Skunkworks By HalfSerious

Anne Krog Iversen is the Co-founder and Chief DNA and Culture Officer at TimeXtender, a data estate builder that helps businesses extract data for business analysis purposes. Anne started the company in 2006 with her husband. She works every day on building resilience and a strong, purpose-driven culture where people thrive and prosper. Over the years, she has played an instrumental role in growing TimeXtender worldwide and attracting more than 3,000 customers. In this episode… Does the sense of urgency to get things done leave you feeling anxious and overwhelmed? Do you constantly worry and work to get things done quickly? That perpetual state of mind negatively impacts the quality of your business decisions. Taking time to meditate and spending time in silence can quiet your thoughts and help you make sounder decisions every time. Mindfulness helps you build resiliency, keep calm, and maintain balance in your life. So how can you effectively incorporate mindfulness into your life and company? How can you make it a part of your daily routine? In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget sits down with Anne Krog Iversen, the Co-founder and Chief DNA and Culture Officer at TimeXtender, to discuss mindfulness and how to build a mindfulness-oriented company. Anne shares details about an accident she had in 2009, talks about tips for making mindfulness and meditation a part of your daily routine, and explains how she trains her employees on meditation and breathing techniques.

Greg Coticchia is the CEO of Sopheon, a company that helps clients improve their enterprise innovation performance. Greg has decades of experience founding, leading, and driving revenue growth in technology and software companies in highly competitive markets. He has served as CEO, President, and COO at numerous companies and has been involved in or responsible for over 100 product and solution launches. Greg is the founding Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Master's Program in Product Management. In this episode… What makes a great innovator or entrepreneur? How do they develop and form visionary ideas, overcome business challenges, and achieve their objectives? Great entrepreneurs are usually optimistic people who see opportunities even in difficult situations. They can see the positive in things but are also very good at seeing risk, mitigating the risk, and taking reasonable chances and risks. Leaders keep going despite all the challenges they face. Working and being excited about the vision keeps them focused and driven. If you're excited and having fun, you're probably in the right business, which makes it much easier to impart positivity to your team members. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Greg Coticchia, CEO of Sopheon, about his secret to tactical positivity. Greg shares his advice on coming up with great ideas, positive leadership, and why optimists are great at seeing opportunities.

Alfredo Ramirez is the Co-founder, President, and CEO of Vyopta, a company that transforms the way organizations deliver collaboration experiences by providing insights that improve user experiences, employee engagement, and business outcomes — they make virtual collaboration work. Alfredo is a seasoned entrepreneur with direct experience building early-stage software technology companies. Previously, Alfredo co-founded Vitalz (Oracle) and Daman Consulting. He also held positions at Andersen Consulting (Accenture) and Trilogy Software and was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Reddwerks (Dematic). He has a bachelor's in electrical and computer engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. In this episode… As a leader of an organization, you define the goals you aim to achieve and decide on what strategies and plans to execute to achieve those goals. You also have to think about the possible challenges and obstacles you may face and find the right employees and partners to join you on that journey. However, sometimes the go-to-market strategies you start with may not ultimately take you in the right direction. As they built Vyopta, this is where Alfredo Ramirez and his two co-founders found themselves. Rather than continuing with the business model they started with, they pivoted in a new direction to keep the business profitable and sustainable. They phased out the legacy client branches of the company and concentrated on the one product performance software application that was most in demand. Later they found themselves in the throws of the pandemic and had to pivot again. Throughout the course of the business, the founders found themselves in multiple disruption situations but always found ways to adapt. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Alfredo Ramirez, the Co-founder, President, and CEO of Vyopta, about the strategies he uses to stay agile around product-market fit for his company. Alfredo also talks about his revenue model, the major redesign of his platform, and the effects of the pandemic on the company.

