American insurance company
POPULARITY
4 episodes with Asurion
4 episodes with Asurion
4 episodes with Asurion
3 episodes with Asurion
5 episodes with Asurion
2 episodes with Asurion
2 episodes with Asurion
2 episodes with Asurion
2 episodes with Asurion
Our teacher today is Will Thorndike, co-founder of Compounding Labs and author of the acclaimed book, “The Outsiders.” In our opinion, Will has emerged as one of the most influential and innovative investor minds of the past few decades. And if you care about long-term value creation and the art of capital allocation, chances are you've also benefited from some of his ideas. In 1994, he founded Housatonic Partners, a pioneering private equity firm known for its unusually long holding periods and its leadership in the search fund space alongside his mentor and Stanford professor Irv Grousbeck. Will helped to originate the modern search fund model, backing early career CEOs to buy and grow businesses with long-term horizons and radically aligned incentives. Since then, he has invested in the majority of the top 20 search fund outcomes to date, including Asurion, which he recently profiled on his podcast 50X. We explore Will's full arc from the research that led to “The Outsiders” to his decades as an investor to the new frontier he's now helping to shape. We talk about what makes a business truly enduring, why great leadership and resource allocation remain so misunderstood, and how the right people, structure, and alignment enable companies to compound over time. Please enjoy this class with Will Thorndike. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. —-- Joys of Compounding is a property of Pine Grove Studios in collaboration with Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Joys of Compounding, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Follow us on Twitter: @Buhrman_Rick | @PaulBuser | @JoinColossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to The Joys of Compounding (00:00:57) Introducing Will Thorndike (00:03:35) The Rise of Long Duration Serial Acquisition Holding Companies (00:07:25) The 50X Podcast Journey (00:16:29) The Origins of Will's Investing Career (00:18:11) Stanford's Influence and Key Mentors (00:23:48) The Search Fund Model Explained (00:39:18) The Outsiders: From Concept to Acclaim (00:46:33) The Influence of Leverage and Share Buybacks (00:47:30) Personal Reflections on the Book's Impact (00:52:54) Experiments in Public Markets: CNX and Perimeter (00:58:35) The Evolution of Inorganic Growth Models (01:02:52) The Power of Long-Term Ownership (01:14:52) The Importance of Relationships and Learning
Today, we are dropping a special episode in the Invest Like the Best Feed. 50X is back, a fan favorite series from Will Thorndike and the team at Compounding Labs. Will's book, "The Outsiders," is one of the best business and investing books that you'll find. You'll hear him continuing his work in the hosting chair as he looks in detail at investments that have appreciated at least 50-fold.Season two features Asurion. Colossus is excited to partner with Will as he sits down with the management and investors behind this legendary investment. We kick off this special drop with a short interview that I did with Will on everything he learned studying this business, followed by the full three-part series. Learn more and dive into our research at 50xpodcast.com —- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Oberle. Oberle is a specialty insurance brokerage providing insurance services to search funds, independent sponsors, family offices, and private equity firms. Oberle supports its clients with a comprehensive insurance due diligence covering a wide range of items, including commercial insurance, Employee Benefits, key person life insurance, and reps and warranty coverage. Additionally, Oberle has a thriving personal lines practice, designed for entrepreneurs seeking a higher-level service and expertise when it comes to insuring one's home, vehicles, and valuables. If you're interested in connecting with the Oberle team: https://oberle-risk.com/50x — This episode is brought to you by System Six, a searcher-owned outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services firm that has been a great partner to us at Compounding Labs. With the right modern tools and a strong team, System Six will eliminate headache for you and give you time back so you can focus on growing your business. Whether you're a CEO or CFO stuck in the weeds, or an investor trying to support your CEOs and portfolio companies, reach out to hello@systemsix.comand mention the podcast for your first month of ongoing bookkeeping free. —- 50X is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of 50X, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Follow us on Twitter: @50Xpodcast | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to 50X (00:04:52) Patrick interviews Will Thorndike (00:18:16) The Early Days (‘95-‘01) with Kevin Taweel (01:24:44) The Flywheel Era (‘01-‘07) with Kevin Taweel (02:24:32) Retracing the Path to 100 times 50x with Irv Grousbeck
Today's episode is the finale of our season on Asurion, the world's leading tech care company with more than 300 million customers. In an interview with legendary long-time director, Irv Grousbeck, we discuss Irv's path to investing in Asurion, his stewardship across several cohorts of PE ownership, and compare Asurion to Irv's previous power law experience at Continental Cable. Learn more and dive into our research at 50xpodcast.com For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. —- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Oberle. Oberle is a specialty insurance brokerage providing insurance services to search funds, independent sponsors, family offices, and private equity firms. Oberle supports its clients with a comprehensive insurance due diligence covering a wide range of items, including commercial insurance, Employee Benefits, key person life insurance, and reps and warranty coverage. Additionally, Oberle has a thriving personal lines practice, designed for entrepreneurs seeking a higher-level service and expertise when it comes to insuring one's home, vehicles, and valuables. If you're interested in connecting with the Oberle team: https://oberle-risk.com/50x —- 50X is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of 50X, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Follow us on Twitter: @50Xpodcast | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to 50X (00:01:19) Sponsorship: Ramp (00:02:36) Sponsorship: Oberle (00:04:08) Irv Grousbeck Introduction (00:06:53) Irv's Background with Continental Cablevision (00:12:39) Meeting Kevin and Jim (00:16:52) Investing in Road Rescue (00:23:06) Early Success: Hold or Sell — Pivotal Moment? (00:27:30) TA Investment (00:30:29) Building the Team (00:35:49) Capital Allocation in the Search Fund Period (00:38:53) The Lock/line Acquisition (00:45:07) 2007 Equity Recap (00:47:22) Board Dynamics (00:52:23) Irv's Asurion Investment (00:53:43) Lessons in Management (00:55:28) Comparing Continental and Asurion
Today's episode is the second in a series of three on Asurion, the world's leading tech care company with more than 300 million customers. In an interview with Co-Founder and Chairman Kevin Taweel, we dive deep into Asurion's divinely discontent culture, hyper-rational approach to talent management, growth over $1 billion in sales, and transformational acquisition of Lock/line. Learn more and dive into our research at 50xpodcast.com For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. —- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Oberle Risk Strategies. Oberle is a specialty insurance brokerage providing insurance services to search funds, independent sponsors, family offices, and private equity firms. Oberle supports its clients with a comprehensive insurance due diligence covering a wide range of items, including commercial insurance, Employee Benefits, key person life insurance, and reps and warranty coverage. Additionally, Oberle has a thriving personal lines practice, designed for entrepreneurs seeking a higher-level service and expertise when it comes to insuring one's home, vehicles, and valuables. If you're interested in connecting with the Oberle team: https://oberle-risk.com/50x —- 50X is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of 50X, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Follow us on Twitter: @50Xpodcast | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to 50X (00:01:19) Sponsorship: Ramp (00:02:36) Sponsorship: Oberle Risk Strategies 00:04:08) Asurion Rebranding (00:05:58) Building the Team (00:15:39) Building the Culture (00:23:04) Talent and Compensation (00:31:51) Giving Back: Compassion Forward Program (00:36:26) Customer Concentration (00:41:07) Crisis Management (00:42:56) Strategy by Experimentation (00:43:08) Acquiring Lock/line (00:51:44) Integrating Lock/line (00:54:12) Capital Allocation in the TA Period (00:59:11) 2007 Equity Recap
Today's episode is the first in a series of three on Asurion, the world's leading tech care company with more than 300 million customers. In an interview with Co-Founder and Chairman Kevin Taweel, we explore Asurion's scrappy origins in roadside assistance, acquisitive entry into handset insurance, contentious capital allocation decisions, and much more. 50X is a podcast that dissects the anatomy of extraordinary long-term investments. The show is hosted by Will Thorndike and the team at Compounding Labs, and brought to you in partnership with Colossus. In each episode of 50X, we look in detail at an investment that has appreciated at least 50-fold. From the seat of the professional investor and occasionally the CEO, we explore its origins, evolution, and eventual outcome, studying key themes around long-term value creation ranging from operations, capital allocation, and culture to pivotal buy and sell decisions. To enhance the quality and depth of our interviews, we rigorously study each asset in advance, diving into all available public and private resources. Learn more and dive into our research at 50xpodcast.com For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. —- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by System Six, a searcher-owned outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services firm that has been a great partner to us at Compounding Labs. With the right modern tools and a strong team, System Six will eliminate headaches for you and give you time back so you can focus on growing your business. Whether you're a CEO or CFO stuck in the weeds, or an investor trying to support your CEOs and portfolio companies, reach out to hello@systemsix.com and mention the podcast for your first month of ongoing bookkeeping free. —- 50X is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of 50X, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Follow us on Twitter: @50Xpodcast | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to 50X (00:01:19) Sponsorship: Ramp (00:02:36) Sponsorship: System Six (00:03:44) Introduction to Kevin and Asurion (00:05:15) Kevin's Background Pre-Asurion (00:12:51) Origin of Kevin's Search Fund (00:19:11) Acquiring Road Rescue (00:27:23) Operating Road Rescue (00:38:41) Early Success: Hold or Sell — a Critical Early Decision? (00:44:11) Entry into Handset Insurance: Acquiring the Merrimac Group (00:51:51) Vertical Integration (00:57:51) Capital Allocation in the Search Fund Period (01:01:51) TA Investment
50X is back for Season 2! This season centers on Asurion, the world's leading tech care company with over 300 million customers. Hosted by Will Thorndike, author of The Outsiders and a co-founder at Compounding Labs, 50X aims to dissect the anatomy of investments that have appreciated at least 50-fold. We track the often circuitous route to exceptional long-term returns, exploring the foundations of value creation and how that rarest of investment commodities—conviction—is created, maintained, threatened, and sometimes lost. Episode One with Co-Founder and Chairman of Asurion, Kevin Taweel drops next Wednesday.
Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today. Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings, including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission. In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital. President Meredith earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
On this episode of the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show, Wayne Kimmel interviewed the Chairman of MGM, Paul Salem. Salem serves as Chairman of the Board of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), the global hospitality and entertainment company, and was formerly Chairman of MGM Growth Properties (NYSE: MGP) and is the Founder of Salem Capital Management and The Salem Foundation.Previously, Salem spent 27 years helping build and lead Providence Equity Partners, a global private equity firm specializing in the media, communication, and technology industries. Salem was a Senior Managing Director on Providence Equity's investment team and served as a member of the investment committee and management committees, helping grow the firm to over $50 billion of assets under management. In 1999, Salem established the London office for Providence Equity and in 2008 launched Providence Equity's credit affiliate, Benefit Street Partners. In 2014, Salem led the purchase of Merganser, a Providence Equity affiliate, and in 2017, formed Providence Public, a long/short hedge fund.Salem served as chairman or director for many of Providence Equity's portfolio companies, including Asurion, Eircom, Grupo TorreSur, Madison River Telecom, MetroNet (formerly AT&T Canada), PanAmSat, Tele1 Europe, Verio, and Wired Magazine.Salem is involved in the leadership of several non-profit organizations, including serving as Chairman at Woods Hole Oceanagraphic Institute, board member of Edesia Global Nutrition, and advisory board member of the Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University. He formerly served as Chairman of Year Up. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Brown University.Paul Salem:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-salem-42a807191/
We have 4 great guests on this week's new episode of Tech It OutFrom the 2015 CIAS auto show, I sit down John Cockburn, Chief Engineer for the Cadillac OPTIQ, and Jeff MacDonald, Chief Engineer for the Cadillac VISTIQ, to hear about this pair of sleek new electric vehiclesuBreakiFix by Asurion -- a leading tech repair company that specializes in same-day repairs for smartphones, tablets, and computers -- has a new announcement for gamers. We're joined by uBreakiFix CEO, Dave BarbutoAs if mortgage payments and property taxes weren't bad enough, soaring energy costs can really hit your wallet hard. To tell us how we can reduce out monthly utility bill, on the show we'll have David O'Reilly, VP of Home & Commercial Solutions Division at Schneider ElectricThank you to Visa and SanDisk for your partnership on Tech It Out
https://youtu.be/_cQHYzXaPnM?si=-I3f9XOEsMehvnqt Healthy New Year - 1 - Spiritual Strength: Unlocking the Power of Faith Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt! Happy New Year! RESET BUTTON!Big Goals. Reflect & Align Priorities. Changes Go Change the World Something that will help… GET HEALTHY. A healthy you can accomplish more… Healthy New Year We want this to be your healthiest year.It is GOD'S WILL for this to be your healthiest year. Our health focus: Jan 12 – Mental Mastery – Conquering your Thought Battles January 19 – Body Blueprint – Finding Your Health Design January 26 – Having the Heart, Eyes, & Voice to change your year. Feb 2 – Soul Food – Discover Heath from the Inside Out BE HERE!INVITE!GET HEALTHY! Today - Spiritual Strength: Unlocking the Power of Faith My Life is busy.I struggle to find time… -To go to the gym. -Sit back and enjoy life. -Do the things I love… hiking, movies, music I also struggle to find time for faith. Faith is my day job… but I find myself trapped in… -Email, spread sheets, budgets, meetings. -Social media pages -The car dropping kids off at school. -Phone calls – Spam Likely It is easy to go your whole day (or week) without thinking and talking to God. I remember sitting in a Starbucks one day… Staring at my phone as it buzzed…Multitasking childcare and social media…Trying to write a sermon……feeling completely overwhelmed. I was doing all the "right" religious things, but something was missing. I wasn't experiencing the peace that faith was supposed to bring. I was not healthy. Can we relate? We live in a world that's constantly demanding our attention. Recent studies… 2019 - The average person checks their phone 96 times per day. That's once every 10 minutes! (Asurion.com) 2023 – The average person checks their phone 144 times a day. That's once every 6.7 minutes! (Exploding Topics) The Trend is Real!We are too busy to be healthy… too busy to be spiritual. HONESTY TIME - For many of us, faith feels like one more thing on an already overwhelming to-do list. 65 % and 25 % Studies show that while 65% of Americans identify as Christians, only about 25% actively practice their faith beyond Sunday morning. (Pew Research 2019 & 2020) We might be this statistic? You might be thinking, "I believe in God, but what does that actually mean for my Tuesday afternoon?” “How does faith help me deal with my difficult coworker or my anxiety about the future?"We have the title of Christian.Do we have the life of Christ? Here's what's fascinating about Jesus - He never intended faith to be a Sunday-only experience. Jesus reframes how we think about spiritual health. Spiritual Health: From Obligation to PassionMatthew 22 The religious teacher (Pharisees) taught obligation… RULES, RULES, RULES. One day a pharisee asks Jesus what religious RULE is the most important. Matthew 22:37-39 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Notice: Jesus was asked about the RULES. 613 rules in the Old Testament. Jesus shifts from OBLIGATION to PASSION Spiritual Health: From Obligation to PassionMatthew 22 Spiritual health is NOT about keeping rules… but about love. Obligation… I must NOT murder – thou shalt not murder.Passion…I love God and others… out of love I will not murder… instead I love. Obligation… I must go to church…I must give…I must not cuss… Passion…I love to go to Church… worship God, serve others out of love. I love to Give… Thank you God for my job! I trust you God. I want to help others. Instead of cursing others… I will bless others. The power of life and death are in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21)… I want to speak LIFE AT ALL TIMES.
