Meet The Disruptors: Bob Miles Of Salad Technologies On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t take yourself too seriously. I’m a big believer in the Dunning-Kruger effect, which describes one’s life cycle of understanding across a specific topic or area of expertise. Individually, we don’t know where we lie on this spectrum — whether we’re in the early stages of understanding a topic, thinking we know everything while stuck at the peak of “Mount Stupid,” or whether we truly are gaining the knowledge and experience to be a subject matter expert.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bob Miles.
Bob Miles is the Founder and CEO of Salad Technologies. After training to become a pilot, Bob studied Aeronautical Engineering and began his career at Qantas Airways as a performance engineer. Bob co-founded the digital production company responsible for The Green Way Up, a twelve-part television series that aired internationally on National Geographic and Netflix; he designed, built and operated a waste-to-fuel system to power a cross-continent expedition without consuming fossil fuels. Bob went on to specialize in product management for mobile applications and was co-founder of a connected car startup that developed networked software for consumer automobiles. He later relocated to the United States to take a position as Head of Product at a consumer drone manufacturer, where his passion for aviation coalesced with his expertise in building networked applications.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I always wanted to be a pilot and got my license immediately after leaving school, only to discover that it wasn’t the career for me — I need a creative outlet in my work, and creativity is not something you want in your pilot! After studying aerospace engineering, I joined Qantas as a performance engineer, only to quit nine months later to found my first startup. Now I’ve spent over a decade in the startup space. I love the intersection between cutting edge technology and mass market adoption. Introducing radical ideas is what drives me; naturally startups are where I belong.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
At Salad we’re introducing a radical new concept that is somewhat uncomfortable for the average web user: when you’re not using your computer, someone else will make use of it. It’s analogous to the early days of Uber or AirBnB, where 99.9% of people would’ve been uncomfortable with a complete stranger picking them up in their car, or staying in their spare bedroom. With our lives becoming increasingly digital, the sharing economy will inevitably reach the computing space. This is what we are disrupting at Salad. Most of the world’s compute resources sit in consumer homes all over the globe — idle throughout the day, but connected to the Internet. Consumer resources are overwhelmingly underutilized, while enterprise demand for compute resources grows exponentially. We’re also in the middle of a chip shortage. Conventional providers simply cannot provision enough hardware to meet demand. We’ve found ourselves amidst a compute crisis where access to processing and other computational resources is limited. Salad is connecting a massive, latent supply to an ever-increasing demand by promoting mainstream acceptance of a radical value proposition.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the first businesses I ever started was a tour company that took international students on an “Australian Outback Experience” to the family farm. I had no idea what I was doing, and this translated into a terrible performance as a tour guide. The first several tours received almost no commentary because I was so terrified of the microphone! The lesson there is to do your homework, see what your competitors are doing, and understand how they deliver the product. For me, all it took was going on a few day trips from other tour providers to understand their process and listen to their commentary, and then I was able to build on those lessons to hone my skills.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
As someone who’s always worked at the earliest startup stages, I’ve never really had a long-term relationship with a single mentor. In lieu, I turn to the wisdom of the Internet — specifically podcasts. No matter what the problem or situation you’re thinking through, there is an incredible amount of content available to help frame your thinking and guide next steps. For example, How I Built This has amazing stories from entrepreneurs coming from all sorts of backgrounds with battle stories from the early days of their companies. Similarly, Masters of Scale hosted by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, has so much wisdom and sound advice wrapped up in its countless episodes.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Tech founders of the past two decades have often taken “disruptive” and used it to advertise or positively frame their businesses, technologies, or ideas. It’s a trend that arose from the outlier companies that did something truly innovative and groundbreaking. Those are the AirBnBs and Ubers of the world, the startups who took ideas that were so radical at the go-to-market stage, and took them mainstream as billion-dollar companies. True disruption is asymmetrically positive — but as you suggest, not all disruption is good. If you’re introducing a competing product or service that is only incrementally better, its unique selling point can be lost in marketing messaging that relies on descriptors that are overly vague, optimistic, or nebulous. In other words, if you’re trying to use the term “disruptive” to sell an idea that isn’t, you’re likely going to confuse potential customers and never gain meaningful traction. “Disruptive” is overused by entrepreneurs, as both a term and a notion.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. I’m a big believer in the Dunning-Kruger effect, which describes one’s life cycle of understanding across a specific topic or area of expertise. Individually, we don’t know where we lie on this spectrum — whether we’re in the early stages of understanding a topic, thinking we know everything while stuck at the peak of “Mount Stupid,” or whether we truly are gaining the knowledge and experience to be a subject matter expert. In either case, it’s all relative to your moment and its horizon of expectations. Those who come after us will be even more knowledgeable. It’s essential to acknowledge that with humility. The takeaway is that no one really knows what they are doing; we’re making educated guesses through our personal and professional lives. That’s particularly true of startup founders or entrepreneurs seeking to build something new. It’s incredibly easy to be tough on yourself, so remember not to take yourself too seriously.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
We’re laser-focused on the work we’re doing. In order to disrupt the cloud computing industry, we’ve spent the past four years building a sharing economy on top of a distributed infrastructure layer. Salad now rivals the world’s fastest supercomputers with tens of thousands of active network nodes per day. In the short term, we’re onboarding more third-party clients onto our distributed cloud and expanding our end-user portfolio to include diversified compute workloads. Our goal is to empower millions of gamers and everyday webizens to compete directly with conventional cloud providers — safely, on their own terms, and with sovereign control over those valuable compute resources.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
We all found ourselves in a moment of deep shock and uncertainty during the initial outbreak of Covid, and there were just as many impacts on our business. Revenue dropped, and we experienced high turnover in the face of an inscrutable future. It was a personally stressful time. I remember listening to the Masters of Scale episode featuring Brian Chesky and finding the conversation deeply impactful. With lockdowns and travel restrictions in place, AirBnB’s core business had been completely waylaid. To hear just how they were handling the situation in real time proved to be a very valuable data point for me. Now our network is stronger than ever!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The grass is always greener on the other side.” It’s a great idiom that captures what so many of us experience: always wanting something different than what you have. I’ve always aspired to be a tech founder; now that I’m wearing these shoes, it’s very easy to lose sight of what you’ve accomplished and see where you’re at. Sometimes you’ve got to take a step back and recognize just how fortunate you are.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Doing the most amount of good for the most amount of people comes down to energy abundance. Humans flourish when we have access to ample energy and cheap resources to pursue activities above and beyond what’s required for subsistence. There needs to be a movement towards a rational re-evaluation of our energy production. We need to revise our politics to welcome engineering principles into the conversation — less focus on how energy is consumed, and more investigation into how we can generate more energy, in a sustainable way, with the lowest carbon intensity possible. Many have tried, and many have failed, but in my mind it holds the most potential for our collective good.
How can our readers follow you online?
The best place to find me is on Linkedin. Just search for Bob Miles, Founder and CEO of Salad!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Making Something From Nothing: Adi Patil Of Start It Up NYC & Rriter On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
A team is made up of talent, but each talent has a different personality. You need to make sure you are getting the right personalities together to create a formidable team. A team that is passionate about the goals of the company, and works and enjoys together, creating an amazing culture that defines your company and workplace.
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adi Patil.
Adi is a seasoned digital marketing and software development executive, frequent key-note speaker, and prominent figure in the US tech-marketing ecosystem.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I was born in the US, in Shady Grove, Maryland, and grew up partially in India. Some of my schooling took place in Russia. Growing up with kids from diverse backgrounds around me really helped me understand more of the world at an early stage in my life. I would credit my childhood fully for the multicultural and social person I am today.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”– Lyndon B. Johnson
I have faced a lot of hardships in my life, from my parents getting divorced to losing both of them pretty early. I think focusing on today and tomorrow has helped me look at life positively. Maintaining good intent every single day is extremely crucial to getting over the constant pain points in your life. Especially, if you have lost near and dear ones. Loss is personal and permanent.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Well, I have probably mentioned this in multiple interviews, but Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is my favorite book. The writer coined the phrase Catch-22. I truly believe that life is full of Catch-22 situations and once you learn to solve these, you can truly overcome anything.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
I think ideation should be given only as much attention as it deserves. “A good idea” is fairly subjective. In business, once you have an idea, you do have to conduct market research and financial analysis pretty comprehensively to determine whether the idea is worth executing. You also have to define the point of success for an idea and find the best path to get there. Time is money, so you’d rather execute one feasible idea a year, than try 10 and depend on chance.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
It doesn’t matter if someone else thought of it before. Someone else thought of Facebook before, Myspace had ample time to establish itself. Facebook got it right and published the most simple social media platform when it launched. Users were drawn towards the simplicity of facebook’s interface initially as compared to Myspace’s UI with the music on profiles, the top friends section, and whatnot!
The point is, think about how you can do something better, even if it’s already done!
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.
First of all, the product has to be top-notch, so start with making sure your idea is really original, so you can file a patent. You must look into what type of patent you want to file. For example, a utility or design patent. Do your research, look at competitors, and apply for a patent you have the best chance of getting. You should get a good lawyer for your filing process. Connect with and get any queries you have answered from the United States Patent and Trademark Office — https://www.uspto.gov/.
In terms of sourcing a manufacturer, find one that can develop your product exactly how you want it, and in fact, help you enhance it. Make sure their manufacturing facility is highly-scalable, for whenever your idea takes off.
Retailers and distributors are really important. Take the tabasco factory in Louisianna, for example. That little bottle of sauce is in every restaurant in every country today, all thanks to the amazing distributor they found in New York, ages ago! Make sure your retailers have great traffic and distributors have great reach.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
Do not undercharge for your services, just because you are a new company.
When we launched Start It Up NYC, we were both excited and desperate for clients. We ended up getting a lot of those pretty soon, but for a price that would cost us an unreasonable amount of time. Not only that, we got categorized in a fairly low price bracket for our services. So, when people recommended us, they definitely advertised our pricing. It took us a long time to price our services fairly, and start making a significant amount of profit. Luckily, today, we are 4 years into the business, and going strong. But, we did make the mistake of undercharging for our services early on.
2. Smart networking can save you time.
It sounds cliche to discuss ‘smart networking’, but when we launched, we would take any and all meetings, in person. Especially, since this was in the pre-pandemic era, human interaction in person was on a high.
It is really important to spend your time networking with individuals that you can benefit from and vice-versa. You cannot spend time networking at events or meetings, when what you do and what other people do is completely unrelated and irrelevant. In most cases, you can assess this, before you plan on meeting anyone or attending any event.
3. Communicate as much as you need to.
Communication with clients or customers should be clear and concise, but you also need to make sure you communicate more if needed. When I was new to the business, leading Start It Up, I would often feel weird about ‘disturbing’ my clients too much. Which would in turn cause a little bit of miscommunication or my deliverables would end up being unsatisfactory at times. Then I realized that I had to build a rapport with my clients, well enough, so that they didn’t feel like my over-communicating when necessary would bother or disturb them.
Eventually, I caught up to speed with my communication skills when I was managing a client, and today it’s like smooth sailing for me.
4. Get all of your management tools and technology together before you start leading a team.
This is technical but critical. I wish someone had told me that I should have my project and task management dashboards, social media dashboards, CRM and sales dashboards, email, and team communication platforms set up and settled right from the beginning.
Your entire management infrastructure being smooth can help you save so much time, and make decisions way faster based on various KPIs and metrics that you identify. You can easily keep track of everything going on on any particular day in a matter of minutes.
5. Hire the right people, and this is not just professional, it’s also personal.
A team is made up of talent, but each talent has a different personality. You need to make sure you are getting the right personalities together to create a formidable team. A team that is passionate about the goals of the company, and works and enjoys together, creating an amazing culture that defines your company and workplace.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
Research — Analysis — Goals — Financial Planning — Team Building — Product Building — Q&A- Branding — — Marketing Plans — Launch — Marketing Execution — Achieve Product-Market Fit — Scale — Continuity in Retention and New Acquisition. This is the journey. Plan and envision each step in the journey with a lot of attention to detail before you decide to execute your idea fully.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
You always need a second opinion, whether it’s a co-founder or advisor. If you are launching a product in a field you are not well-worsed with, I would definitely recommend getting a consultant that has a proven track record.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
It really depends on the product or service you are offering. Service-based businesses can generally be bootstrapped for starters. Product-based businesses generally need funding. But again, this also depends on your personal financial situation. So there are a lot of things to consider before making a decision as to how to financially plan your process.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Well, probably not as much as I’d like to. But I guess that’s a good thing, it means I will continue to do more and won’t get complacent. I try to give back as much as a can. Pay my employees more whenever I can. Donate to food and education drives. I am doing my bit, but yes, I’d definitely like to do more.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I think in the grand scheme of things, education is key. The world is full of people not getting a proper education. I’d like to encourage people to create more free programs, and sponsor any kids they can through college. We all know we can’t only depend on the government, we need to constantly give back to lift everyone’s lifestyle and facilitate growth.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I think I would love to grab lunch or coffee with Elon Musk. I am curious to see what he is like in person. His business decisions are so unpredictable, yet always correct. I would love to know how he makes it all happen. I will make sure to tweet a picture with him if this does happen. Haha.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
The Future Is Now: Guy Yehiav of SmartSense by Digi On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
We believe it is crucial to incorporate the voice of the customer throughout our marketing and sales initiatives. Through every channel — digital, social, face-to-face — we infuse all our messaging with stories from delighted customers and raving fans. The marketing process is part of the customer experience, and one of the core missions of our company is to improve the customer experience. We want to be an example of transparency in the space, so we bring that attitude into the way we communicate with the market, employees, and customers. The best way to make your case is by showing proof of other satisfied customers.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingGuy Yehiav.
Guy Yehiav is the President of SmartSense by Digi, an IoT solution for the nation’s largest pharmacy retailers, food retailers, and foodservice companies. Over his 25-year career, Guy has built a reputation as a highly respected executive known for creating a culture of innovation and inclusion while embracing new customers and pursuing vertical markets. Guy has a track record of success spanning mergers and acquisitions, product portfolio planning, B2B enterprise software, SaaS metrics, conflict management, AI, and IoT solutions.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In high school, I studied computer science and electrical engineering. Then, I served in the army for four years, where I worked in electronic warfare. In college, I had two majors, industrial management and computer science. I didn’t go to college to go into the supply chain sector, but the combination of these two majors was the catalyst that sent me in that direction.
My background includes 28 years in supply chain innovation. I built my first company, Demantra, around the concept of a “demand-driven supply network,” a term that was coined by one of my mentors, the late Roddy Martin of AMR Research. Demantra provided supply chain optimization software. Our whole idea was around “outside-in” thinking — optimizing your supply network from what’s being demanded rather than what you can produce. Since then, everything I have done has always been built from the perspective of “outside-in” thinking. It’s about what the customer needs — both now and in the future — not what I can develop. You can apply this same perspective to how you approach everything — the supply chain, technology innovation, and even hardware and software development. After I sold Demantra to Oracle, I was the head of Oracle’s supply chain go-to-market strategy for four years.
Then I identified that the next big thing was to eliminate reports because they are not universally instructive. If I send a report to two different people, one person will do one thing, and the other may do something completely different. Too many people were drowning in reports. So, I joined a consulting company called Profitect and transformed it into a software base, focusing on prescriptive analytics for the next ten years. Data takes on different forms: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive. Descriptive is a snapshot of your data, typically at the aggregate. Diagnostic analytics allows you to slice and dice the data to find out why something happened in the past. Predictive analytics show you what will happen based on historical trends and events. Prescriptive analytics show you what you need to do today to optimize tomorrow’s outcomes. I sold, integrated, and merged Profitect with Zebra technologies, an amazing technology company that focuses on hardware and optimizing the front-end employee’s work. They planned to add more software to their hardware in a “better together” type strategy, adding more value to their customers.
Through that journey, I learned that there was massive innovation and progression over the last 20 years in IoT sensors. However, I believe there will be even more significant changes coming to the IoT space in the next few years, and I want to be part of these changes. So, when I was looking to do something new with my career, I started talking with people from IoT solution provider SmartSense and their parent company Digi. Now I am serving as the President of SmartSense.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Over the years, I have been fortunate to create some great connections with my buyer personas and my user personas. These individuals were often promoted because my company’s technology enabled them to set themselves apart in their own company. I always tell one story that sticks with me. At a conference, one of my users came with his wife. She came up to me and thanked me, saying that their new home was a result of my company’s technology. Her husband had implemented our solution and had been promoted twice, allowing them to afford their new house. When you overdeliver for customers, you impact their careers, but more importantly, their lives. And that’s fun to see. That’s why I’m here.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people/the industry?
We connect the physical with the digital and back to the physical type transformation. That’s what we do. You can think about it as connecting machines with machines and with humans. In our specific case, the machines are all kinds of sensors. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that a freezer door is open. Your sensors will tell you that temperature is decreasing, pressure is decreasing, and humidity is increasing while current consumption is at an all-time high. You can be 97% certain that the door is open with just these four measures. You don’t even need a camera anymore. With this knowledge, our IoT platform generates a prescriptive workflow, instructing an employee to shut the specific freezer door. This is a very efficient, targeted direction of labor.
In the old days, you would just say, “Hey, it is 4 pm; you should go and check the temperature across all freezers and refrigerators manually and log it on paper or in a file to store in a compliance folder.” Or, if you had legacy IoT temperature sensors, you would say: “Hey, the temperature decreased. What could that be?” It could be a power outage. It could be that the door is open. There could be a malfunction of the unit itself, or even an inventory overload. You would not know. Not knowing requires employees to investigate all potential causes. It requires an employee with advanced knowledge, which is not always available at all locations. Eliminating all those checks with a targeted work instruction allows you to act in a timelier manner that ensures quality and safety and prevents loss.
This IoT technology optimizes human labor, redirecting people to specific tasks that have a more significant impact. The goal is to augment, not replace, humans. We connect the physical world to the digital world and then go from the digital back to the physical in a never-ending optimization loop.
How do you think this might change the world?
Fundamentally, we save lives. That’s what we do. We collect and connect the critical temperature, humidity, oxygen, CO2, accelerations, current, and other measurements for vaccines, medications, produce, food preparation, and other critical assets. Our platform creates workflows that ensure safety. We also help ensure inventory is where it’s supposed to be, providing that it’s of the best quality possible, so our customers can delight their customers. But, at our essence, we take all this data with the objective of saving lives. We serve hospitals, pharmaceutical retailers, food service providers, restaurants, and grocery stores. It’s a very exciting space.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
We all read about privacy concerns in the media, and there is public wariness around robotics, automation, and IoT. Although these technological advancements may appear to be cause for concern, I don’t think we need to fear IoT. Leading companies like SmartSense are putting securities in place within the IoT to protect against ransomware and leakages to ensure that the data is only used to optimize products and services in a way that delights customers. IoT and automated robotics will continue to show their value, and we will see more and more technology deployed in warehouses, grocery stores, and other places. The whole idea is to connect all those IoTs to generate extra value for customers.
In fact, when we consider the Gen Z workforce coming into retail pharma, grocery, and food service, we need to think about how we’re equipping them with the technology they need to do a great job. Gen Z expects the connectivity that IoT enables. If we do not give them the technology they need to overdeliver, they will leave and look for another job.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
Right now, the IoT market is very fragmented, and many manufacturers are only focusing on producing hardware for sensors to sense specific capabilities. At SmartSense, we are going beyond that by using the data that the hardware collects to prescribe actions that optimize outcomes in real-time. I think the tipping point for our verticals will be the point where connected IoT combines with other innovation areas, like the blockchain, for example, generating even more value and transparency.
