Podcasts about b2b2c

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino interviews Sharon Samjitsingh, co-founder and CEO of Health Care Originals, a respiratory health startup using wearable technology and predictive AI to help asthma and COPD patients avoid flare-ups before they happen.Sharon shares her personal journey as an asthma patient and how that experience — paired with her background managing $150M+ in innovation deployments — led her to build a platform now supported by independently validated clinical results, $5.8M in ARR contracts, and a waitlist of 12,000+ patients. Founders will learn how to productize deep tech, unlock B2B2C healthcare sales, and design for scale in a hardware-software business model.Highlights include…Founder story: From chemical engineer to patient-turned-healthtech CEO (1:50)Product overview: Wearable + AI + coaching + environmental support (5:32)Predicting asthma attacks 3 months in advance (6:57)How to turn sensor data into behavior change, not just alerts (8:48)Proving outcomes: Clinical results, validation, and third-party guarantees (11:08)

Episode 179 with Warren Myers, CEO and co-founder of AURA, a life-saving technology platform revolutionising emergency response in Africa and globally. Warren is on a mission to make safety accessible to all by building the world's first global emergency response “clearing house” that instantly connects people in distress to the nearest vetted security or medical responders, anywhere in the world.Founded in South Africa, AURA is now the continent's largest network of private emergency responders and has expanded to the UK, Kenya, and recently, the United States. Backed by a €13.5M Series B round co-led by Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund and Partech, AURA is scaling rapidly and embedding its smart response technology into mobile apps, wearables, insurance products, and IoT platforms, reaching over 1.2 million users and securing 200,000+ properties.Warren shares the challenges of building a tech-driven safety net in Africa, why the U.S. market presents both urgency and opportunity, and how AURA is helping under-resourced public systems by filling the gap with faster, smarter, and more affordable private response.What We Discuss With WarrenThe personal and systemic challenges that inspired Warren Myers to launch AURA and reimagine emergency response in South Africa.How AURA's smart auto-dispatch platform is making security and medical assistance instantly accessible via mobile, APIs, and IoT devices. The importance of democratising access to safety in Africa, and how AURA's low-cost subscription model reaches underserved populations.AURA's B2B2C partnerships with companies like Uber, Samsung, and FNB to integrate life-saving services into everyday platforms.The strategy and significance of AURA's $14.6M Series B raise to expand into the U.S. and launch a global emergency “clearing house.”Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Africa's Untapped Health Data: Inside the Mission to Transform Africa's Health Data Economy? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser:LinkedIn - Terser AdamuInstagram - unlockingafricaTwitter (X) - @TerserAdamuConnect with Warren:LinkedIn - Warren Myers and AURADo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.ukSubscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and bonus material - Unlocking Africa Newsletter

Dans cet épisode, Laurent Kretz reçoit Johann Petit, Directeur Digital et Opérations de la maison Méert, institution pâtissière lilloise fondée en 1607. Ensemble, ils lèvent le voile sur les coulisses de la transformation digitale d'une marque patrimoniale, symbole de l'excellence gourmande française.Johann revient sur son parcours d'entrepreneur, la création et la revente de sa première société, et partage sans filtre les leçons tirées d'un rachat complexe. Il explique comment il a digitalisé Méert : préserver l'ADN de la marque tout en innovant, gérer la production en période de forte saisonnalité et déployer une stratégie omnicanale, du salon de thé Louis Vuitton à la distribution B2C, B2B2C et ChronodriveLes temps forts : 00:00:00 – Introduction00:07:00 – Parcours entrepreneurial de Johann Petit et premières expériences00:14:00 – Rachat de société, synergies et défis de l'omnicanalité00:21:00 – Gestion de la croissance, saisonnalité et distribution multicanale00:28:00 – Digitalisation de Méert : innovations, opérations et transmission00:35:00 – Leçons tirées des échecs, résilience et adaptation stratégique00:42:00 – Pérennité, transmission et conseils pour les entrepreneurs00:49:00 – Transmission, adaptation et gestion de l'héritage00:56:00 – Nouveaux marchés, international et perspectives d'avenirEt quelques dernières infos à vous partager : Suivez Le Panier sur Instagram lepanier.podcast !Inscrivez- vous à la newsletter sur lepanier.io pour cartonner en e-comm !Écoutez les épisodes sur Apple Podcasts, Spotify ou encore Podcast AddictLe Panier est un podcast produit par Cosa, du label Orso Media.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Brett Winton and ARK analyst Jozef Soja dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of AI agents—software entities that are increasingly automating enterprise functions like customer support. They explore why AI agents are gaining traction, how they're priced, and the potential for a new kind of agent-versus-agent arms race between companies and consumers. Later in the episode, they're joined by Dr. Alan Bekker, founder of eSelf.ai and former Head of Conversational AI at Snap, who shares his journey from building voice agents for call centers to launching a real-time, face-to-face AI tutoring platform. Alan offers insights into how the rise of large language models (LLM) is reshaping education, what makes a great AI tutor, and why a visual, embodied presence is crucial for learning.Key Points From This Episode:00:00:00 What enterprise AI agents actually do and how companies like Salesforce are pricing them00:03:41 Why $2 per AI conversation may already undercut human support costs00:05:04 The Return On Investment (ROI) model behind agent adoption and enterprise productivity00:06:41 Why agent-based software may retain higher pricing power than other AI tools00:09:11 The coming arms race: AI agents negotiating with other AI agents00:12:30 Scaling demand for customer service with intelligent automation00:15:04 Vertical vs. horizontal Software as a Service (SaaS) in the AI agent ecosystem00:16:43 AI's impact across the software stack—SaaS, Platform as a Service (PaaS) , and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)00:17:56 Why building your own AI apps may soon be cheaper than onboarding SaaS00:20:01 ARK's  internal hackathon and how non-engineers are becoming developers00:20:29 Guest: Dr. Alan Bekker joins to discuss the evolution of conversational AI00:22:04 The journey from decision trees to LLMs: Lessons from Snap's AI team00:27:32 Seeing GPT's impact from inside: OpenAI's early partner outreach00:31:47 Why face-to-face AI tutors found strong product-market fit in education00:33:59 eSelf's go-to-market strategy: Partnering with publishers as a business to business to consumer (B2B2C) wedge00:36:24 Pricing real-time AI tutoring tools in a margin-conscious market00:40:00 Business to consumer (B2C) aspirations: Moving toward a direct-to-student tutoring product00:44:56 What's still missing for real-time AI to match human-level teaching00:48:03 The psychological impact of avatars: Building trust through embodied agents00:51:43 Why personalization—not just LLM knowledge—matters in tutoring00:54:20 Democratizing learning: LLMs as the end of expert-driven education