What does the VP of supply chain do in a major organization? How can proper supply chain tactics enhance business resilience? Why is human skill development essential to effective supply chain operations? To help answer these questions, we have Adam Malone joining us today on The Balancing Act Podcast. Adam is a leadership consultant and keynote speaker, aka, The Tenacious Operator. Adam is also the former VP of global supply chain at Asurion, so we're going to be focusing our attention on leadership, operations, and supply chain issues. Tune into episode 172 to hear Adam's story, his career "rocket-booster" moment, and his perspectives on resilient supply chains, and the value of building the skill of tenacity within organizations. Learn more about Adam Malone at: https://thetenaciousoperator.com/ Learn more about Andrew Temte at: www.andrewtemte.com
Things happen, and sometime your favorite smartphone might find itself in water. What should you do if you dropped your phone in a sink, a bowl, or forgot to take it out of your pocket and jumped into water? Water is your phone's worst enemy, capable of wiping out all your pictures and stored data. Fortunately, there are simple things and easy tips that'll cost you no money you can do to try to save your phone. #phonewater #dropphone TIMESTAMPS Take it out of the liquid immediately. 0:48 Turn it off. 1:42 Remove the battery. 2:10 Remove the SIM card, memory card, and all peripherals. 3:01 Dry the phone with a cloth or microfiber towel. 4:02 Don't use an oven, microwave, or hair dryer. 4:26 Gently shake your phone dry. 5:06 Put the phone in a vacuum bag. 5:32 Put it in a bowl of rice or another absorbent material. 5:59 Clean the phone with rubbing alcohol. 7:07 Store your phone in a safe, dry place. 7:48 Wait. 8:14 While you're waiting, check your warranty. 9:00 Turn it on, and cross your fingers. 9:30 Music: https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/... SUMMARY -The more exposure your phone has to the water, the more water will get inside the case and damage the internal components. -If the power stays on, the phone runs the risk of short-circuiting, which will cause more damage to the mechanisms inside. -If you can take the battery out, do it immediately. Removing the energy supply will help prevent the phone from being fried. -Remove all the covers and plugs that cover the charging port, headphone port, or any gap or slot in the phone. These can trap moisture inside the phone or be damaged themselves. -Avoid using paper as particles can come loose and clog up the ports of the phone. -The heat produced by a hair dryer can cause significant damage to the internal components of your phone, and vaporizing the moisture inside the phone can just spread it further. -Shaking your phone can get rid of a lot of those pesky droplets of moisture stuck inside the phone. -Put the phone in a plastic bag, and suck out the air with a vacuum cleaner or shop vac. -Uncooked rice is naturally absorbent, and water can flow right out of a phone and into the rice. Put the phone and all its parts in a bowl or jar of rice, and leave it there for at least 48 hours. -Try submerging your phone in circuit-safe cleaner or pure grain alcohol, which will absorb the moisture, clean any impurities, and ultimately evaporate without leaving a conductive residue. -Don't keep the phone in a jar of rice next to the sink or washing machine, for instance, where accidents can happen. -It is very, very important to give your phone at least 2 days to dry. -It's possible that you have your warranty through a third party vendor, such as Asurion or SquareTrade. They might cover accidental spills or submersion. -Once you're sure your phone is dry, you can plug it back in and try to turn it on. If it powers up, you're in business. Subscribe to Bright Side : https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: / brightside Instagram: / brightgram 5-Minute Crafts Youtube: https://www.goo.gl/8JVmuC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Key MomentsFrom Engineer to Data Leader (03:05)A Mindset Shift: Business Problem First, Data Second (9:31)Learning From Missteps (11:00)The Gazelle and the Lion Analogy (14:53) The Role of AI: Do Things, Do Things Better, and Do Better Things (25:58)Built to Last versus Built to Adapt (40:01) Key Quotes"Instead of a data-first mindset, you need to have a business problem-first and data-second mindset. That has helped me transform myself as a leader quite a bit.""It's more important to define the problem right than solving the problem. How can we understand what you're trying to solve, and how it impacts the stakeholder?"“The head of data analytics functions need to be business problem driven, empathy driven, and not technology-first minded or AI-first minded. Our objective is to solve the business problems of the organization. Data, AI, and tech are the enablers.”"In the past, we built capabilities to last. Now, the mindset has to be to build capabilities to adapt."MentionsIs Data Quality the Biggest Threat to Humanity? With Barr Moses and Olga MaydanchikResponsible AI InstituteTwo-Pizza RuleGirl Scouts STEM ClassesFrom Cancerman to Ironman: A Police Officer's Journey of Arresting IllnessHans ZimmerDeepak Jose Biography Deepak Jose is Vice President, Head of Data Sciences & Business Intelligence at Niagara Bottling. He is a member of the Forbes Tech Council, AWS Retail and CPG Executive Advisory Forum, industry standards associations, Editorial Board for CDO Magazine, and an advisor for startups and AI analytics service companies.Before Niagara, Jose was part of global brands like Coca-Cola, Mars, ABB Group, Asurion and Mu Sigma in strategic roles driving business growth. He was named to the 2023 Consumer Good Visionaries by Consumer Goods Technology and Retail Info Systems News, the 2023 40 under 40 by CDO Magazine, the 2022 and 2023 Top 100 Innovators in Data & Analytics by Corinium Global Intelligence, the 2023 100 Most Influential AI Leaders in USA by AIM Research, the 2023 Direct 60 List by The Lead, and the 2023 DataIQ 100 lists. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.
This episode's interview is with Nicholas May, the General Manager of Customer Success & New Business Development at Asurion.Nicholas shares stories and advice based on his management experiences, including the importance of:Building bidirectional trustPutting yourself in the shoes of those who are on your team to understand where they are coming fromLearning from everyoneClearly communicating the mission, strategy, goals, and objectives and being honest with people about their role and how they fit inCharting your own courseHe answers the same questions as each podcast guest:How do your values impact your management philosophy?Who or what has had the most impact on your management style?What book has made the biggest impact on you?
Today, our guest is Shira Gershoni, seasoned product management executive, with 15 years of experience in eCommerce and SaaS product development across North America and Europe. Shira started her career in web development and later transitioned to technical product management while at Eternity-IT, followed by leadership positions at NeoGames, Soluto, and Asurion. On today's episode, Jennifer talks to LogRocket's CEO and Head of Product, Matt Arbesfeld, about the significance of focusing on creating omnichannel experiences, why using AI enhances user experiences and making data-driven decisions, and how a culture of iteration in product is more impactful than aiming for perfection. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/shira-gershoni-vp-product/ https://blog.logrocket.com/product-management/leader-spotlight-shira-gershoni/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:05 Omnichannel in practice 01:51 Understanding personas 02:56 Challenges in omnichannel transition 04:22 Managing digital and physical products 06:24 The role of product managers 13:00 Kickoff meetings and iteration 22:04 Leveraging AI in product management 26:27 Outro What does LogRocket do? LogRocket provides AI-first session replay and analytics that surfaces UX and technical issues impacting user experiences. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Shira Gershoni.
In this episode of the Investing in Integrity podcast, Ross Overline, CEO and co-founder of Scholars of Finance, speaks with Joel Peterson, Chairman and Founder of Peterson Partners, Consulting Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and best-selling author of Entrepreneurial Leadership and the upcoming book, Juggling Glass and Rubber Balls. The conversation starts with discussing the importance of trust while building high-performing teams. Joel emphasizes the need for integrity and delivering on promises to build trust within an organization. He also highlights the importance of empowering leadership and creating a high-trust culture. The conversation segues to the topic of family and work-life harmony, and Joel shares his personal experience of balancing a demanding career with raising seven children. He introduces his new book, "Juggling Glass and Rubber Balls," which focuses on finding harmony in life and defining success in terms of maturity in different aspects of life. Ross and Joel then discuss the role of values and priorities in driving personal and professional growth. Joel emphasizes the importance of assessing where one spends one's time, money, and mindshare to determine one's actual values and priorities. They also discuss the significance of virtues and how many people overlook them. Joel mentions that supporting an organization like SOF (Scholars of Finance) is essential because it instills virtues in tomorrow's financial leaders. Meet Joel Peterson Joel Peterson has been on the Graduate School of Business faculty at Stanford University since 1992, teaching courses in real estate investment, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Joel served as Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford from 2016 to 2019. He also served as Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways for 12 years (2008-2020) and is on the boards of Franklin Covey and Packsize. Before Stanford Business School and founding Peterson Partners, Joel was Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Company, the world's then-largest private commercial real estate development firm. He has also served as the Chairman at the Hoover Institute and is an advisor and investor in firms like HireVue and ICON Aircraft. Joel has also been a Board Member at IT giant Asurion for 10 years and a Managing Partner at Trammel Crow Company. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University, where he was valedictorian. Joel is the author of Entrepreneurial Leadership: The Art of Launching New Ventures, Inspiring Others, and Running Stuff and The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds that Make a Business Great.