If you take a sensor and put it on a pallet throughout the supply chain, you can enter it into a publicly held general ledger. You can request data from the ledger, identifying a specific SKU or specific product and pulling up information about the state of its quality over time, farm to table for food. An apple needs to be held at a specific temperature and humidity levels throughout harvest, the dormant months, and the supply chain. With IoT connected to the blockchain, you could pull up these measurements from the apple’s complete history — from agricultural producer, through transportation, all the way to the retail environment. This information would help you determine how long the apple will last, how tasty it will be, and other critical quality considerations. The state of produce is mainly impacted by its state during the time of transport. Operators and consumers alike would be given a more holistic story regarding product quality. This potential goes beyond agriculture and grocery. The possibility for the IoT/blockchain combination to impact the pharmaceutical industry with applications for vaccines and medications is massive as well. There is a gamut of industries that need these capabilities.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
I think where IoT is going next is 100% true positive, with detailed guidance on what needs to be executed to improve and even optimize outcomes. You can take that into control, quality assurance of products, you can take it into tracked transportation, you can take it into on-shelf availability, you can take it into a lot of areas.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We believe it is crucial to incorporate the voice of the customer throughout our marketing and sales initiatives. Through every channel — digital, social, face-to-face — we infuse all our messaging with stories from delighted customers and raving fans. The marketing process is part of the customer experience, and one of the core missions of our company is to improve the customer experience. We want to be an example of transparency in the space, so we bring that attitude into the way we communicate with the market, employees, and customers. The best way to make your case is by showing proof of other satisfied customers.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The number one person would be my wife, Maya. A long time ago, I learned that you need to be able to go to the balcony. Whatever you do, you need to go to the balcony and get an outside perspective on what you do and what you think from time to time. If you bring all the management on an outing and start brainstorming, you get the same view most of the time. If you can bring someone with an outside-in view, it’s the best unfiltered perspective. And that’s what my wife brings to me. She doesn’t know the industry with the same level of detail as my management and I do, or the vertical that we are playing in. She is a programmer and an interior designer. But, when she comes from the outside in, she looks at it and she may say, “Ahh, that sounds like a mistake.” And she would tell me that. Then I restart and know I need to build from there.
Over the years, I have had multiple mentors. My supply chain mentor is, rest in peace, Roddy Martin. He was a great friend of mine and my mentor in supply chain. His generosity and passion are well-known across the industry. He always wanted to help you and push you and train you and educate you and connect you with others all at the same time. The CEO we hired at my first company Demantra, Bill Seibel, provided me with terrific guidance on entrepreneurship and building company culture. He recently came out with a great book called Press Go: Lessons Earned by a Serial Entrepreneur. Another great mentor is James Langabeer, II. He is a Professor of Healthcare Management, Policy, and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. James taught me everything I know about customer success and implementation. He plans to join and lead our SmartSense Board of Advisors for healthcare (more to come later). From a math perspective and heightened ability to solve complex problems, my professor Eli Singerman impacted me tremendously. He’s a fantastic guy that told me that for any problem — in life, in enterprise, in software — there’s a mathematical formula that can solve it at 100% accuracy. And that’s what he does for a living, now as a leader of Engineers at Intel. I’ve also been fortunate to know Eddy Shalev, who built the first Israeli Venture Capital company in 1984. He guided me and taught me how to build strong technological companies.
Of course, there are even more mentors I haven’t mentioned. I’m very grateful for the abundance of advice and guidance I’ve received throughout my career.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
My slogan that I really believe in is, “It’s all about the people.” I think it’s essential not only to say it but to mean it. Whether it’s the people who work at your company or the people that buy your solution, you need diverse perspectives for entrepreneurship and innovation. When I wake up in the morning, I think about how I can help the people I work with progress in their careers and make our customers’ lives better by under promising and overdelivering. The fulfillment that I get from seeing people progress in their careers, either our employees, our customer’s or industry colleagues, is what really resonates with me.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Makers of The Metaverse: Syed Ahmed Of Act-On Software On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Beyond creativity, brands should be willing to take risks and try out different things. There’s a unique opportunity to reach new audience segments in new ways, and companies shouldn’t be afraid to take risks — as long as they don’t compromise their authenticity along the way.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Syed Ahmed.
Syed Ahmed is SVP of Engineering at Act-On Software and has extensive experience leading engineering and operations teams. Prior to Act-On, he most recently served as CTO and VP of Engineering at Contiq. Syed also spent four years leading a high growth period at Tapclicks, a marketing operations start-up. As SVP of Engineering at Act-On, Ahmed brings a wealth of expertise in AR/VR, platform scalability, data analytics, and CRM integrations, which he leverages to bolster Act-On’s ability to develop highly-customizable, unique and innovative solutions.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in India where there was focus on education, especially STEM. My parents taught me to dream big, work hard and to be persistent. They taught me the value of rolling my sleeves up and working hard to solve problems to get results. Eventually, I came to the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree. I had my early start in marketing more than two decades ago, a time when most marketing was analog. Marketing automation technologies were still in their infancy, yet I was intrigued by the potential to advance how marketers reach and promote their products. Digital transformation over the last decade has fundamentally disrupted the very underpinnings of marketing: how marketers structure their campaigns, reach and inform prospects and customers alike, and measure success across segments.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I have been a big fan of Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale podcast. Reid’s concepts of finding product market fit, focusing on customer needs and making your product excel for one customer before scaling, are all very instructive ideas across all industries. I’ve also been a years-long student of Jim Collins and his deep research on what makes successful long-lasting businesses. Jim’s ideas are just as instructive to any practitioner in our industry.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
A few years ago, I got exposed to VR games at an event. It piqued my interest because it is a highly interactive, multi-sensory platform that enables one to experience environments to the extent that their mind and body start to believe what is happening is real. I could see the potential of this technology to bridge the gap between online and offline environments.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
The shift toward cloud computing has truly accelerated the digital transformation, lowered innovation costs, and shrunk product engineering cycle times. Early in my career, I would often find myself spending a substantial part of my working hours at a data center, tending to servers, swapping out disks, and dealing with other mundane hardware and network issues at odd hours. Now that our workloads are on the cloud, we have scaled up the pace of innovation, and are empowering marketers with AI-based tools to drive effective ways of marketing and reaching their audience. I was working at a company that used to syndicate content to top e-commerce sites in America. Whenever the traffic spiked unexpectedly at these sites, we were impacted as well; when we had an outage they would be affected by it, too. There was a time we had slowed down a Fortune 500 e-commerce site because our servers went down due to a hardware issue. I had to run to the data center in the middle of the night to fix it. It is easy to look back at this now-outdated technology and laugh, but at the time it was simply our reality to endlessly navigate issues with hardware, on-premises servers, and connectivity issues like this. With cloud technology powering our platforms today, running to the data center has become a relic of the past for most people.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
In one of my prior roles, I negotiated a compelling multi-year deal with our services vendor at a price point that would have saved us a lot of money going forward. I won a lot of accolades for the deal, and my CEO and our finance team were thrilled. However, the ink had barely dried on the contract when cracks started to appear. In negotiating a great price, I didn’t leave much room for the vendor to deploy the resources warranted to deliver a high-quality service. We were soon facing a steady stream of outages and barely a week would go by without a critical service interruption. Within a matter of weeks, I went from high fives to having to unwind the contract and find us a more stable vendor and reliable services outcome. In driving down the price, I had lost sight of the critical component of the deal: service stability.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Malcom Gladwell stands out to me as someone whose writings and podcasts have really shaped my thinking and how I approach the world around me. His incisive data-driven approach to looking at popular narratives and understanding deeper undercurrents is instructive to all of us in business and life.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We see the potential of AR/VR technology as the next frontier in driving engaging experiences. Virtual Reality (VR) allows companies to replace physical experience with a digital one. It lets marketers bridge the gap between experience and action (like “attending” a concert in the metaverse). Augmented reality (AR) allows brands to give customers unique and tailored experiences. Marketers can use AR to increase sales and enhance brand value through mobile devices by allowing customers to try the products before they buy (like “trying on” new shoes from the comfort of your living room). We are working on providing technology to enhance content by allowing our customers to embed AR in channels like emails, SMS etc.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
What excites me about truly immersive experiences enabled by AR/VR technologies is how they level the playing field and bring technologies to the masses. I think there’s great potential for AR/VR to modernize our education system and deliver lessons to students in more interactive forms. I believe healthcare and telemedicine also stand to gain from the advances in AR/VR; access to healthcare will not be restricted to cities and towns that have the best hospitals, but will extend to patients across the world. AR/VR will also emerge as a platform for marketers to reach new demographics and engage in new and meaningful ways, enabling their audiences to build deeper relationships with their brands. With augmented shopping experiences brands can use AR to allow consumers to try products before they buy them. From trying a new hair color to testing makeup, there are many ways to engage with a prospective customer.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Legal framework in the metaverse — The metaverse’s virtual world is still lacking robust integration of laws and legal jurisdictions on the physical world, which leaves the participants vulnerable to cybercrimes. Businesses operating in the metaverse must strive to establish sound operating policies for their participants and deterrents for dangerous and unethical operators.
Data privacy and security — With new technology comes the need for more evolved security measures. This requires building new methods of data privacy and protection where there was none. As the metaverse takes hold and brings in a new class of business users, there is skepticism about data security. People need to know their personal details (both virtual and physical) are properly secured in the metaverse. The underlying security infrastructure must keep pace with the evolution of the metaverse.
Property Rights — securing ownership of virtual assets is going to be the key to success of metaverse. Blockchain establishes ownership of digital products; however, it may not be adequate to keep pace with the evolution of the metaverse.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
The deep immersive and collaborative aspect of AR/VR/MR is enabling us to tap into the global talent pool. We are no longer restricted to finding and hiring talent in the tech hubs of San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, but AR/VR is opening up the markets in places such Salt Lake City, Nashville, and Boise and giving us access to a rich talent pool across the country. AR/VR is helping us create deeply collaborative workspaces where our team members are not constrained by their geography. Marketing is one such industry in which collaboration is critical to its success.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
After-work activities such as going to the movies or simply hanging with friends will be possible in the virtual world. Virtual concerts and other mass-participation events are already being experimented with AR/VR.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
While AR/VR experiences hold a lot of promise, they will not supplant the deep benefits we derive from establishing physical presence and investing and building experiences in the physical space. Merely having a presence in AR/VR is not going to be adequate for a marketer in engaging with their audience. Marketers will need to bring some of the same tools from the physical world in segmenting audiences and personalizing experiences.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
There are no boundaries in AR/VR, so be creative. This is a new frontier where, essentially, anything is possible. Brands should capitalize on this opportunity to stretch their efforts and engage in new, uncharted ways.
Beyond creativity, brands should be willing to take risks and try out different things. There’s a unique opportunity to reach new audience segments in new ways, and companies shouldn’t be afraid to take risks — as long as they don’t compromise their authenticity along the way.
Be engaging. The KPIs that worked in Web 2.0 will no longer be applicable. For example, you cannot use banner ads; instead you should be focused on building holistic, engaging experiences.
Familiarize yourself with blockchain, especially NFTs. NFTs have become one of the key tools in the metaverse, and anyone serious about pursuing a career in this space needs to be well-versed in them.
You need programming skills to be able to customize the experiences in the Metaverse. Users don’t necessarily need to be coding wizards, but they should have a solid foundation in languages like Python, C++, and Java to have a chance at success in the Metaverse.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
STEM education is still lagging in our country, and our students score lower compared to most of the developed world. America is no longer producing the best and the brightest graduates from our high schools. As digital transformation accelerates, we risk leaving behind a large number of students who are not trained adequately to participate in this digital economy. For those of us in the technology world, this is an opportunity to address that gap and bring renewed emphasis on high quality STEM education in our classrooms.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I am inspired by Bob Iger and his transformational leadership at Disney, his stellar rise from a weatherman at ABC to the top job at Disney, and how he steered the digital transformation at Disney. The success of Disney+ streaming service is a testament to his acumen and visionary leadership. There is so much more I can learn from Bob at a private lunch.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Meet The Disruptors: Nayef Issa Of Nü Androids On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Speak it into existence. My business associate and brother from another mother Torrence Swain is a big believer in astrology/manifest destiny ( I’m still not there yet). Anyways, he’s always preaching to me, pushing me to just believe in the powers that be. That if you believe in and speak your truth into the universe, the universe will hear you and bring it to fruition. That’s not to say that a lot of hard work, sweat and tears don’t go into making what you want happen, but you will never receive what you don’t ask for.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nayef Issa.
Nayef Issa is the creative force behind Nü Androids, the euphoric, inclusive artistic movement that has been connecting people since 2015. What began as a way to bring new sounds to the untapped D.C. music scene has since evolved into something more, allowing Nayef to use his myriad skills to conceptualize, produce and market events in ways that few others do.
In 2014, Nayef began programming events at the iconic D.C. venue, Flash. Billed Nü Androids, these parties were held on Wednesdays (an “off-night”) which meant true musicheads were there for the sounds, not just the scene. And that meant the acts — many of which didn’t normally stop in the market — loved performing for a Nü Androids audience. Nayef and his team were soon bringing some of the freshest new sounds to D.C. — future bass, disco, deep house, French disco, tropical house. His natural ability to identify talent (Nayef was his friends’ Spotify and SoundCloud long before those platforms existed) led him to book the likes of Mura Masa, Purple Disco Machine, Nora En Pure, Matoma, Ekali, Yaeji .
However, Nayef’s vision was sometimes too ambitious for fixed nightlife venues and so he created A.i. — blending music, lighting, art and meta-sensory experiences for one-night-only playgrounds at places like Cafe Asia, warehouses and other blank canvases.Nayef conceptualizes, sketches, designs and produces A.i. shows, working alongside the musical talent as a Creative Director would. To date, Nayef has brought to life over 150 A.i. shows with artists like Fkj, the late Virgil Abloh (in his first and only performance in DC), Black Coffee and the late Sophie. (For the launch of Gorgon City’s album Olympia, for example, Nayef designed a night rooted in Greek mythology, complete with billowing clouds.)
A.i. laid the groundwork for Dimensions, multi-day experiences which began in 2018 in D.C. with a two-day celebration featuring Karma Fields. Nayef launched Dimensions to combine two different worlds — art installations and warehouse dance parties — into one. Dimensions landed at Art Basel in 2019 with over 50 artists, musicians and creatives coming together in a 50,000 square foot abandoned Macy*s — including a forgotten food hall that was transformed into a futuristic nightclub. In addition to projection mapping and meta-sensory experiences, Dimensions at Art Basel included interactive spaces such as a Bedouin tent with tastings of El Silencio Mezcal.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Honestly I grew up wanting to be a soccer player, just like any athletic kid with a dream to be a star in the professional league of their respective sport. I immigrated to the US from Beirut, Lebanon when I was 7, and have been living in the Virginia / Washington DC area ever since. I have 2 sisters, and grew up as the only male figure in the household. It was 3 women and me. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized what an incredible blessing that was. In my early 20s I started to host events in DC, however, I was always into more forward-thinking music (not to mention I was also the resident playlist-curator for all my friends). So after a few years of running commercial parties, I began to transition into producing live music events and booking touring artists who I thought were pushing industry and genre boundaries. This move would ultimately lead me to launch Nu Androids.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Nü Androids made its first real appearance in DC when I began programming events on Wednesday nights at the nightclub, Flash. Wednesday’s were considered an “off night”, so ; these parties were filled with true musicheads attending for the sounds vs. the scene. We were packing the house every Wednesday. Through these shows, we were able to inject DC with fresh sounds of acts that normally wouldn’t stop in the market.
After I solidified Nü Androids as a player in the DC music / nightlife scene, I started merging interactive art installations and live music at our pop-up events. I remember thinking to myself, “How can I attract and entertain people who don’t know the headlining artist, but are still thinking of attending with their friends.” This is why I blended the music and arts worlds together. My first real execution of this was a project called Dimensions. We found a 20,000 sq ft building in DC and converted it into 10 interactive installations, including a bedouin mezcal tasting tent, surrounding a full blown underground rave in the middle of the room. It was just really amazing to see. We brought this to life in 2018, and over 2 days we saw over 2200+ attendees. From that moment, every pop-up music event we’ve done includes some form of installation. Be it virtual reality, projections, or LED-based interactive buildouts, there is always something there to engage your curiosity other than the headlining act.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I went to the wrong airport to pick up an artist before a show! Here I am texting the artist telling him I’m here at door number 8 and this dude is like, “Um the gates only go up to door 4….” So I pulled up the itinerary and realized I was actually at the wrong airport. Lesson learned to check the airport arrival on the advance sheet MULTIPLE times after that fiasco.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
It’s been my mother all the way. She instilled a strong moral pillar in me that has transcended beyond my personal and professional life. One of the most important things she taught me was that if there is something you can do to help someone out, you do it, even if you know it’s never going to be reciprocated. If I can do something to help someone out, whether it’s making an introduction to someone or making the time for the next generation of industry aspiring disruptors to guide them / help them create their own lane, etc., I always will.
Bottom line is Mama Issa dedicated her whole life to her children and the values she taught us are reflected in everything we do.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
A Positive disruption is what is going on in the music industry, especially in the production and DJing side where you are seeing a lot more females really breaking out and making some noise. For example LP Giobbi, the crazy talented DJ/entrepeneur (and friend of Nü Androids), actually created an organiztion called FEMME HOUSE which offers more equitable opportunity for women and gender-expansive individuals in the technical and behind the scenes areas of music. This program also helps talent trying to cut through the noise navigate the music industry in its entirety.
We always think of tech being such a positive contribution to any industry, however one place where I feel there has been a more negative impact is the loss of local journalism. These newspapers help build social cohesion, encourage political participation, and improve the efficiency and decision-making of local and state government. With a number of them having disappeared over the last few years, this has now created a really noticeable separation within communities.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Speak it into existence. My business associate and brother from another mother Torrence Swain is a big believer in astrology/manifest destiny ( I’m still not there yet). Anyways, he’s always preaching to me, pushing me to just believe in the powers that be. That if you believe in and speak your truth into the universe, the universe will hear you and bring it to fruition. That’s not to say that a lot of hard work, sweat and tears don’t go into making what you want happen, but you will never receive what you don’t ask for.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
I am currently working on a venue concept that is 8 years in the making. We can’t share too much information just yet, but essentially it will be a hybrid restaurant/bar blending Mexican-Lebanese cuisine adjacent to a modular pop-up event space for me to create and conceptualize all types of events. Ultimately, I hope for other brands/businesses to be able to utilize this space to do the same through their own creative lens.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
It’s not one particular podcast or book. I listen to a variety of wide ranging ideas, theories, etc. which help me formulate my own ideas on life. I think it’s silly to only listen to people who share all of your beliefs and opinions. How can you possibly grow as an individual, or better yet, challenge your critical thinking by not expanding your horizons? How do you know if your viewpoints hold water if you are not debating them against opposing ideologies? You simply can’t.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If you want things done a certain way, you have to do it yourself” This is always super important in the creative world. That’s not to say that other people will do a lesser job than you could, but other people don’t have the same vision as you. Only you can really execute and bring to life what you have conceptualized in your mind.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Honestly, just being more understanding of each other’s journeys through life. Sometimes those journeys are aligned, and sometimes they are not, it’s going to cause friction one way or another. If we show empathy and compassion towards each other it would really go a long way in bringing us closer together. I know it sounds super hippie haha, but I really do believe in that. Everyone is always so quick to judge without stopping to think and fully understand the circumstances of one’s actions or lack thereof.
How can our readers follow you online?
My IG is @Nayeftissa, and you can stay connected to all of the dope things we are doing at Nü Androids on IG as well (@nuandroids. ) Better yet, come to DC to check out one of our upcoming shows and see what the hype is all about!
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Makers of The Metaverse: Michael Owen Of MediaCombo On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Concern is privacy. There are outward facing cameras on VR, AR and MR glasses and headsets. On AR and MR spectacles and head mounted displays these cameras scan the viewer’s location and enable persistent display or positioning of virtual imagery over the real-world environment. But in the process, these cameras can also record other people as well as private home or office spaces. There was a lot of pushback when people realized that Google Glass users might be making surreptitious recordings as they went about their daily activities.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewingMichael Owen.
Michael Owen is an award-winning producer with three decades of experience producing commercials, music videos, short documentaries, video art and recently augmented and virtual reality projects. Michael is a co-founder of MediaCombo, a digital media studio offering museums, science centers and cultural organizations, cutting edge product development, including user experience, content creation, and strategy to drive interest in exhibitions and events, connect with local communities, and reach new visitors. Recent XR clients include The Morgan Library & Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center. This project, Tracing Paint: The Pollock Krasner Studio in Virtual Reality, about the studio in Springs, New York where Jackson Pollock and, later, Lee Krasner painted some of the most iconic abstract expressionist paintings of the 20th Century. The project will premiere at the New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles on June 2, 2022. Michael is also co-chair of the VRARA (VR/AR Assoc.) Storytelling Committee.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I was born and raised in New York City. My father was British and worked for the United Nations. My mother was American and raised in New York. She met my father when she was working at the ILO (International Labor Organization) office at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. But the reason I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is because my father’s job was based at the UN Headquarters in NY.