On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with David Hirschfeld, owner of 18 year old business Tekyz, that boasts a hyperexceptional development team building high “ticket” products in the B2B space. They speak about ways in which AI is a gamechanger, how Tekyz backs their work for clients with relentless pursuit of quality, and how Tekyz practices ruthless compassion,to protect the company and enable it to grow Having collaborated with over 90 startups, he developed the Launch 1st Method—a systematic approach that minimizes risks and accelerates software company success with reduced reliance on investor funding, after observing that many companies launch a product first and then fail at a later stage – With Tekyz approach of Launch 1st exceptional founders are in love with the problem not the product.   David's expertise bridges cutting-edge AI technologies, workflow optimization, and startup ecosystem dynamics. When not transforming business strategies, he enjoys woodworking, golfing, and drawing leadership insights from his experience raising four successful sons. You can find out more about David and Tekyz at: https://sites.google.com/tekyz.com/david-hirschfeld?usp=sharing https://tekyz.podbean.com/ - Scaling Smarter Episodes. www.scalingsmarter.net - Schedule an interview https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirschfeld/ https://x.com/tekyzinc https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirschfeld/ https://www.facebook.com/dmhirschfeld       transcription:  00:04 Welcome  back to the Founders Sandbox.  I am Brenda McCabe, the host here on this monthly podcast, now in its third season. This podcast reaches entrepreneurs, business owners that are scaling. 00:31 professional service providers that provide services to these  entrepreneurs, and corporate board directors who, like me, are building resilient, purpose-driven, and scalable businesses with great corporate governance. My guests to this podcast are business owners themselves, professional service providers, and corporate directors who, like me, want to  use the power of the private company to build a better 01:01 world through storytelling with each of my guests in the sandbox. My goal is to provide a fun sandbox environment where we can equip one founder at a time to build a better world through great corporate governance. So today I'm absolutely delighted to have as my guest, David Hirschfeld. David is the owner and CEO of Techies, 17 or 18 year old business now that boasts 01:29 a hyper exceptional development team that are building high ticket products in the B2B space.  Welcome David to the Founder Sandbox. Hi Brenda and thanks for having me. Great. So I'm delighted that we  actually did a dry run in February.  We've known each other for some time  and AI, we're going to be touching on AI.  And I think that the world of AI 01:58 particularly in software development,  has changed significantly since we last spoke in February. So we're going to be getting into  some, I think, novel concepts for  the listeners of the Founder Sandbox. So I wanted to, you I always talk about how I like to work with  growth stage companies  that  typically are bootstrapped  and 02:26 It's only at a later stage do they seek institutional investment  by building great corporate governance  and reducing the reliance on investor funding  until such a time that they choose the right type of investors that can help them scale. So when I found out what you do at Techies with Launch First  and the type of work you do in B2B businesses, I absolutely wanted to have you here  on the  founder sandbox. 02:56 So let's jump right in, right? I think I'm eager to learn more about how to scale your bespoke development at Techies, right? To scale my own business? Okay. So there's a lot of different aspects to scaling my business and I bootstrapped for the last 18 years. 03:25 I've never taken any investment  with techies.  And I've  done that very specifically because  it gives me a lot of freedom. I don't have  a reporting structure that I have to worry about. That doesn't mean that I can be lazy with my team.  To grow my team, I have a philosophy 03:52 that I only hire people that are smarter than I am.  And the  ones that are in a position to hire, they can only hire people that are smarter than them. And by  really sticking to this philosophy, even though sometimes it makes us grow a little slower than we would like, it means that when we bring in people, those people  contribute immediately and contribute in a way 04:21 that it's our job to get the impediments out of their way and to facilitate them  so that they can contribute and  help us grow the company. So I call it  the ball rolls uphill  here because  my job is to support everybody that is above me, which is everybody. And then the people that I support directly, their job is to support the people that are above them. 04:51 Because if we're hiring correctly, then  people that we bring in can contribute in the area that we're bringing them in way more than the person that's hiring them. Okay. Thank you for that. So before you launched Techies, you had a career in companies like,  I  believe, Computer Associates, right? Texas Experiments and TelaMotorola. 05:19 There was a period of time between your  experience in these large corporations before your launch tech is where you actually had your own startup  and  you sold it in 2000, right? And I believe you also learned perhaps with the second startup about how hard it is to find product market fit. Can you talk to that for my listeners, please? 05:46 I don't know that it's that hard to find product market fit. It depends if that's your focus or not. If your focus is to nail down product market fit, then  it's not that hard to determine whether you can achieve that or not fairly quickly.  You can do that by  selling your product to potential customers.  That sounds strange. Of course, we all want to sell our products, but 06:14 What I'm suggesting is you start selling your product before you have a product, before you have a  full product. And I don't mean an MVP, but a design prototype. You go out to the market and you start to sell it. If you have product market fit and you've identified the early adopter in your market and you know that they have a very high  need from a perception perspective  and there's a big cost to the problem that you're solving. 06:45 then you can offer them a big enough value upfront that they'll buy your product early and you can prove that there's a market for your product and they'll buy it in enough numbers that you  can achieve a measurable  metric, which I kind of call the golden ratio, which is three to one in terms of what is the lifetime value of a customer versus what does it cost to acquire that customer? And you can get to that three to one ratio. 07:13 in a prelaunch sale model before you ever started developing your product as a way of proving product market fit. Or you pivot quickly and cheaply because you're not having to rebuild a product that you've built in the wrong way. Or you  fail fast and cheap. And every entrepreneur's first goal should be to fail fast and cheap. know that sounds backwards, but that should be your goal is that you can fail fast and cheap or if you 07:42 If you fail to fail fast and cheap, that means you've found a path to revenue  and  product market fit. And now you know you have a viable business. making the investment to build the product  is a no brainer.  And you came upon this methodology, right? Yes.  because you did yourself when you had your first company, you did not understand the funding part, right?  Can you talk? 08:12 a bit about your specific example and then how that's informed now 17 years of techies and over 90 projects with startups. Okay. So my first company was Bootstrap. Okay.  And that one was successful and we grew it despite  me, it was me and a partner. And  despite ourselves, we grew it  over eight years. 08:39 where he ended up with 800 customers in 22 countries and sold it to a publicly traded firm out of Toronto. That was in the product food, snack food distribution business because that was what our product was focused on. So I started another company about five years later, not realizing the things that I did the first time. 09:08 that made it  so successful,  which really fit the launch first model to a large degree.  But the second time I built a product that would have been successful had I followed my first model,  but I didn't. So I went the route of building an MVP and getting customers on a free version of it, and then going out and trying to raise money, which is the very classic approach that the SaaS products 09:38 take now.  And the problem is with that approach is that you end up digging a really deep hole  in terms of the investment that you make to build the product with enough functionality that you can convince people it's worth putting an investment in and you're not generating any revenue at the time. And I should have just started selling the product and generating subscription revenue right from the beginning. First of all, I would have been able to  raise money much more easily. 10:08 Secondly, I would have not needed to raise money as much if I'd focused on sales. The problem with a lot of founders is they fall in love with their product. They believe that people will buy it at enough numbers and that investors will see the potential. they're afraid of sales. I've fallen into this trap before too. I've done it both ways. And I can tell you selling early 10:38 and staying focused on the customer and the problem are the way to be successful. So founders who I find are consistently successful, they are focused on the problem, they love the problem. The product is just the natural conclusion to solving the problem, not something to be in love with. They spend their time talking to customers about the problems.  So how does a potential customer find you and work with you? 11:08 Oh, they can find me at Techies or they can find me at LaunchFirst, was spelled launch1st.com. And they can find me on LinkedIn. And then to work with me, it's just give me a call, send me an email, we'll set up a Zoom. I'll start to learn about what you're trying to accomplish and what your requirements are. And I'll typically spend quite a bit of time with any potential clients. 11:39 in  one to usually multiple calls or Zooms, learning and  creating estimates and doing a lot of work in advance with the idea that there'll be a natural conclusion at the end of this that they'll wanna start working with me in a paid fashion. So there's a lot of value that my clients get from me whether they end up contracting me or not.  And how, again, back to,  thank you for that and that. 12:08 how to contact you will be in the show notes. But what types of sectors do you work in?  You know, in your introduction, I talk about high ticket B2B, right?  who are the,  so  what founder that's has some idea today?  What would be  their call to action to find techies? And what would you, is it launch first before you go down? 12:35 No, it's not necessarily. It may be an existing company that  is trying to implement AI or implement workflow automation, or they have a project and they don't have the IT team or capacity to handle it.  We love those types of projects. It might be an existing startup that is struggling with their software development team and they're not 13:04 getting  to the end goal that they're expecting and the product's buggy, it's taking too long,  there's constant delays, they're way over budget  and they  need to get this thing done. And  I call those recovery projects,  they're probably my favorite because people  recognize very quickly  the difference  that we bring. 13:33 and they really, really appreciate us.  As far as what sectors,  business sectors,  healthcare, law enforcement,  prop tech, real estate, finance,  entertainment, I mean, we work in  many, many different sectors over the last 18 years.  So  regardless in  B2B, B2B2C,  not so much e-commerce unless there's some 14:03 complex workflow associated with your particular e-commerce, but there's lots of really good solutions for e-commerce that  don't require developers to be involved.  But  mobile, web, IoT,  definitely everything is AI now. Absolutely. And in fact, when we last spoke,  I'd like to say that you started to drink your own Kool-Aid at Techies. 14:33 you're starting to actually use AI automation for internal functions as well as projects at Techies. So can you walk my listeners through how you're using  AI automation  and what's the latest with agentic AI?  So let's do the first.  Yeah,  okay.  So there are a bunch of questions there. So  let me start with 15:02 that we're building products internally  at Techies to help us with our own workflows.  These products though  are  applicable to almost any development company or any company with a development team.  Some of them are, and some of them are applicable to companies that are, well, so one product  is  putting voice capability in front of project management tool. 15:32 and we use JIRA and JIRA is an incredibly technical tool for project managers and development teams to use to  their projects, requirements, their  track bugs, all of that.  And so your relationship with what I call relationship with project management is very technical one. If you're a client, some clients are willing to  go through the learning curve so that they can enter their own... 15:59 bugs and feature requests and things like that directly into JIRA. Most don't.  They  want to send us emails, which is fine,  and just give us a list of what's going on and the problems that they're finding or the things that they need  for a future version and the planning and the documentation, everything else. This is a real technical thing. We're going to make it a very natural personal relationship by  adding voice in front of all this so that you can 16:29 be sharing your screen with your little voice app and say, just found a problem on the screen.  And  the voice app can see the screen. It knows your project. It knows your requirements. And it can identify problems on the screen that you may not have even noticed.  And it can also prevent you from reporting bugs that have already been reported and tell you when they're planned to be built.  And all of this just with a verbal discussion with the app. 16:58 that basically knows your project.  Kind of like talking to a project manager in real time, but they don't have to write down notes and  they can instantly  look up anything about your project in terms of what's been reported in terms of bugs or feature requests  and update them or create new ones for you or just report them to you and tell you when things are planned to be built and released or. 17:24 where they've already been released and maybe you need to clear your cache so you can see the change, whatever.  Yeah. So it be like an  avatar, but it's trained and it's  specific to Jira  in your case?  In the first version, it's actually being built architected so that we'll be able to add other project management tools to it besides Jira in the future.  to begin with, because we use Jira,  it's going to work directly with Jira to start. 17:54 And this, by the way, you asked about agentic workflows,  right? So we're  building an agentic workflow  in this tool where we have more  different agents  that work together to resolve these issues.  so we have an agent that reads and writes documentation to JIRA.  We have an agent that communicates with  the user and the user might be the programmer 18:23 might be a person in QA, it might be a client for a lot of different things. And we have an analyst agent that when the person talks, the voice agent says to the analyst agent, here's what I understand. Here's the information I just got. Go do your work and come back and get me the answer. And it'll speak to the JIRA agent to get the information. It will also speak directly to us. 18:52 a vector database, which is a database where all the documentation from that project  is ingested into our own  separate AI model so that the context of all the communication is about their project and doesn't go off into other directions.  And then can  get back. So this is an agentic workflow.  The idea of 19:20 agents is like everybody keeps talking about agents. Not everybody is really clear on what that even means. Can you define  that?  an agent is an AI  model  that you can interact with that is focused on  one specific area of expertise.  So if it's a travel agent, the word agent fits very well there, then their expertise would be on everything related to 19:49 travel and booking travel and looking up  options and comparing prices. And  that would be an AI  travel agent.  So that's very different from an AI project management agent, very different from an AI financial analyst agent.  So each agent specializes in its own area of expertise and may draw from specific 20:18 repositories of information that are  specific to that particular agent's area of expertise.  And they actually look from the perspective of that type of person, if it was a person. So,  and so they'll respond in a way that is consistent with how somebody who is a project manager would respond to you when you're talking to them, asking you questions about your requirements, knows what 20:46 information it needs to be able to assess it properly, things like that.  wouldn't be very good about travel because that's  not its area of expertise. Right.  So is it  common to have companies that are creating with their own large language model, right? Or their workflow processes internally to the company to create their own agent AI? 21:14 Or is there a marketplace now where you can say, want this type of agent to get in. This is a very basic question, but  do build it? Right. Or do you buy it? Or is it something in between? It's something in between.  So there are tools that allow you to  basically collect agents out there.  And there's a difference between an agent and a context.  Cause you hear a lot about model context switching and things like, don't know. 21:44 if your audience knows these things.  Or model context protocol. A context is not an agent, but it has some agent capabilities because it's kind of specializing your model in a certain area. But you would use this, but you're not, if it's a true agent, then  it's probably tied to its own vector database. 22:12 that gets trained with specific information. It might be company's information. It might be information, let's say if I'm a security agent, then I'm going to be trained on the entire NIST system as well as all of my security architecture that's currently in place. And that so that it could monitor and 22:41 assess instantly whether there's  security vulnerabilities, which you wouldn't ask Chet GPT to do that. No. Right? Because it couldn't. Because it doesn't know  anything about your organization or environment. And  it  really also doesn't know how to prioritize  what matters and what doesn't at any given moment. Whereas a  security agent, that would be what it does. 23:10 I don't know if I answered that question. Oh, bad thing about building or buying.  there are- Or something in between,  Yeah. So there are tools that you can use to build workflows  and  bring in different agents that already exist. And  you can use something like OpenAI or Claude  and  use it to create an agent and give it some intelligence and- 23:37 give it a specific, in this case, you're giving it a specific context.  You could even  tie a special machine learning database to it  and make it even more agentic in that way.  And then  build these workflows where you're  like, let's say a marketing workflow,  where you're saying you first go out and research all the people who are your  ideal customer profile. 24:07 I was going to say ICP, but I'm trying not to use acronyms because not everybody knows every acronym.  Ideal customer profile.  And then it finds all these people that fit your ideal customer profile. Then it says, well, which of these people  are  in the countries that I do business? And then it illuminates the ones that aren't. then which ones, and it may be using  the same agent or different agents to do this.  Then once it's nailed it down to the very discrete 24:37 set of customers. Now  the next step in the workflow is, okay, now  enrich their data  of these people to find their email and other ways of contacting them as well as other information about them so that I have a really full picture of what kind of activity are they active  socially? they speak? Do they post? What are they speaking about? What are they posting about? What events are they going to? Things like that. 25:07 So that would be the next step and that'd be an agent that's doing all the enriching.  And then after that, the next step would be to call basically call a writing agent to go do, am I writing an email? Am I writing a LinkedIn connection post? Am I doing both?  Set up a drip campaign and start reaching out to these people one at a time  with very customized specific language, right? That  is in your voice. 25:34 It doesn't sound like it's written by a typical AI outreach thing. All right, so these would be  steps in a workflow that you could use with several different tools to build the workflows and then calling these different agents. 25:48 Let's go back to the launched first. What would be a typical engagement with a company? you know, they, um, the founders that have the greatest success in your experiences are the ones that love the problem space and not the product. All right. So walk my listeners through. 26:17 What a typical engagement. it's staff augmentation. it  full out  outsourcing? it tech?  because it's very complex. I can touch so many. can touch high  tech and high ticket B2B products,  sector agnostic. what,  put some legs on this for my listeners, please. Sure, sure. We're not. 26:46 so much a staff augmentation company, although we'll do that if asked to, but that's not  the kind of business that we  look for.  We look for project type work. So a typical engagement for launch first would be  somebody wants to launch a product, they're in the concept phase. We help refine the concept and we build out,  help that we do the design and then we build a high fidelity prototype, which is a design prototype. 27:16 When I demo a design prototype to somebody, they think that they're looking at a finished product,  but  it's not. It doesn't actually do anything. It just looks like it  does everything.  So it's very animated set of mock-ups is another way to look at it.  And it's important because you can build out the big vision of the product this way in a couple of months, whereas 27:46 it takes instead of, you so you're looking at the two year roadmap when we're done of the product. If we were to build an MVP, then you're going to see a very limited view of the product and it's going to cost a lot more to build that MVP than it takes to build this design prototype. Now we're in the process of doing this. We're also nailing down who that early adopter is. And there's a, there's a very, 28:14 metrics driven methodology for doing this.  your launch first. Within launch first, right. Okay. All right. And then  we'll help the client build a marketing funnel and help them start to generate sales.  We're not doing the selling, they're doing the selling. And it's important that founders do the selling because they need to hear what customers are saying about the thing they're demoing, why they want it, why they don't. 28:43 So that  if we need to pivot, which we can do easily and quickly with a design prototype,  then we can  pivot and then go and test the model again, two or three or four times in the space of a couple of months.  And we'll either find a path to revenue or accept the fact that this probably isn't the right product for the right time.  But in the process of doing this, you're learning a lot about the market and about the potential customer. 29:13 I want to be clear about something. Almost every founder that comes to  that I meet with, they love the product, not the problem. They started out with a problem that they realized they had a good solution for and they forgot all about the problem at that point. And so I spend a lot of time with founders  reminding them why the  problem is all that matters  and what that means and how to approach customers, potential customers so that 29:41 you're syncing with their problems, not telling them about this product that you're building because nobody cares about your product. All they care about is what they're struggling with.  And if they believe that you really understand that, then they  care about whether you can solve that problem for them or 30:01 And can  I be  audacious and ask you what a typical engagement duration is like? So this would be for launch first. Yes. If it's a,  and our hope is that they'll  find a path to revenue and start building the product and engage us for the development. Cause that's really our business is building the products.  So, but it's not a requirement.  And,  and our typical engagement with our clients are several years. 30:32 Not all of them, but most of them, would say. Once they start working with us, they just continue to work with us until they decide to bring in their own in-house team  or they fail eventually, which many of our clients do, which is why I  created Launch First. Right. You often talk about your hyper exceptional team at Techies. What is it that's so highly exceptional? Talk to me about your team. Where are they? Yeah. 31:02 And if you go to my website, which is tekyz.com,  you'll see at the very top of it  in the header above the fold, it says hyper exceptional development team. And I don't expect people to believe me  because I write that down or I tell them that I expect them to ask me, well, what does that mean? Do you have evidence? And  that's the question I want to get because I do.  Because when you work in an exceptional manner, 31:31 as a natural consequence of working that way, you produce certain artifacts  that the typical development teams don't produce. And I'm not saying there aren't other exceptional teams, but they're really few and far between. And what makes a team exceptional is a constant need to  improve their ability to deliver  and the level of quality that they deliver as well and the speed at which they develop. It's all of these things. 31:59 So,  and, you know, after 18 years, we've done a lot of improving and a lot of automation internally,  because  that allows our team to work in a really disciplined protocol manner without having to feel like they're under the strict  discipline and protocol of,  you  know, a difficult environment to work in.  And so we  create automation everywhere we can. The voice... 32:27 tool is one of those automations.  The way we  do status reports, it's very clear at the level of detail that we provide every week  to every client in terms of status reports  where we're showing here's what we estimated, here's the actual, here's our percent variance  on how much time we spent and how much it's costing.  We want to always be within 10 % above or below. 32:56 Either  being above or below is not,  know,  the fact that we're ahead of that doesn't necessarily mean that's a good thing, right? So we want to be accurate with our estimates.  And we are typically within 10%. In fact, our largest customer last year, we did a retrospective and we were within six and a half percent of what our estimates were for the whole year.  and that's a,  we're pretty happy with that number. 33:24 I think most teams are looking at many, many times that in terms of variance.  it's not that uncommon for teams to be double or triple what they're or even higher what the actual estimate was. So  when we do invoicing, we invoice for each person at their rate. 33:50 based on their level of expertise, which is all part of our agreement upfront. So the client is very transparent every month for the hours that they work. And we attach the daily time sheets to every invoice. I'm the only company I know of right now that does that. I know there are others. I've seen monthly, but I've never seen daily. Yeah. Yeah. Because for me, if I could ask, well, 34:18 why did this person ask a work that many hours that last month? What did they do? I hate that feeling that I get when somebody asks that question. I know they're only asking because they have to justify it to somebody else or whatever the reason, but I don't like the way it feels because it feels like my integrity is being questioned. I don't get upset at people for asking me that. I just feel like I'm not giving them enough information if they have to ask me that question. So we started about eight years ago. 34:47 providing the daily time sheets because I don't like that question. And we never get questioned on our  invoices ever anymore. I bet you it's informed you  as well in  future  projects,  maybe on  including workflow automation in your own internal processes, right? When you see people's time sheets, right? And you've gone over budget. So it informs you internally. So it's not only for the client. 35:16 I suspect, right? No, it's not. Right. And we use it ourselves to also, because it also helps us looking at our overhead costs because not everything gets built to the client. And so we track all our own times, you know, what we're spending doing what. And we don't get to, it's not like a developer has to spend a lot of time or a QA person or whatever, putting in a lot of detail. We just need a couple of bullets, you know, every day in the time sheet with the, whatever they spend. 35:45 If they spent four hours on one thing and three on another, they'll just break it into two entries just to make it easy.  And that's important for us, or they may be working on two different projects and each project. So when we do the timesheets also every month, we give our clients a breakdown by project. So if we're working on four different projects  for a client  or even one project, but it has four different really 36:15 functional elements that are very clearly different. Like let's say a mobile app and a web app  and a  particular client implementation. Each one of those gets assigned its own project and we break down summaries of the time spent on each of those every month and who spent the time on those, along with the daily time sheets, along with the invoice.  And nobody else does that because it takes a lot of discipline and protocol and you have to have lot of systems in place 36:45 to do that without  literally getting everybody to quit, right? That works for you. And nobody minds doing it because it's easy because of all the systems we put in place to do that.  That's the whole point, right? Right. were  not particularly happy of getting asked that question oftentimes. So eight years ago, you set out to  provide the information on a daily basis, which is incredible.  We started that with blended rates like a lot of companies do. 37:14 And then I didn't like that because at the end of a project when most of it's QA, people would start to get frustrated that they're still getting billed the same blended rate, even though for the more expensive period at the beginning of the project,  I thought, okay, forget this. Well, just bill based on individual.  And then I didn't get those questions anymore, but then I would get questions about individuals on the month. And that's when I started doing the time sheets. 37:43 And like I said, I'm sure there's other companies that do it, but I haven't run into  one or somebody that works with one. So  that's an exceptional thing that we do. But it also allows us to do  really, really good reporting to the client on status on what we've spent our time on, what we're expecting to spend our time on  next week, what we just spent our time on this week, where we are. 38:12 in terms of our plan for the month, things like that.  So let's switch gears, David.  Yeah. Back to  actually the podcast and  some of my guests and listeners  are corporate board directors. So they're sitting on either advisory boards or fiduciary corporate boards.  And with all the hype around AI. 38:39 it's not uncommon for them to be asking, what are we doing, right? For existing companies, right? And  I'd like you to walk my listeners through while it's in the, you know,  in the imaginary realm, what is it? I think any founder today that's actually scaling, right? Has to have some AI element. At least I've even heard you need to have it. 39:08 an AI officer in the company. So what's your take on that? What would you respond to either to your board of advisors, your advisory board, or your board of directors?  So,  and of course, a lot of it depends on the type of company you are. Absolutely. Right. If  you're making  alternative material I-beams, for example,  for skyscraper construction, then 39:37 AI, other than maybe in the design process of these specialized materials,  AI may not be as big a critical factor, although for invoice reconciliation and  distribution and  scheduling and all that, AI could be a huge value to you if you don't have super efficient systems already.  For most everybody else though, if you have not embraced the need to 40:06 leverage AI and everything you're doing,  then you're way behind already.  That doesn't mean you have to be in a race to do this. just, because  I'm  of the belief that  you have to slow down to speed up. But you do need to make it a priority.  And in a lot of different ways. Number one is, 40:36 The most obvious is workflow automation. You should be probably tackling  workflow automation as just a part of your constant improvement program  to become more efficient, whether it's with AI or not.  But AI is particularly good at workflow automation  because it can tackle steps in that workflow that couldn't be tackled without AI.  So the  first thing 41:06 the companies should be doing if they're not doing it is documenting all of their processes,  all of their tribal knowledge into playbooks. So when you have somebody who's an expert in something in your company and they're the person who's the only one that knows how to do it and so we can't live without them, that's a bottleneck for scaling. Because if you bring somebody else in to expand their capacity, they're going to... 41:32 put a big dependency on that person with all the expertise, which is going to cause problems.  So  anybody in a position like that should be documenting all of their  procedures and protocols and especially all the nuances and all the edge cases into playbooks.  And there should be some centralized playbook repository for the company. And this becomes part of your intellectual property and part of your value if you ever 42:02 you're trying to raise money or you're trying to sell your company. So it increases your value. So you do that, then AI,  you start to look at automating those workflows because now they're documented. So now what can be automated in them from just a workflow automation perspective. And then how much can you implement AI in there? Because now AI can learn to make the same kinds of decisions that this person is making. 42:31 And this is like the low hanging fruit that I'm talking about right now. Right. Exactly. Right. Because the bigger stuff is if we implement AI in here, what workflows would we totally  throw away and start from scratch?  Because we can think of way more sophisticated ways of addressing this now that we have intelligence involved in all these steps.  But that's later. 42:57 worry about that once you get your arms around implementing AI,  automated workflows and then- So workflow automation. So playbooks, workflows and AI in your automated workflows. That's sort of the stepped wise process. Excellent. You heard it here  on the founder sandbox. Thank you, David.  And if you're not sure how to do all that, 43:25 ask AI, okay, here's my company. What should I be focusing on if I wanna implement playbooks, workflow automation and AI? And AI will help you figure this all out. Right. That's a jewel here. So what'd you do? Chat GBT, co-pilot, what's your complexity? Where would you go to? All right. Well, it just depends on the flavor of the day. Right now. 43:53 I was using chat GPT primarily for this stuff just because it was a first and I'm very comfortable with the apps. have them everywhere. And Claude's recently come out with a  new version and it's in some ways I'm just finding the output way more organized and smarter. And so I've been using Claude more in the last couple of weeks, but that'll change in another week or two.  Any one of them will do a pretty decent job. 44:21 I'm  not using perplexity because it's built on top of the other ones.  But perplexity is a great tool if you're newer with this because it makes some of the... It's a little bit more accessible for somebody who doesn't know how to use AI.  Gemini is also  really good, but that's  more of a technical... And there's so many things you can do. 44:49 with AI that you wouldn't even think about. And I'll give you an example, more as a brain opening exercise for everybody than anything else. Because this is something I did about seven weeks ago.  I,  chat GPT had just come out a week or two before with their vision capability in the mobile app. And for  those of you who don't know it,  with chat GPT, there's a talk 45:19 button. It's not  the microphone. It's the one that looks like a sound wave  in the mobile app. You tap that, and now you have a voice conversation with chat, which I use this constantly. Even when I'm working with,  I've got some contractors at my house whose English isn't very good, so I ask it to do real-time translation for me. And it does matter the language.  And I start talking, and it translates to their language. And they respond 45:49 in their language and it translates to English and it's doing it perfectly. And so I can have a very natural conversation with anybody just holding my phone up in front of them now.  Right?  But it has this vision capability  where when you go into that voice mode, you tap the camera next to it, and now it's looking out the front of your screen while you're talking to it. And so I'll give you a couple of examples where I've used it  six weeks ago and again, like 46:18 weeks later and I now used it many times like this.  I was in  Lowe's, which is a  store for home improvement.  And  for some project I was on, my wife calls me and says, I need fertilizer for a hibiscus. And I say, well, what do I get? She says, anything that says hibiscus on it, it'll be fine. I said, okay, fine. And if anybody that knows these big box stores, there's like hundreds of bags of fertilizer of different brands. 46:48 And I couldn't find one that said hibiscus. This is a typical thing with my wife. Oh, just look for this. And of course, there isn't that. So I asked Chess GPT, okay, I'm in  Lowe's  and I'm looking for a fertilizer for hibiscus.  What would you suggest? And it said, oh, there's a number of brands that are high acid.  And I said, we'll recommend a brand. Tonal is a really good brand. And I said, okay. So I'm looking and I can't find it. 47:18 So I walked 30 feet back and I'm talking, right? I'm having this, know, people are looking at me like, what the hell is he doing? And I walked 30 feet back because there's many, many shelves, you know, columns of shelves with fertilizer. I walked back and I turned on the vision and I say, okay, there's all the fertilizers. And I'm moving my phone across all these shelves. say, do you see tonal here? And it says, yes, look for the one in the red and white bag. 47:48 And  I see it on the shelf. So I walk straight forward. see a red and white bag. That's not tonal. said, this isn't it. And she, cause it's a woman's voice that I have, she says,  it's two shelves to the left, second from the top.  I walk over there and it's right where she said it was. Crazy. And you're not a beta user. So this is available today. This is available. It's been available for a couple of months. And then 48:18 My daughter-in-law asked me to get something from the pharmacy, from CVS, another  big box pharmacy store, right? And this is something I don't even know if I'm in the right aisle because it's something I've never bought. So I ask it, I say, I'm looking for this brand  and I'm not sure if I'm in the right aisle or not, but I'm going to walk down the aisle and tell me if you see it. As I'm walking down the aisle, holding it straight forward so it can see both sides.  And it says, well, 48:45 Yes, I'm familiar with the brand. You should look for it in a green and white box. then she goes like this. Oh, I see it. It's down there on the right on the bottom shelf. And I turn and I look and it's right by my right foot. 48:58 You heard it here. This is crazy. think it's a bit creepy.  How many times have you been looking for something on a shelf? You know, and you're like, oh, how long, how many hours is this going to take me to spot it?  Good internet connection and all that. So, oh my goodness. It's creepy and it's wonderful. So  same time.  the same time. Yeah. Yeah. For quality of life and even for,  um, yeah.  So 49:25 That's a mind opening thing is all the reason I bring that up. Excellent. Hey, let's go. Let's continue on in the founder sandbox. I'd like to ask each of my guests to  share with me.  I'm all about working with resilient, purpose driven and scalable companies in the growth phase. So what does resilience mean to you? You can either answer, you know, what's the first thing that comes out of your, you cannot use chat, GBT. I'm not fancy. No hands. 49:55 No hands, and I don't have the voice version going because you'd hear it. Podcast we could do it.  And we are real. We're not. Yeah, we are real. We're not. So I think that's, I don't think that's a difficult question to answer. Resilience means opportunity. So no matter what happens, even if it seems terrible, what  opportunity does that create? Excellent. If you ask that. 50:22 keep reframing everything from that perspective,  it creates resilience. Right. Thank you. What about purpose-driven?  Purpose-driven  means having  a clear  long-term path and goal  and  asking yourself if the things you're doing keep you on purpose to that. 50:56 Scalable. What's scalable mean for you? Scalable for me means  eliminating tribal knowledge or not eliminating it, but documenting tribal knowledge.  First of all, figuring out how you generate revenue and then how you expand your ability to generate revenue, which means growing your 51:25 growing your team, growing your capacity  and identifying the bottlenecks and focusing all your energy on the bottlenecks. And usually the bottlenecks have to do  with tribal knowledge or with  lack of workflow automation. Wow, you know, it's easier said than done though, that tribal knowledge, it is resistant, right? Oh yeah,  because it's  career,  what's the word I'm trying to think of? 51:55 It  keeps you in your job forever if you're the only one that knows how to do the thing. Absolutely. That's for another podcast, David. My  final question today is,  did you have fun in the Founder Sandbox? Oh, yes.  I had a lot of fun. Thanks. That's a great question too. Thank you, Brenda. Did you have fun? 52:20 Did you? I had had fun. And particularly in this last part, right? Cause we're talking about some heavy duty, you know, uses of, um, agentic AI, right. And scalable, you know, LTV, CAC and all that. And then we get to hear these real life, you know, kind of creepy, um, uh, uses of, um, on our phones today with, um, with AI, which is, which is quite amazing. But I also know that in your world of techies, 52:50 your team, which is distributed, have a lot of fun events too. So you probably- have one more thing on the whole scalable thing. You have to be compassionately ruthless or ruthlessly compassionate, however you want to say it. Okay. So that the people, every, and the ruthless is anything that's going to get in the way of you growing your company, which benefits everybody in the company. 53:19 it needs to be addressed in a ruthless way. But if you build a culture of ruthlessly compassionate, then all the people that work for you feel that same level of ruthlessness to protect the company and make it grow. And you practice what you preach, I suspect, at Techies. Yes. Yes. It took me a while, but if we accidentally hire the wrong person, either because 53:45 we made a mistake in the process or they faked us out and we recognize they're not smart enough. Literally, that's usually the problem. They're not smart enough to carry their weight. We fire them immediately. We don't try to bring them along because you can't improve somebody's IQ. You can improve any other aspect, but their IQ is their IQ.  And  that will be a bottleneck forever. 54:13 in our team and it'll require other people to carry that person. And it sends the wrong message to the team that I don't value them enough to make sure that we only surround them with people that are going to inspire them and help them grow. Excellent. And I suspect they are not fungible by AI, your employees, not techies. I mean, we've gotten better and better. 54:40 at not making those mistakes over the years. So that doesn't typically happen. takes us, we're much more careful about how we hire.  AI gives us the ability to recruit faster, more broadly,  along with workflow automation. But  what I mean by real, this is the compassionate. Once my team understood this, now they embody that and  they will get rid of somebody if they made a mistake. I don't have to force the issue ever anymore because 55:10 they recognize how much, important it is to protect their teams. So to my listeners, if you liked this episode today with the CEO and founder of Techies, sign up for the monthly release of founders, business owners, corporate directors, and professional service providers who provide their examples of how they're building companies or consulting with companies  to make them more resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven. 55:40 to make profits for good.  Signing off for today. See you next month in the Founder Sandbox. Thank you.  