Fardad Zabetian is the Co-founder and CEO of KUDO, a language as a service platform. After 20 years of trying to solve communication problems for himself, he started his company in 2017 with the mission of eliminating language barriers worldwide. KUDO makes it possible for people and businesses to collaborate and meet more effectively across geographic and language barriers in this global marketplace. In this episode… What does it mean to be an accessible CEO? How can business leaders use this concept to build better teams and companies? Business leaders need to be organized and set boundaries but still be accessible to their employees, executive teams, business partners, clients, and remain engaged with their business networks. They also need to have well-defined OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), efficient systems and processes for running the company, and good communication strategies. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Fardad Zabetian, the Co-founder and CEO of KUDO, about what it means to be an accessible CEO. Fardad talks about his “everything is possible” mantra, shares his advice on executing OKRs, and discusses the benefits and challenges of being an accessible CEO.

Len Finkle is the CEO of Profisee, a software company based in Atlanta. Profisee is the creator of a data management software that helps corporations improve the quality of their data, so they have the confidence to move forward with targeted strategic initiatives. Len has over 25 years of software sector executive experience, including an extensive track record of success leading both enterprise-sized organizations and early-stage companies to enter new markets and grow revenue streams. In this episode… Are you planning to start serving a different type of client through your company or changing a company practice or approach? What strategies can you use to prepare your team for change and ensure they are on board with the transition? What can you do to avoid creating confusion and uncertainty within your company? Once an organization determines a specific strategy change, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are an excellent tool for companies to use. The critical part of putting together a new strategy is rolling it out effectively, communicating it to employees and stakeholders, and making sure everyone is aligned. Use OKRs to set goals, help teams understand and get clear on what's required, and focus their individual roles on the most critical issues. They assist in ensuring that there is transparency and clarity within the organization. Len Finkle, the CEO of Profisee, joins Eric Bourget in this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast to share his strategies for implementing a company's Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Len also discusses the importance of being open and transparent with employees, and he shares his advice on delivering OKRs to a team.

Nicolas Vandenberghe is the Co-founder and CEO of Chili Piper, an inbound conversion software used by top B2B revenue teams, including Intuit, Twilio, and Spotify. He started the company in 2016 with his wife, Alina. They help clients increase conversions, qualify leads, and schedule meetings. The Chili Piper team is distributed around more than 160 cities and 35 countries around the world. In this episode… Would you start a new company after losing your last to an economic meltdown or market collapse? Would you risk your investment just to lose it again and be forced to deal with unhappy employees and investors? When Nicolas Vandenberghe received offers to sell his company, he was ready to exit. The business had experienced tremendous growth, but some of his customers were shutting down due to the dot-com bubble burst. Still he remained optimistic that he would get a good deal. However, it never happened. Nicolas Vandenberghe, the Co-founder and CEO of Chili Piper, joins Eric Bourget in this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast to talk about his experience of almost selling a company during the dot-com bubble burst and losing it all. Nicolas explains how he got back to entrepreneurship through Chili Piper, how his company's software helps sales and marketing teams increase conversions, and how he manages a remote team. Stay tuned.

Donald Brown is the Founder and CEO of LifeOmic, a software company that leverages the cloud, machine learning, and mobile devices to offer disruptive solutions to healthcare providers, researchers, employers, health coaches, health IT companies, and individuals. He founded and served as CEO of Interactive Intelligence which went public in 1999 and was acquired by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories in 2016 for $1.4 billion. Donald is also an active technology and business advisor, investor, philanthropist, and author of Understanding Life. In this episode… The rapid growth of technology means that companies have to stay up-to-date with changes to be competitive and remain in business. When a new development or a shift in technology jeopardizes business as usual, will you roll with the punches or get left in the dust.  This is what Donald Brown and his company had to decide when cloud computing threatened its existence. To survive, they had to evolve because of all the challenges they faced. Virtually all businesses rely on some form of technology, and if they lag behind the innovations, then chances are their businesses won't survive long-term. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Donald Brown, the CEO of LifeOmic, to talk about Donald's entrepreneurial background and how he successfully exited a company for $1.4 billion. Donald also explains why he started LifeOmic, the impact on his company when cloud computing came along, and his advice on why to offer equity to your employees. Stay tuned.