Elder Alvin F. "Trip" Meredith III is the president of Brigham Young University–Idaho and a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to his call as a General Authority, Elder Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and previously served as a missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission, as an elders quorum president, bishop, and stake president. Elder Meredith received a bachelor of science degree in Psychology from BYU, and a master of business administration in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In his professional career, he worked as a Six Sigma black belt for GE Capital, as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group, and as a senior vice president at Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Elder Meredith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and married Jennifer Edgin. They are the parents of six children. Links There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts. Transcript coming soon Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library Highlights In this podcast conversation, Elder Meredith shares insights on his approach to leadership, emphasizing the importance of listening and seeking revelation. He highlights the significance of focusing on individuals and fostering spiritual momentum in leadership roles. The episode also touches on the challenges and joys of working with the rising generation, particularly in the context of YSAs. Throughout the interview, Elder Meredith reflects on the lessons learned from various leadership positions, including serving as a stake president, mission president, and Area 70. He emphasizes the importance of pointing individuals to the Savior, aligning with the counsel of living prophets and apostles, and conveying the joy of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:03:30 - President Alvin F. Meredith III's Background and Name 00:08:58 - Transition to BYU-Idaho 00:13:19 - Approach to Leadership at BYU-Idaho 00:22:21 - Leadership Lessons from Tennessee 00:28:12 - Transition to Mission President 00:36:22 - Leadership Journey in Utah 00:41:49 - Focus on the Rising Generation 00:45:29 - Encouraging Joy in Living the Gospel The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, Kirby Heyborne, and many more in over 700 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.
Live-Fire LeadershipDave Barbuto, CEO at uBreakiFix by Asurion, shares his incredible journey from Combat Veteran to CEO.In one humbling military exercise, his entire leadership perspective was forged. Now he uses this lesson to inspire leaders across their 700 stores serving millions of customers.He's never forgotten it, and you won't either.-----uBreakiFix repair experts fix anything with a power button at nearly 700 stores across the U.S helping millions of customers get reconnected to what matters most. -----LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-barbuto-1b34002/Company Link: https://ubreakifix.com/Company Link: https://www.asurion.com/What You'll Discover in this Episode:A CEO's Journey from Infantry to the C-Suite.Three Strategies to Foster Team Loyalty.A Strategy to Build the Ultimate Learning Culture-----Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben FanningSpeaking and Training inquiresSubscribe to my Youtube channelLinkedInInstagramTwitter
In this podcast episode, Deepak Jose, a Data Analytics and AI Expert with experience in companies like Coca-Cola, ABB, Asurion, and Mars, discusses the importance of adopting a value-first mindset over a technology-first approach in leveraging data and analytics for decision-making. He emphasizes the need to invert the traditional pyramid approach by identifying key business problems and their value, thereby prioritizing business outcomes. Deepak shares insights on building adaptable and flexible data architectures that can support rapid experimentation and leverage new technologies like Generative AI (Gen AI), advocating for a future-proof and agile mindset in data analytics. He also underlines the significance of responsible AI usage, the need for a desirability, viability, and feasibility framework for prioritizing AI initiatives, and strategies for enhancing adoption and upscaling to maximize the benefits of AI tools. The conversation includes the concept of AI champions within organizations and concludes with Deepak sharing an inspirational quote from Mother Teresa, encouraging listeners to pursue their passions with great love. Highlights 00:15 The Power of Data Analytics in Decision-Making 01:25 Inverting the Data Pyramid: A Value-First Approach 04:55 The Importance of Flexibility and Adaptability in Data Architecture 07:07 Navigating the Future with Generative AI 09:30 Building Solutions with a Business Problem-First Mindset 21:32 The Role of AI Champions in Business Transformation ---- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek. We would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.comHave questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)
In this episode, Claire speaks to Julian Hooks, principal SEO consultant at Advertising Commissions and Senior Manager of SEO at Asurion, about the importance of customer-centricity in an industry obsessed with chasing the latest SEO trend or ranking factors study.Listen to learn:Julian's five-point guide to a customer-led strategyHow to use customer insights and pain points to understand and serve customers betterHow to maintain customer focus as a business scales, and why communication is at the heart of itWhich brands and businesses are getting customer-centricity right, and why it works for themHow to use data and analytics to identify trends and address issues at a granular levelResourcesJulian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhooks/Advertising Commissions LLC: https://www.advertising-commissions.com/Asurion: https://www.asurion.com/See Julian speak at BrightonSEO San Diego: https://us.brightonseo.com/talks/beyond-algorithms-customer-centric-seo-as-the-key-to-long-term-successGet started with Search: a developer's guide, from Google: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/get-started-developersRand Fishkin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkinRand Fishkin's company, Sparktoro: https://sparktoro.com/Nicole DeLeon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleldeleon/Nicole DeLeon's company, North Star Inbound: https://www.northstarinbound.com/Product-led SEO, by Eli Schwartz: https://www.elischwartz.co/book
Gain more insights from industry leading experts - https://bit.ly/48etn7O Let us know your thoughts about product leadership, effective management strategies, and setting the stage for a successful first 90 days in product management in the comments below.... and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE for more content about product management! About Productside: There's a reason product leaders at Amazon, Disney, PwC, and more have partnered with us to implement a customer-centric product approach. Lean on us to guide your team through outcome driven Product Management best practices and watch them launch products that people want to buy and use! ADDITIONAL CONTENT: - Blog: A Guide for Product Marketing Managers to Overcome GTM Struggles - https://bit.ly/49Yd6pg - Webinar: Go To Market Strategies in Product Management - https://bit.ly/4aaqnuC - The Productside Leader Pack - https://bit.ly/3TEi7wq - Women In Product Management (Shira Gershoni, Asurion) - https://bit.ly/4cD4BBC Stay Current On Our Socials: LinkedIn- https://bit.ly/3xhMZeJ Facebook- https://bit.ly/3THZnMB Instagram- https://bit.ly/3xsoV8E Twitter- https://bit.ly/4afDjjk
Welcome to our Productside Stories Segment "Trailblazing Women In Product Management", where we dive deep into the world of product management and highlight trailblazing women in the field. In this episode, join host Nicole Tieche as she interviews Shira Gershoni, Vice President of Product Management at Asurion. Shira shares her inspiring journey into product management, starting from her military service to becoming a key leader at a global tech company. Discover Shira's insights on working with diverse stakeholders, the importance of understanding your audience, and how personal experiences can shape your approach to product management. Shira also offers valuable advice for women aspiring to break into the product management space, emphasizing the significance of passion, resourcefulness, and finding mentors along the way. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives and empowering stories from the dynamic world of product management. Subscribe now to "Productside Stories" for more inspiring conversations with industry leaders! Learn more at Productside.com
On this episode of The Internship Show, we get a chance to hear an update on internships at Asurion. Kate shares how the program has evolved over the last few years, shares some recent intern feedback and more.
In this episode of How I Grew This, Omar Seyal, Head of Product at Cambly, joins Mada Seghete to dive into the realm of product growth, customer retention, SEO, user behavior, and personal growth in the tech industry. Cambly is an English learning marketplace where students can select tens of thousands of tutors to learn and practice English. Before Cambly, Omar was the Head of Core Product at Pinterest, Co-Founder of Egomotion, and Engineering Manager at Asurion.
On this week's episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Donna Drehmann, who has held customer service leadership roles at companies such as Postmates, Asurion, and TikTok, discusses the pivotal role of managing controllable elements such as training and quality assurance (QA) in contact centers. Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.
Steve Pretre, partner at World Innovation Lab (WiL), takes us on an extraordinary journey from his upbringing in Silicon Valley to becoming a key player in the insurtech and venture capital worlds. He shares the thrilling journey of starting Metromile and leading it through the IPO stage, highlighting some of the biggest challenges of starting an insurtech startup. Steve also dispels the skepticism about corporate venture capital firms (CVCs).In this episode, you'll learn:[3:47] Discover invaluable lessons from the pioneers of the insurtech industry[7:40] The story of Metromile: “I was excited and naive enough to think that we could pull that off.” - Steve Pretre[15:43] Early-stage investing isn't just about funds but also about providing strategic support to startups[22:40] Insights into corporate venture capital and why alignment of goals is paramount[27:18] The importance of staying true to your business vision and not blindly following VC adviceThe non-profit organization that Steve is passionate about: Woodside WildebeestsAbout Steve PretreSteve Pretre is a partner at World Innovation Lab. He is a veteran of multiple successful startups and has deep operating experience across product development, marketing, and strategic planning. Prior to joining World Innovation Lab, Steve was the co-founder and CEO of Metromile, an early innovator that paved the path for the current wave of insurance startups. He also held executive roles at Asurion, leading their mobile applications business unit as the company grew.About World Innovation LabWorld Innovation Lab is a venture capital fund supported by various governments and global corporations. WiL invests in companies looking to expand into new markets. They assist US startups in entering Japan and Asia and support Japanese startups in global expansion. Notable recent direct investments include Algolia, Asana, Automation Anywhere, Auth0, DataRobot, Kong, Mercari, MURAL, TransferWise, and Unqork. WiL also supports established and emerging venture funds. Additionally, they collaborate with corporate investors to enhance innovation through new business creation, startup partnerships, and cultural change. WiL acts as a bridge between startups and corporations in key innovation hubs globally, initially focusing on Japan and the US. Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.