Jaka jest przyszłość dla dystrybutorów w e-Commerce? W tym odcinku rozmawiam z Konradem Zachem o tym, jak dystrybutorzy mogą odnaleźć się w cyfrowej rzeczywistości. Zaczynamy od modelu B2B2C, ale szybko przechodzimy do tematów marketplace'ów, realnych wyzwań technologicznych i tego, jak zbudować przewagę w czasach, gdy wszystko dzieje się szybciej niż kiedykolwiek.Jeśli działasz w B2B, chcesz rozwijać się w e-Commerce i nie skończyć jako „przerzucacz paczek” – ten odcinek jest zdecydowanie dla Ciebie.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus sits down with Dean Proctor, CEO of 7IM – a UK-based investment management firm with nearly £30 billion in assets and a team of around 850 colleagues. Under Dean's leadership, 7IM has grown significantly over the past six years through a blend of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Throughout its growth, the firm had remained grounded in its founding values and a deep commitment to client success.Dean shares how 7IM is working to scale with integrity—keeping purpose, people, and performance aligned as the firm evolves:· How 7IM's B2B2C and direct-to-consumer models inform and strengthen each other.· Why reinforcing values through storytelling helps sustain a client-first culture at scale.· The role of colleague-led initiatives in advancing sustainability and diversity.· Trends driving wealth management consolidation, and why the UK needs younger, more diverse financial advisers.· How AI and technology can lower barriers to financial advice to expand access.Listen in to hear how Dean and his team are building a culture of ‘succeeding together'—and what it takes to lead a growing business with purpose.

企業決策者在全球危機中接班，究竟如何帶領團隊逆風而上？ 當台灣品牌被低估，如何靠創新與文化溝通打入德美市場？ 第一集「破風者」邀請上銀科技董事長卓永恆與總經理蔡慧卿，分享企業如何在中美貿易戰、COVID-19與人才挑戰中突圍，打造屬於台灣的全球佈局思維。請下載收聽精彩故事！ ⏱ 章節索引： 00:00 開場介紹｜誰是今天的破風者？ 00:40 2019接班風暴：貿易戰＋疫情雙重考驗 02:00 緊急空運醫療零件：台灣產業如何幫上世界 03:55 世代接班×參與式領導文化的差異 06:30 從接班梯隊到關鍵人才：內部養成的策略 09:00 海外子公司文化挑戰：台灣如何跨國溝通？ 14:50 面對2025再起貿易戰，企業如何應對？ 20:00 果斷放棄車用與洗澡機器人：學會止損的勇氣 23:50 一盞手電筒，一段企業的堅持與光亮

“Favor fit over fame for influencer marketing success,” says Vivien Garnès, co-CEO at UpfluenceIn this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Vivien Garnès, co-founder and co-CEO of Upfluence, joins Jonathan Gandolf to unpack influencer marketing in the B2B and B2B2C space. Vivien shares why aligning your influencer's audience with your brand matters more than follower counts, how influencer marketing has matured beyond vanity metrics to focus on real business impact, and why brands should give influencers creative freedom to unlock authentic engagement. She also opens up about her entrepreneurial journey launching Upfluence, how the co-CEO model works for her company, and an unpopular marketing opinion that changed their approach to ad spend.In this episode, you'll learn:Why fit matters more than fame when choosing influencersHow to measure influencer marketing success beyond impressions and likesThe benefits and challenges of sharing creative control with influencersResources:Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/Explore AudiencePlus: https://audienceplus.comConnect with Vivien on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vgarnes/?locale=en_USExplore Upfluence: https://www.upfluence.com/Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:06) Two schools of thought on B2B influencer marketing(06:20) Favoring fit over fame in influencer partnerships(09:00) Balancing editorial control and influencer freedom(12:15) Tracking meaningful ROI in influencer marketing(14:30) Vivien's entrepreneurial beginnings and launching Upfluence(18:00) How the co-CEO model works for Upfluence(19:50) Branded ad campaigns and marketing assumptions

In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm sits down with Etienne, co-founder and GP at Intuition—a new €10M fund focused on pre-seed and seed investments in consumer, prosumer, and B2B2C startups across Europe and the US. From chasing the NBA dream to raising a fund for overlooked sectors, Etienne shares the founder's journey behind the fund, his obsession with AI-native products, and why consumer investing needs a new generation of believers.Here's what's covered:02:20 From Pro Basketball to Founding Intuition05:11 Discipline, Resilience & Pain Tolerance: The Athlete's Edge08:30 Why Obsession Beats Talent Every Time13:13 Recalibrating After Burnout: Life Beyond the Grind19:13 Why Building a Fund Is Just Another Startup24:41 Building a Portfolio to Survive Volatility36:46 The Return of the Capital-Efficient, Profitable Company41:14 Why Intuition Plans to Stay Small (on Purpose)46:00 Create Like a God, Connect Like a Human: The New Founder Paradigm50:11 Multitask or Die: Surviving in the Agentic Age of AI

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we sit down with Luxy Thuraisingam - scientist by training, storyteller by instinct, and a force in tech marketing to unpack what it really takes to build winning channel strategies for the SMB space.Luxy brings 20 years of experience across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C, revealing why SMBs deserve more than a hand-me-down enterprise strategy. We explore how consumer marketing mindsets can better align with SMB behavior, why brand tone and voice matter more than ever, and how intentionality should drive every partner interaction.But this conversation goes far beyond strategy. Luxy shares powerful insights on building high-performing, diverse teams, the art of hiring for potential over perfection, and how psychological safety and “speaking the uncomfortable truth” are key to innovation.Whether you're a channel leader, partner marketer, or aspiring team builder, this episode is packed with practical guidance and energizing leadership lessons. Tune in to discover how to build with partners, not just for them and why the future of leadership is all about lifting others.Connect with Luxy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luxy-thuraisingam/_________________________Learn more about Channext

Joining us on Ingenious Thinkers hosted by Ken Tencer today is Jason Elate, Founder of InsectFlux. In this episode, we discuss his mantra of creating the future through reverse engineering and how this philosophy led him to address global issues like the food waste crisis and population growth by focusing on the insect industry. Elate explains that InsectFlux is building a global B2B2C marketplace to connect the agri-food industry, which has organic waste, with the insect farming industry, which needs insect feed, thereby creating a circular economy and new revenue streams. We also touch upon the challenges and opportunities in this emerging market, the company's business model based on transaction fees and promotions, and their long-term vision for the future of insect-based products and waste utilization.Listen on

In this episode of Exceptional Startups, Brandon Rodman (founder of Weave and now Previ) breaks down how he's quietly building a Costco for the modern workforce — one that's already grown from 300K to 1.5M users in 3 months, all without charging employers a dime.He shares hard-earned lessons from going 0 to IPO with Weave, why he got rejected by 150 investors, and how he's self-funded Previ with a bigger vision in mind — this time, he's not giving up control.It's honest, tactical, and full of gold for anyone scaling something real.Chapters: 0:00 Intro 2:42 Insane Growth and Brandon's B2B2C tactics5:20 Launch of “The Drop”13:00 Clear, consistent user retention & growth beats fast acquisition 15:00 Betting on Yourself 21:51 How to Build A Winning Culture24:01 “If you only give 80%, you get 80%. That last 10–20% is where everything happens.”Check out Previ: https://previ.com/landingCheck out PELION: https://pelionvp.com/Like, Share, and Subscribe!

​In this episode of Business Ninjas, Andrew chats with Ralph Cummins, President & Managing Director at EMM Group, about how understanding a client's unique needs is paramount to crafting powerful solutions. From business to marketing strategy, value proposition development, to training, EMM Group is armed with decades of experience and expertise–with Ralph referring to their consultancy as "strategic problem solvers."Serving Fortune 500 and 100 companies to startups, they provide deep insights to kickstart even more growth for their clients. With decades of experience, EMM Group creates what they call Strategic Marketing Frameworks for their clients, helping them define best practices and determine the type of content needed to connect with their audience.​An acronym for Enterprise Marketing Management, EMM Group is a team of experts focused on helping global companies grow by harnessing the power of marketing. Their services include custom marketing frameworks, value proposition development, sales and marketing playbooks, marketing training, and market and data analysis. By placing their small focus groups within client organizations, EMM Group ensures a deep understanding of internal challenges, enabling the development of tailored strategies that drive sustained, profitable growth. Discover more about EMM Group's innovative approaches and connect with them through their website: https://www.emmgroup.net/, their LinkedIn company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emm-group/, and Ralph Cummins' professional profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphscummins/.-----Do you want to be interviewed for your business?  Schedule time with us, and we'll create a podcast like this for your business:  https://www.WriteForMe.io/-----https://www.facebook.com/writeforme.iohttps://www.instagram.com/writeforme.io/https://twitter.com/writeformeiohttps://www.linkedin.com/company/writeforme/https://www.pinterest.com/andysteuer/Want to be interviewed on our Business Ninjas podcast? Schedule time with us now, and we'll make it happen right away! Check out WriteForMe, more than just a Content Agency! See the Faces Behind The Voices on our YouTube Channel!