My father gave me my first 35mm still camera. It was a Yashica rangefinder that he brought from Japan. That’s what got me hooked on taking pictures that later evolved into my interest in film and then video and other media technologies.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I don’t read books as much as I would like because I have mild dyslexia which is probably why I’m so drawn to visuals and sound. But of the authors I’ve read, I’m particularly drawn to Neal Stephenson. Someone gave me Cryptonomicon, which I loved and from there I read Snow Crash, the Diamond Age and the Baroque Cycle. Everyone points to Snow Crash as the work that defined the “Metaverse.” It’s a great cyberpunk novel that illustrates how someone’s online and offline worlds can converge and was way ahead of its time for 1992. But having read it, I didn’t imagine the immersive, 3D spatial worlds that we are just beginning to explore and develop today. That’s what’s described by Ernest Cline in Ready Player One almost 20-years later. What I find amazing about Neal Stephenson’s work is he demonstrates how technology drives our culture. In Diamond Age he paints this dystopian world where the average person orders a meal — think fast food options — that gets 3D-printed in their home device that looks like a microwave. They will enjoy the meal watching news and entertainment on a massive screen that is the focus of their living space. In that world, for most people everything is mass-produced but the elite have their food, clothes and furnishing artisanal and hand crafted. In the books of Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, it’s kind of like reverse science fiction because he’s writing about the past to highlight how evolving technology and the resulting changes impact global culture.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
I became interested in VR very late compared to pioneers like Tom Furness and Jaron Lanier. Both did a lot of work in demonstrating use cases for the technology but everything they did was in a lab. Tom Furness’s early headsets for pilots required a massive amount of computer power to function that could only be done with military R&D budgets.
By 2015 VR was having a big public facing moment. Google had a deal to provide cardboard viewers to every New YorkTimes print subscriber. NYT was committed to producing XR content for its readers. I was intrigued. In March of that year, I attended a conference in LA for an IMAX large screen film project I was working on. One of the presenters at the conference was from a company that did volumetric scans of landscapes that could be used for large screen nature projects or VR. They offered to show me their work on a headset and the feeling of presence, of being immersed in a 360°landscape was incredible and from that moment I was hooked.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
Once I discovered VR, I immediately started looking for an opportunity to produce my own projects. I attended every event or conference I could find to learn more about the field. Who was making VR, what sort of equipment were they using? Who was the audience? How were they accessing this new VR content? I soon learned that Google, an early promoter of XR technology, was acquiring content for a 3D 360° educational platform called Google Expeditions.
Each Google Expedition consisted of 3D panoramic images of a location that students could view using Cardboard, the Mattel View-Master or Samsung Gear VR devices. When connected together over a WiFi network, the teacher, using a tablet, was able to guide the students through a virtual field trip pointing out places of interest on each 360° panorama, ask provided questions about the location as well as keep track of where each student was looking.
I had been working on a film about Lake Baikal in Siberia, the oldest, deepest, most voluminous body of freshwater on Earth and I thought it might be a good subject for a Google Expedition. I got an introduction from the Education team that managed and commissioned Google Expeditions and they commissioned MediaCombo to produce three Expeditions about Lake Baikal, The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow and scenes of Life in Russia.
So, in March 2016 I was in Siberia filming on and around a frozen Lake Baikal with a Moscow based VR crew. While the Google Expeditions only Stereo, 360° still images, we filmed everything as moving video as well as still images.
I’ve filmed all over the world, but filming at Lake Baikal in winter was a truly remarkable experience. One of our locations, the Ivolginsky Datsan, is the most important Buddhist monastery in Russia. Here we were allowed to place our camera in the middle of the senior monks during a service in their main temple. It’s truly incredible scene that enables viewers to observe the chanting monks and their novitiates from their midst. A viewpoint that would not be possible in real life or with any other technology.
I’m proud of this work. It was my first foray into immersive media. But I soon learned that this was just one aspect of VR, AR, XR technology. 3D 360° video is powerful because it places the viewer in the middle of a scene. The viewer has agency to look anywhere they want in the 360° view. By moving their head, they can rotate their point of view up, down and around. But they can’t move or change their position within the scene. Another way of describing that is 3 DOF (Three degrees of freedom). For purists that is not true VR. That requires 6 DOF (six degrees of freedom) which involves tracking forwards, backwards, left, right, up and down, or the ability move around in a virtual environment and interact with it.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A big misjudgment I made back in 2015 / 2016 that, in hindsight, might be considered a funny mistake is thinking there was an audience for VR that could actually support the production of non-entertainment VR programming. The reality is I caught the VR bug in the middle of a major hype wave that saw a lot of major media players jumping on the VR bandwagon. Time, The New York Times, The Guardian, ARTE all set up VR divisions. The United Nations / Samsung backed VR project Clouds Over Sidra, about a refugee camp in Syria, was heralded as a communications game changer because of the way VR enhanced a viewer’s sense of “presence” and “empathy” about the subject matter. Jaunt raised a $100 Million from investors including Disney to produce and distribute VR content. A lot very interesting and ground breaking work was created in this period along with a lot of less successful experiments. The bottom line is that very few people actually owned real VR systems that required the headset and tracking systems that had to be connected a computer with a powerful GPU that cost, at a minimum, several thousand dollars. The Cardboard option that many pointed to as the way to reach a mass audience, required the user to insert a state-of-the-art mobile phone running a dedicated VR app into deliver the content. This was OK for casual use but to arrange a screening for a group of people required the commitment of a lot of expensive mobile devices. The only way for most people to see VR was at media festivals. That was great but there was no consumer market yet to support the wide range of people, companies and organizations that had been drawn to the emerging field.
Following delivery of the three Google Expeditions, I produced a 3D 360° short film from the video scenes we captured at Lake Baikal. Together with my Russian co-director / producer, Georgy Molodtsov, we created “Lake Baikal: The Science and Spirituality of Extreme Water”. The 7:20 ambient documentary premiered at the Dubai Film Festival Alternate Realities section in December 2016. We considered it a calling card or trailer for a longer, more substantial immersive documentary. The project was accepted at the immersive market at IDFA in Amsterdam and Sheffield Doc Fest in 2017. And while the VR project was screened at VR festivals around the world for the next several years, it was clear that raising money for a VR documentary about a lake in Russia, however important, was going to be extremely difficult.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Every emerging field has evangelists. DJ Smith, Co-founder and Creative Director of the Glimpse Group in New York has been an avid promotor and supporter of the XR industry. He became a co-organizer of the New York VR Meetup in January 2014 and helped grow the group to over 6,000 members. Up until the pandemic in 2020 these IRL events brought together creative, technical individuals from all aspects of the XR community. Through presentations and relationships I developed at NYVR and other industry meetups, I got to see what developers were doing with photogrammetry and volumetric capture and building worlds with game engines such as Unity and Unreal and expanded my understanding of VR beyond 360° video.
The Glimpse Group, now a publicly traded company, is a platform for a group of VR and AR software and service companies. DJ Smith and his team have been very helpful and supportive of MediaCombo and our projects.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Right now, MediaCombo is working on a number of projects that leverage the ability of VR to eliminate the barrier of distance to bring groups of people together in virtual spaces. We are just in the development phase, but have been doing testing with secondary school students. It’s gratifying to see the positive impact VR has on them when they have an immersive experience with other people in an environment that outside of their day-to-day lives.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
Spatial computing in the form of VR, AR and XR will transform our culture in the way computers and the internet and, more recently, smart phones and mobile computing have in our recent past. It’s really astounding to contemplate how the world has changed since Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone in 2007. The impact of these new spatial technologies will be just as revolutionary.
The technical advances and business adoption of XR technology over the past seven years are already incredibly significant. VR’s ability to convincingly simulate the real-world environments and processes is recognized by the military and industry who see its value for training. Firms such as Walmart, UPS, Bank of America and Accenture have made large investments in VR training because the ROI outweighs the high cost of production and headsets.
In the consumer space Meta has, by some accounts, sold just over 10 million Quest headsets, at a price close to or below cost. This strategy has succeeded in creating the largest market for VR content primarily made up of gaming and entertainment enthusiasts. Beyond this Meta has pledged to spend upwards of $10 billion each year on metaverse-related initiatives to develop and dominate what Mark Zuckerberg believes is the next computing platform. It is uncertain, at best, that Meta will succeed in this effort. However, there is no doubt that the enormous research and development commitment will also indirectly benefit the entire XR ecosystem.
It’s an exciting time to be in the industry because so much is unsettled. You can let your understanding of the technology guide you but in every other way it’s the wild west. No one is in control and no one knows how it will turn out. There’s still a lot of sharing information and ideas within the community. If you have a good idea there’s nothing stopping you from pursuing it.
What I personally find most exciting is social VR technology that enables groups of people to gather in a virtual space. What’s notable about having social experiences in VR is the feeling of presence and physical memory of interacting with other people and the environment. The potential for remote work, training, education and performance is unlimited.
There are already many publicly accessible virtual platforms such as Microsoft owned AltspaceVR, Meta Horizons, VRChat and Engage, among others. In addition, there are many platforms that have been created to replicate specific business meeting environments or real-world simulations such as classrooms, galleries or historical settings. All of these are precursors to the concept of the Metaverse as a virtual universe that consists of many different environments that one can seamlessly switch between like a streaming channel or website, and not controlled by any one or two companies.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
The first thing holding back the XR industry is the lack of adoption of the means to engage with immersive experiences at scale. This will not happen until both the technical quality of head-mounted displays improves significantly and the cost becomes affordable. This includes AR devices that have the form factor of eyeglasses, like the Snap Spectacles that are currently only available as beta devices to select creators and also VR headsets that have higher resolution and are more comfortable to wear than current models.
The second factor is network connectivity and bandwidth. There is already a serious digital divide in terms of affordable access to broadband. This will only be exacerbated by the widespread adoption of spatial computing. The solution is universal high-speed data access. This is a priority for U.S. infrastructure goals. It is essential for the adoption of technologies as well the U.S. economic growth and security.
The third concern is privacy. There are outward facing cameras on VR, AR and MR glasses and headsets. On AR and MR spectacles and head mounted displays these cameras scan the viewer’s location and enable persistent display or positioning of virtual imagery over the real-world environment. But in the process, these cameras can also record other people as well as private home or office spaces. There was a lot of pushback when people realized that Google Glass users might be making surreptitious recordings as they went about their daily activities.
In the case of VR headsets in addition to outward facing cameras to track the viewer’s movement and hand gestures to match them in the virtual world, advanced devices today also track the viewer’s eye movements and other biometric sensors such as pulse and temperature are also in development. The eye tracking enables the headset to be much more efficient by delivering high-resolution imagery to just the part of the 360° world the viewer is looking at. But it’s also possible to use this capability to keep track of what users are paying attention to. The other biometric feedback is being used to gauge the performance of participants in VR training exercises that simulate operating equipment in dangerous or emergency situations.
Today this technology is only incorporated in devices used in professional settings. But this functionality will eventually be incorporated into consumer headsets and it’s important to get ahead of the privacy issues.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
As I described previously, VR has been embraced by many corporations and U.S. government agencies because it offers a high return on investment for the delivery and retention of a broad range of hard and soft teachable skills. VR is perfect for immersing viewers in settings that simulate the operation of complex equipment or social settings and role-playing exercises that enable them to appreciate and manage bias or behaviors that they might not have recognized before.
I also believe that VR, AR and MR can play a very important role in 5th to 12th grade education but it’s much harder to demonstrate the return on investment in secondary school settings.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
VR can transport people to places that they could not otherwise visit for reasons of disability, distance, cost, or because they no longer exist or don’t exist yet. It’s absolutely the next best thing to being there. AR / MR can make a loved one appear in your own space in avatar form. While the tools for AR / MR virtual exchanges are not consumer friendly, AARP has a prototype VR program called Alcove. The program offers games that family members with VR headsets, can play together as well as a number of virtual travel destinations they can visit together no matter where they are in real life.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
I’m a big supporter of immersive technologies and, as I’ve described how VR, AR and MR will have a huge impact on our culture in the future. Unfortunately, the biggest myth of the moment is that the “Metaverse” is just around the corner. Metaverse, in this sense, meaning an ecosystem of worlds where viewers can navigate around virtual spaces and interact with objects and other visitors while they are there. Essentially this is the spatial equivalent of surfing the internet, except on the web everything is flat. Today on an e-commerce site you will see a grid of items for sale. In the metaverse you will navigate through a 3D representation of the store itself. If you turn your head your view will change as if you were there. If you want to pick something up, extend your real hand to grab and your virtual hand will pick it up. You are represented in the virtual world by an avatar. And it’s possible to meet up with someone in the virtual store and go shopping together to make it a social experience. You would recognize your friend by their avatar. They would recognize you by yours. People will invest time, energy and even money to customize the appearance of their avatar. The idea of the “Metaverse” is that it is a series of interconnected domains. Today you can check out Instagram, buy something on Amazon and then check out a performance at a virtual club. Since these are now all virtual worlds you would want your avatar to appear the way you designed it in all of them. However, there is no such interoperability today and no real incentive to change that.
In the short term, most development will be driven by custom commercial applications. It will probably take another five years before future head mounted VR, AR, MR devices are powerful, comfortable and affordable enough to encourage widespread public adoption. It will take a few more years after that for consumer applications to flourish.
What are your “5 Things You Need to Create a Highly Successful Career in the VR, AR or MR Industries?”
Like many other fields or industries, a successful career in immersive tech requires collaborating with people with different skill sets and backgrounds. A typical VR project involves a creative concept, writers to describe how the story or message will be represented in the chosen medium. A User Experience (UX) designer will determine how the viewer will navigate the story, a User Interface (UI) designer will develop the actual graphical look and feel of the journey. The project may require animation, photography, photogrammetry of spaces or objects, or volumetric capture of people. All of these scans of places, objects, people and any other characters may need to be touched-up or refined in a 3D graphics application. A static 3D capture of a animal or character may need to be “rigged” so they can be animated. Think of the digital equivalent of making and attaching strings to the joints of a marionette puppet. If there is any 360° video, the scenes must be seamlessly stitched together and color- corrected. Sometimes it’s necessary to add a floor or sky to make the scene a full 360° spherical image. Once, all the elements are prepared, they need to be integrated using a 3D development platform such as Unity or Unreal. These spatial applications, also known as game engines, enable programmers to define how viewers navigate the space and interact with objects and other characters in real time. Once the mechanics of the program have been determined, a sound engineer will develop a sound design that will vary depending on where the viewer is in the virtual world. Standing by a fireplace or waterfall? The source of a sound effect can be placed on its location in the virtual environment and then programmed to taper off over a certain distance. Thus, the sound of a crackling fire will become apparent and then grow louder the closer a visitor gets to the fireplace. The same spatial sound design would apply to characters speaking. The closer characters are together, the louder their voices will become.
With all these facets of a production, good communication skills are required to keep all departments working together efficiently. Whether you are a manager, department head or team member good communication, which means listening, as much as explaining, is essential.
To be a successful producer, creative director or production manager it’s not necessary to be computer programmer, application wizard or expert in any of the crafts involved in the project. However, it’s worth spending time learning about what’s involved. Be clear about what you want to achieve from a technical and storytelling standpoint and get every departments’ input in the planning stages of the project before you commit to a budget or schedule. Often a creative request may involve a lot time and effort. But the team involved may offer an alternative that, while different, will achieve the desired result. Also, don’t assume that because something is easy to do in traditional, linear editing that it’s equally simple in an immersive environment where the player controls their position and pace of the experience. For example: I want to shorten a section of dialogue by cutting some copy. In video I would just delete the offending audio track on a video editing application timeline, then cut the picture by the same amount and, if there was a resulting glitch, cover it with a cutaway. When producing a VR, I found out from our programmer that this request, while doable, would break several connected actions that would have to be reprogrammed. What should take five or ten minutes to do in a video edit might require a few hours in Unity or Unreal.
The other important skill is expectation management. Especially if you are producing a project for a client, it’s essential that their expectations align with what you will be delivering from the outset.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
My team and I are working on a project that would empower educators to transform 21st Century learning by accessing museum resources in the U.S. and around the world through virtual reality.
Schools are struggling to equip children with the knowledge, abilities, and experience needed for success in 21st-century society. Museums are struggling to be recognized as providers of essential services to their communities. The pandemic has exacerbated the situation for both institutions. The next few years will present ongoing challenges and opportunities, compelling museums to adopt new methods and tools to connect with their communities, and schools to transform instruction to prepare the next generation for the long-term.
Our project will combine museum galleries and museum collections with Virtual Reality and Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) — a proven, 21st-century instructional model, has clear potential to meet these challenges.
VTS is a student-centered pedagogy and supplemental PK-12 curriculum proven to drive growth in the key ‘21st-century’ and ‘soft’ skills that schools are striving but struggling to support — critical thinking, social and emotional, and communication skills.
Virtual Reality presents particularly compelling possibilities for schools due to its potential to authentically and holistically engage 21st-century learners in ways that are otherwise hard to achieve through more traditional ‘teacher-as-medium’ instructional strategies.
By situating the learning experience within realistic representations of world-class museum spaces populated with carefully curated works in museum collections that remain out-of-reach to the vast majority of learners, teachers, and schools, the VLG project has the potential to bring museum resources to educators, curated to meet their core standard requirements and drive transformative instructional improvement in K-12 schools.
If adopted, this program will teach life-long learning skills to hundreds of thousands of students in underserved communities. It would do a lot of good for a large number of people.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
The person I would really like to meet and have a conversation with is Laurene Powell Jobs of the Emerson Collective. Her foundation is very interested in transforming education and is already working with organizations that using EdTech to achieve their goals.
They also supported the exhibition of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s virtual reality project “Carne Y Arena” in the Washington, DC. Produced in 2017, “Carne Y Arena” is one the best a location-based virtual reality experiences I’ve seen. It plunges the viewer / participant into the harsh reality of immigrants crossing into the United States. The powerful VR program only lasts six and half minutes but it’s integrated into a well-designed on-boarding and exit process that made for a truly memorable and impactful experience. The Emerson Collective funded the location and staffing costs required to exhibit “Carne Y Arena” in D.C. for several months. Everything about the installation was impeccably executed. Admission was free to the public but tickets were gone within minutes of becoming available twice a month. However, impressive, Carne Y Arena experience is not scalable. However, it is a great example of the power of VR to give people experiences that they will remember as real. I would like to talk about how VR can be applied to education.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Define your mission. — Knowing your why will keep you going way longer than doing a trivial task. It will keep you focused and will help you evaluate how much sacrifice you should make for a particular project.
As a part of my series about “Grit: The Most Overlooked Ingredient of Success,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Arelious Cooper.
Arelious Cooper is the Executive Director of Art in the Paint, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that creates community centers without walls. Through Art in the Paint, Arelious and his team renovate public outdoor basketball courts and install murals to strengthen communities, promote safety, inspire creativity, and encourage play.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what events have drawn you to this specific career path?
I was jogging at Stone Mountain in Georgia and came across the monument tribute to three Confederate generals etched on the side of the mountain. The site made me nauseous, and I honestly wanted it removed immediately. In that moment I felt helpless, ashamed, and hopeless. When I got home that night, I began to write the plans to start Art in the Paint. I needed to find an outlet that would help me make murals that did the exact opposite of what seeing that monument did to me. So now we install murals on courts to help neighborhoods feel hopeful, proud and inspired.
Can you share your story about “Grit and Success”? First can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
It was the day before we were set to paint our very first court. Using social media, we invited members of the community to come and join us in our efforts and learn more about Art in the Paint. While the response from the community was mostly positive, we were met with push back from some local residents who were concerned about outsiders coming into their neighborhood and ‘making changes.’ This is when I realized that earning trust from local residents would be critical to the success of Art in the Paint, and ultimately, the impact our efforts will have on the communities.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Travelling the world, I noticed how people treated children of different socio-economic status. It broke my heart to see a child being shown they had less value based on how little or how much their parents made. So, when times get hard, I keep going for every child from areas like southwest Atlanta, Santiago, Dominican Republic or Minna, Nigeria who has been told that they might die before 21, can’t get a degree or make something of their life. I want them to see that someone who was just like them did it so they know they can too.
So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?
Refusing to use cheap materials, being committed to finding community programming, and finding the best artists are not the paths of least resistance for a small nonprofit. We knew we had to do those things no matter what the costs were to show the community that they were respected and valued. Seeking outside help from companies that have a shared mission for helping local communities has also helped us to succeed. We recently applied for, and received, the Quest Rookie grant, which is a $20,000 grant to help people and local organizations who are making an impactful difference in their local communities.
Based on your experience, can you share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Develop More Grit”?
No one else is in charge of making your dreams happen. — You have to get out there and make it happen everyday and be an example for why people should support you.