Enrico Palmerino is the Founder and CEO of Botkeeper, an accounting automation platform. Using a combination of accountants, machine learning, and AI, Botkeeper provides businesses with 24/7 bookkeeping, insightful dashboards, and accurate reporting. The company has been recognized as an industry leader by Gartner, Accounting Today, CEOWORLD MAGAZINE, Patch, Red Herring, Bostinno, and has earned a Stevie Award. Before starting Botkeeper, Enrico's background was in automation, decision trees, and accounting, and he has a triple major from Babson College in quantitative methods, entrepreneurship, and strategic management. In this episode… Many entrepreneurs choose to bootstrap their startup businesses. The thought of relinquishing control can be daunting and may prevent them from getting venture capital funding altogether. As much as Enrico Palmerino likes to control his own destiny, his company's rapid growth meant he needed the type of financing required to continue to scale. He had a vision for the company's future and realized that being bootstrapped would hold him back and limit his growth. His desire to build the brand was the primary factor in his decision to get venture capital funding. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Enrico Palmerino, the Founder and CEO of Botkeeper, about the value of getting venture capital funding. They also talk about the influence of leadership styles, the difference between being a visionary versus an integrator, and the right time to transition to venture capital funding.

Jereme Holiman is the Co-founder and VP of People and Operations at Clyde, an ownership enrichment platform. They empower retailers — from startups to enterprises — to offer product protection plans to customers. They aim to bring more businesses online and help merchants engage more effectively with their customers. Jereme is also the Co-founder of UrbanStems. In this episode… The first year of starting and building a company can be very tough. Entrepreneurs focus most of their time developing new products and building their customer base. This stage is often capital intensive, and venture capital funding becomes ideal for entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale quickly. Based on his experience, Jereme Holiman decided on VC funding to build his second company. Bootstrapping was not a good option because it wouldn't accomplish his vision. VC backing helped him and his business partners invest in quality employees and lend support to the business from the start. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Jereme Holiman, the Co-founder and VP of People and Operations at Clyde, about the benefits of building a venture capital funded company. Jereme explains how he manages his business operations, talks about his role at Clyde, and discusses the importance of working with the right venture capital partner. Stay tuned.

Felipe Cornejo is the Co-founder and CEO of Devsu, a company that helps companies build world-class technology teams and digital products. They provide three primary services — staff augmentation, software outsourcing, and technology management consulting. The company was founded in 2010. In this episode… How do you manage your company and team during a crisis? Do you isolate yourself and avoid your employees? Or do you share your plans for the future with them? Good business leaders protect their company and team during a crisis. You have to remain calm and realistic despite all the stress you may be experiencing because your team will notice. You have to protect your company's cash flows and employees' jobs. You also have to communicate with your team regularly. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Felipe Cornejo, Co-founder and CEO of Devsu, about communicating with employees during a crisis. Felipe also shares his advice on transparency, helping companies improve their digital landscape, and talks about his acquisition plans. Stay tuned.

Gregg Dixon is the Co-founder and CEO of Voltus, a company that connects distributed energy resources to electricity markets in the US and Canada. Gregg is a world-renowned expert in commercial and industrial energy management. Before co-founding Voltus, Gregg was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales and a founding executive at EnerNOC, a leading provider of demand response, energy procurement, and energy intelligence software. He was also the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Hess Microgen and a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting. He has a degree from Boston College and is a Certified Energy Manager, a Certified Demand Side Management Professional, and a Certified Sustainable Development Professional. In this episode… Are you an entrepreneur operating a company in a slow-moving industry? Do you face challenges growing your business? Are you looking for strategies for accelerating growth and building a thriving business? When Gregg Dixon entered the energy sector, his goal was to create solutions to serve humankind better. As you venture into entrepreneurship, an issue that may surface along the way is that what your trying to accomplish and build may not be aligned with the return investors want. Gregg used his background in management consulting to develop a framework for his company that includes absolute clarity on its goals while delivering returns to his shareholders. Gregg advises that if you're building a business, it's a major mistake if you think you'll figure things out along the way — you must be clear on your objectives and have your strategies in place to accomplish your mission. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget joins Gregg Dixon, the Co-founder and CEO of Voltus, to discuss his management strategies and leading a company in the energy sector. Gregg also explains how he built his team, the mistakes he made in business, and how he pivoted to conquer challenges.