Are you a startup founder considering a partnership with a big player in your industry? Before you sign that deal, you might want to think twice. In this eye-opening episode we dive deep into the dangers of partnering with or selling to incumbents when you're trying to disrupt an industry.Chris and Yaniv explore the concept of "killing your customers" not literally, of course, but in the sense of disrupting the very companies you might be tempted to partner with. They break down the "funnel of doom" that many startups fall into when pursuing B2B2C partnerships, and explain why going direct to end users is often the better strategy for truly innovative products.In this episode, you will:Discover the 10 steps of the "funnel of doom" for B2B2C partnershipsLearn why incumbents often struggle to understand and implement disruptive innovationsUnderstand the importance of owning your user relationships and dataExplore real-world case studies of successful direct-to-consumer disruptorsDebate the limitations of white-label and B2B business modelsGain insights on how to avoid common startup pitfalls when choosing a go-to-market strategyRecognize the value of iterating quickly and maintaining control over your productLinks mentioned in the EP:https://www.tsp.show/edu-b2c-vs-b2b2c-driving-direct-disruption-w-matt-holme/ B2B vs B2C comparison Table:https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ICK-KmnPJgzfQC1wkxz6Tf-l69pUptmk1QyKH9QB9M/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1izb56alryedThe PactHonour The Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:Follow, rate, and review us in your listening appSubscribe to the TSP Mailing List at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Secure your official TSP merchandise at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shop.tsp.show/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@startup-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following.Key linksThe Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited-time offer of US$1,000 off, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.vanta.com/tsp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Startup Podcast website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tsp.show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Chris and YanivWork 1:1 with Chris: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://chrissaad.com/advisory/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Chris on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CreditsEditor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin McArthur⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Content Strategist: Carolina Franco https://www.linkedin.com/in/francocarolina/Intro Voice: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeremiah Owyang⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Leave feedback!Today I am speaking with Holger Arians, the Chairman and CEO at Banxa. Holger leads Banxa, a global crypto payment infrastructure provider that enables users to convert their fiat currency to crypto through integrated solutions with major platforms like Binance, OKX, and MetaMask, handling all regulatory compliance and KYC requirements for partners reaching over a billion people worldwide.Growing up in Germany, Holger developed his business acumen early by working in his father's car dealership during school holidays. After studying business in the Netherlands, he embarked on his entrepreneurial journey by launching juice bars in Germany before moving to Australia, where he discovered Bitcoin in 2013 when his business partner received mining machines from China. This serendipitous introduction to crypto led to founding Banxa in 2014.In our conversation, Holger shares insights about Banxa's evolution from a B2C crypto retailer to a B2B2C infrastructure provider, the transformative potential of stablecoins for global remittances, and the challenges of navigating banking relationships as a crypto company. He also discusses their "embedded crypto" vision, which mirrors what Stripe did for payments, and his excitement about applying blockchain technology to real-world financial use cases. Show Notes and TranscriptsThe GRTiQ Podcast takes listeners inside web3 and The Graph (GRT) by interviewing members of the ecosystem.  Please help support this project and build the community by subscribing and leaving a review.Twitter: GRT_iQwww.GRTiQ.com

This podcast is brought to you by Outcomes Rocket, your exclusive healthcare marketing agency. Learn how to accelerate your growth by going to outcomesrocket.com The key to improving the patient financial experience lies in personalized, transparent, and empathetic billing practices, moving beyond traditional, impersonal revenue cycle management.  In this episode, Dugan Winkie, Head of Commercial Strategy for Cedar, discusses how his company is revolutionizing the patient financial experience. His company uses a B2B2C model, partnering with providers to interact directly with patients on all billing matters, offering solutions ranging from simple bill payments to complex affordability options. Dugan emphasizes how they differentiate themselves by creating a personalized experience that guides patients through the complexities of healthcare finance. He also explains that Cedar prioritizes data integration to accurately answer complex billing questions and offer a truly integrated patient experience.  Tune in and learn about the future of patient financial engagement and how to create a transparent, personalized, and empathetic experience with the patient billing process! Resources:  Connect and follow Dugan Winkie on LinkedIn. Learn more about Cedar on their LinkedIn and website. Read Cedar's annual report here. Fast Track Your Business Growth: Outcomes Rocket is a full service marketing agency focused on helping healthcare organizations like yours maximize your impact and accelerate growth. Learn more at outcomesrocket.com

Neil Chandler, Chief Executive Officer, Aion BankItaly's Unicredit finalised the takeover of Aion Bank and sister company, tech provider, Vodeno in early March 2025. The deal was first announced in July 2024. Ahead of the confirmation of the Unicredit deal, Aion Bank CEO Neil Chandler spoke with Robin Amlôt of IBS Intelligence, discussing the evolution of Banking-as-a-Service and the difference between fully regulated BaaS platforms and BNPL services.

Ned had a chance to run Robinhood Asia but he turned it down. Instead, he launched a competitive product. He decided to go B2B and sell to banks and other financial institutions. He locked down a $400K revenue sale before writing a line of code. It seemed easy at first. Overtime, he grew to $3.5M in revenue, billions in assets under management and hundreds of thousands of users. He raised $20M in venture capital. But then the problems started. Enterprises that paid for large contracts didn't push the product—many had no marketing budgets. In some cases, they shelved the product altogether. The one-time revenue never turned into ARR. Running out of money, he was forced to raise a small bridge and lay off more than half his staff.He came close—but ultimately, he just wasn't able to recover. He sold off the company for parts and went through a wind down. This is his story—and the lessons he learned.Why you should listen: Why the difference between success and failure can be minimal.How to balance custom contracts with building scalable product. Why enterprises might not push the product they've paid $100K+ for.How to build a strong company culture.Why layoffs are the hardest thing a founder will go through.When things go south, "the days are long, but the months are short".Keywordsstartup, FinTech, B2B2C, customization, revenue models, marketing, client engagement, leadership, company culture, lessons learned, B2B sales, startup challenges, emotional toll, liquidation, lessons learnedSend me a message to let me know what you think!

Send us a textIn today's episode of Navigating the Customer Experience with Eitan Koter. Eitan Koter, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi, has a rich background in the tech sector, particularly in video commerce, digital marketing, and social commerce. With over two decades of experience, including managing a public company and leading startups, Koter has established himself as a thought leader in the industry. His company, Vimmi, is a video commerce SaaS platform that has been operational for 11 years, focusing on immersive shopping experiences through video.Eitan's JourneyKoter's career began in the tech sector, specifically in video compression technology. His extensive experience spans various sectors like eCommerce and media. He emphasizes the evolution of video marketing and commerce, noting the significant shift towards immersive experiences that enhance online shopping. Vimmi's unique approach integrates video and augmented reality to create interactive purchasing experiences, moving beyond traditional static product pages.About VimmiVimmi initially catered to large content providers and enterprises looking to launch video services similar to Netflix. The company serves a B2B2C model, where they provide solutions for enterprises that ultimately serve consumers. Koter highlights the growing trend of live shopping, inspired by practices in China, where brands engage audiences through live streams that incorporate direct purchasing options. This interactive format fosters emotional connections with consumers and enhances brand loyalty.Recommended Skills and Tools for Video CommerceKoter advises newcomers to focus on short-form videos (around 30 seconds), starting with a compelling hook rather than a sales pitch. He suggests creating content that addresses customer pain points and building personal connections through storytelling. The structure of these videos should include:Hook: Capture attention with a question or intriguing statement.Connection: Share personal stories or experiences related to the topic.Showcase: Provide visual evidence of success or transformation.Insight: End with a powerful takeaway for viewers.Koter emphasizes authenticity and consistency in content creation, recommending that brands post regularly to build community engagement.Importance of Social CommerceKoter asserts that social commerce is crucial for future brand success. It enables brands to connect directly with consumers through engaging content across multiple platforms. The integration of shoppable videos allows for seamless transactions during live events or short-form content, enhancing the shopping experience.ConclusionEitan Koter's insights into video commerce highlight its transformative potential in eCommerce. By leveraging immersive experiences and social engagement, brands can foster deeper connections with their audiences while driving sales. His expertise serves as a guide for businesses seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of digital marketing and commerce effectively.

In this weeks' Scale Your Sales Podcast episode, my guest is Brandi Starr.   Brandi Starr is a marketing powerhouse with over 20 years of experience shaking up B2B and B2B2C companies. As COO at Tegrita, a consultancy that unlocks the power of email, she's all about transforming processes, enhancing go-to-market strategies, and ensuring smooth customer experiences. Named one of the Top 50 Women in MarTech, Brandi blends strategic vision with operational savvy. She's also the coauthor of "CMO to CRO" and the host of the Revenue Rehab podcast, known for turning ideas into action and inspiring others in the marketing world.   In today's episode of Scale Your Sales podcast, Brandi Starr has transformed B2B and B2B2C organizations through her expertise in optimizing email strategies within the sales funnel. A leading voice in Martech, she explores the role of technology in sales and marketing, the importance of team alignment, and the untapped potential of mid-funnel insights. Brandi shares actionable strategies for revenue growth and high-performing sales teams, offering a forward-looking perspective on customer excellence and sustainable success. Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast, Brandi Starr.     Timestamps: 00:00 Maximizing Middle Funnel Opportunities 03:39 Modern Phone Intrusiveness 06:49 Integrated Marketing Insights 10:33 Mastering Middle Funnel Strategy 14:14 Data & Tech: Insightful Integration 16:28 CMO: Future Revenue Leader 20:25 Reassess Tech Use, Don't Replace 24:11 Misaligned Strategy Limits Business Success 28:43 Hiring for Talent, Not Experience 32:21 Role-Specific Assessment Benefits 33:30 Unlocking Success Through Predictive Tools 36:44 Authenticity Drives Success     https://a.co/d/6jKShUC https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandistarr/ https://www.instagram.com/revenuerehab/     Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth thought customer experience and sales.   Book Janice to speak virtually at your next event: https://janicebgordon.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/janice-b-gordon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceBGordon Scale Your Sales Podcast: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast More on the blog: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/blog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebgordon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaleYourSales   And more! Visit our podcast website https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast/ to watch or listen.

Last week I had a chance to chat to Siddhi Mittal, a co-founder at yhangry (YC W22). Here is what we discussed: - Transitioning from a high six-figure trading job to entrepreneurship - A non-traditional YC process - Transitioning from an ops-led to a product-led organization - Startup stagnation as a near-death experience - Why generic advice never works - Running fundraising as a discovery process - Why the B2B2C angle is important for raising funds as a marketplace business - How AI changes marketplace businesses - The power of visualization for founders Siddhi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhimittal23/

This episode of the Uncharted podcast features Phil Carr, a tech entrepreneur discussing his journey from founding and exiting My PT Hub (a successful B2B2C fitness platform) to his current venture, Upzelo. Phil shares insights about his recent pivot from a SaaS retention product to an e-commerce loyalty platform, discussing the challenges of second-time entrepreneurship, knowing when to pivot, and his perspective on AI's impact on technology. The conversation covers valuable lessons about self-awareness in entrepreneurship, raising capital, and adapting to changing market conditions.

In this episode of Investor Connect, we dive into two distinct yet promising sectors: medical diagnostics and sleep technology. Michael Cormack from Corwin Medical elaborates on the company's efforts to tackle peripheral artery disease (PAD) through innovative diagnostic systems that leverage multi-element ultrasound arrays and AI-based algorithms. He elaborates on the severe impact of PAD, its high mortality rate, and the cumbersome nature of current diagnostic tools like the Doppler Pencil Probe. Michael outlines their unique Ultrasense system, which promises faster, more accurate diagnostics, detailing a robust business model and strong leadership geared towards high-margin revenue and strategic industry partnerships with entities like Medtronic and Philips. He highlights the company's commercialization timeline and financial trajectory towards profitability by 2026, supported by a strong patent portfolio and seed funding efforts. The compelling patient stories and strong market need underscore the critical importance of their work in early PAD detection and intervention.  Following this, we turn our focus to SleepScore Labs with Colin Lawlor, who shares his journey from ResMed to founding an organization dedicated to leveraging AI and data for improving consumer sleep. Recognizing sleep's critical role in overall health, Colin outlines how SleepScore Labs utilizes proprietary sleep data and intervention studies to provide companies with actionable insights and personalized coaching solutions. The importance of sleep for mitigating chronic diseases and optimizing wellness drives their market opportunity, particularly through B2B2C models with partners like Mattress Firm and Terabody. By highlighting their success in Germany, where their platform is reimbursed by insurance without a doctor's prescription, Colin emphasizes the robust, scalable business model ready to capitalize on the growing demand for sleep solutions.  The episode closes with both Cormack and Lawlor discussing their exit strategies and potential for partnerships with industry giants, illustrating the potential for innovation in medical diagnostics and sleep technology. The detailed exploration into these fields gives investors and entrepreneurs critical insights into the paths to market success and the transformative potential of these cutting-edge technologies. Team and Funding 30:14 Q&A and Conclusion

Episode 241: When is mastering the basics a differentiator? In an industry where complexity is the norm, Prudential Group Insurance has made a counterintuitive strategic choice. While many companies chase innovation through digital transformation and enhanced features, Prudential has discovered that operational excellence—the "absence of noise"—can be a more powerful differentiator. Abhii Parakh and Mike Estep reveal why group insurance demands a fundamentally different approach to customer experience than high-touch industries like hospitality or travel. For Prudential, success depends not on bells and whistles, but on excelling at the foundational elements: reliable execution, friction-free processes, and consistent delivery. "The absence of noise is a tremendous win," Mike emphasizes. "That's not the long-term goal for us. But if you don't get those things right, you won't get the chance to get to the nirvana state where you are separating yourself from the competition because of the experiences you created.” Learn how Prudential delivers seamless experiences across its ecosystem of brokers, employers, and employees by prioritizing simplicity and operational excellence. Discover why, in complex B2B2C environments, flawless execution of core processes can be a more powerful differentiator than feature innovation. Guests: Abhii Parakh, Head of Customer Experience, Prudential Financial, and Mike Estep, President, Group Insurance, Prudential Financial Host: Rob Markey, Partner, Bain & Company Give Us Feedback: We'd love to hear from you. Help us enhance your podcast experience by providing feedback here in our listener survey: https://bit.ly/CCPodcastFeedback Want to get in touch? Send a note to host Rob Markey: https://www.robmarkey.com/contact-rob Time-stamped List of Topics Covered: [00:01:16] Overview of group insurance products [00:03:21] The broker, employer, and employee experience [00:06:46] Employees' challenges with insurance products [00:10:21] Eliminating friction to enable differentiation [00:19:02] Customer experience as a growth driver [00:35:48] Overcoming challenges in survey feedback Time-stamped Notable Quotes: [00:05:24] “Modern life is exhausting. The last thing you want to deal with is friction with your group insurance carrier—about reports, getting your commission check, or that we're screwing up the bill and you're getting heat from that client. It doesn't need to be rocket science. There's beauty in simplicity and intuitive experiences that are void of friction.” [00:08:31] “The absence of noise is a tremendous win. That's not the long-term goal for us. But if you don't get those things right, you won't get the chance to get to the nirvana state where you are separating yourself from the competition because of the experiences you created.” [14:01] “Feedback—while painful to hear—is something you can use as a tool to help get other people in the organization to respond and make improvements that will help you, personally, be successful because they're resolving problems of your customers.”

What are the key challenges and opportunities in the evolving B2B2C and C2B marketing models, and how is AI impacting modern strategies?In this insightful interview, marketing expert Suzanne Darmory shares her 25+ years of global experience in marketing and dives into the evolving landscape of modern business strategies. Discover how B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer) and C2B (consumer-to-business) models are transforming traditional marketing approaches and creating new opportunities and challenges for businesses.As the CMO of Refundo, Suzanne explores how companies can reach consumers indirectly through business partnerships and why consumer feedback is becoming a key driver of business strategy. She also offers a deep dive into the role of AI in marketing, why human connections still matter, and the importance of continuous learning through conferences and mentorship.With a mix of humor and professional insights, Suzanne provides a fresh perspective on how to navigate the future of marketing. Whether you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the industry, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways!