Research with employees might sound easy in theory: you work in the same company as the people you need to observe or interview, and you might not even need to pay them for input. However, there's a bit more to it than meets the eye. In this episode, we feature UX Master Certified Angie Li, and she discusses what has helped her organize and run successful research with internal team members. Learn more about Angie Li NN/g Articles & Training Courses Employees as Usability-Test Participants (free article) Structuring Intranet Discovery & Design Research (free article) Ethnographic User Research (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) User Interviews (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) Usability Testing (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)
Ross is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners in Boston. He began his career in private equity over 35 years ago. Ross joined Berkshire Partners in 1993 and became a Managing Director of the firm in 2000. During his tenure, Ross has represented the firm's interests on a wide range of portfolio company boards, including: Advanced Drainage Systems, Asurion, Bare Escentuals, Carter's, Inc., CrossFit, Melissa & Doug, Torres Unidas, and Tower Development Corporation. Prior to Berkshire Partners, Ross worked at a start-up merchant bank, at Bain & Co. and in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Ross enjoys travel adventures with his family, exploring the great outdoors, and a variety of sports including biking, golf, tennis, and skiing. He is engaged in several non-profit organizations including The Imago Dei Fund, which he cofounded with his wife, Emily, in 2010, Seed a Stanford GSB-led initiative that is working to end the cycle of global poverty, and the Dartmouth College President's Leadership Council. Ross and Emily raised their three now grown children in Needham, Massachusetts, where they currently reside.
Angie Li, a Product Design Manager at Asurion, shares critical and cost-effective ways to simplify your website for a better user experience. Listen in as Li breaks down usability testing activities that will set you and your audience up for success!
In this episode of How I Grew This, Omar Seyal, Head of Product at Cambly, joins Mada Seghete to dive into the realm of product growth, customer retention, SEO, user behavior, and personal growth in the tech industry. Cambly is an English learning marketplace where students can select tens of thousands of tutors to learn and practice English. Before Cambly, Omar was the Head of Core Product at Pinterest, Co-Founder of Egomotion, and Engineering Manager at Asurion.
How do you manage and measure product managers? What is the Shape Up methodology and why should you care about it? How do you build a process that creates great products?These are some of the question Tom asks sales and product management veteran Amin Haidar, a six year veteran of Asurion, one of the largest and most profitable private tech companies in America. Tom first met Amin while he was still in college, working full-time at Healthstream while getting his degree. His intelligence, ambition and work ethic made a great impression on every one in leadership, To, included.Amin and Tom discuss how the Shape Up methodology works, how to choose what ideas to invest in as a product manager. Amin discusses how Asurion time-boxes work into five week chunks and focuses their teams work on one thing at a time with seven person teams. Amin talks about how avoids client commitments and manages his now timeline, how he manages urgent requests, how he judges the effectiveness of his product managers, and how he gives feedback in the moment. Amin describes product management as the art of creating a process that creates great products. Amin talks about his transition from a start-up to a large mature organization like Asurion. Amin talks about his style as servant leader and when he knows he needs to be directive and what he does to support his reports when that happens. Amin talks about how he encourages his reports to question him how he tries to have no ego with his teams. Amin talks about leadership's job is to make everyone else successful and how he creates a context for making decisions by keeping things objective as much as he can. Finally, Tom andAmin talk abut the meaning of success and raising kids.
The post Michaela Pacelli's story of autism plus Asurion's journey with DARS appeared first on VR Workforce Studio.
This episode's interview is with Alex Scott, Project Manager at Asurion.Alex shares stories and advice based on her management experiences including the importance of building trust, being transparent, and demonstrating servant leadership.She answers the same questions as each podcast guest:How do your values impact your management philosophy?Who or what has had the most impact on your management style?What book has made the biggest impact on you?
Jenifer Rogers is an executive with Asurion in Japan where she has lived for many years. She learned early in her career to advocate for herself and let people know how qualified she was to take on new opportunities. Jenifer believes companies can help career women by helping them explain their ambitions. As a woman and foreigner, she serves on four Japanese company boards being where she feels empowered to share her views. Her parents encouraged her to try many things as a child including music and gymnastics. What a great episode on LeadingShe.com! LeadingShe.com Instagram.com/LeadingShe Facebook.com/LeadingShe https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadingshe/
Yanos is a Nashville-based Product designer at Asurion. He has a background in sales and graphic design, amounting to 10 years of experience in customer digital communication. As a human interaction designer, he honed my skills in paying strong attention to detail and design quality. Yonas is passionate about tech, design, and their abilities to better our world. He firmly believes that design and technology can help sustain our economy and environment and help communities worldwide solve challenging problems.
Brandon Evans reconnects with former co-worker Marqueze “Q” Sawyers, a Senior Manager of Software Engineering at Asurion, as they chat about moving fast while failing safely while developing cloud-based applications, using tools like GitHub actions to enable security pipelines in a DevSecOps environment, and making security look as cool as it is for Security Champions and engineers.Our Guest - Marqueze SawyersTwitter: https://twitter.com/MarquezeSawyersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marqueze-sawyers-7a430467/Resources mentioned in this episode:Blacks in TechnologyAsurion Marketing SiteSPONSER NOTE: Support for Cloud Ace podcast comes from SANS Institute. If you like the topics covered in this podcast and would like to learn more about cloud security, SANS Cloud Security curriculum is here to support your journey into building, deploying, and managing secure cloud infrastructure, platforms, and applications. Whether you are on a technical flight plan, or a leadership one, SANS Cloud Security curriculum has resources, training, and certifications to fit your needs. Focus on where the cloud is going, not where it is today. Your organization is going to need someone with hands-on technical experience and cloud security-specific knowledge. You will be prepared not only for your current role, but also for a cutting-edge future in cloud security. Review and Download Cloud Security Resources: sans.org/cloud-security/ Join our growing and diverse community of cloud security professionals on your platform of choice: Discord | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube
Ubreakifix is an electronics repair shop, offering repairing services for a wide range of products from mobile phones to gaming consoles. Founded in 2009 in Florida by Justin Wetherill after he broke his brand new iPhone 3G, Ubreakifix has over 600 stores as of 2021. In September of 2021, Ubreakifix stopped offering franchises under that name and new franchises are offered under the name Asurion. This podcast was based on an exclusive Vetted Biz analysis, click here for the full report: https://www.vettedbiz.com/ubreakifix-franchise/ Need help finding the right franchise? Click here: https://www.vettedbiz.com/franchise-search/ 00:00 Introduction 00:27 uBreakiFix Franchise Fee & Costs 00:48 Franchisee Requirements 01:15 Franchise Sales 01:33 Selling a uBreakiFix Franchise 01:55 Franchise Locations 03:03 Conclusion #UbreakIFixFranchise #FranchiseFindings If you are looking for more information, you can connect with us through our networks: https://www.vettedbiz.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/vettedbiz/ https://www.facebook.com/vettedbiz
Asurion layoffs could top 1,000, 'at all levels,' company says. Asurion Nashville layoffs are picking up as reported by the Nashville Business Journal as SHTF 2022. Expect more mass layoffs 2022. https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbFctcmRNdGEtZXBkblB0bUhPTHRJeDh0OG1Jd3xBQ3Jtc0ttMzdxMkpkVURSVlZGbFVhQ3c0eTR0eDFXMkV4cGM2d3FJRWJkMEhIMTY1bVlXaUhITXZ4VG1zbm1oM1hKSmJ3REhkUXRHZ25ZS09YdXd6aFpUU0g4dllib0hYSkVSSXEwdHFzU2xBQXNoR1BpUzB6VQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fnashville%2Fnews%2F2022%2F07%2F20%2Fasurion-layoffs-statement.html&v=YHSma_F0kao