You cannot do it alone no matter how tough you are. — Once you show people what you are about, you need to be able to recruit a team that can fill in the gaps and blind spots that you have as an individual. This way you can accomplish more and get closer to your goals.
Leaders eat last. — Once you have your team, you must make sure that you take care of them, support them and show that you’re grateful to have support behind you to help accomplish your goals.
Create a daily checklist. — Sometimes our ambitions will tell us that we need to do grand-scale things in order to change the world, and that can be a daunting task. By breaking down day to day efforts that ladder up to a bigger goal, the task to achieve the goal becomes more realistic, and you become more productive working towards a seemingly impossible goal.
Define your mission. — Knowing your why will keep you going way longer than doing a trivial task. It will keep you focused and will help you evaluate how much sacrifice you should make for a particular project.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped you when things were tough? Can you share a story about that?
I hit rock bottom and had been successful in getting courts painted, but I had no clue on how to run an organization. I went to a co-working space named Plywood People and met a gentleman named Jeff Shinabarger and asked for help. He and his assistant Kayla taught me through their programs what my role was as an executive director and what my responsibilities were to the community that I serve. Thank you, Jeff and Kayla! I’ll never forget you.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Last year, because of something as simple as painting basketball courts, we were able to install $700,000 worth of artwork into 8 cities and 4 countries around the world. Specifically, in southwest Atlanta, where I’m from, we were able to install $2.3 million worth of resources around our courts.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Because of the good people at Quest and being a recipient of the first ever Quest Rookie Challenge this year, this summer will be huge for us! The Quest Rookie Challenge was created to help champion people who are making an impact in local communities. Quest awarded Art in the Paint $20,000 to help further our positive impact in the community. With the Quest Rookie grant, we’re painting in four cities and hosting health fairs, basketball leagues and an art festival.
What advice would you give to other executives or founders to help their employees to thrive?
I would tell every founder or executive to make sure all employees are aware of the company’s mission statement so they always know the goal of the day.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
To be honest, I think we are already doing that. We transfer neglected neighborhood basketball courts into community centers without walls. By installing full scale murals on basketball courts, we create safe spaces, connect collaborators, and inspire play.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My grandmother told me that it’s not important how people feel about you when you walk away, but it’s more important how they feel about themselves when you walk away. This always sticks out to me when I do community work because we realize that people aren’t always looking for a savior, they’re just looking for help. So, in our interactions and when we tell our stories about our interactions, we want to make sure we give dignity to the people in the communities that we serve.
Punctuality — Arrive early to ensure you have time to set up and relax before your talk starts. I like to go to a secluded area, pray, stretch, stand tall and do some vocal warm-ups before getting on stage.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a fascinating and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker,” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experiences. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing M. Curtis McCoy.
M. Curtis McCoy is an American podcast host and motivational speaker. Curtis is also a best-selling personal development author and host of “Success, Motivation & Inspiration” on Amazon Fire TV.
M. Curtis McCoy has dedicated his life to helping others break through their limiting beliefs and achieve success. As a motivational speaker, he inspires millions of people worldwide with his message of hope and possibility.
In his most recent book, How To Be Successful: Think Like A Leader, M. Curtis McCoy compiles true stories and conversations with entrepreneurs to help you live your best life.
If you’re looking for motivation and inspiration, M. Curtis McCoy is the perfect speaker for your next event. His message of hope and possibility will inspire you to reach your goals and live your best life. Be sure to check out his podcast as well. You won’t be disappointed!
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you. I’m honored to connect with your audience! I grew up in a rough household where “children are to be seen, not heard.” I won’t spend too much time talking about the abuse in this interview, but I had zero self-confidence and no sense of self-worth. My dad often told me I was “a waste of skin” or a “waste of oxygen,” and on one occasion, he urged me to “do the world a favor” and commit suicide. The only reason I didn’t was that I wanted to prove my dad wrong.
When I moved out for college, I spent years being too shy to hold a conversation with a stranger. I had a hard time making eye contact and never thought I’d end up becoming a motivational speaker.
We all go through junk we don’t like to share. We want to look like we’ve got a great life and everything is perfect, but everyone is struggling with something behind closed doors. It’s up to you to decide if you let your past become your identity. Leaders choose to be defined by their purpose rather than their struggles.
Can you share a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
After college, I started several companies, including a cosmetic medical LASER clinic, a Christian clothing company, a white-label pharmaceutical company, and a supplement business that sponsored events at the Denver Colleseum, MMA fights, and bodybuilding events all over Colorado.
Life was great; surrounded by professional bodybuilders, fitness models, Denver Broncos cheerleaders, Denver Nuggets dancers, powerlifters, and athletes!
I’ve had type-1 diabetes since I was 27 months old, so when I started having multiple grand-mal seizures weekly, I thought it was just a side effect of diabetes. It wasn’t until I woke up one morning in 2010 with half my body paralyzed that oncologists diagnosed me with a malignant glioblastoma brain tumor.
I couldn’t run any of my businesses and could no longer live alone or drive a vehicle due to the frequent seizures, so I had to move home temporarily with my mom and “bonus-dad,” Steve (he’s like a step-dad, only cooler).
While fighting brain cancer, my mom urged me not to focus on the terminal diagnosis and start another business instead. I think she did this to keep my mind off the brain cancer, but I printed out some flyers and started repairing iPhone screens on the kitchen table. Over the next ten years, that little screen repair business morphed into a telecommunications company (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) serving over 250,000 users in all 50 states!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A young man called me in January after searching Google for motivational speakers. Unfortunately, I found out during our conversation that he had already been taking painkillers to overdose and commit suicide. He called late at night, planning to leave a message with a stranger about his suicide before finishing the bottle of pills.
We each talked about our tough childhoods and how it felt like death was his only way out. We spent about 45 minutes on the phone, and this young man promised he would flush the rest of the pills down the toilet instead of finishing the bottle.
I was scheduled to speak in San Antonio, TX, on March 12th and had been preparing for the speech for weeks. At 2:38 AM, that same young guy sent me a text message with pictures of him holding my book. He was celebrating his 24th birthday, and rather than partying; he read How To Be Successful: Think Like A Leader, cover-to cover. In the text, he shared his new personal identity. He now defines himself as “a leader who’s all about progressing in life and bettering himself every single day.”
This young guy deciding he was created for greatness and choosing to give life another try is worth more to me than any money I’ll ever earn from book sales or speaking engagements.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t know that it’s funny, but many new speakers use too many notes when giving a speech. I was terrible at using too many notes because of the memory issues after surviving brain cancer. Still, it’s much easier to connect with your audience if you write down a few bullet points and have a natural conversation with the audience.
Here’s the lesson: Write a few bullet points and talk from the heart!
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I owe my success to hundreds of people, including employees at my retail stores, business partners, and even podcast hosts and authors who create inspirational content that keeps me growing! My telecommunications company would have never gone nationwide without an incredible investment of time and money from our friend, Paul Silzell.
As a teenager, my dad kept us away from my mom, but as soon as I moved to Denver for college, we were able to get back in touch. For over 20 years, my mom, Connie V. Wyatt, has been my best friend. We’ve worked on massive business projects and taken some pretty cool trips together! She researched the Hoxsey Biomedical Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, when I was given only 60–90 days to live with brain cancer! After American oncologists said I had a 0% chance of survival, that treatment saved my life.
Daniel Gomez is an award-winning professional speaker who I admire. He’s an incredible friend as well.
Daniel hosts the Sticker Shock Speaking Academy in San Antonio, TX. The event gives speakers the blueprint for building and operating a successful speaking business. I absolutely recommend this event if you plan on becoming a professional speaker! It’s incredible!
I was scheduled to speak at Sticker Shock in March. However, the morning I was scheduled to speak, I fell outside the conference center, hit my head on the sidewalk, and had a seizure.
It was raining, so when I fell, the back of my suit was wet. My head was bleeding from the impact against the sidewalk. Paramedics came, and I was so embarrassed that I almost booked an early flight home and skipped speaking. It took everything I had to go back inside.
I gave a 10-minute speech that went incredibly well, but I felt like an outcast. “Was this the last time I’d ever agree to speak on stage?” Was I an imposter?” The devil was really working on my self-confidence. I was ready to give up.
Rather than avoiding the guy who just had a seizure, Daniel Gomez invited me up on stage with a couple of preachers who prayed over me as a group. They spoke encouraging words and prayed for healing. The love and camaraderie I felt were like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Try joining a speaking club like Toastmasters! Find opportunities to speak at local events, coworking spaces, and community gatherings. Start taking every opportunity to speak. The audience wants you to be amazing! Be yourself! They’re rooting for you!
I’ve given hundreds of talks, and the fear never completely disappears, but it gets easier when you remember that the audience isn’t judging you. No one pays to go to an event, hoping the speaker sucks. Instead, they’re on your side!
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message you aim to share with the world?
We talked earlier about the young man who decided not to end his life after calling me in January. He’s the 4th person to reach out while deciding whether or not to commit suicide. Thankfully, everyone who dared to reach out chose not to end their life.
When I was young, I did everything to be “successful,” focusing on becoming wealthy, but as I got older, I started to care more about encouraging and inspiring people to live their best life. If I give a speech or post a short video on social media that inspires someone to keep going or become a better person, or if I help a single small business succeed, that’s what gets me excited!
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Thank you so much! I’ve spoken at Caesar’s Palace and some pretty cool venues, but there are two projects I’m most excited about now:
First, I’m excited to be speaking at schools to inspire kids and help them see that the things they’re going through won’t last forever, and life gets better if you keep pushing.
Also, I’m offering business coaching/mentoring to entrepreneurs on a limited basis, and it’s been incredible to see their growth in business and life!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Then, can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Rather than reshare a quote, I have a message for your audience. You have a story to share. Your opinion matters, and people can benefit from hearing your message!
We all have doubts and fears, but that’s not an excuse not to inspire others to greatness! Public speaking will open up opportunities you never knew existed! You can do this!
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?”
Preparation & Practice — Do your research and know your topic inside out. It’s easy to talk about a subject you know well! You don’t need to worry about memorizing an entire speech if you know the subject well! We’ve all heard the saying, “practice makes perfect,” but that’s not entirely true. Perfect practice makes perfect! Rehearse in front of a mirror, record yourself or get feedback from friends.
Punctuality — Arrive early to ensure you have time to set up and relax before your talk starts. I like to go to a secluded area, pray, stretch, stand tall and do some vocal warm-ups before getting on stage.
Personality & Passion — Be yourself and engage with your audience members. Don’t try to be someone you’re not! Make eye contact with a few people. Talk about the benefits your audience can receive. Don’t make the speech about you. Speak from the heart and let your passion for the subject shine through.
Poise & Projection — Maintain good posture and keep your head up. Standing tall with your chest out helps with confidence. Don’t be afraid to move around and use relevant hand gestures to keep the audience interested. Speak for the size of the room. Speaking too loud can look awkward or irritating if you’re talking to a small audience in a conference room. Speak loudly enough and clearly so that everyone can hear you.
Positive Attitude — Smile and radiate positive energy! Even if you’re nervous, smiling (when appropriate) helps you be more relatable.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
The audience wants you to be amazing! Be yourself! They’re rooting for you!
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I believe you were created by the same God who created the entire universe. He is the most powerful force in existence. He created you in His image, and He loves you! You’re more incredible than you’ll ever know! I would love to put that on billboards across the country.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I’ve been able to share meals with some incredible leaders, but Brad Lea is someone I find incredibly entertaining and inspirational.
Brad Lea has interviewed leaders like Daymond John, Tim Grover, Ed Mylett, Grant Cardone, Patrick Bet-David, Tom Bilyeu, Robert Kiyosaki, and Jesse Itzler on the Dropping Bombs Podcast.
I look forward to being a guest on his show soon! I’ll be happy to bring lunch if he has time to eat!
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
M. Curtis McCoy has links to the platforms I’m most active on, but right now, I’m focusing on:
Makers of The Metaverse: Steve Stein Of XMANNA On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Knowledge — an interesting aspect we are seeing today is that in addition to formal education, new technologies are actually based on a lot of self education and accumulating knowledge. Do you use these technologies? Do you understand what they can offer? With creating new technologies and innovation, constantly learning is key.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Stein.
Steve has over 20 years of experience in leading companies in Finance, Tech, Real-estate and now Blockchain. With a unique expertise in commodities and currencies, and a passion for helping sales organizations to overachieve, Steve has been able to push for collaborations with organizations such as Inter Miami CF, foreseeing the potential for sports in the Metaverse.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I initially grew up in a very supportive home, with strong messages of perseverance and hard work. I was taught by my father to always aim higher than what you think you’re capable of achieving. Growing up in an environment where I learned that anything is possible through hard work, perseverance, kindness and passion was incredibly foundational to me. So I try to embody these messages into everything that I do in my life.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I would say my parents have had the most significant impact on my life and ethos over any book or piece of media, to be honest. Watching my parents show so much kindness to strangers and friends, helping out in our community and providing financial aid to strangers impacted me a lot. From them, I learned that the most important thing in life is the people around you, both family and community, so I would say they were the most impactful to me.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
There isn’t a particularly specific story, but I think that understanding a decentralized ecosystem and the benefits of a business model that is conducive to community-building has led me to this path. I’m really fascinated by the future of the internet and understanding what that could look like in terms of experiences and how people interact with it, that inspired me to be part of that change.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
I would have to say the first call we ever had with our lead advisor from GD10. We conducted a 40-minute call showcasing our product and fielding questions with the investor. At the end of the call, he gives us a mile-long list of tasks, changes, and restructures for us to implement and hangs up the phone without another word. Safe to say we were a bit taken aback with the very blunt feedback, and questioned whether we wanted to have the investor on board with the project. But we re-evaluated what he proposed, and the changes did make sense so we implemented them right away. On a follow-up call a few days later, he was blown away when we revealed that we had already implemented his suggestions in such a quick turnaround, and his surprise turned into millions for us. What we thought was a very different and blunt meeting turned out to give us support from our most incredible investors, and we showed that we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty when it comes to addressing issues in the company.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake was when I called a sports club, and for preparation purposes, I researched their gate numbers to see their game attendance. When I got on the call with the club, I politely pointed out these figures thinking they realized their attendance was not as high as they wanted and how we could help with that. Long story short, they did not particularly appreciate the feedback and thought I was insulting their business, so you can imagine how the rest of the call went. While it was an embarrassing moment, especially as my team heard this verbal lashing on speakerphone, we are actually now in partnership negotiations with the same team three years later.
The fact is, a person’s success is not determined by their wins, but by how they handle failures. Making mistakes will always happen in business, but learning from them is how you succeed in the long-term. While the moment with the team was embarrassing, it allowed me to re-evaluate our approach and our services when partnering with teams, which ultimately made us into a better company.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I can’t name everyone, but I’m incredibly grateful for all our employees and developers behind the scenes that are building this project from the ground-up. But two key people I can name would be my mother, first and foremost, for always being there and her incredible support. The other person I’m very grateful for would be my partner Gabi, who has always trusted me, listened to me and has got us where we need to be since the beginning. There are lots of particular stories that I could share and I will share them one day.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, The MannaVerse, where our business model is based on an ownership economy by rewarding those that contribute value into the ecosystem. XMANNA sees themselves as the Intel Chip inside a computer that helps make it better, faster and stronger — the essence is creating the underlying infrastructure that powers mega-content metaverse that is powered by amazing partners, who help bring in the critical elements of premium live events to the virtual world with venues, artists and more.
The plan is to continue and spread across the sports network worldwide and to provide products that enhance the sports experience for fans, while continuing to build the Mannaverse and making continuous partnerships to fuel content within it. Our goal is to simply make our token very useful and beneficial for gaming and enhancement of XMANNA products with access, discounts and even the opportunity to help support ecosystem projects before they are released.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
The three most exciting things that excite me in these industries are NFTs, which have evolved beyond just collectibles. NFTs can make a real impact in mixed realities and augmented reality in addition to the ownership economy. I think that they are key in the future of the internet in terms of experience, and can signify both physical and virtual products while users experience an all-encompassing digital world. In terms of the ownership economy, it allows regular people to create value from revenues generated from a company, generating passive income for potentially millions of people. Bringing all these components to market with technology that is truly immersive would be an incredible step for spearheading the next phase of the internet. Additionally, I also think gamification is vital in these industries, particularly with engaging users and earning rewards. People have a preconceived notion about advertising and that they will pay not to see it. I think that utilizing gamification can bridge that gap in getting users over the entry barrier of advertising in order to use services, and in turn, making it more effective. Adding in the possibilities of gamification provides a way for both users and companies to see rewards through interactive advertising.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
VR, AR and MR technologies are changing our world. As they become more powerful, coupled with better software and development, there will be more and more use cases for these immersive technologies. As the awareness of AR and MR apps increases, there is a growing demand for companies that provide these services.and I think that the biggest challenge will be the actual migration from 2 dimensions into the web3.0. It will be a whole new ecosystem that will be to be built from scratch and can not be migrated, any business that fails to spot this shift on time is risking becoming the next blockbuster.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
AR, VR and MR are relatively new technologies as far as their practical application and utility is concerned. Many industries and companies, especially the small to mid-sized companies, do not have the technical expertise or the proper SDK / software to develop AR / MR applications.
But we are already seeing first signs of adoption in a few industries: automobile, manufacturing, aerospace and of course, retail. Furniture shops allow you to virtually choose the furniture you like and visualize how they will look in your home settings, you can shift objects to different locations and purchase them instantaneously. Some fashion houses allow you to virtually try on a dress without having to go to the dressing room. This is a real use of the technology at work, and it’s only the beginning.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
While AR and VR have been around for a number of years, mixed reality is relatively new.
Mixed Reality (MR) interfaces combine real and virtual settings in various ways to enable psychological immersion in a setting that blends physical and digital phenomena. For example, an outdoor augmented reality (AR) experience using mobile devices can superimpose information, simulations, and videos through the camera lens view to create natural phenomena effect. This interaction between the interactive world and the physical world is what we call mixed reality (MR). Most businesses these days are exploring, piloting, or deploying mixed reality, and I personally believe that mixed reality is crucial in achieving those strategic goals. By creating a new and improved experience in all aspects of our lives, from shopping and entertainment to medicine and well being we will all find a way to improve our lives using this technology.
Just imagine a world where all of the value that you create in society would be recognized and rewarded for your contribution. From buying groceries to paying your electricity bill or buying an upgrade on your game or even attending live events. People are not attached to the value they create in society and using these new technologies, people can begin to attach themselves to the value they create.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
We don’t believe in funny money, we believe in building technology first and tokenizing after to create a true utility.
The other element I would like to dispel is the concept of an NFT. Most people see an NFT and think of a digital collectible, but the potential for them is so much greater than that. When I hear NFT, I think of house keys or proof of citizenship, among other things that can be securely digitized. NFTs give people the ability to utilize them in a brand new way when they have utility attached to them.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
1. Passion — being excited about creating the future is a basic element. Do you think the metaverse is the next greatest development being created? Do you believe that VR and AR can bring value? Do you have a passion to be involved in creating innovation in these fields? — then you are on the right track.
2. Knowledge — an interesting aspect we are seeing today is that in addition to formal education, new technologies are actually based on a lot of self education and accumulating knowledge. Do you use these technologies? Do you understand what they can offer? With creating new technologies and innovation, constantly learning is key.
3. Integrity — in any career actually, your ability to bring real value is crucial. First of all, being a person with a strong moral compass is crucial.
4. The ability to deliver on time — because the world is developing so fast, and so is the competition, the need to deliver high quality products, on a timely basis is key. In addition to having great ideas, the need to implement and deliver is critical.
5. Originality — when creating innovation and the future, in a fast shifting reality, you need to be able to think outside the box — create original solutions, find better ways to do things, connect in new ways with your users and partners. We want the future to be better — so creating solutions that haven’t been implemented before is key.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I think if I can inspire anybody to do something it would be to show kindness to another person. Not because someone is watching, not for financial gain, but because in that moment you recognize another human being in need. I think that if people just take a minute to show kindness to another person, the world can be a much better place. Kindness doesn’t cost you anything except for some energy and heart, but the impact of it is contagious and extends beyond one person.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’m going to go with a historical figure here and say Abraham Lincoln, one of my personal heroes. He believed in our God-given rights, our freedoms, and how these freedoms must be protected while creating a better environment for all. This is really what XMANNA stands for in creating an environment that’s beneficial for everyone.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Making Something From Nothing: Laila Belabbas Of Splish Splash Handmade Products On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
You can’t please everyone: There will be times when you will have to make difficult business decisions that may not be popular. Remember that all your decisions will impact the business and you are responsible for the success of your business and the people working in it! Without people, you have no business. Treat your employees well. They are your most important asset!