Paroon Chadha is the Co-founder and CEO of OnBoard. He started the company in 2003 and serves more than 2,000 organizations and their 12,000 boards and committees in 32 countries. They serve customers in higher education, nonprofit, healthcare systems, government, and corporate enterprise business sectors, to name a few. Paroon is a member of Forbes Technology Council, sits on five boards, and is an investor in many startups. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and has been widely published in several magazines. He was also named in the Hall of Fame at Purdue University as a Purdue Innovator. Additionally, he is a volunteer in several philanthropic organizations, including Big Brother Big Sister Foundation, Inc. and the United Way of Greater Lafayette. In this episode… When starting something new, the first steps you take may seem daunting, and things may not be clear upfront. You may not have a picture of what the results will look like and may find it challenging to achieve your goals quickly. However, according to Paroon Chadha, luck becomes a core competency if you work hard enough,. With perseverance, things become clear. You have to invest your time and expertise into your goals and, over time, you will achieve success. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Paroon Chadha, the Co-founder and CEO of OnBoard, about the lessons he learned about becoming successful. They also talk about Paroon's experience pitching at a board meeting, his reasons for working with startups, and so much more. Stay tuned.

Sylvain Perrier is the President and CEO of Mercatus Technologies, a company that empowers grocers to create exceptional shopping experiences for their customers. He is the lead inventor of more than 75 granted intellectual property patents in over 15 legal jurisdictions. Sylvain has a record of architecting and building complex solutions for notable retailers like Smart & Final, Weis Markets, Brookshire's, Piggly Wiggly, Save Mart, BJ's Wholesale Club, The NFL, and Barnes & Noble. He is also featured at conferences and various speaking engagements addressing audiences and regularly interacting with the print, radio, TV, and digital media as a subject matter expert. In this episode… Entrepreneurs often find themselves becoming emotionally attached to the first products they create. In the process, they may fail to make changes where necessary and prevent their businesses from scaling more rapidly. Sylvain Perrier uses four principles that help him become a better business owner and leader. These revolve around being clear on what he wants to achieve, approaching everything like a student, falling in love with the process as opposed to the products created, and allowing himself to stretch in order to grow. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Sylvain Perrier, the President and CEO of Mercatus Technologies, to detail the four rules entrepreneurs need to build their businesses. Sylvain also talks about the importance of being curious and asking questions, shares his advice on focusing on the important things, and explains why entrepreneurs should never be emotionally attached to their products. Stay tuned.

Jeremy Ruch is the Founder and CEO of Bandalier, a firm that connects fast-growing technology companies with vetted and trained customer-facing talent throughout the United States. Bandalier's focus is to streamline the interview process for clients looking to scale sales and customer success teams quickly.  Before starting Bandalier, Jeremy was the Director of Business Advisory (Head of Sales) at Bond Street. He has a bachelor's degree in public policy studies, markets, and management studies from Duke University. In this episode… There are a ton of industries where companies need to scale quickly, but they haven't built an interview process to support that growth. What if someone else could recruit and train employees that can deliver sales opportunities for your business?    Building customer-facing teams is hard. Often, companies are faced with either offshoring, using low-quality call centers, or building expensive, high-turnover teams to generate appointments. Jeremy Ruch knew there needed to be a better way. His team recruits and provides ongoing training for customer-facing talent to set them up for success. They are placed in a client's company to help the client scale their sales team quickly. If the talent works out well for the client, the client can hire that person directly into the company. It means the client company doesn't have to bother with the whole interview and hiring process. If the employee and the client aren't a good fit, an alternate company can be found. Listen in to find out if it's just that simple.    In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Jeremy Ruch, the Founder and CEO of Bandalier, to talk about the key elements Jeremy uses to grow his company. They discuss why working with clients that align with your mission is vital, who benefits from their service, how the “try before you buy” scenario when finding talent works both ways, and deciding what kind of clients are the best fit.