3 formatos de agregado de valor para venderle a las empresas. #B2B #VCs #Emprender #startup

Brandi Starr is a powerhouse in marketing and operations, driving transformation across B2B and B2B2C companies.   As the Chief Operating Officer of Tegrita, a leading marketing strategy and technology consultancy.   Brandi has helped guide sustainable growth for Tegrita and its Fortune 500 clients in industries such as technology, manufacturing, financial services, and sports & entertainment.   With a strong focus on digital transformation and enhancing customer experience, Brandi has doubled Tegrita's workforce and significantly increased its revenue streams.   She is known for her ability to modernize processes, eliminate customer friction, and harness technology to optimize marketing strategies.   Her efforts have led to expanded channel marketing capabilities and innovative team structures, propelling some of the world's most prominent companies forward.   Tune in to learn how Brandi's approach to operational excellence and strategic innovation is reshaping industries.   Learn More Here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/revenuerehab/ ........ Want to be a guest on WITneSSes? Send Elisha Arowojobe a message on #PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/elishaarowojobe   Elevate your business with Anastasia's expert consulting. Use code Elisha3 for an exclusive offer and transform your business today! https://resurrectionmentor.wixsite.com/so/42PDEPEB8?languageTag=en  

With Musk's bio now updated to read, “The people voted for major government reform,” it's clear he's not just dabbling in policy. In this episode, the Morins and Lessins break down what it means for democracy when a “super VC” like Musk mingles tech interests with government influence. Also on the docket: - will Bitcoin surge to $100K? - monetization for LLMs, and - the new wave of Silicon Valley internships in government We're also on ↓ X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod Connect with us here: 1) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit 2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin 3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin 4) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin Mark Zuckerberg & T-Pain's New Song 'Get Low': https://open.spotify.com/track/3Wn1ZONJX2yfbzWo2aPuQN?si=5368065e3e994f54 00:00 Trailer 01:10 Introduction and Brit's New Look 03:17 IV Drip, Lingo, suPAR 08:49 PSA: Cookies and Feedbacks 10:09 Another big week in AI 12:30 Department of Government Efficiency 21:53 The cryptos and the VCs 29:39 AI in B2B2C and Verticalized Markets 37:50 AI Investment Strategies and Market Trends 52:32 Pop Culture Corner: Zuck and T-Pain 01:00:15 Outro

In this episode, CJ interviews Adam Berg, CFO of Zero Hash, about the evolution of financial services infrastructure and the role of crypto in accelerating this change. With Zero Hash's clients including the likes of Stripe, Interactive Brokers, Franklin Templeton, Shift4, and BlackRock, Adam discusses the importance of blockchain, not just as an asset class but as a fundamental technology that enhances value transfer and settlement processes. He highlights the differences in business models within the fintech ecosystem and the critical need for balance sheet evaluation and liquidity management. Adam talks about the complexities of a B2B2C business model, the challenges and strategies of managing macroeconomic conditions as a CFO, and the importance of a resilient tech stack. He shares insights on the build versus partner framework and explains why he believes that margin compression and price optimization can actually hurt end users in the long run. You'll also hear advice for anyone pursuing a career in finance as Adam reflects on pivotal career decisions.If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.—SPONSORS:Mercury is the fintech ambitious companies use for banking and all their financial workflows. With a powerful bank account at the center of their operations, companies can make better financial decisions and ensure that every dollar spent aligns with company priorities. That's why over 100K startups choose Mercury to confidently run all their financial operations with the precision, control, and focus they need to operate at their best. Learn more at mercury.com.Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC.NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning. Operators Guild is where the best CEOs, CFOs, VPs of finance, and BizOps leaders in the business connect, network, and grow together. Built by operators for operators, this members-only community is home to more than 1000 of the most elite high-growth operators in the world. Experience connection and knowledge share with professionals who understand you like no one else does. Learn more and apply at operators-guild.com. Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

Many businesses overlook the crucial middle phase of the sales funnel, fixating instead on attracting new leads or closing sales. But, neglecting the middle can lead to missed opportunities and wasted efforts. By focusing on the middle of the funnel (MoFu), you can refine leads and ensure smoother transitions to the final purchase decision, ultimately boosting your conversion rates.  On this episode I explore the significance of the middle of the sales funnel and how businesses can effectively engage with prospects during this critical phase. The middle of the funnel acts as a bridge between initial engagement and the final sale, nurturing leads to ensure they are ready to convert. By maintaining continuity and delivering relevant communications at every stage of the buyer's journey, businesses can significantly enhance their chances of successful conversions. Joining me in this exploration is Brandi Starr, a marketing powerhouse with over 20 years of experience shaking up B2B and B2B2C companies. As COO at Tegrita, a consultancy that unlocks the power of email, she's all about transforming processes, enhancing go-to-market strategies, and ensuring smooth customer experiences. Named one of the Top 50 Women in MarTech, Brandi blends strategic vision with operational savvy. She's also the co-author of "CMO to CRO" and the host of the Revenue Rehab podcast, known for turning ideas into action and inspiring others in the marketing world. Links Mentioned: revenuerehab.live tegrita.com

In this episode, we welcome Karlo König, Head of Marketing at Kompare, Croatia's largest price comparison website for insurance and telecommunication services.  Karlo shares insights into how Kompare simplifies the process of choosing and buying insurance and telecom services, saving consumers both time and money. He discusses the importance of website optimization in their B2B2C model, emphasizing the role of A/B testing and user behavior analysis. Karlo also offers valuable advice on staying updated with industry trends and highlights the significance of continuous learning and innovation in marketing.  This episode is packed with practical tips for marketers looking to enhance their digital strategies and improve customer acquisition.  

Welcome to Boostly Podcast Episode 746. stayfi.com/boostly Discount code: BOOSTLY  https://www.hostfully.com/boostly/ In this episode of the Boostly podcast, Liam welcomes Mariah Rockman, co-founder of the Smiling House Group, to discuss the new Villa Tracker platform. Mariah explains how Villa Tracker creates a unique B2B2C bridge for vacation rental professionals and travel professionals, offering a closed platform to facilitate bookings and enhance trust in the hospitality industry. The podcast covers Mariah's professional journey, the needs of travel professionals, and the exciting features of Villa Tracker that cater to luxury and design-oriented properties. Mariah also shares her insights for hosts on staying connected, leveraging multiple booking channels, and embracing unique services to grow their businesses. https://smilinghouse.ch/ https://www.villatracker.com @smilinghouseluxury @Villatracker https://Boostly.co.uk https://Boostly.co.uk/5steps https://instagram.com/boostlyuk https://Boostly.co.uk/podcast

This week, Cardinal CEO, Alex Membrillo, and Nancy Ryerson, Director of Content Marketing at Lantern, dive into the art of patient acquisition, exploring B2B and B2B2C marketing strategies tailored for healthcare marketers. Hear valuable insights into how content marketing, podcasts, and social media can boost brand awareness and drive client acquisition. From leveraging video testimonials to running virtual summits, this episode is packed with actionable tips to elevate your marketing efforts and stay ahead of industry trends. RELATED RESOURCES Connect with Nancy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyryerson/  The Power of Patient Podcasts in Modern Hospital Marketing - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/podcast/power-of-patient-podcasts-modern-hospital-marketing-bonnie-ward/  How to Engage Patients with a Full-Funnel Facebook Ads Strategy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/healthcare-full-funnel-facebook-ads-strategy/  B2B2C Strategies in Healthcare: Winning Employer Clients -  https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/podcast/b2b2c-strategies-in-healthcare-winning-employer-clients-lindsey-kratzer/ 

In Ep. 142 of Earned, Conor Begley sits down with Chris Chesebro— Chief Digital Officer at Wella Company, an innovative global leader in the beauty industry with a portfolio of winning professional and retail hair, nails, and beauty tech brands. To start, we delve into the seismic shifts occurring in the beauty industry through digital innovation. Chris shares how his team harmonizes digital marketing strategies with MarTech and AdTech solutions to build beloved consumer brands while catering to diverse, country-specific needs. We hear how transitioning from a B2B to a B2B2C model and implementing innovative strategies on platforms like Amazon and Ulta have driven significant growth for Wella. Chris also emphasizes the importance of upskilling staff in digital tools like Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics. Switching gears, we dive into the vital role of social media in cultivating relationships within the professional hairdressing and nail art industry, and hear how Wella leverages affiliate partnerships and celebrates individual excellence. To close the show, Chris opens up about challenges and triumphs of navigating corporate spin-outs and digital transformations, before leaving us with his passions for cooking and wine. Tune in to learn: 1. How transitioning from a B2B to a B2B2C model and implementing innovative strategies on platforms like Amazon and Ulta have driven significant growth for Wella 2. Why Wella prioritizes building strong relationships with hair and nail professionals through affiliate partnerships 3. How Wella's corporate spin-out from COTY led to innovative brand building and future-focused growth.   Resources: MMA Global - https://www.mmaglobal.com/   Connect with the Guest: Chris's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrischesebro/?originalSubdomain=fr   Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ: Conor's LinkedIn - @conormbegley CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq   Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ  

We're excited to announce the launch of Villa Tracker OTA, a pioneering platform connecting the vacation rental industry with traditional travel agencies.Our good friend Moriya Rockman, founder of Smiling House and Villa Tracker, joins us to discuss the platform's vision, its impact on the industry, and its partnership with Guesty.Moriaya shares her journey, the challenges faced in creating an OTA, and the potential for new bookings, sustainability, and innovation within the short-term rental sector. The episode highlights the collaborative spirit of the industry, the importance of trust and high standards, and the exciting future of integrated travel planning.Episode Highlights:Villa Tracker Overview: Villa Tracker is a new OTA that connects the vacation rental industry with traditional travel agencies, bridging a gap that has existed since the inception of platforms like Airbnb.History and Need: The vacation rental industry has traditionally excluded third-party professionals like travel agents. Villa Tracker seeks to integrate these professionals into the booking process, offering a B2B2C model.Target Audience Expansion: Villa Tracker aims to serve not just high-budget clients but also travelers who are looking for unique accommodations, including city apartments and luxury villas, with the help of their trusted travel agents.COVID-19 as a Catalyst: The demand for private accommodations during COVID-19 highlighted the need for vacation rentals in the travel industry, inspiring the creation of Villa Tracker.Challenges and Vision: Creating Villa Tracker required overcoming significant technical and trust-building difficulties, but the platform is poised to open new opportunities for property managers and travel agents alike.Partnership with Guesty: Villa Tracker's partnership with Guesty, a leading PMS, was critical in meeting high industry standards and launching the platform.Moriya's Journey: Moriya shares her story from managing a small property in Switzerland to creating a groundbreaking platform, emphasizing the importance of innovation and collaboration in the industry.Industry Collaboration: The podcast highlights the collaborative nature of the vacation rental industry, where professionals push each other to innovate and grow, benefiting the industry as a whole.

Today on the number one podcast for CFOs, CJ talks to Nicolette Turner, CFO of Headspace. Nicolette shares her unconventional journey into her role and how she first came to work for the company during the pandemic while she was seven months pregnant with her first child. She explains why CFOs should use their company's products and why and how they should talk directly to customers. Nicolette then sheds light on Headspace's fascinating and complex business model that includes facets of a B2B, B2C, and B2B2C company. She discusses the challenges of forecasting the business, calculating customer acquisition costs and lifetime value, and monetization within this complex framework, as well as the unique working capital and cashflow challenges they face. She also shares hiring wisdom, including when to promote internally versus hiring externally, what she looks for in a resume, and how building a diverse team unlocks value, while also sharing tools for tough conversations with employees.If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.—SPONSORS:Leapfin is accounting automation software that automatically prepares and posts reliable journal entries. High-growth businesses like Reddit, Canva, and Seat Geek choose Leapfin to eliminate manual tasks, accelerate month-end close, and enable accounting leaders to provide faster insights to help their companies grow. To automatically standardize your revenue data with measurable business impact, check out leapfin.com today. Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.Mercury is the fintech ambitious companies use for banking and all their financial workflows. With a powerful bank account at the center of their operations, companies can make better financial decisions and ensure that every dollar spent aligns with company priorities. That's why over 100K startups choose Mercury to confidently run all their financial operations with the precision, control, and focus they need to operate at their best. Learn more at mercury.com.Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC.NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 37,000 thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist. Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

In this episode of the IoT For All Podcast, Ewam de Freitas, Chief Product Officer at Veea, joins Ryan Chacon to discuss the role of IoT and edge computing in precision farming. The conversation also covers providing connectivity in underserved and remote communities, edge computing use cases, the role of IoT in edge computing, energy optimization, the challenges of edge computing, and securing edge devices. Ewam de Freitas is Chief Product Officer at Veea. Previously, Ewam led the product team for Liberty Latin America with responsibilities across 20 consumer markets delivering mobile, cloud, high-speed connectivity, and entertainment products. Ewam held product and technology leadership roles at Level 3, Charter, and Comcast. He has multiple patents in network-based security methods to strengthen streaming and digital consumer services. Ewam received a B.S. in Biology from James Madison University and completed executive education programs at Daniels College of Business and Ross School of Business. Veea makes edge computing simpler. By integrating connectivity, processing technologies, and containerized secure applications within an easily deployed solution, the Veea Edge Platform provides a quick and easy way to tap into the power and benefits of edge computing, where and when needed. Veea unifies edge computing solutions to hyper-connect underserved populations, smart spaces, retail, and private edge-to-cloud for B2B and B2B2C use cases. Veea's virtualized software environments distribute control, decisions, and resources across every type of network. Veea works with enterprise customers, government agencies, channel partners, and system integrators. Headquartered in New York City, Veea employees worldwide are committed to connecting everything from smart farms to smart cities with more resourceful approaches for a more sustainable world. Discover more about edge computing and IoT at https://www.iotforall.com More about Veea: https://www.veea.com Connect with Ewam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewamd/ Our sponsor: https://business.teliacompany.com/internet-of-things/iot-connectivity (00:00) Sponsor (00:20) Intro (00:30) Ewam de Freitas and Veea (01:13) Bridging IoT and edge computing (02:32) Biggest industries for edge computing (05:18) Precision farming and challenges (06:18) Real-world edge computing solution (07:43) Connectivity use cases in underserved areas (09:24) IoT adoption process for rural communities (11:12) Security considerations in IoT deployments (12:45) Optimizing connectivity for different areas (15:25) New and current focus areas (16:16) Learn more and follow up Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2NlcEwm​ Join Our Newsletter: https://www.iotforall.com/iot-newsletter Follow Us on Social: https://linktr.ee/iot4all Check out the IoT For All Media Network: https://www.iotforall.com/podcast-overview

In this episode of Banking Transformed we have Jeff Horowitz, EVP of Transcard, who discusses the importance of modernizing payment solutions for small businesses. Jeff delves into the common challenges small businesses encounter with payment processing, such as high fees, security concerns, and integration issues and how financial institutions now have digital solutions they can offer through third-party providers. Jeff also shares his vision for the future of global digital payments, highlighting trends like digital wallets, biometric authentication, cross-border payments, AI, and IoT. This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Microsoft: Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. More at Microsoft.com/financialservices This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Transcard Transcard makes frictionless payments a reality with comprehensive global payment solutions designed for banks, fintechs, and businesses of any size and in any industry. Transcard delivers solutions for business-to-business (B2B) payments, consumer-to-business (C2B) payments, business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) payments, and account-to-account (A2A) automation. Our solutions combine unmatched multi-rail capabilities, embedded workflows, best-in-class integration, effortless reconciliation, and bank-grade security. These are some of the reasons that 550 businesses and more than 200 banks trust Transcard with their payments. Learn more at www.transcard.com/

On this episode, Benjamin Baer, the Vice President of Product Marketing at FICO, takes us through FICO's journey from disparate technologies to developing a robust AI decision-making platform. He explains how FICO adapts its product strategy to address the rapidly changing tech industry, the intricacies of predictive and prescriptive analytics, and the future of hyper-personalization in customer experiences.Key Takeaways:The evolution of FICO's technology, the integration of predictive analytics, business rules engines, and optimization technologies to create a seamless solution for businesses.How prescriptive analytics helps businesses make informed decisions based on data, predicting outcomes, and optimizing responses.FICO's role as a B2B2C company, helping clients improve their customer experience using advanced analytics.The importance of building authentic, non-transactional relationships with customers to enhance loyalty and long-term engagement.Understanding the current challenges and opportunities in integrating generative AI into customer-facing solutions while ensuring regulatory compliance.Real-world applications of in-stream analytics for real-time customer engagement in various industries.The vision of a fly-by-wire enterprise, where business operations are optimized and automated through advanced analytics and decisioning technologies.The significance of integrating AI as a feature within broader business solutions, rather than as standalone products.–How can you bring all your disconnected, enterprise data into Salesforce to deliver a 360-degree view of your customer? The answer is Data Cloud. With more than 200 implementations completed globally, the leading Salesforce experts from Professional Services can help you realize value quickly with Data Cloud. To learn more, visit salesforce.com/products/data to learn more. Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

Karla Hernández es CEO y founder de Recupera, plataforma que busca convertirse en tu asesor digital de impuestos, ayudando a los empleados a obtener su devolución de impuestos, brindándoles una planeación financiera a partir de su perfil tributario.Estudió Contaduría Pública en el Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Posteriormente, realizó un diplomado en Contabilidad Internacional por parte del Centro de Estudios Fiscales y diversos cursos en materia fiscal.Inició su carrera como contador corporativo, ocupando posiciones en empresas como Ferromex, American Tower, Scotiabank y ZKW, pero de pronto el emprendimiento llamó a su puerta y ha iniciado tres diferentes empresas, en el año 2010 con una revista digital de arte, en 2016 con una plataforma de reserva de bicicletas y la que hoy abordaremos, Recupera.Recupera es un modelo de negocios B2C que se encuentra en etapa de tracción. En diciembre 2022, durante su etapa de idea, fue acelerado por Socialab México y el Instituto Mexiquense del Emprendedor, en el primer trimestre de 2023 con la mentoría de Emprelatam se construyó el primer MVP, mismo que ya está en el mercado.Puntos Principales de la Entrevista:* Trayectoria de Karla Hernández: Karla narra su fascinante recorrido profesional, desde sus estudios en contaduría pública en el Instituto Politécnico Nacional hasta la fundación de su empresa Recupera. Con una sólida experiencia en contabilidad corporativa y emprendimientos previos, ella ha logrado combinar sus conocimientos para crear una solución innovadora en el ámbito fiscal.* Innovación en Asesoría Fiscal con Recupera: La conversación destaca cómo Recupera utiliza inteligencia artificial y automatización para ofrecer asesoría fiscal personalizada. Karla explica cómo su plataforma ayuda a los empleados a gestionar sus deducciones y obtener mayores devoluciones de impuestos, educándolos sobre sus derechos y optimizando sus finanzas personales.* Desafíos y Estrategias de Crecimiento: Karla aborda los retos que ha enfrentado como emprendedora, incluyendo la construcción de un MVP y la búsqueda de financiación. También comparte sus planes futuros para expandir Recupera y llegar a más usuarios mediante modelos B2B2C y estrategias de marketing innovadoras.Para más información y contenidos exclusivos:* Blog / Newsletter: Cuentos Corporativos en Substack* Facebook: Cuentos Corporativos en Facebook* Instagram: Cuentos Corporativos en Instagram* X (Twitter): Cuentos Corporativos en X* Email: adolfo@cuentoscorporativos.com#AsesoríaFiscal #Innovación #Tecnología #Startups #Recupera #EmpoderamientoFinanciero #Impuestos #Emprendimiento #Latinoamérica #CuentosCorporativos This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cuentoscorporativos.substack.com