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laila Belabbas.
Laila was born and raised in Montreal. She has lived in Vancouver, BC Canada since 2008. She identifies herself as a member of the BIPOC community. Laila comes from a family of 5 children being the only girl.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
Both of my parents immigrated to Canada before I was born. My father is from Morocco and my mother came from France. They both met in France and moved to Canada in Montreal. Both speaking French, Montreal was the best choice for them at that time. My father was the sole provider of the family. His first job was working as a warehouse worker making only $2 an hour. At that time they only had one son. When my father found out that his wife was pregnant with me, he decided to go back to school and become a boilermaker, believing that having a trade will ensure a better life for the family. He moved up from company to company and secured a job working for the Montreal transit company. He was making only $40, 000 a year working as a boilermaker. supporting the family while my mother left her career as an RMT and became a stay-at-home mom raising the family, the hardest job in the world! Both of my parents came from poor families. My mother lost her mom at 14 years old, leaving her father with 9 children and scrambling to make a living to support all his kids. Her father’s parents were both living in Morocco. My grandfather was a farmer making very little money and hmyer grandmother was a stay-at-home mom with her 10 children. My father left at a young age of 16 years old for a better life coming to Canada, but first he made a stop to France where he met my mother and they both decided to move to Canada. I saw my father as a hard-working individual who worked long hours during the evenings, nights and weekends, picking up overtime shifts for extra money. I’ve learned at a young age that my parents would not be able to pay for education or help financially. I learned that I have to make sacrifices and work hard in order to have a good life. I have learned my work ethics from my father. He always told me that education is the key to being successful and without education life would be a struggle.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Everyday is a different day. All situations are temporary. Things happen for a reason and there are no coincidences. I believe that you are where you are for a reason. You need to keep faith in the universe. Life is full of surprises and even in the darkest moments things will turn for the better. Life is an iceberg and you never know what’s under it as you can only see the top. All good things are hidden and show up when unexpected.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I was struggling in my personal life emotionally and financially and I had difficulty paying my rent on time and eating regular meals. It seemed I could never catch my breath working from one minimum wage job to another, unable to see a bright future. I woke up one day and decided enough is enough. I needed a change and fast. I was tired of being poor and unhappy. My parents didn’t have the financial means to help me. I purchased a book that changed my life. Awakening the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. I discovered self-mastery and how to live a meaningful life. I learned step-by-step how to change my mindset and improve every aspect of my life. It did not happen overnight; it took years of hard work and seeing my self-worth. Growing up in an immigrant family was not always easy. Expectations were high and sometimes unattainable. Anthony’s words resonated with me. This was the best book I ever purchased. Anthony was my personal coach without knowing it!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
Splish Splash Handmade products came about when I left the corporate world being an Human Resources professional for over 10 years. I decided at 37 years old that I wanted to go back to school to further my knowledge and skills. I went to University to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University. Part of one of the business classes I took, an entrepreneurial class, made this whole idea of Splish Splash come to life. The first week of entrepreneurship class, our business professor asked everyone that we had one week to come up with a business idea and submit for approval. The challenge wasit had to be handmade from yourself and could not be purchased or sold from something already made. We had to create a product from scratch and start selling your products for a whole semester. I can assure you that the stress level in that class was really high. I was asking myself, “What in the world? I don’t know how to make anything!” Then it came to me. I always made my own soap and bath products because I had such sensitive skin. I couldn’t find products that would suit my skin but never thought about selling them. I have had a self-care routine since I was 16 years old. I love taking baths with bath salt, essential oil of lavender, with a candle and piano music in the background. I decided this is an opportunity to try something different and, honestly, I just wanted to pass my class. So I pitched my idea to my professor. This opportunity was perfect to use my artistic and creative side that was dormant for so many years due to working in a corporate environment. Going back to school was the best thing for me. It allowed me to rediscover myself and focus on the things I love and enjoy. Being artistic and creative was always who I was! Being pressured to build a new business gave me the boost to try it out. I went all in. I was able to have focus groups, packaging, product testing, logo creation, a business name, market research, R&D, design a website, a business plan, sustainability empathy map canvas, financials and a business canvas model. I promoted my handmade natural products as a self-care eco-friendly home spa experience.
It was a massive success! The feedback I received from people was so positive. They loved the products and I completely sold out. That was an indicator that I was on to something. My professors were very supportive and helped me throughout the whole program. They pushed hard and it wasn’t always easy. But, they wanted me to succeed. I can say that I am proud to have founded a self-care, eco-friendly and handmade product line that makes people feel good about themselves and able to have that relaxing home spa experience from the comfort of their homes.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
Conduct market research and find out what your market segment would be. Conduct a competitors’ analysis and review products that are similar to your idea. There are a lot of products that can always be improved. When you have an idea that pops into your mind, write it down, it’s surprising how easily we can forget a great idea. I encourage you to share your idea with people you trust, that will provide you honest feedback. This will help fine tune your idea because we can’t always see every angle of idea. Also something that is very important is do not get married to an idea. If the feedback is not positive, it’s okay to change gear, be flexible and open. People want you to be successful. Honest opinions can avoid disappointment and wasting time and money on an idea that may not work. Remember that starting a business is not a competition and taking time to try your ideas and conducting research is part of building a sustainable business.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it. Using the lean start-up model
I am a very visual individual and need to see my ideas on paper. I draw and map product ideas to help design and make changes. I then develop the product and give samples to friends and family asking for real feedback. The feedback is valuable and helps me improve the design and the products. Any product I develop, I test on myself as well. After final testing, feedback and design, the final product is ready to launch. I like to support other businesses as well. I try to source from local suppliers that specialize in selling to businesses, with no minimum purchase requirements. That is something very helpful when you are just starting off. Bigger suppliers will have orders starting at a few thousand dollars just for one product. I would encourage you to search for something that will allow you to start small and not break your bank to purchase supplies, packaging and raw materials. Also customer service experience is important. Put effort and thought into your packaging to create a “wow” factor when your customer opens their purchase. I like to make every customer feel special no matter how much the purchase is! I always add a special hand written note.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
Thinking about being your own boss will mean you can do whatever you want and having no one boss you around and have more freedom and time: There’s nothing further from the truth. Working for yourself will be time consuming and responsibility falls on your shoulders and no one else. Your new bosses will be your internal and external stakeholders. Customers will be the one you need to listen to and allow their feedback to improve products and services. Your suppliers, service providers, consultants etc. will be like a business partner. Treat them right and be respectful. They are providing you with the supplies to create your products in order to sell them. Be mindful that anyone that you need to conduct business with will be important.
Planning: There are so many details running a business and managing your day-to-day business operations. For example, I have forgotten things or ordered the wrong products. It’s important to draft a list of things to do, and set calendar reminders for meetings and events. It will help keep you organized.
You can’t please everyone: There will be times when you will have to make difficult business decisions that may not be popular. Remember that all your decisions will impact the business and you are responsible for the success of your business and the people working in it! Without people, you have no business. Treat your employees well. They are your most important asset!
Why leaving a full-time job with a steady paycheck: You will probably hear that a lot. Working for someone else doesn’t mean you have more time for yourself and necessarily make more money. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that life is precious. It’s better to try something and not have regrets than play it safe. If you don’t try, you won’t know. It could be the best decision you have ever made for yourself. You have one life to live, don’t miss out on being your best self!
Your Social Media Message: You will be under the spotlight more than you know. Choose your words wisely and spread a kind positive message. If you have nothing good to say, then don’t. Always remain professional, calm and respectful to everyone. We all have bad days where we can be frustrated and things are not moving the way we want. It’s okay to step back. Do not send angry emails or make angry phone calls. You will be thankful you didn’t.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
An important thing is you don’t need thousands of dollars to build a product. I have learned to use the lean business model in school. It means you don’t have to sell all your belongings, mortgage your house, or use all your life savings. Ensure you have an (MVP) minimum viable product. It is a low cost way to build a product that has just enough features to showcase and help you get the products tested into customers’ hands. It’s a great way to receive immediate feedback and iterate to finalize a finished product. It’s the perfect way not to mass produce and invest too much money and a great opportunity to see if your products will be well received or not.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
Starting a business can be fun and exciting, but also challenging. Don’t expect success overnight and do not rush building a business because it takes time. A slow, steady success will give you the ability to adjust changes along the way. I also encourage you to educate yourself on entrepreneurship. The more tools and support you can build for yourself, the better it will be for you to make sound decisions for your business and save costs. Not everyone is able to receive seed money. Invest in yourself, take business courses, read books and research how to start a business. Join a group of entrepreneurs, like minded individuals and business groups. It’s a great way to share and learn experiences from others. You can also hire people on contract or part-time to help with some aspects of the business that you’re not experienced with. A little help never hurts! Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family. They may have skills or talents that could be useful to you.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
This is a very personal choice. Ask yourself, “Do I want to become an entrepreneur? Do I wish to build something for myself and have control over the decision making from beginning to end, or do I need a team of people to help me build a business?” For myself, I decided I would rather bootstrap to have control of the product development and which direction the business is going.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
As a Human Resources Professional, we believe that caring for an employee’s mental and physical wellness is top of mind. I designed a business to bring a self-care, eco-friendly wellness experience that serves as a mental and physical wellness to everyone. I believe that we all need that 30 minutes per day to take time for ourselves and disconnect. A rested self is a much better version of yourself. Life is challenging and stressful. We all need time and what better way to be part of offering wellness products than to help people feel better and relaxed? This also gave me an opportunity to build a business that is inclusive for products and work culture. I hope to inspire and empower other BIPOC individuals and other women to pursue entrepreneurship. Something I would like to be involved in down the road is to help other entrepreneurs succeed and start this exciting journey!
I have friends that are members of the LGBTQ2S+ and I was asked to create pride products because they felt there was a lack of representation in the beauty industry. So, I created a product line for the LGBTQ2S+ because I want people to feel included and celebrated more than just once a year, but all-year long. I also believe in acts of kindness and giving back to the community and supporting people. I do have a soft spot for charity and I volunteer work. I donate products to non-for-profit organizations.
I believe it is important to give back and I am passionate about various causes and enjoy engaging in partnerships and fundraising activities with organizations that reflect my values.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to be able to inspire more people like myself. Coming from a poor immigrant family doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. I strongly believe that education is key to be able to develop and grow. It might be more difficult, requiring hard work and sacrifices, but it’s all worth it at the end.No one can take that away from you. Surround yourself with people that see your potential and believe in you. I had mentors in my life that helped develop myself. Also, having a support system is important because no one can be successful on their own. Never give up no matter how many times you fall. Keep going. Resilience is key!
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? She or he might just see this if we tag them.
Being BIPOC, I grew up with not many role models looking like myself. I chose Oprah as a role model while growing up because she was the person I could identify most with. She inspired me to be who I am today. A few years ago, I was in a leadership training course and part of an exercise we did was how you see yourself as a leader. We had to make a vision board. When I looked around me in that class I was the only BIPOC person. We had a magazine to cut out images and find what would be suitable that could represent me as a leader. I was able to find an image of Oprah. She was a leader that I identified myself with growing up and I wanted to continue working on myself to become a true authentic leader. Plus, she looked a little like me! Hoping to be able to do good for the world.
I admired her ability to lead her interviews with empathy, being true to herself and always helping others. She has a unique way of connecting with people at a deeper level that I can’t explain. I always wanted to be Oprah! She inspires so many people and truly makes the world a better place.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Come in prepared. Know what you’re going to say and how it’s going to start and end. There is nothing worse than listening to someone figure out their presentation on the fly and just rambling without a cohesive point.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Franklin.
Most of Brian Franklin’s 25 years of work in writing and advertising has involved working as an award-winning political consultant (including Best Use of Humor in a political ad). In his political career has guided communications and advertising for over 150 campaigns, from congressional campaigns to state-wide races and ballot amendments, and has managed advocacy programs for numerous national organizations.
In 2021, Brian and his wife Nicole started Vows & Speeches, a company created to solve the problems of anxiety that couples have about writing their own vows, and as a cure for boring, rambling, long, and/or embarrassing speeches that happen seemingly in every wedding. Likewise, many officiants without experience (and even some that have experience) have trouble writing a compelling, enjoyable ceremony. Vows & Speeches works with the couple and their officiant choice to write a moving, enjoyable ceremony that tells the story of the relationship.
Vows & Speeches aims to lead a new niche in the wedding industry where the aspects of the wedding that involve writing have professional assistance.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
My family bounced around a lot as my dad was in sales. I was born in New York City and lived in Jersey until I was 6, then in Sherman Oaks, CA for a year and a half, moved back to Jersey for a few years, then California from 10–17… then Miami and Fort Lauderdale. I met my now-wife and partner, Nicole, who lived in Los Angeles. We both had children from our previous marriages, and so from 2010 to 2019, I flew from Florida to or from Los Angeles every week. Richard Branson even wrote a blog post about our marriage, which was helped along by Virgin America happening to be the first airline with reliable, fleetwide Wi-Fi in 2010. If it wasn’t for them and his vision, I probably couldn’t have kept our company going and kept the relationship.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Professionally, I started out as an advertising copywriter and wound up starting a political advertising and communications firm in 2007. It went very well, and we won some big races, but I’ve been casually trying to get out of politics for several years. Some of my work has involved speechwriting, and by this point I’d helped some friends and family members with their speeches and officiated a few weddings. I started to casually look at writing wedding speeches and last year, I talked to some wedding pros on the app Clubhouse about it. They suggested adding custom vows and ceremony scripts.
A light went on in my head, and a couple of hours later, I had a logo designed, a website posted and written, and the next day we had our first client. Talking to wedding planners — we realized quickly there was a tremendous interest in our services. We’ve been steadily building since, and it’s been fantastic fun. I was a songwriter and performer throughout my twenties, so it’s nice to go back to writing about love.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Whether we’re writing the ceremony or the wedding speech, you get to know a lot about the couples. One of my favorite stories involves a groom who is particularly quiet, rarely talks to people… but when he learned his fiancé loved Ariana Grande, he learned every song so that when they went to the concert, he could make it that much more fun by being able to sing along with her and a crowd of tweens.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
No good mistake stories here yet, thankfully. It’s a new business, but so far everything has gone pretty smoothly.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I was a natural writer, but it wasn’t until my second job in advertising that I was hired and mentored by an extremely talented writer and creative director, Christian Boswell. Christian took the time to edit my work like a professor might… with the goal of teaching rather than quickly getting to good copy. He would ask questions like, “Why did you use that word or phrase?” But most of all he would cut stuff out and demonstrate how to get more complex ideas out with fewer words or sentences. Everything became purer… more distilled. He made sure you knew how to interview the client in a way that got you the info you really needed. They’re skills that have proven critical in everything I’ve done professionally, but particularly invaluable with Vows & Speeches.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Starting a new career, particularly later in life, can be scary — but so is the prospect of being unhappy in the career you have. There was no plan to be in the wedding industry two years ago. Something clicked in my head, and I just jumped towards it. My wife, Nicole, who is also my partner in the business, went with me to an industry conference in November and as we were walking out, she said “You know, you’ve had some cockamamie ideas in the past. This is not one of them.” She was all in, and we’ve been putting our hearts into it ever since. It’s very exciting. Home runs require big swings. There’s a lot of work to be done, but sometimes you just have to trust your instincts.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
It’s not the talks — it’s the job. Every day, we get to write love stories and help parts of the wedding that have largely been left without professional guidance. So much attention is traditionally paid to the optics of the wedding… we want to make the words beautiful, too.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
We’re expanding and going to be hiring additional writers and staff over the next months. Our hope is that by 2023, many more couples and wedding party speakers know there is help there for them, and they don’t have to be anxious about what they’re going to write or say. We’re trying to create a niche in the industry and be a leader in how that is marketed to couples and the rest of the industry.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Many years ago, I adapted a quote from a Tom Waits song, which was originally “Did you bury the carnival” into a motto: “Don’t bury the carnival.” To me, beyond simply having fun, it’s about not allowing life to get in the way of the things that are colorful and enjoyable. I recently got a tattoo to that effect… and thinking about this new business, it’s even more meaningful. We’ve got to make sure the good parts shine in the scripts!
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Come in prepared. Know what you’re going to say and how it’s going to start and end. There is nothing worse than listening to someone figure out their presentation on the fly and just rambling without a cohesive point.
Be dynamic in the organization of your content. Treat the content like a musical artist might treat a set list. You want there to be the equivalent of fast songs and slow songs… Not being too dense with data for too long without getting to some highlights. Getting the crowd ramped up from the beginning, and then assume you have to get their attention again. In weddings, this means interspersing humor with the romantic or serious parts. (Or vice versa.)
Be dynamic in the organization of your presentation. No one wants to hear a monotone speaker… nor is it effective to be loud all the time or soft the whole time. Throughout the course of your speech, change the cadence and the volume. Have soft parts and loud parts. Have fast ones and slow ones. This keeps the audience’s attention and helps you emphasize points that really matter while creating excitement and build up beforehand.
Remember why the audience is there. Too many speakers — particularly in weddings — forget the mission is to please the audience, not themselves. In weddings, it seems wedding party speakers often think this is their time to practice their stand-up routine, or to get a litany of feelings (good or bad) off their chest, when in fact the real goal should be to make the couple + and the audience smile and be happy. In other types of speaking engagements, it might be to deliver a message or to simply be entertaining while they eat. But to be a truly effective speaker — you have to remember why the audience is listening to you in the first place. Are you an incidental speaker at something else they signed up for? Or did they come specifically to hear you? The answers should change how and what you present.
Practice out loud, time it, and don’t be a minute longer than you need to be. Reading something silently is not practicing. Practicing is reading out loud, getting the words out, and getting some muscle memory going. It’s so common to be able to read something in your head, and then you go to speak it and it feels like you’re tripping over an obstacle course of words. A good presenter will either practice until they can get through those obstacles or rewrite the sentence or paragraph so it’s easier. Importantly, you need to time it. Very experienced speakers know what a certain number of words or pages roughly equals in time, but most people should verify it with a stopwatch. If you’re going over, cut the copy back. And if they’ve given you 5 minutes, and you can say what you need to say in 4, then do it in 4. Don’t speak for the sake of speaking, unless you’re being paid to do a minimum of a certain number of minutes.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
We work with couples and wedding party speakers that are often afraid of speaking in public, and have no experience talking in front of 50, 100, 150 or more of their closest friends and family. Especially about something so personal and close to their heart.
Getting professional help with both the script and presentation dramatically reduces their anxiety. Knowing that someone is helping you craft good content, agreeing on the quality of it, and working with you to present it better makes everything easier. Beyond that the biggest key is practicing. People are often afraid of being embarrassed… messing up. But they won’t be embarrassed if the content is good and they’ve put the work in to get competent at delivering it. That’s a lot of why we are building this business — it’s not just making the wedding better; it’s taking the anxiety and pressure out of these moments.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I’m not a person of huge influence, but I think we need a movement to find commonalities again to get back to the point where we knew we disagreed with people on politics or religion or taxes, but we could still call them friends or close family members and enjoy their company. We need to channel our passions back into the things we appreciate about each other rather than the things that can — and seemingly are — tearing friendships and families apart.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Bruce Springsteen’s been a hero of mine for most of my life and provided an insane amount of joy. I learned guitar and sang specifically imagining joining him on stage someday. That seems a bit unlikely at this point, but lunch, while still unlikely, seems like a lower lift for him.
A close second after that would be Dwayne Wade — who from what I’ve seen and heard exemplifies the kind of work ethic and character anyone could hope for from a public figure. (Go Heat.)
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
The Future Is Now: Christian Lund Of Templafy On How B9Creations’s Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
To be honest, I’m actually glad nobody told me anything before I started! I’ve always thought that I’ll figure things out as I go along — knowing too much at the beginning can make you overly cautious and nervous about all the possible bumps in the road. This can hold you back from moving forward and trying to accomplish those big, audacious goals. At the start of my career, I pictured myself as a bumblebee, flapping my wings as much as I could to fly and doing whatever I could to make things happen in the early days.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingChristian Lund.