Sabrina Parsons is the CEO of Palo Alto Software, the company behind the best-selling business management software, LivePlan. Sabrina's father started it in 1994, and she took over leadership in 2007. Sabrina has overseen the company's transformative transition from a desktop software company to a cloud-based software company. She previously held leadership positions at Commtouch and Epinions and also founded a web consulting company. In this episode… Do you have a strategic business plan for your startup? Do you know its benefits and the risks associated with not having one? A business plan is beneficial for all types of companies, whether small startups, mid-size, or large corporations. Plans help companies visualize future growth, prepare for contingencies, have a clear strategy roadmap, and assist in making critical decisions. This is why Sabrina Parsons made sure that she had a good plan when she changed her company's business model. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Sabrina Parsons, the CEO of Palo Alto Software, about her strategies to transition her company from a boxed software model to a SaaS model. They discuss the benefits of having a business plan and the advantages of using training and content marketing to grow a business.

Bo Davis is the Co-founder and CEO of MarginEdge, a company that provides restaurant managers with the data they need to help them make timely, critical decisions. Bo is also the Founder of Wasabi restaurants, a group of modern Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurants. Bo used his knowledge of tech and married it with his experience in the restaurant industry to create a way to put real-time data in the hands of restaurant owners. MarginEdge won the Washington Post Best Place to Work in 2020. In this episode… Having left the technology industry to become a restaurant business owner, Bo Davis realized that he had a lot to learn. Running a restaurant involves managing employees, providing quality food, handling a lot of inventory, managing cash flow, and a myriad of other variables. To help alleviate these challenges for himself and other restaurant owners, Bo started MarginEdge. He combined his knowledge of restaurants and tech to build his software company around that core learning and implemented it to manage all the variables that go into running a restaurant. He helps restaurant owners execute their business operations better, drive growth, and protect their margins by using real-time data to help them make timely, critical decisions. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Bo Davis, the Co-founder and CEO of MarginEdge, to share his entrepreneurial journey from technology to restaurant owner. Bo talks about the lessons he learned from running a chain of restaurants, how he combined his knowledge of tech and restaurant management, his strategies for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and why it's essential to remain focused on execution for the future.

Assaf Karmon is the Co-founder and CEO of TurnoverBnB, an online platform that helps Airbnb vacation rental hosts with turnovers by providing them with the automation to find cleaners and schedule cleaning. It also allows cleaners to find rental owners in their area so they can grow their business. TurnoverBnB's platform and mobile app automate the whole process. Assaf has a strong background in software engineering. Before starting TurnoverBnB, Assaf was the Vice President of Engineering at GoShare and Senior Software Engineer at Nokia. In this episode… While running an Airbnb business, Assaf Karmon faced a big challenge managing the property's guest turnover and scheduling cleaning services. He was also frustrated that the business was so time-consuming since he started it with the intention of building a passive income source. To solve the problem, Assaf decided to use his engineering background to create an app that made complex work easier. The app became popular in his community. After getting a steady flow of feedback and many requests for adjustments, he saw an opportunity to create a business. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Assaf Karmon, the Co-founder and CEO of TurnoverBnB, about how he developed a cleaning app to solve his own problem and ended up building it into a business. Assaf explains the pandemic's impact on his business, talks about his customer personas, and shares how he allocates resources between his products.

Jeff Perkins is the CEO of ParkMobile, a leading provider of smart parking and mobility solutions in the U.S. The company was founded in 2008, and Jeff joined in 2017, taking over as CEO in 2021. Before ParkMobile, he was the CMO of QASymphony and held senior marketing leadership positions at PGi and AutoTrader. Jeff holds an MBA in Marketing from Emory University's Goizueta Business School. In this episode… When implementing or testing the effectiveness of a new SaaS software, your solution must integrate with a client's infrastructure. It should connect and work seamlessly with the client's hardware, technology systems, analytics tools, and enforcement solutions. As a provider of parking apps, ParkMobile's team guarantees that they have the right APIs and equipment to integrate well with their clients' technologies. It has taken them years to perfect these integrations, which have helped collect parking fees for their clients in different cities. Jeff Perkins, the CEO of ParkMobile, is Eric Bourget's guest in this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, where he talks about creating parking apps and leveraging data to provide better solutions to clients. Jeff also explains how ParkMobile integrates its software with clients' parking technologies and shares his strategies for dividing his focus between running a business and planning for the future. Stay tuned.