Today my long time outdoor compadre Kenji Haroutunian makes his 3rd appearance on the show. As longtime director of two top-fifty trade shows in the country (and many events and services beyond), Kenji's experience has afforded him a truly independent viewpoint to best understand the ebbs and flows of business trends, successes, failures and the tools that can be applied these days to make a difference. Facebook​ ​Twitter​ ​Instagram​ Love the show? Subscribe, ​rate, review, and share!​ Sign up for my Newsletter ​HERE​ I'd love to hear your feedback about the show! You can contact me here: ​rick@theoutdoorbizpodcast.com Brought to you this week by Alabama Beaches Show Notes 04:27 The pivot from outdoor retail (A16) to trade shows. I don't quite remember how that happened. I had been managing stores, a store manager for Adventure 16 in L. A. and then in the Valley store, and was back in the L. A. store managing there. And then got a call from Larry Harrison, who was. Put on task by the outdoor retailer team to go find their next account exec. There was a long-time account executive who was leaving, and they're looking to fill that spot. And I said, like, well, what's an account executive? It's not something that I was familiar with and sounded pretty fancy, but you know, long story short, I interviewed down in Laguna Beach with the team. And then, back then, it was called Miller Freeman, who was the owner of the outdoor retailer shows. And I got hired there as a salesperson having zero experience selling space or advertising, and starting in, in earnest, my career in the media slash shows business. 08:00 The Big Gear Show Big Gear rose up out of what was the paddle sports retailer show. So that was a show launched by a couple of guys from the paddle sports industry who became sort of unhappy with the timing of outdoor retailer. Paddle sports was a big part of the outdoor retailer show, and they passed. They took their boat, went off, and started their own show. Out of that came the desire to be more inclusive categorically. So, instead of just paddle sports, why don't we bring in hike, running, camping, and biking and create a more comprehensive and inclusive platform? And so that's where the Big Gear Show came from. It launched in 2020. 14:29 Outdoor Biz Evolution Those trade shows were all a bunch of guides, and, you know, we were young kids who worked at the retail shop floors and stuff. It was not as sophisticated then as it is now today. You're right. That evolution is big. And I think, you know, the infusion of capital market representatives, you know, I, it was very different. You're right. You know, during my time, for example, at the show's helm was during the time when financial investors started showing up in numbers dozens and then like hundreds of people were coming, and we even created an event for them called what's that called, Fund Source? And it was specifically designed for new brands to pitch to investment community people and get valuable feedback and maybe even score an investor, you know, in the, in the sort of mode of Shark Tank. Right. But it was, I think Camber Outdoors is helping to sponsor it. 17:10 Do you have any thoughts on how that shakes out, consolidates, and continues to expand? I shy away from the word trade show anymore because it's kind of a loaded term. It kind of almost by default says the old. Way or the old show model that were the outdoor industry anyway, has become passé. And I think that whatever we're going to call the new show model you know, at big gear, we call it B2B2C or just simply like an inclusive platform that makes less of a deal of your categorical status. You know, interestingly, you know, I, I have a, well, I don't have my badge on right now, but I came in the show and they had sort of parsed the show entry timing by what kind of badge you had. So it was like, you get an eight, if you have this badge, get an 11, if you have this badge and you're not allowed in, if you don't have this badge. So I think that determination of who occupies what is really difficult now because. You know, who is a retailer anymore? Who is a guide outfit or influence or media, et cetera. Um, even supplier brands have, have brand, like they have products with their brand name on it, you know, Gore, for example. So it's it's a fuzzier world when you make those determinations. So creating a more inclusive show experience is I think part of the, the future equation that'll make sense and will help to, you know, In concert with several other things that need to happen. 31:48 What, what do you think are a couple of the biggest, we talked about this before we hit the record button, about the state of the outdoor industry today. What do you think are a couple of the biggest challenges facing the outdoor industry today?  I think there's a lot of challenges. I think losing our neighborhood shops, you know, in the cities, primarily, I think shops and touch points at the trailhead and near put in and at the destinations. That's still relatively strong across the country. What I see is that the urban shops are really getting crushed. Like they are, their costs are going up. Their inventory and open to buy situations are super stressed and they're just finding it hard to keep going. It's also a time of changeover. Like a lot of the shops like a 16 that were founded, you know, in the 60s and 70s. Those. Company owners are either looking to sell or turn over the younger generation may or may not be interested in running retail stores. And so they're finding this, this time of change over is very active. And that's true in other, you know, related sectors like fly fishing and surf and others, but I think that's part of the challenge right now. We're still working through the inventory glut that happened from the disruption of the of the pandemic. So get 1st. Sold, people sold everything they had and then they had nothing to sell. And then the product was getting delayed because factories were closed and then the shipping lanes were delayed because they couldn't have enough dock workers to even unload the ships. And so that just created this big lag time in the industry that we're still working through like that created this over inventory situation that we're still in right now. 37:40 How has sustainability been reflected at the Big Gear Show? What are some of the initiatives you guys have? Well, I think on the brands and the product side, you could definitely feel it. A lot of. A presence and interest in that re commerce story. For us as a show producer, you know, shows are horribly wasteful historically. So trying to minimize the flow of that you know, because we have such a small team, I was managing a lot of that myself. What was happening over on the outside festival side, we really wanted to participate in, but we weren't able to do it this year. But they had a composting aspect too. So they really activated a zero waste program that did a pretty good job, but it's pretty expensive because you've got to have people. Staff that are there saying, Oh, wait, that's not a composting thing. You got to put that over here. And this is, it's sort of pre sorting. So they had staff at each of these 10 stations or however many there were. And so that's expensive because you just got to pay people for all the time that they're there, but very very impressive commitment from outside and their partners on, on the festival side of things, we want to implement. And so we've been paying close attention to. Like the flow of trash, you know, trashable things coming in. We had a space that we dedicated just for cardboard that could be reused storing it so that it was kept dry and viable. And then, you know, the companies that needed them at the end of the show, we had it for them. So just reusing and being smarter about You know, everything from badge holders, which we didn't have, you know, no badge holders just printed on enough, you know, quality paper that it's going to stay in place and have a, have a badge holder design that is effective. And we only had that for the B2B day. You didn't need badges or anything to come in with, we had digital waivers, so again, you know, just not piles of paper that you have to keep for years, we used a digital service for that. So. You know, little by little getting smarter as a event producer and bringing those bringing those solutions to bear at the show. 38:37 What are a couple of the brands or products you think are leading the way in sustainability?  I guess the small brand Stream2Sea they're called they're making a product that doesn't like it's a sunscreen product Skin care product I guess you'd say but even the packaging on it is thoughtfully designed so that it's biodegradable, you know over time not in your backpack, of course, but and they have a system for being able to return that, you know empty or recycle it So just you know little thoughtful things like that. I think some of the different stove options, you know, I think one of the big stories coming out of the stove and cooking side is. Single use propane, you know, those green ubiquitous one pound propane bottles. And then we had a pellet stove coming from Timber Stoves. There was quite a bit, actually, especially in one of the highlights of the show was the Founders Market, which was produced by Path Ahead Ventures, REI's program for lifting up. BIPOC and women-founded organizations. Cool. And a lot of those companies are really really carefully curated to bring like really thoughtful, more sustainable solutions to the market, as well as, you know, better solutions for groups that historically haven't been addressed, whether that's different body shapes or just, you know, disabled folks. But that, you know, that's different than sustainability in a way. It is sustainability, but it's the same. Yeah. Way It's the same. 42:28 With all the talk lately of PFAS and things you know, we're discovering that are maybe worse off than we thought. How do you think, or do you think we can do more or maybe. Do some of it faster because it seems like maybe just, you know, guys like us, we're running out of time, but I think about my niece and nephew in the world, we're going to leave them and, you know, some of these things we've got to implement these programs like last week, and it seems like it takes a lot of energy and thought and conversation and things to get everybody's head around it to implement any thoughts on that. Yeah, I'm pretty active in California with the California Direct Creation Partnership that I helped found back in twenty-eighteen in addressing these aspects because you know, the way that the legislation first came out was basically saying that at retail, there can't be p fast in any of the products you sell after January first twenty-five or whatever the date was, and this is like, hey. Hold on a second. We, as the industry, believe in eliminating PFAS, just like we believe in eliminating BPA, just like we believe in using post-consumer recycled ingredients, and just like we believe in circular economy solutions. However, starting with the retail side starts with the horse's tail instead of the front. Like you've got to start at the supply chain side. Get them to stop using it, and then you can regulate. If that's a word regulation-wise, you can, you know, move down the chain. So you start at the fiber manufacturer, then you go to the fabric manufacturer, then you go to the. Apparel manufacturer, then you go to the wholesaler, then you go to the retailer and then you go to the, you know, the consumer and give them a way to get rid of that stuff or to cycle it in a way that doesn't end up with just plastic in the ocean or in the landfill. So I think more plastic in the ocean or the landfill. This is the reason why business. And government partnerships, you know, are the really so important to how we move forward, whether it is keeping PFAS out of our bodies and out of our ecosystems or doing a better job of working with tribes and taking that native knowledge and that stewardship mindedness. Of, you know, thousands of years of indigenous presence and and honoring that all of these things mean disrupting the current flow. And that's hard. You know, if a river is flowing super fast, it's pretty hard to get it to move in a different direction. And that's what we're trying to do. We're changing the culture. We're changing the entire culture of an industry, like changing our own personal culture. It's hard enough doing it for your family or your community is. Super hard and takes longer doing it for an entire industry that has all these moving parts across the country and across the globe like that's, that's going to take years. So I think part of this is just learning to keep I had a coach when I paddled out rigor and he had this phrase, you know, we would use because outrigger races are sometimes. Really long like 20 miles 30 miles. Yeah, and it's just smooth power, like keep the pressure on keep applying the pressure. Don't burn yourself out because you've got an hour and a half more to keep paddling. Don't run out. Don't burn yourself out, but smooth power, you know, and you'll keep keep the rhythm. Keep the power going. That's what we need. We need rhythm and we need, we need gentle applied power. That's. Consistent. Kind of like you and your podcast. 47:02 Where do you see the Big Gear Show in the next three to five years, say? What's that evolution look like? I think we have to keep adapting and building this new model. And I think that the future of it is going to be more more events. Kind of surrounding the main event. So I guess I think of it as like a constellation of stars or something like we've created the critical mass in the center, and now we're just, you know, you, you mentioned ATT elevate. Like I know Shannon's thinking about maybe that belongs in orbit with. The outside festival and the CEO summit idea. And I participated in an Asian outdoor leaders group meeting. They know little things that start to build around the core. People bring their sales meetings to town. That's always happened back at the old show, right? Those are the things that create. The critical mass and get people to say, you know what, I really need to be there. And the more you do that across more sectors, across more job functions and you know, the workforce part of the industry, the more that'll bring the industry to bear. And create that critical mass. So I think that's the future is continuing to work partnerships. I think partnerships are what fuel that that type of you know, critical mass building. 52:52 What is your favorite piece of outdoor gear under a hundred dollars? I think last time I, I said headlamps and I still think headlamps are amazing. 56:58 Is there a memorable outdoor adventure or experience that has influenced your work side of the world? Yeah, absolutely. One of my bigger adventures was skiing the high route across the Sierra from Independence to Fresno, basically. Yeah. And I, in that experience because I was with Jeff Cooper, Dan Dalbera, and Suniva Sorby, it was great; it was pretty well documented. So I have images from that, and I can tell the story. It's a story that's relevant to people who want to ski the high route, but it's also relevant to a number of different objectives or just, um, inspiration for businesses who are facing challenges as a team or challenges as a marketplace. And it's even helpful for for our journalists and people like I, I, I use that story was included in Jeannette Stawski's recent book, The Outdoor Leader recent book called The Outdoor Leader. So I have an excerpt in there from this trip that I did, you know, and that, that I learned so much about not just, you know, how to backcountry ski a multi day like big, big objective. Yeah. Kind of thing, but also about leadership, about following, you know, when the right time is to be following and leading when the, when you're needed to be leading, and that is, It reminds me of kind of this uh, the dynamic in leadership. Like you don't always have to be the big, bad boss. You know, there's times to hand over the boss reins to your up and coming leader or identifying who is, who are your up and coming leaders and investing in them. And then when the time comes, they have the skills and they have the ability to go out and go for it and take up, take the reins. And I learned a lot about that during this trip where I was not the trip leader. But I had to become the leader for, for at least a while away. 59:44 Do you have any advice for anyone looking to break into the outdoor industry? My standard answer is for people who have, you know, been asking me this question for decades, I say, well, best way started retail, learn the retail ropes, go with the front lines, talk to people who are just getting into it or need a new piece of gear or need some advice about where to go and what to do. And you'll learn. Where the point pressure points are, where the pain points are, where the opportunities are, where the products are. Learn More You can follow up with Kenji at: the biggearshow.com and click contact. Next Steps If you enjoy interviews devoted to the outdoor industry, find us online at ricksaez.com/listen. We love likes and comments, and if you know someone who is also an outdoor enthusiast, go ahead and share our site with them, too. And be sure to Subscribe to our newsletter Keywords #Outdoor industry, #Big Gear Show, #trade shows, #outdoor events, #diversity in leadership, #sustainable practices, #sustainability measures, #PFAS regulations, #environmental issues, #outdoor gear, #mentorship programs, #conservation efforts, #pandemic impact on outdoor industry, #sustainability initiatives, #re-commerce. Podcast produced using Descript, CastMagic Podcast hosted by Libsyn: sign up with code 'outdoorbizpod' for 20% OFF Show Notes powered by Castmagic Website powered by Wordpress Get Your Podcast Published NOW!  I'm partnering with Tracy DeForge, Stephanie Euler, and the Produce Your Podcast team to get it out of your head and into your followers' ears. Tracy and her team have helped me grow and monetize my show, and podcasters trust them because they deliver. Go to https://ricksaez.com/pyp to get all the details. Let's get your show created, produced, and on the air today. 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In today's competitive healthcare landscape, expanding into new markets and maintaining a focus on customer-centricity are critical for sustained growth. Joining us to discuss these challenges and opportunities is Alice Eweida, CEO of Pandia Medical Group and Pandia Pharmacy. Alice brings extensive experience in navigating both direct-to-consumer and business-to-business models in the healthcare sector.   Alice Eweida is the CEO of Pandia Health (which includes Pandia Medical Group and Pandia Pharmacy) with over 20 years of experience. She took the reins during its seed stage and joined at a time of significant growth as the organization expanded into multiple service categories, adding menopause and developing AI that guides doctors to personalize prescribing medication to best serve the individual patient's needs.    Prior to Pandia Health, Alice led growth and brand marketing at several Series B digital health startups leveraging telemedicine for wellness, nutrition, diabetes and substance use care. Notably, she grew Boulder Care to approximately 5,000 patients and took DayTwo through a rebrand and expanded their care program from providers to mid-sized employers and national and regional payers. At Foodsmart (formerly Zipongo), she established their B2B2C enrollment and engagement programs, growing its user base to 950,000 through an employee benefits program with Fortune 500 companies, including Disney, Google, IBM and United Healthcare.    Alice spent four years at Google where her team launched Google Home, the first device with a voice-activated assistant built in, and was responsible for the integration with YouTube Red. Additionally, she spent time in their sales department to help grow advertising investments for global brands in the beauty and media sectors across Google Search, Google Display, YouTube and Google's Marketing Platform.   Earlier in her career, Alice led product marketing at Sky TV, now a division of Comcast, for Sky Go on mobiles, tablets and games consoles. Prior to that, she was part of Vodafone's Marketing Graduate Program. Alice holds an MA from the Oxford College of Marketing and a BA in English Language and Media Studies from the University of Birmingham in England. RESOURCES Pandia Health website: https://www.pandiahealth.com/   Connect with Greg Kihlström on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom   Listen to The Agile Brand without the ads. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3ymf7hd   Headed to MAICON 24 - the premier marketing and AI conference? Use our discount code AGILE150 for $150 off your registration code. Register here: http://tinyurl.com/5jpwhycv   Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show   Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com   The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow   The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

In this episode, Lindsey Kratzer, Partner at Spark Health Advisors, joins Cardinal's Chief Growth Officer, Lauren Leone, for a conversation about the unique challenges faced by digital health and clinic-based organizations in reaching both B2B and consumer markets. You'll gain insights into developing and implementing successful “land and expand” strategies, with real-world examples from Spark Health Advisors. This episode is packed with actionable advice on building robust pipelines, crafting targeted messaging, and driving engagement to ultimately deliver better outcomes for your healthcare marketing efforts. RELATED RESOURCES Building a Foundation for Better ROI Measurement - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/building-a-foundation-for-better-roi-measurement/  How to Use Marketing Personalization While Protecting Patient Privacy - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketing-personalization-protecting-patient-privacy/  Marketing's Role at Each Step of the Patient Experience - https://www.cardinaldigitalmarketing.com/healthcare-resources/blog/marketings-role-at-each-step-of-the-patient-experience