Andrew Ou is an award-winning UX strategist, designer and author based in Vancouver, BC. He helps SaaS companies increase their revenue and profitability by reducing cost of support and while building a better customer experience. His past clients include HSBC, Rosetta Stone, and Asurion. Questions Can you share in your owns words, a little bit about your journey, how did you get to where you are today? Now, customer experience, SaaS products, support services, can you share with us maybe some trends that you see emerging or have emerged since 2022 as it relates to this part of service delivery or customer experience? From a UX strategy point of view if you're building a product, how does the client or the customer travel through the journey that you are taking them through in a digital way, while still holding all of the same principles and values that you would if it was a face to face interaction, or even over the phone? So, how can we translate that in a positive way? And if it's not done positively? Why would it impact our revenue and profitability? One of the other things that we do get asked a lot is, how can we reduce the cost of customer support? So, what's one way? Would the strategy, putting something in place that eradicates that complaint from coming forward again be one way to reduce customer support? And are there any other ways? Could you also share with our audience maybe I would say 1 to 3 tips that you believe will help organizations build a better customer experience? Could you also share with our audience what's the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? Could you also share with us maybe one or two books that you have read, it could be a book that you read recently, or maybe one that you read a very long time ago, but it has had a big impact on you. Could you also share with us what's one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. Where can listeners find you online? Do you have a quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you will tend to revert to this quote, it kind of helps to get you back on track if for any reason you got derailed or you got off track. Highlights Andrew's Journey Me: So, we always like to give our guests the opportunity to share in their own words, a little bit about their journeys. So, how did you get to where you are today? I know we read like a brief bio, but it's always good to get in guests own words, a little bit about their own journey. Andrew shared that he started off in UX design, he's been doing that for he thinks over around 8 to 10 years now. And like Yanique mentioned, he used to work for companies like HSBC, Asurion and fit brains Rosetta Stone. And now he's just sort of running his own consultancy where he helps SaaS founders build beautiful products that impact the world. And a lot of that has to do with creating an excellent customer journey and a good customer experience. Customer Experience, SaaS Products, Support Service – Trends Emerging Since 2022 as it Relates to Service Delivery and Customer Experience Me: Now, customer experience, SaaS products, support services, can you share with us maybe some trends that you see emerging or have emerged since 2022 as it relates to this part of service delivery or customer experience? Andrew shared that he thinks there's a very interesting intersection between customer experience and user experience, mainly that, both of the words and with experience and so it's a very interesting intersection, because they sort of do affect each other. And a lot of the overarching trend is that we're always moving towards a better user experience and what he noticed is that when there's a customer experience issue, it typically always comes back to something related to sort of the design of the product and that's where users get stuck. So, one of the things he noticed is that when there's a support issue, and you can actually fix it and make the product better from a user experience standpoint, and by getting to the root cause, it actually improves the product by a lot and there are a lot of benefits to it. UX Strategy – How Does the Customer Travel Through the Journey and its Impact on Revenue and Profitability Me: A lot of our listeners are also interested in the direct correlation between revenue profitability and customer experience. From a UX strategy point of view, how are you going to use an experience? Because whereas customer experience probably talks to the more tangible, user experience is probably more talking about the digital experience? Like, if you're building a product, how does the client or the customer travel through the journey that you are taking them through in a digital way, while still holding all of the same principles and values that you would if it was a face to face interaction, or even over the phone? So, how can we translate that in a positive way? And if it's not done positively? Why would it impact our revenue and profitability? Andrew shared that the thing you have to realize is that, like, when a user is using your product, they sort of have an idea of how to use the product and that's sort of like a customer's intuition on how the product should work. So, when you're designing a product, you should always keep that in mind and also set the expectations so that the users know where they are in the journey. Now, a big part of where customer experience comes into play is that, with a good product experience, for example, like Google, and most of the time he thinks like, if you never had like most of those users never probably have to contact Google because their product, they're just so easy to use. Now, the opposite of that is you're contacting a product for support, because experience is bad, and that's what happens, right? That's because somewhere along the way, you were trying to do something, and you couldn't do what you needed to do so then you need to contact support to get it done. So that's primarily what happens and that means there's a cost to support associated with that, that means you got to spend the resource into fixing that issue. So that's how like a bad customer experience makes a direct impact, or has a direct impact on the revenue and profitability. Because you shouldn't rely on customer support to help your users navigate the product. And if you're seeing a really high cost of support in that aspect, that means there's a really sort of like a gap in the user experience. Me: So, dovetailing off of what you just said Andrew, what about those companies or products that don't have an avenue for you to get through to customer support. So, I've bought products already and as you mentioned, I've bucked up on a roadblock, and I need to get some assistance, and I go to their website, and the only avenue that they have for me to get through to someone is to send an email, they have no live chat with live agents, there is no telephone number there for me to actually call a number and get through. And sending an email, of course, is clearly not going to have my issue resolved in the next 5 or 10 minutes. What are your thoughts on companies that take that approach? Andrew shared that well, that means they definitely have a gap in the product experience, because you're in a situation where you need to contact support, but it's not there. So that means you must feel kind of frustrated, or you wanted to get your problem solved, but it's not available, right? Is that how you're feeling at that moment? And he would always like to say that it's really crucial that a company focuses on building a good customer experience, because that's how you get loyal users to come back to you and raving fans that love your product. So, if you sort of like have that cut off for customer support, and people are having trouble reaching the company where they actually needed, he doesn't think that's a really good strategy and users like you will get frustrated and that might negatively impact your relationship with that company. Me: So, then your recommendation is they should have an avenue by which you can actually get through to someone, a live human being who can answer your question, correct? Andrew stated that that's actually one of two strategies. So, yes, like talking to a human helps, but on the other hand, you can also look at when these problems occur, like why did they happen, and from a company strategy point of view, if you're having these issues come up pretty often, they should look into solving that so that it doesn't happen again and that will actually be a better strategy for improving the user experience. Reducing the Cost of Customer Support and Eradicate Complaints From Coming Forward Me: One of the other things that we do get asked a lot is, how can we reduce the cost of customer support? So, what's one way? Would the strategy, putting something in place that eradicates that complaint from coming forward again be one way to reduce customer support? And are there any other ways? Andrew stated absolutely. And that's coming from like a UX strategy point of view. So, he'll sort of tell you like a lot of what companies do when they have these issues, because he's experienced it himself. Andrew shares a story, he was using this product, it was like a LinkedIn outreach tool. And he was having trouble using it because he was expecting the software to function a certain way, but it didn't. So, then he had to contact support and then support was explaining to him like, “Oh, no, that's not how our product works. You got to use it this way, or do this and that. And then then you won't run into this issue.” And he's thinking like, if he's having this issue, there must be a lot of users who are also having it because the way that he had envisioned it to work was actually really, really different. So then, what's happening is these companies are training their customer experience reps to explain the product should function a certain way. And they have to do that over and over again, and it's not solving the root of the problem. So, what companies should actually do is, when they encounter these issues, and these issues, they're likely frequent, they should actually