Chad Pytel is the Founder and COO of thoughtbot, a mobile and web development company. thoughtbot validates, builds, scales, maintains, and supports web and mobile products. Chad has co-authored the books Rails AntiPatterns and Pro Active Record and presented at conferences worldwide. He is the Co-host of the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast. In this episode… Do you run a consulting company? Are you thinking of creating a product for your market as you steadily grow your business? For many young SaaS consulting agencies, developing products on the side is a great strategy to stay in business as they grow their customer base and market. However, it means agencies have to overcome many challenges. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Chad Pytel, the Founder and COO of thoughtbot, about how service businesses can develop products without losing their core business focus. Chad also talks about the type of products his company creates, his go-to-market strategy, and explains how he handled copyright issues with one of his products. Stay tuned.

Harish Anand Thilakan (HAT) is the Founder and CEO of Influx Worldwide, a full-service digital media agency. Influx works with some of the largest cinema chains in the US, Asia, and the Middle East. The team at Influx helps companies enhance e-commerce platforms to sell more tickets, drive loyalty, and engage users. Influx has offices in Dallas, Dubai, and Chennai. In this episode… Companies in the service industry have experienced considerable changes caused by technological advancements over the years. It's been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and led to the development of new software solutions to meet customer and industry demands. For Harish Anand Thilakan (HAT), diversifying his business' offerings into other niches have proven to be very beneficial. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the cinema industry, his company had to be creative. To meet the new demands of the restaurant industry, he began developing new software. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Harish Anand Thilakan, the Founder and CEO of Influx Worldwide, to talk about building software and product solutions for the cinema and restaurant industries. They also discuss innovation within the cinema industry, challenges companies face developing SaaS products, and how Harish onboards new clients. Stay tuned.

Daniel Olfelt is the Co-founder and Chief Architect of When I Work, a workforce management platform that helps companies manage their shift-based employees. They specifically focus on scheduling and attendance. He has grown the company from three to 180 people in about 13 years and scaled the company's technology and infrastructure from zero to over 50,000 businesses. Daniel was a Senior Lead Engineer at Meditech Communications and Software Engineer at White House Custom Colour before co-founding When I Work. In this episode… As a business leader, what can you do to focus on the most important things for your growing business? What strategies can you use to manage your employees better and create the mind space to put out the most important fires? How do you even handle innovation in such an environment? For Daniel Olfelt, having an efficient frontline support team is vital to his SaaS company. In addition, paying attention to his customers' feedback, delegating and managing his employees well, and focusing on what he loves and brings the most value to his business has helped him grow a better company. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget is joined by Daniel Olfelt, the Co-founder and Chief Architect of When I Work, to discuss his four rules for focusing and scaling a SaaS company. Daniel also explains how he built his platform, works with big customers, and filters company ideas. Stay tuned.

Bobby Hakimi is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Convoso. The company was founded in 2006 and works with CEOs of small to mid-sized businesses and directors and managers of call center ops. Convoso has the most advanced dialer solutions, and its omnichannel contact center software converts more leads faster. Its newly launched AI technology has personalized one-on-one conversations with leads using a real human voice and only transfers pre-qualified prospects. Before Convoso, Bobby was the Co-Founder and CTO of Enternet Media and Conspy & Co Inc. In this episode… To build a successful business, a company needs to have the right systems in place that ensure efficient communication within the company as well as with its customers. Poor communication can cause misunderstandings, loss of great opportunities, and unsatisfied customers. That's why Bobby Hakimi and his team at Convoso created a platform that helps to improve a company's communication with its team and with its customers. They also invest in current technology and use company culture to attract the best employees and stay competitive in the market. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Bobby Hakimi, the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Convoso, about how his company implements Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Bobby also talks about staying up to date with technological changes, explains how their platform helps improve communication with potential customers, and talks about his company's structure. Stay tuned.