In this episode of Room for Growth, Billie is joined by two WillowTree colleagues, Kate Gallaher (Partner & VP, Head of Financial Services) and Caitlin Watson (Partner, Marketing Services), as they delve into global loyalty in financial services. Focusing on credit card payment processors and retail banks, they explore the complexities of building brand loyalty in a regulated market, discuss the impact of digitization on customer behavior, and share insights into the most effective loyalty programs in today's digital age, competing with digitally-native FinTech upstarts.Billie, Kate, and Caitlin also unpack our recent research study, authored by WillowTree Senior Product Researcher Rachel Vanderbilt, PhD. The study explores the nuances in credit card loyalty programs across five global markets — North America, South America, Europe, Middle East–Africa, and Asia–Pacific — and underscores the dangers of adopting a US-first mindset on the global stage. ADDITIONAL RESOURCESTOPICS DISCUSSEDHow digitization leads to increased product diversity and brand disloyalty.How data integrity and personalization create relevant offers and user-centric experiences.How brands can build loyalty in a B2B2C model while keeping CX at the forefront.Why considering a global perspective is essential in designing loyalty programs for diverse regional customer bases.KEEP THE GROWTH GOINGPreview WillowTree's forthcoming research study, Global Credit Card Rewards Programs: How Consumer Loyalty Preferences Differ by RegionExplore WillowTree's Loyalty Strategy & Consulting practiceExplore WillowTree's Financial Services expertiseConnect with Kate Gallaher on LinkedInConnect with Caitlin Watson on LinkedInFollow Billie Loewen on LinkedIn

Hosts Will Larry and Victoria Guido are joined by Zamina Karim, the CEO and Founder of Mevi, a community-driven motherhood wellness app designed to address the unique challenges of motherhood, especially in the context of the pandemic. Zamina shares her journey from experiencing postpartum anxiety and depression to founding Mevi. She discusses the lack of understanding and support for new mothers, especially during the pandemic when traditional support structures were unavailable. The conversation also touches on parenting challenges in the current era, underscoring the need for community and support. The app aims to revolutionize maternal health by fostering connections among mothers and providing support for the challenges of motherhood beyond medical visits. Zamina's approach to building Mevi is rooted in empathy, aiming to address new mothers' emotional and practical needs and fill a significant gap in current maternal health support. Zamina also talks about the broader implications of Mevi's mission, the evolving startup funding landscape, and the importance of pivoting and adapting in the entrepreneurial journey. She emphasizes the role of empathy in building inclusive experiences for parents and the potential of technology to improve maternal health outcomes. Mevi (https://www.getmevi.com/) Follow Mevi on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/getmevi/). Follow Zamina Karim on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaminasunderjikarim/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript:  WILL: This is The Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Will Larry. VICTORIA: And I'm your other host, Victoria Guido. And with us today is Zamina Karim, CEO and Founder of Mevi, the first-ever community-driven motherhood wellness app. Zamina, thank you for joining us. ZAMINA: Thank you so much for having me. VICTORIA: Well, outside of founding Mevi, what keeps you going? What's exciting for you right now in your world? ZAMINA: Well, I have a toddler. She is two turning three, and she keeps me incredibly active and stimulated throughout the day. And I have my hands full with her throughout the day. And outside of that, I've just jumped into the business full-time. So, I'm navigating solo foundership and recognizing how different of an experience that is when you have been working in a team environment for the last 15 years or so. So, that's kind of what's been keeping me busy the last few months. WILL: You mentioned your daughter. When you became a parent, I know there's something surprising; there's plenty. But what was the most surprising thing that you went through when you became a parent? ZAMINA: Oh my gosh, there were so many things. You're totally right, Will. But I think, for me, it was a really big emphasis that I noticed on the products that I would need to have. And if I had all of those products, I would be ready and I would be well on my way, and parenting would be a breeze. And it kicked me on my butt when I realized that having the perfect car seat and the perfect stroller was not setting me up for success. And there was a lot that I didn't know and didn't realize, even though I had done so much research and had a lot of other parents in my network. I think it's one of those things that you don't truly understand until you have experienced it yourself and you are living through it. VICTORIA: So, then, what led you to start Mevi? ZAMINA: Mevi was started because my baby was born during the pandemic, and I experienced a ton of challenges during that time. I struggled with symptoms of anxiety and depression for over a year. But I didn't really need any clinical diagnosis, and so no one knew how to help me in my family. And I did not know how to help myself either. And I really felt the Western sort of pressure of having to do it all. And I was quite frankly embarrassed by the struggles that I was experiencing. And, you know, you never really go back to your old self. But once she turned one, I started to feel a little bit more balanced. And I came out of my shell, and I started speaking with other women from all over the world really. And I learned very quickly that my experience was the norm and not the exception. And that really was the inspiration to go ahead and try to solve that problem. WILL: Yeah. I remember we had my middle child at the very beginning of July 2020. And the first thing that was rough is that was whenever they were like, "If you have COVID, we may have to separate you from your child when you have birth," and it was terrifying. And they ended up not doing that. We didn't have COVID or anything. But I remember, because we have three now, and I remember thinking, like, if I was a parent of a single child, it would have to be rough because, like, the child is not playing with anyone, and you're also by yourself. So, I totally relate with what you're saying. ZAMINA: Yeah, absolutely. And then, beyond that, all of those kinds of traditional childcare centers or places where people would congregate were shut down. And up here in Canada, a lot of those places haven't really opened back up, and so there was no real bounce back to a pre-pandemic norm. A lot of families are now just navigating with this as the new normal. So, I think it's really important to recognize that parenting in 2021 and beyond is really different from what it was pre-pandemic. VICTORIA: So, you had this acute need yourself to build a community to survive [laughs]. What in your background led you to think, oh, I could start a company around this; I could build the solution for this problem? ZAMINA: Yeah, it's actually a really interesting mix of personal and more technical and career-driven. So, on a personal level, I was born in India, and my parents are from East Africa. So, that cultural element really bleeds into my perspectives and my values on life, as well as what's missing in healthcare today, so this idea of taking a prevention-focused approach or addressing root causes rather than addressing symptoms, which is a lot more common in today's kind of healthcare context. And then, on a more career-based side, my background is in consumer tech, growth marketing. And I studied psychology and human development when I was in school. So, all of these areas really came together as the perfect combination for starting Mevi because I had this hard tech background. I know how to code. I self-taught Ruby on Rails about ten years ago. And then I'd worked in this consumer space, kind of selling things for companies like Masterclass, and Uber, and Lululemon, and Aritzia. And I had this experience on the paid acquisition side as well. So, all of those things really came together for me to feel equipped to step into this journey of building Mevi. But I think no matter what technical or kind of soft skills you have, it is still a huge climb when building a company from scratch and, in particular, when you're doing it as a solo founder. WILL: Wow, that's so amazing. I love your background, and I love especially talking to founders who have a technical background and kind of seeing how their journey was. Did your technical background help you in anything, or did you code your app? ZAMINA: I did not code the app. Because I was on the tech side over a decade ago, so I was building apps about ten years ago; it's one of those muscles where it can very quickly atrophy. And things now are developing at such a rapid pace compared to when I was in the space that I'm no longer someone who would be best suited to actually code the app. I would be spending a lot of time relearning versus just delegating that to somebody else. But I do possess the ability to talk to engineers and to be able to navigate some of the architecture and the fundamentals with them and that, for me, has been a really big game changer because I'm not completely lost when chatting with technical folks. And I can kind of navigate my way around with a little bit more ease than I would be able to if I didn't have that background. VICTORIA: Yeah. I want to talk about how you're thinking about building your team for the future and filling in those gaps that you may have since you have such a well-rounded background. But first, I wanted to go back to, what stage do you feel like you are in your product life cycle? Are you still in the discovery phase or you have an MVP? What's the phase you're at right now? ZAMINA: We are getting our MVP built right now. So, I've done about a year's worth of user interviews, research, chatting with folks all over the world, and really doing my best at validating the concept, and the idea, and the problem space. And one thing I will say is that the problem space is super clear. Famtech and femtech are places where there's a lot of capital being invested, and there's a lot of incredible innovation happening. But the solution is something that I think is always going to be evolving as needs of parents evolve. But right now, I have a pretty solid idea of what the product should be in its first iteration, and that is what we'll be launching with in 2024. And we'll be testing with some select partners. WILL: I'm so excited for you. Can you explain what is Mevi? What's the problem that you're looking to solve with it? ZAMINA: We are rooted in this belief that all of the negative symptoms, the stress, the mental health disorders that are experienced by moms stem from the isolation and lack of connection that they have to their communities. So, our mission is to really revolutionize maternal health by caring for the life that happens in between doctor's visits. Really, that is where life happens. And in doing so, we want to solve for those two specific root cause factors, emotional support and social isolation, that contribute the most to postpartum disorder. So, from a practical standpoint, what Mevi is really going to do is connect moms to their personalized support networks so that they can delegate things like critical care tasks, activities of daily living, support with things at home, as well as emotional and mental health support to their support network so that they can basically show up for them in the way that they most need. VICTORIA: That's really exciting. And to play that back a bit, it's interesting from your research and from your own experience that the thing that was missing was that element of community and connection to other people. Can you tell us more about that? ZAMINA: In today's world, moms are expected to do it all, and we're kind of conditioned to that regard in every aspect of our lives. And there's a lot of support lacking for moms from a childcare perspective, from a systemic support perspective around things like maternity leave. And, ultimately, I think we're kind of given these signals that we should be able to do it alone, so we should just go ahead and do that. And I think, for that reason, a lot of women really struggle because when they do ultimately step into parenthood, particularly in a post-pandemic context, they are incredibly overwhelmed, but they're getting all of these signals that they should be able to do it. And so, then they feel incredibly isolated and really struggle with those feelings. And so, what Mevi and what I, as a person and as a founder I'm really trying to address and bring attention to is this idea that women absolutely cannot do it alone. And that over the last, you know, 10,000 years, we have raised children, and we have also raised mothers with the support of villages. And those villages look different for different people, but that's really the case across the entire planet. And so, what I really want to do is to bring attention back to the fact that it's important to build your personal village and to be able to request support from them in the ways you need. WILL: Yeah. So, I was looking at your website when I was doing some research, and the very first, I guess, banner, you can call it, with a text message in it, there's a text message that's sent to the mom, and I'm guessing it's AI-driven. It's asking, "Hey. Out of these three options, what exactly do you need help in?" Can you walk me through what that looks like? Is it AI-driven that sends the text out and it has a list of friends and family that sends the text to, or how does that work? ZAMINA: Yeah. So, first big disclaimer is that what you see on the website was actually our alpha product that we tested up here in Canada with a cohort of new moms. And that was really built to validate the problem space and to understand if a solution like this would be impactful. And that was actually not AI-driven, believe it or not. It was largely built through automation tools and a database of text messages that yours truly wrote and connected with Twilio. So, it was really kind of strung together on the back-end prototype that we used to understand if getting help on tasks like this would be beneficial. We also were sending regular kind of positive reinforcement messages, just like, you know, resources, notes, things like that, to those moms just to give them kind of a daily positive reminder. But those text messages were also being sent, yes, to their support networks that they would sign up, so their partner, perhaps their mother, their mother-in-law, their sisters, their friends, so on and so forth. And we would determine which messages would go to whom. And through that test, we realized that there was kind of a really positive response to what this was trying to achieve but that it was quite limited in its functionality because it was hard coded on the backend, and there wasn't really a lot of AI leveraged. So, we are now moving into building out an MVP, which will be a mobile app. WILL: Wow. I can definitely see how this is beneficial because we have three kids, and my oldest and my youngest share the same birthday, so three kids in three years. And it seems like, oh, why are you asking that simple question? Sometimes, the simple question is exactly what you need. "Hey, how can I help?" And given choices, that is huge just to nudge what you need help. Because, like, I love my sleep and [chuckles] with kids, you don't really get sleep sometimes. And I used to remember everything, but my youngest has been dealing with earaches probably over the last month, and I am forgetting a lot just because [chuckles] I haven't been getting sleep. So, I love what you're doing. And the purpose and the problem you're trying to solve, I think is much needed. ZAMINA: Yeah, thank you so much. That point that you made about giving options is really important because, especially when you're encountering motherhood for the first time, it's quite daunting, and you don't really know what you don't know. And so, people will say, "Oh, you know, I'm here for you. Let me know how I can help." But that in and of itself is a huge barrier because you don't really know what to ask. You don't want to infringe on them. You don't want to make it inconvenient for them. And there's also boundaries that you want to set in terms of who you want to let into your home and let into your personal space and that kind of thing. So, I think it's really important to provide a little bit of education for new mothers around what kinds of things they can typically benefit from getting support with, particularly in the home in those early days. As an example, a lot of moms feel hesitant about letting others come into their home to hold their child. They actually would prefer that others come into the home and support them with the dishes or making a meal so that they can stay close to their baby, particularly in those early days when babies are feeding around the clock, and skin-to-skin contact is really important. And so, it's really important to provide that guidance, especially to new moms, so that they can share that with their support networks. But then also sharing that information with their support network so that they don't feel insulted or they don't feel bad when their requests for support are directed in a different way. So, through Mevi, we also hope to provide that education and that guidance to everybody that's in the network so that they understand how to be helpful. Because I think at the end of the day, a lot of our friends and our families genuinely want to be there for us, but they just don't know how. And so, we're really there to be those coaches for them. MID-ROLL AD: Now that you have funding, it's time to design, build, and ship the most impactful MVP that wows customers now and can scale in the future. thoughtbot Liftoff brings you the most reliable cross-functional team of product experts to mitigate risk and set you up for long-term success. As your trusted, experienced technical partner, we'll help launch your new product and guide you into a future-forward business that takes advantage of today's new technologies and agile best practices. Make the right decisions for tomorrow today. Get in touch at thoughtbot.com/liftoff. VICTORIA: I'm curious about...I think it's a hashtag on your LinkedIn profile for empathetic tech. Based on what you're describing, how does that relate to what you're building and how you build empathy into the technology and products? ZAMINA: I am so committed to proving that we can build great businesses that do good in the world, that support women's health outcomes but are still businesses at the end of the day and make great revenue and great profits. When I came out into the space, and I kind of said, "Okay, I'm here, and I'm building this thing," particularly because I'm solving a problem for mothers, I often got met with this question of "Well, is it a nonprofit?" And no, absolutely not. It is not a nonprofit. It is intended to be a scalable business. But I think a lot of people have a misunderstanding that if you're building something that is good for the world, that it won't generate revenue and profit. And so, from an empathetic tech standpoint, that's really something that I am kind of on a mission to prove through Mevi and through my own kind of personal endeavors. It's something that's really close to my heart. And I really, really want to put femtech on the map for that reason. And from a product standpoint, I mean, we have lots of ideas about how we can build that empathy directly into the product. But I think the biggest thing is coaching moms to be vulnerable in ways that feel accessible to them. Again, back to this idea that women are expected to do it all and moms are expected to do it all, I think if we can start to nudge moms to sharing with their closed private networks of, you know, the handpicked people that they've put into their support networks about how they're feeling, what they need help with, you know, their mood day to day, those kinds of things, we can start to build more empathy, both in the context of that particular family, but in the broader context of motherhood as a whole. WILL: Why do you think they automatically go to, "Oh, it's a nonprofit business," when you're talking about the mental health of women and anything in that category? ZAMINA: I haven't figured it out yet [laughs], but in part, it feels like it's a social endeavor. "Oh, you're here to solve your own problem." And yes, I'm here to solve my own problem, but really, this is the problem of women across Canada, and the States, parts of Europe, and in Australia, and New Zealand. And so, it's not just a small niche problem. But I think a lot of people who I've encountered, particularly in the earlier days of when I had just kind of come up on the scene, I was talking with a lot of people who didn't resonate because either they were male. They didn't have children. They weren't familiar with healthtech or femtech. And so, for them, they were like, "I don't understand this space. It must not be very big. It must not be very important," but it's quite the contrary. VICTORIA: What other challenges have you faced so far on your journey? ZAMINA: The other big one, honestly, is the fact that I'm a solo founder. For the last 15, 20 years, I have been working with people day in and day out, and, you know, whether it's in office or remotely, I had the option to kind of jam with them throughout the day on different problems. And in this particular journey, I don't really have that in the same way that I have been familiar with for, you know, my entire career. So, that has been a huge learning curve for me. And I have really recognized that the journey of entrepreneurship is just as much of a mental one as it is everything else, and finding ways to cope with the kind of emotional ups and downs as you get lots of wins. But you also get doors closed in your face. All of those things require an immense amount of grit and resilience. And when you are going at it alone, it can be a little bit harder to navigate that. But I'm slowly starting to really find my rhythm. And I've really managed to do that, I think, in large part due to an advisory board that I have built of people who are really looking to support me, who are bullish on the mission, who believe that this is a really big problem that deserves to be solved, and are helping to clear roadblocks and obstacles, both, you know, in the environment, but also for me when I get in my own head about things. And that has been really, really powerful for me is, kind of building that advisory board of people. WILL: Since we're talking about hurdles, what are some of the hurdles you see in the future? Since we talked about your past ones and your current ones, do you see any on the future—on the horizon? ZAMINA: Yeah, I mean, obviously, there's the kind of traditional ones of finding product-market fit and landing the product with that ideal customer. And so, I'm really excited about the work that's being done right now to get there. But, obviously, it's going to be a constant, you know, road of iteration and evolution on the product space. And that is one that I'm really excited about. But I think the other bigger one is just the consumer landscape right now is a tough one to be in. Capital is drying up from an investment standpoint. And I've seen a lot of founders who are farther ahead in their journey, who have incredible results, that are growing rapidly year on year, and they are struggling to raise money. And they've got traction, really, really great traction. So, at this stage, it's really important for me to find ways to self-fund and bootstrap through this period, which ultimately, I think is going to give me a competitive advantage. It's going to give every founder who's doing the same thing a competitive advantage in the long run because I believe that if you can get traction in this environment, you're truly building a really great business. But I do see that this area of capital being one that founders are really going to have to navigate for the next year or two. VICTORIA: That resonates with some stories that we've heard as well. And I'm curious to hear you talk about the discovery process a little bit more. Was there anything that you discovered early on that caused you to pivot in strategy? ZAMINA: So, I joined a pre-accelerator in San Francisco late 2023. And we built this vision of the MVP that I was really excited about. And as I was getting ready to think about actually building it out, what I realized was that in the feature set that we had built out, we were trying to do way too much. I had this vision of what Mevi could be ten years from now, and I was almost trying to build that in in an MVP. And so, one of the big pivots that I made from a product perspective was really, really dialing it back and simplifying the feature set to really what I believed and what I had heard from folks would be the most impactful for them rather than, you know, squeezing in a bunch of other things that would be kind of beneficial or a value-add in the long run. I really wanted to ensure that when we did launch and when we do launch that, people really understand what we're here to do. And then, over time, as we get more and more consumer feedback, of course, we can continue to build the product in the direction that folks are desiring. But that was an early pivot. And another one was more on the business model side, and this is one that I'm still kind of workshopping and working through with different folks. But this idea of going direct to consumer versus actually going to other companies and other businesses who serve this population of new mothers and actually selling the product to them, and then having them use it in their different contexts as they serve their clients. And so, we've kind of pivoted our business model from B2C to B2B2C, which, even in doing so over the last month, has really, really gotten a lot of very positive signals that that is kind of the right approach to be making in the short term. And then, of course, you know, again, once we launch and we get that consumer feedback, we will continue to explore and expand other business models. But early on, I was just trying to do a lot. And in both of those pivots, I found some focus, and I'm really, really excited by that. WILL: That's awesome. I love how you said pivoting. I think that's probably the core to having a successful business, knowing when to pivot, knowing when not to. What does success look like for you in, like, the next six months, you know, five years, especially when...I know you have a launch coming up. You're talking about raising capital. You kind of pivot on your business plans a little. What does it look like to be successful in that timeframe? ZAMINA: In the next few months, success is really just going to be doing what we say we're going to do and putting an app out into the market and having it really be tested with some hand-picked partners who are also innovating in the maternal health space. I really believe in aligning with people who believe deeply in solving this problem. And I think that's just the low-hanging fruit as well from a business standpoint. And so, over the next six months, that's really what I'll be prioritizing. And then, over the next, gosh, five, seven years, I really want it to be a full suite of features and tools that moms can leverage through a mobile platform. I really want it to be kind of, like, the Flo app [chuckles] for mothering, a household name that is doled out, you know, from OBGYNs who are saying, "Oh, hey, you should check this out now that you're pregnant," used by doula practices or midwife institutes, circulated among friends as the must-have app to have on your phone when you find out that you're pregnant. Obviously, that is a really, really lofty goal. But I do believe that there is a pretty big gap in this market, and I'm excited to try to fill it. VICTORIA: How do you balance having ambitious goals against also needing to maintain your life and your life as a parent? ZAMINA: I have a really incredible support system. My husband is an entrepreneur as well. And really, my career over the last ten years allowed him to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams, and he's absolutely killing it. And so, he kind of said to me, "Hey, it's your turn. I really want to give you the space to try this thing out and see where it can go. I really believe in it." I have him kind of in my corner every day, cheering me on and giving me a lot of space to learn and, grow and pivot from time to time. But I also think that he's really great from a financial standpoint and helping me kind of navigate, you know, these goals and understanding kind of the revenue potential of the business and those kinds of things. And so, I have a really great balance of, you know, me being kind of pie in the sky, head in the clouds, really, really aspirational about what I'm building. And he does two things really great. He kind of brings me back to earth sometimes, but he also has a really, really great financial acumen that he lends to the business. And so, he's really kind of my champion and has allowed me to pursue this. WILL: I'm so glad that you have a supportive partner. That could be a make-it or break-it a lot of times. It's just someone in your corner that you can trust and know that they have your back. I think that's just huge. ZAMINA: Yeah, absolutely. I'm super lucky. WILL: What motivates you? What makes you...because being an entrepreneur is not easy. It's a lot of long hours, a lot of sleepless nights at times. So, what motivates you to want to be an entrepreneur? ZAMINA: I really want to leave the world in a better place than I found it. I spent a lot of time in my career, particularly on the marketing side, selling people things. And some of those things were great, and some of those things were absolutely things that they did not need. And I think once I became a parent, my perspective on life really shifted. And I realized that I wanted to spend my time doing something that I could be proud of but that would also, you know, do good in the world. I'm fueled by this idea that I'm building in a space that has kind of been underserved for decades and, that I'm solving a real-world tangible problem, and that I have a lot of people who have provided some incredible guidance, feedback, support along the way, who are validating the journey that we're on. And so, all of those things kind of, you know, fuel me in that way. And then, I think from a practical standpoint, just being able to build and design my life in the way that, you know, excites me, being able to spend time with my family, to have that flexibility. You know, in these early days, I don't have a lot of that because I'm spending a lot of time in the business, but I'm excited by the opportunity that it will present in the long run. VICTORIA: That's really exciting. And it reminds me just about what are your core values, and what values drive your everyday decisions? ZAMINA: I think it's really the one around the desire to leave the world in a better place. Again, when my daughter was born, I just saw things in a really different way. You know, I think I had been largely ignorant to a lot of that and not to the fault of my own. I think it's just one of those things that you don't really understand until you become a parent. You see how difficult it is to obtain childcare. You see how predatory it can be when it comes to consumption around toys, and products, and nutrition. And there's just a lot of things that become apparent to you that you don't really realize. And so, anything that I do and anyone that I align myself with is really centered around this idea and this desire to leave the world in a better place than I found it. WILL: Yeah, I totally agree with that. And I wish there were so many more resources out there because it's a hard thing to do. So, I really am glad that you're doing this. And it kind of leads into my next question. Do you have any advice for building an inclusive experience for parents? ZAMINA: If you spend any time on social media, you will see that people are very quick to dole out advice and to have comments on how other people choose to do things in their families, particularly in the context of, you know, female and motherhood-based content creators. And, honestly, the biggest thing that's missing when those kinds of things happen is empathy. A lot of the times, we feel maybe a little bit insecure, or we feel worried that decisions that we're making are not good, or we feel worried about being judged. And so, maybe we shift that onto other people. We project that onto other people. And what I've just seen come up time and time again is if everyone could just see the fact that everyone's struggle is very unique to their individual context. You never know what other families might be dealing with. You don't understand, you know, what difficulties they might be having at work, what difficulties they might be having with childcare, what their financial situation is. And all of that informs their decision-making, and everyone's just doing the best that they can. You know, when it comes to how we engage with other parents on social media, how we engage with other parents in real life, at work, in products, it's really just about trying to bridge the gap through empathy. And that's obviously way, way easier said than done. But I think it's really important because sometimes we just need that window to get the glance into other people's lives to really understand, oh, I should maybe, you know, keep that particular opinion to myself or maybe not be so judgmental in this particular context? And so, yeah, I think that's the biggest piece of advice that I have just for anyone that is navigating life in any context with a parent. VICTORIA: That's really helpful. Thank you. And it's, like, leading with empathy again, right? ZAMINA: Absolutely. Yeah [laughs]. The commonality here is absolutely leading with empathy. VICTORIA: Well, wonderful. I've really enjoyed our conversation so far. Is there anything else that you would like to promote? ZAMINA: Two quick things. Like I said, we are getting ready to launch in the middle of the year, so I'm really excited for that. And if anyone listening is excited by the mission, you can sign up for our waitlist at getmevi.com. Again, disclaimer, the website is a little bit out of date. It needs some work. But the wait list is very much active and works just fine. So, it'd be great to capture your intention there. And then, you can also follow us on Instagram @getmevi. VICTORIA: Wonderful. And also, do you have any questions for me or Will? ZAMINA: Gosh, yeah, I mean, I would love to understand kind of what patterns are you seeing in terms of what founders are building right now? Have you noticed kind of any underlying trends that you think would be valuable to share? VICTORIA: Well, I can talk about my experience connecting to the San Diego community, startup and founders community. So, it is interesting. I think what you mentioned earlier about trying to bootstrap as much as you can and do it yourself as much as you can. I've seen founders show an interest in learning more about low-code tools and using those to prove out their MVP and prove out their concept and go from there. There's always shifts in the investment, right? So, people, I think, are even more going to fall into their similar patterns for what they choose to invest in and take less risks. It's trending upward again, and we're starting to see some signs of investment picking up again. You know, being in San Diego is an interesting place because we're right next to Tijuana, and you can be in Mexico in 30 minutes from my house or 45, depending on traffic. And there's just a lot of opportunity to do all different types of startups around here: biotech startups and startups that help you predict if breast cancer is going to come back. And there's also just all kinds of interesting things going on with actual physical products as well and treating products as more of a startup-type model. So, that's what I see going around here. But, Will, what do you think? WILL: Yeah, I was actually thinking about probably the last two or three podcast episodes that I recorded, it was around parenting and motherhood. So, I think that's a good thing because, like you said, it's an underserved area, but it's amazing to see what that community is doing. And I think it's going to be so good, especially in the next couple of years. After talking to those founders and even yourself, the pandemic, I think, encouraged a lot of that growth in that area. So, I think we're going to see a lot of growth in that area, and I'm excited about it. ZAMINA: Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree with both of those things. And I think the no-code one is one in particular that will fuel a lot of innovation, not only in this industry but across tech as a whole. I'm seeing some really, really great advancements happening and making it a lot easier for solo non-technical founders or just non-technical people in general to prototype things very, very quickly. VICTORIA: Absolutely. And then, the tools to build products that are really compliant and mature and ready for healthtech and FinTech. There's also so much more out there available to give people the resources they need to do it right. So, it's really interesting. And yeah, I think, like you said, with COVID, too, the acceptance of virtual healthcare and the need for virtual communities, and that's not gone away [laughs]. There are still some people who won't want to re-engage in-person events and community building, so... ZAMINA: Yeah, this is kind of the new normal for us, and we've got to figure out how do we maintain our well-being and how do we maintain different types of social connectivity in this world that is becoming increasingly interpersonally independent? So, I think even AI and, you know, the Apple Vision Pro has really sparked conversations around what's going to happen to in-person interaction if everyone is wearing these massive devices on their faces? And I think, at this point, we can only imagine. But I do think it's a very practical and real thing that we should be solving for today and not just be waiting until we're all wearing these massive devices to recognize that we need to solve for that connectivity between all of us. VICTORIA: Have you tried out a Vision Pro yet? ZAMINA: I have not. Have you? VICTORIA: No, I haven't tried it. And I haven't ever talked to anyone who is using it. So, I'm curious. One of these days. ZAMINA: I've met a few people, or I know a few people who have tried it, mixed reviews. Obviously, the cost is a big prohibitive factor at the moment. But I think that there's the novelty around the device, which makes it really exciting right now. But I don't really see, like, in my life any practical use cases. You know, even if it was cheaper, if it was the product that it is today and the price was even half of what it is, I still don't really understand how I would benefit from it, but I'm definitely curious to see where it goes. VICTORIA: Yeah. Like, I want the ability to, like, have a big screen without having a physical screen, but I don't want to wear goggles. ZAMINA: Totally. VICTORIA: I also get nauseous. Like, I actually tried to do a virtual hangout during COVID, and I got some 3D, whatever, virtual glasses. And I got so [chuckles] nauseous so fast. I was like, this isn't...why does anyone enjoy this? And apparently, that's something that happens to women more than men because of hormones. ZAMINA: Oh, that is so interesting. I did not know that. VICTORIA: But I really enjoyed our conversation today. Thank you again so much for joining us. WILL: I'm so excited for your launch and your product. I think it's going to make a huge impact in that area. And I just can't wait to see where it goes. And thank you for building it and stepping out and taking that leap to do it. ZAMINA: Oh yeah. Thank you both so much. It was a really great conversation, and yeah, I'm excited to get launched and excited to stay in touch and see what we do from here. VICTORIA: Yeah, we'll have to bring you back in a year and see how things have progressed. ZAMINA: Yeah. Let's do it. Let's pencil that in [laughs]. WILL: You can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. You can find me on Twitter @will23larry. VICTORIA: And you can find me @victori_ousg. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening. See you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