Christian Lund is Co-Founder of Templafy — the leading next gen document generation platform pioneering the content enablement space. With more than 15 years of domain knowledge, Christian helped spearhead the transition for large organizations from on-premise systems to Software-as-a-Service solutions for document creation and template management. Prior to founding Templafy, Christian served as the Director at Omnidocs and the Strategy Consultant at Berlingske Media.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I studied political science at university but eventually made my way to sales. As my career progressed, I found myself gravitating toward strategy and consultancy roles. It was on this path that I met my future business partner, Henrik Printzlau.
We began by building Omnidocs, a template management company, where I brought my sales/business knowledge to the table and Henrik shared his tech expertise. However, as we continued to build that business the cloud was becoming more mainstream, and we realized there was potential for more. The cloud totally changed the way people work, and we saw a massive opportunity to take advantage of this shift through the lens of business documents. This eventually manifested in the spin out of Templafy in 2014.
Businesses were spending way too much time on the content process — from template creation to approvals to simple information gathering — and as more invested in cloud technology, we knew that there had to be a better way forward. We founded Templafy with the vision of making the document generation infrastructure easier, and over the past seven years this has transformed into a mission to enable professionals to create better performing documents faster through connected content.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
It’s difficult to point to one specific story and classify it as the most interesting in my career. Instead, I’d like to highlight two ‘aha’ moments I’ve had while building Templafy and how they’ve shaped the growth of the company.
The first revolves around the future of work. This has changed massively over the past two years and we’ve seen the emergence of the “digital HQ” as a result. In the digital HQ, everything is content. Every piece of data, every video clip or audio file, every business document, every creative asset has a digital footprint and therefore is content. And because everything is content, content is everything. In this environment creating high-performing documents requires more effort and time from people than is generally acknowledged — and we’ve realized that shift opens a massive opportunity for Templafy. We connect content throughout an entire organization, directly serving the necessary pieces to individuals within the places they already work (Microsoft Office, Google Workspaces, etc.), allowing them to efficiently create high-performing business documents.
The second ‘aha’ moment was that as a founder, it’s important to take a step back and admit that you don’t know everything. Founders can’t be visionaries and run the entire operational side of an organization at the same time. You can and should rely on the intelligence, input and experience of your team members to help you build your company. At the beginning, Henrik and I were open to admitting that we didn’t know everything, but we fearlessly moved forward with building our company, which allowed us to start the story. The team members who have joined us since allowed the story to continue. Today, we have almost 400 team members across the globe who each bring a unique expertise to help build the company.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Templafy helps professionals create better-performing business documents faster. Our solution activates brands, drives governance and supports document creation at any complexity and scale. We do this by connecting content to users where they work, when it matters most. Templafy’s platform provides intuitive access to approved content inside Word, PowerPoint, Google Workspaces and more to increase company-wide usage of the latest material and collateral. This enables all employees to find the approved assets they need to create top notch documents without having to jump from application to application.
With the shift to remote work, it’s now more crucial than ever to provide employees with the tools they need to work smarter — not harder. Templafy recently conducted a survey of more than 600 professionals working full time in the US to determine the role content plays in brand activation. Our data revealed that there’s a lack of content infrastructure across the board, with 51% of respondents noting their business does not have a common database of company-approved content.
When you have a connected content ecosystem, it allows for the entire workforce — whether remote or not — to better align on brand standards and consistency. What’s more, it builds trust amongst employees that they have the tools necessary to quickly create high quality documents and focus on the work that matters to them most.
How do you think this might change the world?
That’s such a big and important question, and in my experience I truly believe that the future of work will revolve around content. Specifically, I think there are four truths that are shaping the role of content in business moving forward:
Content is everything. It’s your finalized new business pitch; the metadata that lives inside the document; the video that showcases your solution to prospects and the webpage it lives on. Because of this expansion of what content means, it can be increasingly challenging to navigate. Searching through enterprise repositories for the right document was once a difficult but possible task, but with the rise of digital technologies that all output and store enormous amounts of content and data, searching for content has become impossible. Content now needs to find people and workflows, not the other way around.
With improvements to business processes and technology, content creation points are multiplying by the second. Apps like Microsoft Word used to be the center of content creation, a singular platform for a disparate workflow. But today, content creation apps abound, and they need to seamlessly integrate with business workflow applications to support content creation as part of those workflows. Integrations that connect content to business workflows are now essential.
Regulatory requirements for organizations are on the rise. They put businesses under increasing pressure to ensure compliance across all employee-produced content, and these regulations are going to keep evolving and changing in the new digital HQ. To navigate this new landscape, businesses must invest in technology that can automate these steps and remove the onus of compliance from the employee.
Data needs to drive new content. Without data and measurement, content serves no real purpose. For far too long employees have had no insight into how well their content actually performs. Businesses need to use actionable data to inform their content strategy.
We like to call the manifestation of these truths content enablement, and we’re using that concept to drive the future of Templafy and document generation as a whole. Perhaps the most interesting parts of these truths are those that revolve around governance — we’re continuing to see more and more regulatory and security needs become priority for businesses around the globe, like GDPR and the upcoming expansion of the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Templafy solves for this by simplifying and standardizing the process of ensuring all business content is compliant with the latest regulations. Our technology enables businesses and their employees to feel confident that they’re up-to-date, allowing them to shift focus away from manual document governance to creating high-performing content that drives results.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
Since Templafy launched in 2014, technology has certainly changed, but one thing has not: documents are the lifeblood of a business. As businesses create more content, it’s essential that there is a safe, easily accessible place to store everything. The cloud is that place.
In the age of document management, the list of benefits that the cloud offers businesses grows daily. Companies no longer have to feel constrained by the limitations and restrictions of in-house IT departments and all the overhead costs associated with staffing and resources. Taking into account how businesses are also growing quickly, a cloud-based solution allows for a fully scalable system that grows alongside a business.
While you could say that the ‘tipping point’ was the global pandemic, I’d also argue that the need for more automation and cloud-based solutions and platforms predate the last two years. Hybrid and remote workforces are not new concepts, but it’s fair to say that the pandemic has expedited the adoption of these ways of working. And when employees have easy access to the right tools, platforms and resources to create consistently on-brand business documents, everyone wins.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be education. The massive market we’re currently operating in was originally built by Microsoft. They trained the world on how to do business documents. Then Google came along and started to compete with them in terms of collaboration, but everyone more or less has been trained to think about business documents in the same way. Since Templafy is directly in the middle of the document creation process, we have a huge opportunity to solve problems for anyone and everyone who touches a business document.
For most organizations, to create a high-performing document each and every employee must have three things:
Knowledge of company guidelines to include correct branding and mandatory company data.
Time to navigate silos of company content and data.
Expertise in document compilation to create professional business documents efficiently.
However, very rarely do employees have all three of those things. Instead they take the easy route and grab the most accessible (instead of the most accurate) pieces of content available to build their documents. In fact, our recent data shows 87% of employees have used Google to search for a company image or logo to use in a piece of content or presentation. We like to say this kind of workflow is powered by “disconnected content,” and when work is dictated by that concept, organizations are unknowingly submitting to content anarchy, a world in which the unattractive combination of non-compliant business documents and plummeting employee efficiency reigns supreme.
This anarchy is only getting worse for two major reasons: the amount of content that is produced — sometimes hourly — is growing exponentially, and the number of systems and applications housing that content is also growing. So while most people probably feel like they have a good grasp on how to create content, most times it’s not nearly as efficient as it could be, meaning there is still a greater need to educate on the perils of disconnected content and content anarchy. One of the risks businesses face when they lack a solid content infrastructure is losing client trust: 93% of our panelists agreed that even small errors in final content can damage client trust. And with only 4% of content making it out into the world mistake-free, that puts your brand integrity in constant peril.
As a leading platform, it’s our responsibility to show businesses and employees what a new world driven by connected content can and should be. We have the proof that once the problem is identified and realized by businesses, adoption can happen seamlessly and quickly. It’s now just a matter of showing it to the world.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It’s difficult to pinpoint just one person, but I’ve learned a lot — and continue to learn — from the Templafy team. Specifically my co-founder Henrik Printzlau; I’m positive neither of us would be where we are without each other. Working with Henrik has been an incredible learning experience, and I’m forever thankful for and impressed by our ability to specialize in different things but come together to build the company.
I’m also constantly learning from Jesper Theill Eriksen, our CEO. He has taught me so much about how to successfully run a team and business, and I often find myself looking to him as an example of what good leadership looks like.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Throughout my career, I’ve always tried to focus on the ways I can have a direct, positive impact on the people around me. As such, I’ve always prioritized the growth of Templafy employees. My goal is that people will be able to look at their time at Templafy and say it’s where they learned the foundation for their career — how to work with people, push boundaries, build something meaningful, and create genuine connections.
Outside of Templafy, I work with local businesses within my Danish community to help advise and guide new entrepreneurs. This allows me to help other leaders avoid mistakes I made myself at the outset and mimic the growth and success Templafy has seen.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
To be honest, I’m actually glad nobody told me anything before I started! I’ve always thought that I’ll figure things out as I go along — knowing too much at the beginning can make you overly cautious and nervous about all the possible bumps in the road. This can hold you back from moving forward and trying to accomplish those big, audacious goals. At the start of my career, I pictured myself as a bumblebee, flapping my wings as much as I could to fly and doing whatever I could to make things happen in the early days.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
When it comes to a larger movement, I always go back to what we are doing here at Templafy — document generation guided by content enablement. Connected and streamlined content allows people to free up time to do more impactful work and focus on the projects that really matter to them.
We want to build this movement to such a scale that we are enabling millions more people to spend less time on admin work and focus on more impactful work. Not only will this lead to happier workforces, but it also frees people up to focus on the things they’re passionate about — such as those big picture things like climate change, healthcare innovations, etc.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
A mantra I’m always returning to is: “Avoid reinventing the wheel if it’s not necessary.” If there’s already a product or service out there that adequately solves a problem, chances are folks are not going to abandon what’s already working for something with your company’s name on it. It’s not worth producing something worse than what’s already been accepted as good.
You should always be looking to solve the next problem and fill gaps in the market. Push your innovation to the next level instead of just sticking to the status quo — this will help you exceed expectations and get a leg up on the competition.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
In the future of work, businesses will rely on enabled content to get things done.
We’ve already intelligently connected entertainment content for consumers (i.e. Spotify, Netflix), so why not do the same for business applications? Content is exploding in organizations across the globe, and with this evolution, two truths will drive all future activity:
Content must find people and workflows. Not the other way around.
Content must report back on its whereabouts. The era of static content is over.
Templafy is spearheading this movement in business documents. We intelligently connect content to people and workflows by removing risk and allowing companies to do what they do best: drive business results.
Meet The Disruptors: Amberly Allen Of Dealer Merchant Services On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
“Know your strengths and your weaknesses. I will tell you that I know what I’m good at. I know what my VP is good at. She knows what I’m not good at. And we are together to make sure our staff is “in the right seat on the bus.”
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amberly Allen.
Amberly Allen started working in the automotive industry when she was 23. She has been recognized with many awards including but not limited to the INC 5000 2x, Top 40 or 40, Stevie Award winner for best entrepreneur, and Ernst and Young Winning Woman finalist. Over the past 18 years, she has worked with some of the best dealers in the country. Her two auto-centric businesses, DI Marketing, Inc and Dealer Merchant Services, have been nationally recognized for their fast growth. Her tenure, hard work, and innovation have allowed her to become among the most respected women in automotive.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I started selling direct mail to dealers when I was 23 and decided at 24 I could do it better and with more integrity — so I went out on my own and started a boutique marketing firm — DI Marketing. This was when I really fell in love with automotive and have sold nearly $40 million in marketing products since. I’ve worked with some of the best dealers in the industry and frankly some of the toughest — they only made me better. The entrepreneurs in the automotive industry are some of the strongest in any business: they know their numbers, they can outwork anyone, and are always focused on maximizing profitability. Several years ago, I learned about some significant legal and compliance changes affecting businesses across the country, specific to their credit card processing expenses, and I knew my dealers could benefit in a HUGE way but only if it was executed properly. I spent several years researching the law and handpicked a team with experience specifically in automotive with over 75 years combined years in the business.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
First, the way that people pay for everything is changing! Second, businesses and their margins are diminishing quickly. There is a better way! Instead of a business raising its price for everyone, we can empower people with a choice in how they pay and an option to save. This is disruption at its finest. With our program, if somebody uses cash, check, or debit card, they shouldn’t have to pay as much as credit card paying customers because the cost of the good itself is different from the merchant.
Numbers tell all — we have grown 2000% in the past 12 months. My clients can save anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 a month, which goes straight to their net profit. Some of our dealers have increased their minimum wage, improved their facilities, and hired more staff; an enormous way to help their local community. Plus, it gives their cash-paying customers the option to save as opposed to subsidizing those credit-paying customers. The disruption is the ability to empower customers with the choice and the transparency of their payment options.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started my direct mail company, I had the wrong phone number on one of my first direct mail campaigns. The phone number went to a plumbing company in an entirely different state — selling toilets — instead of to my car dealership. I was mortified, I immediately addressed it with both businesses and made it right. Biggest lesson: double and triple-check your work. And of course — always take care of your customer.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
I always seek counsel from entrepreneurs I respect, and I have always had a business coach. I am also lucky enough to be a third-generation entrepreneur and both my parents and grandparents have encouraged me to pursue my dream of starting my own business. When I told my dad I was going to go out on my own, I was only 24 — he understood that being an entrepreneur is not for the faint at heart. He asked me very seriously, “are you sure you want to do this?” And I was sure. Although he didn’t back me financially — I already had a plan for that — he did furnish my first office, it was really nothing to brag about. It was old, dusty, dirty furniture, but it at least got me through the first twelve months.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption = change. In general, people don’t like change. In my opinion, positive disruption happens with transparency and the empowerment of choice. If the change only benefits one group or person, then it oftentimes is designed to help one party. I think it is important to clarify what your intentions are, with our program, this change benefits both the consumer and the business — as I like to say, “the tides rises all boats”. It’s also important to note that change is inevitable, as a business if you don’t face these changes head-on then you could be left behind. My direct mail company is a perfect example, direct mail has changed drastically, we had to adjust and include digital as a huge part of our portfolio as it has made a huge difference.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
The #1. piece of advice I’ve ever been given in my life my mom taught me. Make sure I was financially stable and independent, especially if I was going to have kids. #2: There are going to be lots of failures. I had one CEO tell me about a “life extinguishing event” meaning when your business is threatened to be able to continue. Other than that, everything can be solved, but there are a lot of failures along the way. #3: Know your strengths and your weaknesses. I will tell you that I know what I’m good at. I know what my VP is good at. She knows what I’m not good at. And we are together to make sure our staff is “in the right seat on the bus.” #4 Know your numbers. Decide what impact areas are critical and measure them. This allows you to use those numbers to chart the path and change direction if needed. #5: Manage your time. Everyone says this — but this is the most valuable resource on the planet. My favorite author, the late Chet Holmes, author of the Ultimate Sales Machine writes about it in the first chapter of his book. We all have the same 24 hours, how are you going to maximize it? My team revisits this chapter EVERY SINGLE WEEK in our Monday morning meeting because it is a tool that can always be sharpened.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
World domination! I have some philanthropic things I want to do next. My next project hopefully will be even bigger. I love automotive space, so I’d like to potentially stay there. Long term, I know it’s my life’s work to help women entrepreneurs.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
I am constantly in my audibles app, so as an avid audiobook listener, I can listen while I am driving or cleaning, or getting dressed. I mentioned before, The Ultimate Sales Machine by the late Chet Holmes is by far my favorite business book. I have read it several times and require my staff to read it also. Some of my other favorites: Super Attractor by Gabriel Bernstein, When life gives you Pears by Jeannie Gaffigan, Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor and so many more!! ProTip: make sure the author is the narrator, you can feel that passion of their story when they read it to you! I also follow the teachings of Abraham Hicks, which is all about creating the life that you want and where to put the energy focus.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Helen Keller, “life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
I’ve had this quote in my life since I was a teenager. I believe that to be true. Being an entrepreneur is a high-risk, high reward type of an environment. And, you know, I love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I believe that micro entrepreneurialism is the way of the future, and the way people can improve their quality of life. People want freedom in their schedule, time being the most important resource, and if they can figure out what they are good at — they can capitalize on it. Fiverr is a perfect example of this. In this world of contract labor — whether it’s graphic design or artwork or music — they can sell themselves to their sphere of influence. I saw a woman that is making a great living doing face painting for kids’ birthday parties. The first step, figuring out what you are good at then having the confidence to sell it and the sky is the limit.
Meet The Disruptors: Colton Duncan of Forty5 Strategies On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
“Never let the enemy of good be great.” — This one has really stuck with me. When I am in the mood to really set off fireworks, I tend to take on a little too much and try and make a spectacle, resulting in a sloppy outcome.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Colton Duncan.
Colton Duncan is one of the most effective political consultants under the age of 30. Despite his young age, he has quickly established himself as one of the most trusted strategists in the “America First” movement. He has worked for a number of successful companies and now runs his own firm.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I’ve always been interested in Politics and have worked in most fields in the industry in some way or another. Throughout college and in the earlier years of my career I learned the ins and outs of the trade, followed the very best and found myself with the most dreaded title in politics: Consulting.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
The game completely changed in June of 2015 when President Trump disrupted the House of Cards that decades of incompetence and corruption had built. The Republican Strategists, Consultants and Industry Insiders of yester-year refuse to accept this reality and still try to maintain “Business as Usual.” Most of them advise their clients to play nice and stay out of the Culture War, when it is the very thing you must tap into to win.
Voters don’t care that you balanced the budget, they need you to validate their emotions. Good and bad. They need you to be saying what they are thinking. National Populism is a very underutilized tactic in politics. Wielded by the right people, it can restore a Country to greatness.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the campaign ads I wrote and directed had the candidate shooting pigs out of a helicopter with an AR-15. Turns out his wife owns a Vegan Restaurant. Really made getting that ad approved difficult but a hilarious irony to look back on.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Mentors are always there, if you know where to look. I’ll always be thankful to the party leaders that took a chance on me in college, the employers I had at the start of my career and the industry professionals I have met along the way. That kind of help, especially early on, isn’t forgotten and those relationships have all been maintained.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption for the sake of disruption is bad, right? But only Psychopaths disrupt for fun. Everyone is going to believe their disruption is good. Whether it’s for an industry or a country, the rest of us just have to hope they are right.
We sat back and watched entire cities burn for an entire summer. The perpetrators certainly believed this “disruption” was justified in their pursuit of “Social Justice.” But in reality, lives were ruined. These folks did get one thing right; in today’s age, all that matters is the attention.
Conversely, that attention can and should be used for good. Court attention at all cost: an art that Donald Trump has mastered. Politicians, Causes and Movements should be as “disruptive” as possible to garner Media/Public attention. If the news is fake (which let’s be honest, it is) then you can spin whatever story your heart desires. Nothing is stopping you, in truth.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
1) “Never let the enemy of good be great.”
This one has really stuck with me. When I am in the mood to really set off fireworks, I tend to take on a little too much and try and make a spectacle, resulting in a sloppy outcome.
2) “Tactics without Strategy is the noise before defeat.” -Sun Tzu
I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu my sophomore year of college and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. This quote is so important because it’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the big picture. If you don’t have a strategy, all your tactics will be for naught.
3) “It is easier to ask forgiveness than it is permission.”
You can do anything you want if you simply have the political willpower to do it. It’s as simple as that.
4) “Everything woke turns to crap” -President Donald Trump
Stay away from wokeism at all costs. It poisons everything it touches.
5) “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” -Steve Jobs
This is a great quote from Steve Jobs. It’s important to find something you’re passionate about and stick with it. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Independent Journalists are really, really underutilized. The Industry should move away from relying so heavily on the Mainstream Media and Strategists should buddy up to some Meme pages, Podcasters and other independent news outlets. It’s a sleeping giant, ready for someone to come along and wake it up and organize it.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
The 48 Laws of Power. It’s an amazing book that delves into the psychology of power. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get ahead in their career or life in general.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
This quote is so relevant to me because I truly believe that if you don’t love what you do, you will never be successful. You have to be passionate about your work in order to be successful. And if you haven’t found your passion yet, keep looking!
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to see a National Populist Movement take over this Country. We need to stop being so afraid of offending people and start putting America First again. We need to take back our Culture and restore some semblance of normalcy. We need to remember that we are one Nation, under God, and indivisible.
Honesty instead of perfection. Brands need to welcome imperfection and earn the trust of people. Nobody expects you to be perfect but they do want you to be real.