look at it from a design point of view and see how they can solve that because once they do, it leads to a lot of benefits downstream, like when you eliminate the root of the problem, you eliminate the cost of training and the cost of support and documentation for that problem, because they no longer exist. So, he thinks companies, when they face a situation where they're seeing the same support issues over and over again, they should look into solving that and getting to the root of that problem and solving that directly. And that will actually ease up the support volume, and also reduce the cost of support. Tips that Will Help Organizations Build a Better Customer Experience Andrew shared that he thinks number one, is you got to be really customer centric and that means doing your best to make sure that you give the customers the best experience in whatever avenue. So, if they're having troubles, become human and try to help them solve that problem directly, instead of being so strict or so robotic, and your policies. And he'll give you one example. He was using a software a while ago, and he had forgotten to turn off my billing, and they just billed him without even telling me and they didn't even send out emails or anything. So, he sort of felt like a complaint because he was not happy with the way they were doing things. And they actually responded and there's two ways that they could have gone, one is they just say, “Well, sorry, according to our policy, we don't actually offer any refunds.” But the support rep was really, really human and sort of talked to him in a way that was human and really nice and she actually helped him solve that problem. And he actually appreciated that, that gave him so much more like hope and happiness, because he really appreciated the fact that they were customer centric. And being that, it makes him want to become more of their customer. So, he thinks that's definitely the most important tip. Because if you focus on just giving value to your customers, he thinks your customers will really appreciate that. And he thinks the second thing is, again, sort of similar. But again, it's focusing on the user experience side of things because if you really focus on building a great customer experience, you'll have like an amazing product and the benchmark of a really amazing product is that it doesn't require so much support for the user to navigate the product and learn how to use it. App, Website or Tool that Andrew Absolutely Can't Live Without in His Business When asked about an online resource that he cannot live without in his business, Andrew stated that that's a sort of interesting one. He thinks from like a business owner's perspective, he thinks tools that helped him eliminate time, like, count Calendly, for example, definitely helps just clean things up. He definitely thinks he can't live without that, because organizing all his meetings and becoming aware of them. Getting like a good email is also good because, again, it helps him organize his time and everything. He guesses that's coming from more of like a business owner perspective. Getting all your tools done, the main idea is to cut out all the little things, all the little distractions, and any tools that will help you do that, it's something that you want to look into. Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Andrew When asked about books that have had an impact, Andrew shared stated that this is going to sound interesting, because this book isn't really like a design book, it's actually a martial arts book from Bruce Lee called the Toa of Jeet Kune Do. But what he really appreciated from this book was just the philosophies in there were just so eye opening, it talks a lot about like, simplicity and everything. So, it talks about like a lot of principles of simplicity, economy and efficiency when it comes to martial arts and it's totally different, he gets it. But he's adapted a lot of that principles in his design. So, that means, like a lot of his design principles actually come from that, simplifying things when it comes to designing interfaces, so on and so forth. And it's really just mind opening. What Andrew is Really Excited About Now! Andrew shared that right now he's helping tech founders build amazing products. And he thinks just the whole idea of, he's the kind of person where he really likes to improve things. So, when he's working on these projects, he thinks about how much they can impact users in the world. And so, he's also making it efficient for himself to help other tech founders do that. And that to him is really exciting to help a lot of tech founders build amazing products, and really seeing a lot of their ideas and then talking about ideas, working through them and then coming up with solutions that really help other people. Where Can We Find Andrew Online Website – www.andrewou.com Andrew also shared that he has a gift for all the listeners here, it's an 8 page like super easy to read PDF that you can consume in 8 minutes or less. And it's about the 5 ways UX can help SaaS companies increase revenue and profitability. And that's on www.andrewou.com/guide Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Andrew Uses When asked about a quote or saying that he tends to revert to, Andrew shared that through his challenging times, there's one quote that keeps coming back to him and it's by Winston Churchill, and he thinks it goes something like this, it's like, “Out of immense complexities, immense simplicities emerge.” And for some reason, that just sticks with him, like if you're going through a really complicated process, or a part in your life, there's always going to be some light at the end of the tunnel and the answer to that is going to be fairly simple. Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners Links Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!
Small businesses and startups often find the process of scaling to be an uphill battle. In order to grow, they need to overcome several common challenges, including limited resources, lack of experience, and insufficient funding. However, with the right tools and strategies in place, scaling can be a successful process. In today's episode, Tommy talks with Jeff Brewer, Managing Partner at Hanok Ventures. After serving in the military for 14 years, Jeff transitioned into the private sector, where he held leadership positions at companies like General Electric, Asurion, and The Boston Consulting Group. Today, he focuses on helping small businesses. He has made it his mission to help them scale and develop new leaders. Jeff talks with Tommy about what led him into the private sector after his military achievements, why he prefers to work with small businesses over big corporations, and how he helps small businesses and new leaders scale and stay on top of their game. Key Takeaways [02:04] - Why Jeffrey called himself an “entrepreneurial coward”. [05:09] - A look back at Jeffrey's military career. [08:13] - What led Jeffrey into the private sector despite his military achievements. [10:22] - How Jeff got started in angel investing. [13:42] - How Jeff managed to keep his day job and work with small companies on the side. [16:46] - Jeff's biggest takeaways from working with Boston Consulting Group. [21:15] - Jeff's thought process for scaling a business. [25:23] - An example of how founders struggle with letting go. [31:44] - The challenges of working with family-owned businesses. [42:20] - The story behind the founding of Hanok Ventures. [46:27] - The role Jeff played in the businesses he bought. [52:05] - Jeff's thought process for bringing investors to Hanok Ventures. [53:08] - What Jeff looks for in companies he invests in. [55:28] - How Jeff serves both the ministry and business at the same time. Quotes [26:16] - "To get to that point where you start scaling, you cannot control everything in the organization anymore. You have to start delegating to your leadership team and allow them to thrive because they are now at a level and a capability set that's far beyond you in their particular area of expertise." - Jeff Brewer [27:12] - "To be successful and to scale, you have to release some of that authority and delegate properly. And that's not saying giving up everything to the company, to your leadership team, but giving up some of that allows them to grow in their capabilities. You've got to go through that mental and emotional process of letting go for your company to really reach that next level." - Jeff Brewer [50:53] - "I don't believe any successful, healthy transition that goes from what the legacy company was to what this new company is going to be will work unless the former CEO and the sellers of the business believe in that new CEO. All three of us on the new side of the organization have to be 100% aligned." - Jeff Brewer Links Jeff Brewer on LinkedIn Hanok Ventures Cornerstone Support GE Grid Solutions Good Spread Boston Consulting Group McKinsey Bain & Company Herschend Family Entertainment Jack Herschend Connect with our hosts Mammoth Tommy on LinkedIn Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Learn more about Mammoth Scientific's Health & Tech Fund 1 When you move beyond the point of making sure your retirement goals are on track, your investment opportunities are wider than just publicly traded funds. Step into the world of investing in venture capital by learning more about Mammoth Scientific's Health & Tech Fund 1. Curated by some of the leading medical and fintech experts, Mammoth's Fund 1 is paving the way for health science and tech innovation. If you're interested in helping patient care, provider insight, and instrumentation go beyond possibility and into reality, check it out today at Mammoth.vc. Visit Mammoth.vc today!