Phillip and Brian have FOMO over guerrilla marketing in the *bathroom*, and break down the Jackson family walkthrough of Meow Wolf's Omega Mart. Stick around for BigCommerce CEO Brent Bellm's sit down with Brian live from Shoptalk. “From $70M to $700M”Key takeaways:- ShopTalk has become the biggest pure-play event in North America for e-commerce, showcasing the growth and optimism in the industry.- AI is making its way into various tools and solutions, embedding Gen AI to increase efficiency in teams.- TikTok is seen as a viable platform for brands to engage with new audience segments, and it offers a unique opportunity for creators to collaborate with brands.- Checkout replacement tools are shifting gears, aiming for faster and more adaptable solutions to meet the evolving needs of e-commerce businesses.- Omega Mart by Meow Wolf is an immersive art exhibit that satirizes capitalism and consumerism, allowing visitors to explore a surreal grocery store with twisted products on the shelves.{00:15:41} - “There are a lot of solutions that are actually embedding Gen AI in their tools. Everything from data cleanliness to customer service to product copy to marketing and other tools. I think everyone's just barely actually embedding it in a way that will actually increase efficiency in teams.” - Brian{00:27:15} - “{TikTok Shop} is closer to almost like a B2B2C model. You have your home designers and fabric stores sell to those home designers and they work their fabrics into the homes that they're influencing. It's almost the same thing. Managing these effectively, you know, designers for all kinds of experiences, not just homes, but beauty, fashion, whatever it is.” - Brian{00:52:47} - “The overarching philosophy of metamodernism in that the best way to deliver an experience is to engage in both culture and commerce but to do so with a wink to say, "We both know that for this thing to exist that you really want that I have to play into the commercial nature of the way that it exists. And so I will critique that so that you can't critique it, Mrs Consumer. I will critique it for us, but we both know that the only way that you're going to get this and the only way you can deliver this and experience this is if it's commercialized in some way," and that is the overarching narrative of Omega Mart.” - Phillip{00:59:15} - “You can press a button and have a catalyst store on Next.js and React, the highest performing most popular tech in the world of composable, in under 60 seconds pre-integrated with all of our functionality, as well as leading content management solutions, as well as leading search and merch engines, out of the box hosting from top partners like Vercel. We have so lowered the bar to the world's best composable tech that we think that's the future, and it's perfectly timed with the growth again of MACH enthusiasm in the US.” - Brent{01:07:21} - “What if we turned Makeswift, not just for content websites, which is what it was built for, into commerce websites too? And that was the sort of the magic aha idea, and I think we are going to transform the industry.” - Brent{01:13:29} - “We're open sourcing the React component library. Meaning, any agency, any developer can come in and contribute a new component or enhance a component. We'll make sure it's secure. We'll be sort of the gatekeepers on the quality, but you're not dependent just on the components that BigCommerce builds. Anybody can be building new extraordinary website components that go into the library and make it that much more powerful to leverage that library.” - BrentAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printThe MUSES Journal is here! Grab your copy of our latest annual journal today at musesjournal.comHave you checked out our YouTube channel yet?Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Today we're going to talk about the value of B2B2C, and how to create a win-win situation for all parties involved despite the challenges and risks associated with B2B2C and self-service models, in a special episode brought to you by The Office of Experience, a design-driven, digital-first, vertically integrated and collaborative agency that believes in the power of ideas and the strength of people. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Carlos Manalo, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at The Office of Experience and Tom Flierl, Chief Commercial Officer at Amla Commerce. Resources The Office of Experience website: https://www.officeofexperience.com Znode website: https://www.znode.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-brand/ For consulting on marketing technology, customer experience, and more visit GK5A: https://www.gk5a.com Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company