Alberto Jaen is a Creative Director from Madrid who has lived in the US for over 10 years and has won 20+ international advertising awards. He worked as an Executive Creative Director for Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Pepsi, Toyota, IKEA, or Orange Telecom among others at three of the biggest advertising agencies: BBDO, Leo Burnett and JWT NY. Before building his own purpose-led company, the Creative Impact Boutique plus305, he was also a Jury Member at the New York Festival. Now, he is the CEO & Creative Director at plus305.
In the last 20 years, he has worked for big brands around the world inspiring them to tell their story in an impactful way. He holds a B.A. in Advertising & PR. He is passionate about storytelling and humanizing brands through purpose- and value-based communication and serves on the Board of Voices for Children Foundation.
He is also a Co-Founder of the Zero Waste HULA App which won the Circular Economy Challenge of the UN in New York in 2020 and has been donated to those most in need, especially during Covid.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Probably seeing my father working in advertising. Going with him to the shootings of commercials opened the doors of storytelling to me. My mom is very creative, too, she cooks and paints very well, so I guess I grew up in an environment where coming up with ideas was part of our ‘every day’.
I worked at Leo Burnett, BBDO, and JWT New York. But in 2014, I quit my job in NYC and I founded the Social Impact Boutique plus305. I wanted to step out of big ad agencies. I wanted to create another approach to communication that inspires me and makes me feel good about what I do.
And then in 2016, I met my partner in life and business, Nadja Scherrer, working on the communication of a big tech company in Silicon Valley. We both had the same interests and vision of how we wanted to help make companies more conscious and hopefully make the world a little bit better. So, she joined plus305 as a partner and we started focusing on the Social Impact and Social Responsibility field.
It has been a challenging but beautiful journey, using our resources, experience, and talents to create a different narrative for organizations and help them walk the talk. Building a brand based on values and purpose, using creativity and culture transformation as the main tools.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the first clients I worked for was a beer brand. I had no experience at all. I was a trainee. I remember that I presented what I thought was a very cool idea. When I presented it to my superiors at the time, they looked at me asking if I noticed anything strange or wrong. I looked at it, and I said “actually, I feel it’s a very powerful ad, the headline is clever, the layout, the mix of colors”. They kept asking and testing me. Finally, I realized that the green colors we used are the ones of the main competitor of our client.
Since then, every time we get a new client, I make sure we are doing like a PhD in that industry. We study, observe, and analyze the category and all the competitors’ communication. That ad was never presented to the client but taught me a big lesson.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
When we started to focus on corporate social responsibility and social impact back in 2016, many people didn’t even know what we were talking about in the meetings. It definitely was not a priority for businesses. plus305 exists to elevate the purpose of brands with meaningful creativity and innovation. We develop creative solutions to business challenges, connecting them to culture, grounded in purpose. We believe in a holistic approach to sustainability that trickles down into all areas of the business and is integrated into the overall mission of the business.
We strategize, implement, and connect impact to brand purpose, value-based communication, and Employer Branding to generate real impact and ROI. We curate the culture change necessary to become a truly sustainable, equitable, and inclusive company. And finally, we will help you write your sustainability story before someone else will through a customized PR strategy and messaging curation.
We work on projects that last from 1 month to a year or more, always keeping the long-term vision in mind. We’ve been working with innovative start-ups, multibillion corporations, and Foundations. And we can say that any organization needs to connect to its audience in a real and genuine way. That is why we stand out, it’s a very different approach to marketing and business in general.
A story… well, now I remember a beautiful one. It was a big client, like a huge one. The opportunity was big at the time. We proposed to detach from everything they did before and to film a documentary. To build the brand values, focused on real people. They’ve never done that before and it was almost scary for them. We insisted, we wanted to communicate the message but also to create a real social impact. The conversations continued for a couple of months. Finally, they gave us the green light. We filmed in Florida: it was a beautiful story about a fireman, Andy, and his daughter. We worked hard for weeks. We couldn’t present in person. When they were presenting the short documentary, one of the top guys sent a text telling us that the person in charge, who had worked there for 15 years, had been in tears when he had watched it. My first reaction was “oh my God, he hated it and we screwed it up big time… after insisting so much…”. Then he sent another text, “it’s the most beautiful piece he has ever seen in his entire career here”.
Sometimes you need to take risks. That it has not been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are currently about to launch the new campaign for Miami-Dade County to prevent and protect people from the increasing heat of Miami in the summer. It’s still a secret, so I cannot show it to you…
But it will be a very powerful campaign. We’re creating several pieces; the team worked hard to come up with a very creative concept that I think will stand out and make people conscious about the issue at hand.
This campaign aims to help people in Miami, especially the more vulnerable ones, to be conscious and take measures when the sun is up and the heat increases. It was a challenge because these kinds of campaigns are usually boring and full of paternalistic content telling people what to do. In this case, we did a twist, and the result is really interesting. It has become one of the best experiences of the year so far.
To be able to send this message in an original way, make it memorable and impactful, can save lives. That’s huge. If you think about that, it’s a big opportunity and a big responsibility at the same time.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
Of course, if you don’t have a good product or service, people won’t buy you twice or not even once. But we’re living in a world where you can access one million products that do the same in just one click. Why will someone interact with yours? Because of the values that represent your brand. Latest studies show that more than 80% of people will change the product if the brand is aligned with their values. Which means that there’s no loyalty anymore. Why should I interact with your brand? We need to elevate the conversation, to build on purpose- and value-led communication.
If you solve a customer’s problem with technology and tactics alone, you’ll own that solution until someone improves the technology. If you solve the problem with brand values, it is untouchable. New generations aren’t paying for products or services anymore. They are paying for trust and transparency, two things that are very hard to fake or manufacture. The temptation to base your marketing on the tired cliché of knowing your customer better than they know themselves is a dangerous game to play these days. We need to stop using demographics and use psychographics instead because it does not matter any longer where you come from, what your sex or race is… the only thing that matters is what you believe in. People love brands that love them back. It’s simple.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
The problem starts when a client says “well, we’ve always done it this way”. That sentence is dangerous. We always need to change to stay the same. Back in the days, marketing and advertising were the same. You could spend a lot of money in advertising, be everywhere, and you’ll sell accordingly. But the game has changed: now we’re exposed to between 6,000 to 10,000 ads per day. Consumers filter the messages; they have more power than ever before. So, what’s the key? Earning their attention. Don’t steal it. Empathy counts. Building relationships, not clicks. Treating the target with respect. It’s ok to market to a target but you build a relationship with a person. Your customers don’t care about your customer’s journey or your research, now we interact with consumers when, where and how they want.
We need brands that build culture, that give us a meaning and sense of belonging. People are worried about themselves; so as a brand, we cannot focus on messages that talk about ourselves all day long. People don’t buy Apple because Apple “believes people with passion can change the world”. People buy Apple because they want to see themselves as one of these people. People care about the way you make them feel. The emotional connection is with the brand, not the product. If tomorrow Apple creates a bank or a car, do you think that people would trust their new products? The answer is yes. So, while consistency is obviously one of the key elements of a brand, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to change.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
I think that doing what you say you do, is a good way to start building a brand. The problem is that nowadays this is not enough. Brands should focus on:
Honesty instead of perfection. Brands need to welcome imperfection and earn the trust of people. Nobody expects you to be perfect but they do want you to be real.
Generating a continuous communication. Inform and connect, be consistent and avoid misunderstanding. The priority should be to foster dialogue.
Adopting a win-win-win mentality. Cooperating with stakeholders, sharing the same needs and vision, the same values. It’s important to be flexible and to be able to learn and adapt along the way.
Using empathy and transparency in our decisions. Brands depend on people; you can’t make people happy all the time but you can demonstrate that you really care. Being direct in your communication, honest and authentic, genuine. It’s important to do the things right, but it’s more important and difficult to do the right thing.
Using AI and data optimization to personalize messages, be more precise and accurate with each target you communicate to.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
If you just allow me to mention one, I would say Patagonia. Their philosophy, honesty, and attitude are an example for so many. It’s not easy to be Patagonia. What they do and how they have been keeping it up for so long makes their brand play in another league. Many others have stepped in their footsteps, they were the pioneers. The way they see their business changes the business.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
It’s bigger than sales, it’s about the value of the company. Studies show that 80 percent of consumers want to purchase a brand that reflects their values, and points to a corporate shift of emphasis from the appreciation and value of tangible assets to intangible assets. Intangible assets can be divided into two categories: reputation, intellectual property, and goodwill. Tangible assets would be land, inventory, property, and cash. According to the July 2020 Intangible Asset Market Value Study, in 1975 only 17 percent of all assets in the S&P 500 were considered intangible. As of 2020, 90 percent of all assets within the oft-cited stock market index are intangible. In other words, relationships matter more than ever. You need to build trustworthy brands that transcend your service. Emergency wins every time in the marketing department, fear is in all briefings. But Marketing and Communication need to evolve, create a long-term vision. The purpose of a business is to find a way of being that’s so meaningful that the fact that building a business is really hard is no longer relevant. If marketing doesn’t translate that, it’s worthless.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
Forty years ago, 75% of adults in a country could be reached with three 60 second TV spots. Social media changed everything. The challenge is to keep the same message and a consistent communication in all the formats. The tone of voice of brands is the silent ambassador, it defines the personality. The voice should be unique, based on values and storytelling. Brands need to tell stories worth hearing. Social media and the internet allow us to connect with all ages, backgrounds, thoughts from around the world and latest studies show that interests, values, and beliefs cross demographic lines. That’s why we need to focus on a mindset instead of targeting demographics.
Social media is important for consistent communication. Believe it or not, but it gives credibility, makes you trustworthy. If you sign up on a website or app, on many occasions, they give you the option of verifying your identity through Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. So yes, it’s a tool that we need to use well to amplify our message and make it coherent. Furthermore, social media allows us to connect with our tribes in an efficient way and it allows us something even better: it helps our tribes to connect to themselves through us.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Actually, we already created such a movement! Its name is Not Self-Made. We patented the idea in the USA for clothing and we’re about to launch a series of events, conversations, and T-shirts.
In a world where being “self-made” is synonymous with success, in a world where there are lists of “self-made” millionaires, we asked ourselves: is this really a reflection of real life? Has anybody come to this world knowing everything or getting anywhere without any help? Is that the message we want to send to new generations who maybe have no contacts or favorable situations? Being “self-made” is a myth. Nobody is self-made, and even less someone who becomes successful in whatever they do.
That’s why we created “Not Self-Made”. It’s a movement that brings a bit of humbleness and consciousness. We’ll create events to show how anyone needs someone at some point. Events where successful people will inspire us by telling their story and sharing who helped them to get to the top. Because when you share your story and thank the key people in your life, you allow other people to ask for help, but you also inspire other successful people to help.
A movement that fosters collaboration, that will talk about mentorship for young people and create more and more opportunities for everyone. We need less pressure from all these opinion leaders who promote the idea of “self-made”. And we need more people remembering who was supporting them when they were at the bottom.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s very difficult. I’m a life lessons collector ☺ I write, write, write, every time I see or hear something that is relevant or interesting. Well, that’s already one of the good lessons by the way: “If you want to remember something, write it down, don’t trust your memory!”.
But there are two others that come to my mind right now that are relevant and help me in many moments.
One is: “You’re never going to be ready”. This is a life lesson if you want to grow. You need to jump even when you don’t know how you’re going to survive. This is the way my siblings and I learned to swim. When we were 1 year old, the swimming coach threw us into the pool, and the body reacts, sends you up, you face up and stay horizontally on the surface. That is how you lose your fear of water and progress starts.
Another one is “To learn to manage frustration”. In business, this is key.
And now I remember one more that my mom always reminds us of: “take it day by day”. We tend to forget that life is a long run, and we try to rush everything. We need to enjoy the present. Sorry, I gave you four.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I love that question. It’s difficult… I would say two names, so maybe I get lucky with one of them.
Satya Nadella. What he did at Microsoft, his philosophy and culture based on values are an example for many big organizations. I love his vision, his respect for others and his business decisions so far.
And Phil Jackson. I’m an NBA fan and I have followed him since he was the Bulls’ coach. His way of approaching the game and competitiveness, his way of seeing life, and his wisdom, have had an influence on my way of leading my teams. I read his book and have watched his interviews for many years. What he has done is interesting to me as a leader.
I’ll send you a photo if one of them contacts me to have breakfast…
Be confident in your ability to lead — To be a successful public speaker, confidence is essential. When you’re confident of your ability to inspire a crowd, it shows and it is contagious. This is when your presentation will be the most effective. Remember, everyone gets stage fright. You’re going to be nervous, but don’t let that keep you from doing a good job and presenting yourself as a confident public speaker. Many public speakers experience stage fright, but they don’t let it ruin their presentation. They do their best and the audience still experiences a great presentation. To be confident in your ability to inspire, remember that people want to listen to you. They want to hear your message, so inspire them! Be confident in your ability to inspire!
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing James Jason.
James Jason is the Founder and CEO of Notta AI. He built a company around a software that converts audio to text in a matter of seconds. In his day job, James is a SAAS provider enabling businesses to do more with less. He is a full-time entrepreneur that has a passion for language and technology.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in South Dakota in the United States. When I was around 7 years old, my family and I moved to Minnesota. Growing up, I always wanted to help people through my writing and I was always interested in business and marketing. Like any other kid, I started growing up in my teenage years. I was shy and timid and didn’t have many friends. I felt like I was in my shell the whole time. I spent most of my time alone, reading books and watching TV. I had a small group of friends at school, but other than that, I felt alone.
I had a few jobs throughout high school that helped me realize all of the things I wanted to do when I graduated, so I applied to the University of Melbourne and got a degree in Software Development. When I got to college, I started to get more involved with different activities, such as volunteering, playing on a sports team, joining groups on campus and so on. I started making more friends and getting more involved with my community. It was in college that I started feeling like I actually belonged somewhere and that I truly had a home with my friends and my community.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
In my early teens, I was often in front of a crowd. I was a young actor, and a class clown, and often found myself in embarrassing situations due to my lack of social judgement. However, I was also a great speaker and was constantly being asked to do stand-up bits at school and for local community events. Eventually, I gave up on acting and found a job doing voice over work for advertisements. I was an overnight success and was soon flown around the world by large corporations to talk about the benefits of their products. Now I am a public speaking coach and mentor to many people.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
This is the story of the first time I prepared a speech to an audience of a few hundred attendees of a conference. On that day, due to some personal issues, I was so nervous when I got up on stage and did not remember much of my speech despite having prepared all week for it. I suspected in my mind that this would be my worst speeches ever. To my surprise, though, the audience was so engaged and the room was full of positive energy. They seemed to enjoy everything I said when I really thought my speech was boring and unconnected. It was It was such a great experience! I learned how to be more confident and how to handle a stressful situation. The audience gave me a lot of positive feedback, and I found this experience to be very lucrative to my career. I always refer back to it whenever I feel low or demotivated.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One time I was when I was supposed to give a public speech, I recalled too late that I had left my notes at home! As soon as it was my time to speak, I mumbled a few words then asked the audience if they wanted to hear about my favorite song or about the thing I was supposed to talk about. They were all like “yea, go on!”. I told them I was going to sing it and started to sing the song but I kept on forgetting the lyrics so I just kept on singing the chorus. Double tragedy! I felt super embarrassed but they all thought it was hilarious. I guess they had a good time watching a person sing a song he wasn’t familiar with and forget the lyrics.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I always thank my father for helping me become a public speaker. Without his help, I would never have found out how much I enjoyed talking to large groups of people and sharing my ideas with them. He helped me through my period of shyness and gave me the motivation to tell my story to others.
My father helped me develop a personality that was stronger, more confident, and more outgoing. He made me feel comfortable in the spotlight. He let me do the speaking for him at family functions, so I could get used to being in front of a crowd of people. He also gave me examples of how to get people interested in what you’re saying, so I could find my own style. My father is also a role model, like many fathers are, that I can look up to.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
People who want to become public speakers but fear failure often lack confidence. They fill their minds with fear of speaking in front of people so that they don’t take the chance and make themselves feel inadequate. My advice for people who want to become public speakers but fear failure is to speak as often as possible, at every opportunity. The only way to get over your fear of public speaking is to practice, practice, practice!
If you want to become a public speaker you need to make sure that you’ve got the right skills for this type of work. Public speaking is all about communication and you can learn many techniques to communicate efficiently and effectively. It’s important to practice your speech even before the event and make sure to give a varied speech. You need to have different stories and examples to keep people on their toes and to hold their interest. You have to have passion when it comes to public speaking and if you don’t then it’s better if you find something else.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
What drives me to wake up every morning and give speeches is to help others. So many people in the world are lost and it’s up to us to take action as much as we can to help them. One of the best ways to provide aid is through encouraging words and sharing our experiences. I’ve found that even the most cynical person can be brought out of their shell if you share your enthusiasm and show them it’s possible! You never know when you might inspire someone to take action!
I have a simple message, but it is one that has changed my life: talk to someone. That includes the stranger you pass on the street and the coworkers in the office. Your words might be the ones they need to hear to make a change in their lives. They might help them through a hard time or guide them on the right path. You never know how much your words might mean to someone else. So go out and help someone, talk to them and make their lives better as my words have done for me.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Since I was young, I’ve always been interested in technology. As I grew older, I was fascinated by the idea of converting speech to text. It’s something that I’ve worked on for many years and have finally decided to share my project with the world! The app is called Notta and I believe it is one of the first apps that does what it does. After I had the idea and began creating a prototype, I was able to build it into an app that quickly and easily converts speech to text. I fell in love with this project. This app is truly revolutionary and I know that it is going to do well.
In the future, I want to create an application that will help public speakers to prepare great speeches. The point of this application is to enable speech writers to make sure their speeches are not only accurate and grammatically sound but also that they are interesting for their audience and easy to read. Their speech will be parsed by intelligent AI and will get a score. This score will indicate to the speech writer if the speech is in need of revision or if it is excellent and ready to be used in a real-life speech.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” That’s one of my favorite quotes and is important to me because it reminds me to always plan ahead. For example, if you have a speech coming up, plan out what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, and what props or aids you’ll have on hand to help the audience understand the topic and take action!
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Tip #1 Be confident in your ability to lead
To be a successful public speaker, confidence is essential. When you’re confident of your ability to inspire a crowd, it shows and it is contagious. This is when your presentation will be the most effective. Remember, everyone gets stage fright. You’re going to be nervous, but don’t let that keep you from doing a good job and presenting yourself as a confident public speaker. Many public speakers experience stage fright, but they don’t let it ruin their presentation. They do their best and the audience still experiences a great presentation. To be confident in your ability to inspire, remember that people want to listen to you. They want to hear your message, so inspire them! Be confident in your ability to inspire!
I show confidence as a public speaker by speaking loudly and moving my hands and body. I used to be afraid of public speaking, but now I can talk to a crowd of people as if they were all friends. I have even built public speaking skill enough to give a speech. I used to be afraid of public speaking, but now I can talk to a crowd of people as if they were all friends. I have even built public speaking skill enough to give a speech.
Tip #2 Always write down your thoughts
If you want to be a successful public speaker, make sure that you write down your thoughts and memorize them. This will allow you to go over your speech while you’re practicing it. It also helps you to avoid going blank or getting nervous while you’re in front of the audience.
The next step is to practice with a trusted friend or a small group. Once you’re comfortable with it, you can practice in front of a mirror. This is a great way to find out anything that you may have missed so you can go over it and polish it. You can also practice on your own time and when you feel comfortable with your speech, you can deliver it in front of an audience.
I write down my thoughts as a public speaker by two means, either by creating diagrams or dictating my thoughts into a recorder. My preferred method is creating diagrams, as they allow me to build a structure of my thoughts and process it in an orderly fashion. This method also allows me to spend more time focusing on my thoughts and process it more fluidly rather than trying to write it all down as I go.
Tip #3 Involve other people in your speech creation
When it comes to public speaking, the best way to improve is to practice. As you practice a speech, make sure to involve others in your speech’s creation. If you find yourself struggling with a part of your speech, ask someone else for feedback. They may be able to give you the motivation you need to get it done! One of the best ways to do this is to involve a friend or family member in the process. The more people you get to read through your speech, the better. Their input will make all the difference as to how well your speech will be delivered and received.
As a public speaker, I enjoy it when I get to incorporate the audience into my speeches. It helps build a more interactive environment. I know that I’m more engaging when I incorporate my audience’s thoughts and feelings. When I’m working on a speech, I’ll often have an idea or topic in mind and then share that idea with my audience. I’ll ask them what they think or what they would add to the topic. Sometimes they’ll give me an idea that inspires a whole new speech!