Eric Bourget is the CEO and Founder at HalfSerious, a company that works with visionary SaaS businesses to bring innovation back to the companies they started. He is a specialist in designing and delivering custom SaaS solutions and has helped dozens of CEOs, primarily non-technical, go from vision to reality. Eric is also the host of the Skunkworks Podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs who have successful SaaS businesses that have hit a plateau around innovation but are trying to rekindle that spirit. In this episode… Technological advancements have made it easier for fintech companies to access cloud computing services faster and at a lower cost than they could a couple of years ago. This has increased competition in the industry as companies strive to woo consumers and grow their businesses. When a fintech company with over 200 employees approached Eric Bourget, the CEO knew that they needed help to accelerate innovation. Eric and his team at HalfSerious started with an initial design phase and created a prototype for a new system before handing it over to the client. By the end of the process, they had helped the company accelerate growth by about five to seven years.  In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget, the host of the show and the CEO and Founder at HalfSerious, gets interviewed by John Corcoran, the Co-founder of Rise25 Media, about how he helped one of his clients rebuild its business and accelerate innovation. Eric talks about the steps his company takes to create new systems for his clients, the most common concerns companies have when they start working with him, and the improvements the clients see from the changes. Stay tuned.

Dick Hyatt is the CEO and President of Decisiv, a SaaS company focused on service event management for primarily medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in North America. He has built and scaled six companies. Before Decisiv, Dick was the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Amteva Technologies, which Cisco Systems acquired. He was also the Executive VP and COO at Hayes-Ligon Corporation, where he was responsible for product development, research, sales, marketing, and channel development. In this episode… Are you looking for ways to grow and scale your business? Do you have principles you use to help your business thrive? As a veteran entrepreneur, Dick Hyatt knows that to build a successful business, entrepreneurs have to start by focusing on their customers' needs. This can be done by leveraging technology to learn more and communicate better with customers. Dick also advises entrepreneurs to use his six principles for scaling, which include using anchor tenants, identifying tangible ROIs, and incorporating the three-thirds principle. Dick Hyatt, the CEO and President of Decisiv, is Eric Bourget's guest in this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, where they discuss Dick's guiding principles for scaling a business. They discuss the need for identifying tangible ROIs, the benefits of having anchor tenants, and the best strategies for hiring employees. Stay tuned to hear all about it!

Brian Helwig is the CEO of MSP360, a company that provides simple and reliable cutting-edge backup and IT management solutions for MSPs and IT departments worldwide. MSP360 enables companies to leverage AWS, Microsoft Azure, Backblaze B2, and Wasabi clouds for offsite backup storage. Before MSP360, Brian was the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations at Netwrix Corporation. He also served as Director of Worldwide Customer Technical Support at Veeam Software. In this episode… Have you ever considered bringing in an outsourced CEO to help grow and scale your company? If so, do you know what to look for and how to set expectations for the position? As a person who works with company founders to help them scale their businesses, Brian Helwig's approach focuses first on understanding his client's customers. He also works with the company's founders to learn more about their goals and objectives and uses data to create the right systems to help the company increase sales and grow revenue. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Brian Helwig, the CEO of MSP360, about his approach and strategies for joining a company as a CEO to help it grow and scale. Brian explains how he leverages a client's existing team, sets up expectations with the founders, and talks about the right way to compensate a CEO. Stay tuned.

Eric Bourget is the CEO and Founder at HalfSerious, a company that works with visionary SaaS businesses to bring innovation back to the companies they started. He is a specialist in designing and delivering custom SaaS solutions and has helped dozens of CEOs, primarily non-technical, go from vision to reality. Eric is also the host of the Skunkworks Podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs who have successful SaaS businesses that have hit a plateau around innovation but are trying to rekindle that spirit. In this episode… When starting a new business, many entrepreneurs see innovation as critical to building a successful company. It requires them to think differently and learn how to create unfair advantages. However, many ignore innovation when the business becomes big, which can hurt the growth and future of the company. According to Eric Bourget, SaaS business owners need to stay on top of their game to be competitive, and the best way to do this is by continuously innovating. Such businesses must find consultants, agencies, or a professional who can guide them through the process. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget, the host of the show and the CEO and Founder at HalfSerious, gets interviewed by John Corcoran, the Co-founder of Rise25 Media, about how he helps SaaS entrepreneurs get their innovation mojo back. Eric explains the four steps for rediscovering innovation and explains how leaders and their teams can get involved in the process. Stay tuned.