On this episode, Sabine VdL interviews Andrew Cons, CEO of Bolttech’s European operations, who talks about his leadership journey, acquiring expertise over the years in strategy, business improvement, and founding his own venture. KEY TAKEAWAYS Bolttech has grown from a PowerPoint to a unicorn within two years. It was different from the outset from anything I’d ever done before and that’s what really attracted me to the business, I had set up my own business before but this is unique in what we’re trying to do here. It’s a results-driven business and I’m a results-driven person, but I really love driving innovation and seeing that through to fruition, so when Bottech came to me I couldn’t really say no because it was such a great opportunity. The two big experiences where I’ve experienced great growth have been obviously here with Bolttech, building it from the ground up has been an amazing experience, and leading it from the front, setting the example, and building the culture in your own image is both exciting and a very privileged position to be in. Secondly, it was building out Asurion across Asia/Pacific, another big growth path that I took. Both paths bring a lot of pressure, but the pressure of growing a mature, stable business and doing that at lightning speed while simultaneously identifying and converting growth opportunities to make that happen is a privileged position to certainly be in. We connect insurers with distribution partners and then end customers. We’ve made a pretty good start on that mission so far, we achieved unicorn status with the largest ever Series A funding round for an InsurTech. To date, we’ve raised over $247 million from some key strategic investors. At the center of our business is the largest insurance exchange in the world, we now transact over $44 billion in quoted premiums annually. We see the digital ecosystem and ourselves as an enabler for our partners and our customers to gain the right protection at the time of need, which is really important. As a platform, what we are is the gel that sits and allows insurance carriers and distribution partners to deliver great insurance products on demand. BEST MOMENTS ‘I fell into insurance but I’ve really enjoyed all the roles I’ve had as well as starting up my own venture and whether it’s leaving transformational change to building successful businesses from the ground up, I’ve certainly learned a lot on the way.’ ‘I’ve been really lucky to build an amazing leadership team and organization that I believe is the best InsurTech business in Europe.’ ‘We’re a many-to-many ecosystem for our partners and customers, we bring them together.’ ‘Our mission is to become the world’s leading technologically enabled ecosystem. To deliver on that mission, we’ve developed the world’s largest insurance exchange, but on top of that we offer 5,000 insurance products – and growing – and we work with over 180 insurance providers to give that choice and quality of experience to our end customers.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Andrew Cons leads the Bolttech teams across Europe providing strategic and dynamic leadership as Bolttech builds the next generation of insurance services, protections, and ecosystems for Bolttech's existing and new partners in the European region. His experience spans a portfolio of businesses and a track record of results including extensive board-level leadership across technology, operations, and digital transformation. Andrew leads an agile, future-ready team that is focused on expanding Bolttech’s reach by driving sustainable growth in Europe. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, golfing, and spending time with his family. Bolttech: https://bolttech.io/ ABOUT THE HOST Sabine is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Managing Partner of Alchemy Crew, a venture lab that accelerates the curation, validation, and commercialization of new tech business models. Sabine is renowned within the insurance sector for building some of the most renowned tech startup accelerators around the world working with over 30 corporate insurers and accelerating over 100 startup ventures. Sabine is the co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, a top 50 Women in Tech, a FinTech and InsurTech Influencer, an investor & multi-award winner. Twitter: SabineVdL LinkedIn: Sabine VanderLinden Instagram: sabinevdLofficial Facebook: SabineVdLOfficial TikTok: sabinevdlofficial Email: podcast@sabinevdl.com Website: www.sabinevdl.comThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media
This week, we are talking about the evolution of impact investing with Steve Ellis, Co-Managing Partner of The Rise Fund. The Rise Fund was founded by leading global investment firm TPG, in partnership with Bono and Jeff Skoll. Prior to joining TPG as Managing Partner in 2015, Steve was the CEO of Asurion, the world's leading provider of tech protection services, and also served as the Global Managing Partner of Bain & Company. In this episode, we talk to Steve about their mission and leadership team at The Rise Fund, what climate tech solutions they are tracking, and how they are driving large-scale positive impact through their portfolio companies. Learn more about The Rise Fund and TPG. ClimateTech with Kentaro is produced by our incredible team at Persefoni and Hueman Group Media. Learn more about Persefoni and our climate management and accounting platform by subscribing to our weekly newsletter!
Episode Summary:Phil Bronner is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of D.C. based Ardent Venture Partners, which was co- founded in 2020 with fellow veteran investor Phil Herget. Phil has had an impressive 15-year career in venture prior to starting Ardent, leading 16 investments (was actively involved in 20) totaling over $100 million. He has also been on the entrepreneurial side, founding Quad Learning, a venture-backed startup acquired by Wellspring Higher Education. In this episode you'll learn more about Phil's background and experience working in venture, the challenges and humbling process of starting your own venture fund, and the key strategies and lessons he has learned thus far starting Ardent Ventures. What is Uncovered: Phil's experience in venture and what has surprised him the most starting Ardent Venture Partners The key strategies to think about when starting your first fund The importance of team vs finding the next big deal The changes in venture over the last 10-15 years The sheer number of accomplished VCs out there looking for funding The state of valuations today & predictions of what is to come within VCLearn More About:Phil Bronner:Phil Bronner is the co-founder of Ardent Venture Partners, a venture fund investing in companies that transform the way we work. He is currently on the board of Reserve Trust, Verituity, ExecOnline, OneMain Financial (OMF) and an investor in Method Financial and Collective. Before co-founding Ardent Venture Partners, Phil was Founder/Managing Member of Summer League Ventures (SLV). Active SLV deals include Morning consult, ExecOnline, Ordway Labs, Gather.ai, Anno.ai, and AirSide Mobile.Prior to SLV, Phil was a General Partner with Novak Biddle Venture Partners. Over the course of his 15-year career, he led 16 investments (was actively involved in 20) with investments totaling over $100 million. Three of Phil's series A investments went on to be worth $880 million or more. Investments include: 2U (TWOU), Infoblox (BLOX), SolidFire (Acquired by NetApp), AddThis (acquired by Oracle), Webs (Acquired by Vistaprint), Approva (Acquired by Infor), LifeShield Security (acquired by DirectTV), ClearStandards (Acquired by SAP), Social Gaming Network, and Logic Library (Acquired by SOA Software). In addition, Phil's past board observer seats include N.E.W. Customer Service Companies (acquired by Asurion), AnswerLogic, a natural language search engine (acquired by Primus Knowledge Systems), and Spectrum K12 (acquired by Power Schools). Phil was the founder of Quad Learning, a venture-backed startup acquired by Wellspring Higher Education, served as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and worked as a software engineer at IBM. Phil earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University; a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Law; and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Phil and Brooke live in Washington DC with their 3 kids: Dylan, Sophia, and Mason. Connect with Phil on LinkedIn. Ardent Venture Partners: With over 50 years combined of experience Ardent Venture Partners has proven time and again that the right combination of capital and active strategic support during the seed stage can create significant value and outsized returns for both Founders and investors. To learn more visit their website at https://ardent.vc/.
Andy Eilers graduated with Web Development Cohort 52. Born from the dusty fields of northeastern Colorado, I have lived a wild life. I ventured off one week after high school to start a five-year enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps. In the Marines, I worked as an aviation electrician on CH-53E helicopters. This journey took me to some amazing places, including Kosovo, Bahrain, and eventually Iraq. After completing my enlistment, for which I received an honorable discharge, I returned to Colorado to get a BA in broadcast journalism. Soon after graduation, I learned journalism wasn't my chosen field, nor was being a chef after a year of culinary arts school. I dabbled as an entrepreneur, liquor store manager, and finally wound up in insurance. I love to learn, and obtained numerous insurance industry certifications as well as an MBA with a concentration in IT Project Management. Needing a change of scenery, I took a chance by moving to Nashville nearly three years ago, and landed at Asurion. Still in love with technology, I jumped at the chance to become a software developer through the company's apprenticeship program. I have learned a ton through NSS, and have had just enough time to nearly complete an MS in software design and programming. Everything has brought me to this point, and I firmly believe that software development IS my chosen field.
Keosha Watkins graduated with Web Development Cohort 52. Lover of books turned lover of code. I've been fascinated by manipulating web pages since Myspace. I'm glad Asurion gave me the chance to follow this journey.
Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
641: Casey Santos, CIO of Asurion, discusses how her team is driving customer experience and how it is rooted in the employee experience at the company. Casey begins with how she views her role as a technologist within a tech-centric organization like Asurion as well as how Asurion oftentimes lives its customer journey as customer zero. She covers the role technology plays in Asurion's omnichannel approach, her experience onboarding remotely, and what the future of work looks like. Additionally, Casey gives her perspective on retaining talent during hybrid work, how she draws upon past experiences in her current role, and what the future holds for women in technology.
Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
633: In this interview, Casey and Sri discuss how they are tuning their approach to recruiting and retaining talent as we enter a post-pandemic world. They also share ways they are instilling lifelong learning as a part of their company cultures to drive continuous upskilling efforts. Finally, Casey talks about ramping up automation at Asurion and both her and Sri give tips on collaborating in hybrid working environments.
Daniel Coonrod, eLearning Production Manager at Bigger Brains, joins us to discuss the recipe for building the best, most engaging learner experience. How do you zero in on the best curriculum topics, how should the course be designed, and what is the proper length for each course? Daniel also discusses his current work building engaging video content with Bigger Brains and his “Fabulous Learning Nerds” podcast, which focuses on learning and development. Daniel Coonrod has been in learning and development for nearly a decade, falling into the profession on accident like so many others. Daniel has worked with some of the biggest names in tech (Samsung, Asurion) as a corporate trainer, instructional designer, and Manager. During his career Daniel has focused on building learner experiences, and as he stepped into leadership roles, worked with creatives to do the same. Daniel also Co-hosts the Fabulous Learning Nerds Podcast with Scott Schuette, and Abbie Dawson, a podcast focused on, you guessed it, learning and development. Recently Daniel joined the brains at Bigger Brains as they help to build amazing learner focused video content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
