Lasts
Emmy Sobieski, former hedge fund manager and author of MegaWealth, appears on DesignRush Podcast episode No. 71.
She says she wants professionals to think beyond the paycheck.
Sobieski breaks down how billionaires build wealth through ownership and shares her Three B’s Framework: Breaking In, Building Equity, Breaking Out.
“Your goals should be moonshots. They should be so much higher than you ever think you could achieve,” she says.
“There is no plan B, only plan A. Commit fully to your vision.”
She’s helped founders, students, and professionals unlock the wealth strategies often kept behind closed doors.
“You build wealth not with income, but with equity stakes across your career.”
Why AI PCs Are Your Next Teammate
Tom Butler, Executive Director at Lenovo, explains on episode No. 91 of the DesignRush Podcast what makes a PC “AI-powered” and why it’s a game-changer for productivity.
“Every device that we ship has a third engine onboard… the NPU,” he says.
“This is about AI at every layer of the stack, from silicon to software.”
With on-device intelligence, AI PCs handle tasks faster, protect privacy, and reduce reliance on the cloud, making teams more agile and efficient.
“We're not adding AI for the sake of it; we're embedding it where it actually makes work better.”
Takeaway for Brands & Agencies
To stay competitive, brands and agencies need to focus on systems that scale.
Start using AI tools now to improve speed, accuracy, and decision-making.
Rebrands should be built on truth, not trends, and design systems should support consistent storytelling across markets.
Finally, think long-term: equity-driven leadership helps align teams around value creation.
About the Guests
Carl Gerhards – Senior Design Director at PepsiCo, where he led Lay’s global rebrand across 200+ markets by embedding authenticity, storytelling, and design systems into every brand touchpoint.
Tom Butler – Executive Director of Global Commercial Marketing at Lenovo. A key voice behind Lenovo’s AI PC strategy, Butler is helping redefine enterprise productivity through embedded intelligence and edge computing.
Emmy Sobieski – Author of MegaWealth, former #1 global tech fund manager, and equity strategist helping high performers build ownership-driven careers with scalable wealth frameworks.
Alex Banks – Founder of The Signal, an AI company powering predictive marketing systems for major brands. Banks brings deep experience in data science and real-time intelligence.
Why Industry Leaders Need to Listen
Some leaders chase new ideas. Others build the systems that make those ideas work.
What separates the two?
This episode explores how experienced executives are creating the kind of growth that lasts.
They do it with clearer decisions, better tools, and smarter team alignment.
If you're working through AI uncertainty, brand complexity, or shifting markets, the perspectives here offer a practical edge.
These aren’t trends. They’re real strategies from people already doing the work.
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