Stefan Midford is the Founder and CEO of Natural Insight which he ran for 18 years and eventually sold. Natural Insight is a leading provider of cloud-based workforce management software that delivers cloud solutions to consumer brands, retailers, merchandisers, and marketing agencies to improve field execution across the retail ecosystem. To date, Natural Insight has collected in-store execution information on behalf of hundreds of brands and managed over 51 million assignments in more than 180,000 stores worldwide.  As a serial entrepreneur, Stefan's most recent venture is Capango, where he is the Founder and President. Capango is a company focused on reimaging the recruiting experience from the eyes of the job seeker. It uses automated resume creation and integrated chat and video interviews to connect great job candidates to amazing work opportunities. In this episode… Technology has made it possible for small businesses to start and grow quickly and has given them the opportunity to compete with large and established international brands. The cost of acquiring or investing in new technology has gone down. Small brands can now enjoy the same advanced technology used by the big brands, which allows them to scale operations globally. However, it is essential for those businesses to find creative ways to avoid redundancies in their SaaS software platforms which could affect their daily operations. They have to think strategically and leverage both existing and new technologies to focus on their brand, differentiating strategies, sales and marketing strategies, and how to produce better products for the market. In this episode of the Skunkworks Podcast, Eric Bourget interviews Stefan Midford, the Founder of Natural Insight and Capango, about leveraging technology to manage a data insights business. Stefan talks about the companies he started, how changes in cloud computing have impacted his work, and the value of focusing on customers' needs when building a business. Stay tuned.

Len and his partner at SimboliQ decided to develop and launch a product when they detected an opportunity in the uniform management space. In this episode, Len is very generous about sharing the challenges and rewards of a technology service business trying to execute a product strategy.

Martin Plante is the CEO of GHM Academy. In this episode, we talk about how Martin's quest to make maps exciting for his son turned into a brilliant business idea. His love for teaching, creativity, and programming (if you could believe it!) is what got him to where he is today.

My guest today is the President and CEO of Natural Insight and Capango, Stefan Midford. In this episode, we talk about how Capango, the dating app of employers, came to be and why it's important to pivot and seek out creative solutions to existing problems in your market.

My guest today is Trent Clark, a partner at Transitions, which works with Experienced Entrepreneurs who have successfully Exited. We're not joking when we say that Clark wears a LOT of hats. An overall fascinating guy, listen to our discussion on his business.

My guest today is Elizabeth Funk, founder of Dignity Capital. She explains why capitalists are becoming more and more attracted to impact investing and how sustainability-driven companies are outperforming their peers. According to Elizabeth, it's a sure way to peak the interest of investors while doing your part for future generations.

Bryan Adams is my guest today and he's the CEO & Founder of Ph. Creative. In our conversation, we discuss employer branding, which is a concept I've been trying to put to practice for a long time. He also offers some tips on how to hire and find the right candidates while avoiding mega recruiter fees. Bryan is truly a leader in this field–I bought the book, have you?

My guest today is former Olympian, Julia Rivard Dexter, turned CEO and founder of Squiggle Park, an online platform that creates games to promote literary skills. She's may be a non-technical founder, but Julia is definitely no stranger to long-term skill development. She gives some insight into the benefits of being a non-developer in the field while sharing her tips and tricks on how to hire developers and programmers.

My guest today is the CEO of Alkemist Labs based in Grove, California. His “big little lab” is a leader when it comes to testing botanical and dietary supplements. As Elan puts it, he's a David in this Goliath industry. Other labs would easily sacrifice the integrity of their work for capital–but not Alkemist Labs. Cheap testing? We don't know her.

My guest today is Jen Lara, an educator turned life coach who is also subsequently one of our Obii coaches. Today, Jen and I chat about what attracted her to pursue her ICF accreditation, and how her time as an educator continues to be prevalent in her new business. You can expect to be delighted by Jen–I know I am.

Dan White is the founder and CEO at Filament Games. His company develops games for “any platform, any age, in any subject”. Once Dan gave us a little sneak peek into his workout space, we discussed his interest in robotics and how that led to his current goal of creating “non-sucky” learning games. He also gives his own two cents on what the eLearning market is doing really well….and what could be immensely improved.