Tip #4 Perceive the crowd as your best friend or closest person
Public speaking can be a nerve-racking experience. Even experienced speakers can feel jittery from time to time, before or during a presentation. The best way to deal with this feeling is by speaking to a friend or family member as if you were having a conversation with them. Imagine that you are talking to someone you’re comfortable with and keep in mind that you are speaking to a large group of people, not just the person you are speaking to. By using this technique, you will be able to relax and speak more confidently. When you talk with family and friends, you don’t hold back any of your feelings or emotions. You talk to them as if they’re right there in front of you, looking into their eyes. It’s this kind of tone that you should take to being a public speaker. It’s essential to maintain eye contact with the audience while you’re talking and make sure you’re putting the same effort into speech as you would if someone was right there in front of you.
I treat the audience as if they were my best friends. It’s a lot easier to speak to your friends because then you’ll feel a lot more comfortable and have an easy time being yourself and thinking of things to say. If you’re giving a speech and don’t feel happy or excited to talk to the audience, then it’s because of a lack of connection with the audience member.
Tip #5 Practice daily
To become a good public speaker, it takes lots of practice. I started by taking public speaking classes, but I soon realized that I still wasn’t ready. I started improving my skills by joining a debate club. I then took a class at the local library on public speaking. I noticed that I was a much better speaker being in front of a class than just speaking to a stranger. It was because of the class that improved my speaking ability and I can now speak to anyone. I have perfected my skills so well that I am able to make a speech at any public place. When public speaking, it is a good idea to memorize the speech and practice it over and over. Practice as much as you can. I practice every single day before every event I speak at.
Practicing in front of a mirror is always a great way of preparing for my speeches. First, I need to know what I’m going to say and practice the proper way to say each sentence; Then, I practice with your pacing. While some people may have a better way that works for them, the most important part is to speak at a comfortable pace and not have a script that is too long, so you don’t lose the attention of your audience.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
I once had stage fright and it’s not easy, but it’s something that can be overcome with time and practice. Whenever I was called on to speak in class, I’d go out of my way to make excuses to get out of it. I’d try to find any reason to avoid speaking to the class, because I was afraid that I’d fumble over my words and look like an idiot in front of everyone. It was especially hard if I wasn’t prepared for the presentation. In fact, I would much rather stare at a presentation someone else had made than make one of my own. I know that might sound strange, but the expectations I put on myself were just too much to handle. I felt like I had to put on a performance and I was always worried that I wouldn’t be able to deliver. In short, if anyone really wants to overcome this fear, practice and time are the surest hacks.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could inspire a movement, it would be inspiring people to be kinder to one another in an already tough world. It’s amazing how many people are quick to judge others, rather than build each other up. Kindness is truly infectious, so it’s never too late to change the world! You can start small, by being extra kind towards those you come in contact with on a day-to-day basis. If you see someone struggling with a heavy object, offer to help! The person will be so thankful and you will feel good about helping them out. For example, If you have time, you can even volunteer your time at a local shelter. Volunteering is always a rewarding experience, and I’m sure you will leave inspired to continue to spread kindness!
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I admire Esther for her standup comedy, her acting and her TV personality. But my main admiration for her is that she always seems to be herself, cracking jokes and seemly oblivious to what’s considered “normal.” She’s really just an icon of a strong woman. I admire how funny, kind and generally nice people think she is. She seems like a person who would make you feel comfortable and safe, regardless of who you are. I think what she’s achieved in the entertainment industry is remarkable, especially considering it’s a man’s world. she’s a great actress who’s had a very interesting life, and i think she would be a great person to talk to.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
The Future Is Now: Shon Anderson On How B9Creations’s Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Your path to success is a combination of understanding your God-given gifts and talents, as well as an understanding that your gifts and talents take time and usually require help from others who know you well and see you in action in context.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shon Anderson, B9Creations, LLC.
Prior to joining the B9Creations team in October 2014, Shon Anderson spent nearly 20 years growing, developing, and leading businesses in the cleantech industry. He worked for small regional firms and fortune 500 companies, aligning and growing businesses around new market opportunities.
With a track record of growing businesses from $5M to $250M+, Shon brings a knowledge of sales, marketing, and customer focus that fits perfectly with B9Creations’ vision for growth and expansion. Shon is actively engaged in our community, serving on boards of multiple companies and charitable organizations.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to work as an intern in the Quality Engineering Department of a technology manufacturing company. Here, I was introduced to a high-quality leader — one that took the time to help me understand my God-given talents. This leader invoked my revelation that the drive I have for understanding market opportunities and customer perspectives around technical solutions is a gift.
This leader not only influenced the career path I decided to take but helped mold my leadership style, as well.
Many leaders believe employees connect directly with a company and spend immense resources molding their employee into the best marketer, accountant, or technician they can be.
I take an entirely different approach of gifts-based leadership — which first, starts with people.
I believe it’s critical to work alongside employees to uncover their “superpowers,” and to unearth the unique gifts they possess. Then, I try to help them connect those gifts to drive the type of work they do to create a fulfilling career.
My hope is to facilitate an environment where employees feel supported and empowered — with the end goal of becoming the best “them” they can be.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
During that same internship, I found myself in a room full of design and manufacturing engineers meeting to discuss a new product the design engineers wanted to develop. The conversation evolved to how difficult it would be to manufacture, and how doing so would cost a fortune — and eventually, progressed to whether the product could be manufactured at all.
After listening to this back-and-forth for about 10 minutes, I raised my hand — awkwardly, but, given the intensity of the discussion, it seemed appropriate. I asked who was asking for these products that are so complex, that we’re questioning the possibility of manufacturing them.
No one responded to my question.
After what was probably only a couple of seconds, but felt like an eternity, conversation resumed.
After the meeting ended, my boss, the Director of Quality Engineering, asked me to go to lunch — and I, of course, assumed I was being fired.
Driving to lunch, she asked me how I thought the meeting went. Discouraged, I explained that clearly, there was something that I just wasn’t grasping that would lead our company to take on a project that some of the best manufacturing engineers in the world thought was borderline, not feasible.
When I explained that I was questioning whether engineering was my calling, she interjected and let me know that I wasn’t asking the right question. And that instead, I should have been questioning why I, the intern, seemingly on the bottom of the knowledge totem pole, was the only person in the room raising that question.
And then it hit me.
Asking “why?” was not a weakness nor a flaw — but a gift.
She helped me realize that I had the gift of curiosity — a drive for understanding market opportunities and customer perspectives around a technical solution.
This gift, in combination with others, has been one of the primary drivers of my success throughout my career.
This story illustrates why I’m such a passionate believer that, to be in a position of leadership, you must be committed to becoming great at helping people identify their gifts and talents and applying those to the objectives of the organization, as well as their life goals.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
As an innovation engine at the forefront of additive manufacturing, with a vision of making powerful technology accessible and delivered with exceptional customer experience, B9Creations is passionate about improving customers’ lives with technology.
With game-changing, patented technology, B9Creations is changing the performance standard in additive manufacturing — with 3D printers that deliver dimensional variation between the digital CAD file and 3D printed part equivalent to the size of a single human cell. At these tolerance levels, our 3D printers exceed the tolerances of traditional and precision manufacturing equipment, opening the door to full-scale production in the additive manufacturing space, an industry promise that until now, has remained unfulfilled.
And B9Creations’ B9[X] division provides custom additive manufacturing solutions, enabling customers to take an application-smart approach with workflows customized by industry, workforce expertise built into software, and even hardware and materials designed around specific parts, production, and regulatory compliance. Customers can future-proof their additive manufacturing strategy, de-risk their investments, improve efficiencies, fail fast in development, increase supply chain resiliency, and build better products faster — with a tailored team that brings expertise in pairing a customer’s application with B9Creations’ technology, regulatory needs, engineering services, lean manufacturing, design for additive, global support, and more.
The cutting-edge technology we provide helps our customers better serve theirs, creating opportunities for growth around the world. From giving companies a competitive edge in a global market to preserving jobs by keeping production local, our team strives to make a difference every day.
This people-centered approach to business spans beyond our employees and extends to external customers — enabling a competitive advantage of out-listening. Taking customer feedback and transforming it into technology that acts as an engine of growth in their businesses, B9Creations is always listening to and leveraging customer feedback to drive technology developments.
Our goal is to provide additive manufacturing solutions that scale as they do and find innovative ways to deploy new technology to existing platforms, ensuring no customer of ours is left behind.
How do you think this might change the world?
At B9Creations, we don’t just strive to be the best at what’s possible, we race to be the first to conquer the impossible, empowering trailblazers everywhere to break free from the constraints of traditional manufacturing technologies and deliver the products the world needs today — all while delivering better products and business results, even when faced with an uncertain future, fluctuating demand, fragile supply chain, or fierce competition.
With 31+ million parts 3D printed and counting, B9Creations is expanding the bounds of what’s possible and enabling creators to fast-track their ideas into production, facilitating a global ecosystem that’s broadening the possibilities of how things are made and pioneering a smart, sustainable world of manufacturing.
Top global medical companies leverage our ultra-precision 3D printers to develop complex pediatric medical devices to save newborns’ lives
Special forces teams forge new frontiers in national defense
Research centers 3D print structures capable of containing a single cell that may hold the cure for osteoarthritis
Engineers develop mission-critical solutions to power the future of space exploration
National jewelry chains bring custom designs to life with the push of a button.
Dentists transform patient care and make healthcare more accessible than ever before
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
The drawbacks of this, and frankly any, technology exists when the value is viewed solely in the technology itself — disregarding the human behind it. The correlation between technology and the elimination of jobs is dangerous and a step backward for society as a whole. We must understand what these resources can do for people — not what they can do to replace people.
Early on, it must be a strategic focus for companies to combine the human element with technological advancement.
Technology is a resource that shouldn’t be adopted with the intention of replacing jobs, but instead, with the intention of finding new ways our people are adding value because of this technology.
Rather than eliminate jobs, technology should be changing them. And we, as leaders, should be seeking an understanding of how these new jobs will be of higher value to them on an individual level, and to our team as a whole.
And this people-focused approach to business is exactly why we’re focused on building out the services element of our business to improve accessibility and offer expert guidance at every step of the additive manufacturing adoption journey, from concept to product development to production.
Technology itself is not inherently bad — it is what people do with technology that determines its value. Simply throwing technology at a problem will likely not solve it, and ultimately, create a mistrust of the technology — proving that technology and the human element are inseparable.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
There was not a singular “tipping point” that led to this breakthrough — but rather, a combination of things:
Speaking with multiple Fortune 500 companies that have spent seven figures on additive manufacturing solutions and still had not gotten the results they were looking for allowed us to see the gap that exists within this industry and how customization can bridge it. This led to an awareness of the rising demand for customization in this industry.
We’ve learned that the competitive space surrounding B9Creations is not other additive manufacturing companies but rather, traditional manufacturing technologies. Our mission is to prove that digital manufacturing is not just a cutting-edge production method or a flashy tool for your office — but a manufacturing resource.
To gauge the impact of COVID-19 on the manufacturing industry, SME Media surveyed more than 700 manufacturing professionals to understand how their companies would recover post-pandemic, and additive manufacturing was proven to be a top investment.
An Ernst & Young global 3D printing survey of 900 companies proved that 50% of the barriers to entry when it comes to implementing additive manufacturing aren’t technology-related, but knowledge-related — a hurdle we were confident in helping adopters overcome.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
This customized technology is already on track for widespread adoption — and what I mean by that is that what the market is missing is clear, and how we can meet that need is clear.
B9Creations’ focus on the continued delivery of results, expert guidance at every step of the additive manufacturing adoption journey, and education to meet knowledge gaps in implementing additive manufacturing across the value stream is key. This is especially true with small-to-midsize manufacturers who make up a significant portion of the overall manufacturing ecosystem, but don’t have the same resources as enterprise-scale manufacturers, meaning the technology solutions they adopt have to be accessible — easy-to-use, low maintenance, quick return-on-investment — deliver repeatable results, and come with providers that can partner with them on implementation, from technology adoption to full production to continuous growth.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
Everything we do, we do with our customers at the center.
In a technology company, it’s easy to focus on the solution and product. We want to obsess over the problem and make the customer the hero.
At B9Creations, the customer is integral to marketing any new products, and they are incorporated into every stage of the product development process — from the first stage of product development, validation, and pre-launch beta testing all the way through post-launch webinars offering application and industry expertise. By using the market as our lab, we’re able to launch an offer to select customers before it’s bulletproofed and then tailor our iterations, positioning, value proposition, and marketing plan to their needs. This way, we can share a portfolio of innovations, while letting the customer drive not only the solutions but the go-to-market strategy.
So, in essence, our customers are our marketing team, even so far as we formalize them as brand ambassadors, where they share their unique problems, solutions, and results first-hand and become part of the expert guidance and services we provide at each step of the additive manufacturing journey to help close the knowledge gap.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The same leader I mentioned earlier, who helped me realize my gift of connecting the human element surrounding technical solutions, is someone I will always be grateful for. This realization early on in my career might have saved me from years in an unsatisfying job that ultimately, I wouldn’t excel in. I think it’s near impossible to create a fulfilling career from something you’re not good at.
Without her guidance and coaching, I would not be in the position I’m in today. She helped me understand my passion for helping people who look to me as a leader identify their gifts and talents, and then apply those to their career and life goals.
Recognizing the different gifts of the founding team of myself, as CEO, our COO Scott, and our CTO Mike actually led to a better understanding of the values of B9Creations, which are a win/win business mindset, no customer left behind, and the enemy of “it can’t be done.” I often bring the first value to life, our COO the second with his mantra of, “find a way to say yes,” and our CTO embodies the third with his technological innovation. We strive every day to help our team identify their gifts and not only apply them to their careers but also reflect them in the culture at B9Creations.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
For over six decades, Black Hills Works has provided homes, employment, recreation, and social outlets for adults with disabilities. Now, B9Creations is partnering with the organization’s Assistive Technology team to deliver individualized solutions with industry-leading technology to meet the diverse needs of those they support. B9Creations has donated the tools and expertise required to develop customized, 3D printed assistive devices for the over 600 people supported through Black Hills Works, designed to give individuals with disabilities greater independence. B9Creations is now partnering with the organization’s Assistive Technology team to deliver individualized solutions with industry-leading technology to meet the diverse needs of those they support — from 3D printing devices to facilitate the handling of eating utensils to grips for wheelchairs, waterproof call lights, tools used in the workplace and more.
B9Creations has hosted thousands of K-12 and area technical college and university students via on-site and school events, tours, and work shadowing, sponsored key organizations and events, and developed a robust talent pipeline spanning all functional areas. Nearly 25% of our current B9Creations team started as interns with many having risen through the organization to hold key positions today.
Economic Impact to the Black Hills Region and South Dakota: In 2021, B9C’s payroll in the Black Hills region was $3m+, with additional, non-payroll expenditures with local businesses totaling nearly $600k. Total non-payroll expenditures in South Dakota were $1m+. With an average salary well above Rapid City’s average and a commitment to sourcing goods and services locally, B9C makes a significant impact on the local economy.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Your path to success is a combination of understanding your God-given gifts and talents, as well as an understanding that your gifts and talents take time and usually require help from others who know you well and see you in action in context.
The biggest single revelation related to my gifts and talents came from a leader I was blessed to work for as an intern in college. I was an intern in the quality engineering department of a large technology manufacturing company. What it felt like is that the quality engineering department mainly existed to referee between the design engineering and manufacturing engineering departments.
One day, I was in a large meeting of design and manufacturing engineers discussing a new product the design engineers wanted to develop. My boss, the Director of Quality Engineering was there as well. There was a lot of back and forth over the design, the difficulty to manufacture it, how it would cost a fortune in capital expense and per unit to manufacture, and eventually, whether it could be manufactured at all. Now, these manufacturing engineers were leaders in their field, responsible for the production of many successful, cutting-edge products used around the world. The design engineering team was world-class as well, each of the team leads possessed a wall of plaques representing awarded patents in the field.
After listening to this for about 10 minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I raised my hand. It was a bit awkward but, given the intensity of the discussion, it seemed appropriate. One of the senior engineers turned to me and said, “yes, Shon?”
I eased into the conversation by complimenting both the design and manufacturing teams, stating that I knew they were both top-notch and then asking, “who is asking for these products that are so complex we can’t manufacture them?”
No one responded to my question. I felt like they all looked at me like that was the dumbest thing they’d ever heard.
I immediately felt like an idiot and wished I could evaporate from the room. After what was probably only a couple of seconds, but felt like an eternity, conversation resumed.
The rest of the meeting was a blur and couldn’t end quickly enough for me. Shortly after it ended, my boss called me and asked me to go to lunch, and I assumed I was being fired. To me, it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to make it as an engineer. They must all understand something that I didn’t.
In my junior year of pursuing my mechanical engineering degree, I was struggling to maintain passion for my coursework, and, following this meeting, I was pretty sure engineering wasn’t my future.
As we drove to lunch, she asked me how I thought that meeting went. I told her I was frustrated because clearly there was something that I just wasn’t grasping that would lead our company to take on a project that some of the best manufacturing engineers in the world thought was borderline, not feasible.
She chuckled and said, “Shon, the question you should be asking yourself is, “why was the intern the only person in the room raising that question?”
She helped me to see that, rather than some weakness or flaw, I had a gift for asking the “why” questions and trying to understand the market opportunities and customer perspectives around a technical solution. That gift, in combination with others, has been one of the primary drivers of my success throughout my entire career.
Without some wisdom and coaching from a good leader and developer of people, who knows how long it might’ve taken me to figure that out and how many years of frustration I might’ve spent in an unsatisfying job that I ultimately would never be very good at.
This story is why I am such a passionate believer that, to be in a position of leadership, you must be committed to becoming great at helping people identify their gifts and talents and applying those to the objectives of the organization and their life goals.
Knowledge of how to build constructive relationships with others.
Self-awareness + awareness of others + adaptation of self to collaborate well = constructive relationship. This is true for all the relationships in our life — at work, at home, etc. We must invest the time and energy to first know ourselves and then truly know the wiring, tendencies, and preferences of the people we are in relationships with and then be willing to modify our own behavior to suit the needs of others to optimize those relationships. There is any number of tools and assessments we can use to help us in this area. The key is making this a priority.
The more intentional you are, the happier you’ll be with who and where you are.
Take the time to understand who you are today, think about who you want to be in the future (values, lifestyle, impact on the world around you, etc.), and make decisions with your time, talents, and treasure that align with who you want to become.
This is an area of life I think we spend far too little time on, especially with our young people. Thinking about the way that you are wired and the way that you want your life to turn out with regard not only to common topics like income, but topics such as the amount of free time you want to have, the amount of risk you can tolerate, and amount of growth potential you want to have personally and professionally should shape what career path we choose, the spouse we choose, and many other aspects of how we spend our time and energy. Few of us bother to think about these things in depth until perhaps we realize we’re not happy with where we’ve ended up.
Taking the time to think intentionally about this on a regular basis and then ensuring that our actions and efforts and expenditures line up with that vision will help us be happier with the end result.
Think about your purpose in terms beyond your career.
It is so easy to put the majority of our focus on the career aspect of our life. Many of us don’t stop to think about our purpose beyond work until a couple of decades have passed by. This also relates to the topic of intentionality. Every one of us was put on this planet on purpose and for a purpose. The adventure of life is about figuring out what that is, the gifts and talents we’ve been given to bring it to life, and then living it out to the fullest.
Keep your focus on helping the next generation.
When each of our lives is done, the only thing that will live on is the impact that we made on other people. Our best opportunity to leave the world a better place than we found it is to pass along some of the knowledge we’ve gained to people following behind us and help them use their time, talents, and treasure more effectively for good than we did. I think most of us figure this out at some point, but we should start focusing on this much earlier than I did. You don’t need to be 30 or 40 to offer relevant wisdom and encouragement to someone who is 15 or 18 or 25.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I believe that to be in a position of leadership, you must be committed to becoming great at helping people identify their gifts and talents and applying those to the objectives of the organization and their life goals.
As a leader, my purpose is to help people discover their God-given talents and equip them with a plan to put those to use, to inspire everyone who looks to me as a leader to have that lightbulb moment that enables them to forge a career that helps them achieve their full potential. And in turn, be inspired to go do that same thing for others.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite “life lesson quote” is Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena.”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Not sitting on the sidelines and watching, but instead being willing to be the man in the arena.”
This quote resonates with me because, throughout my career, I’ve come to understand that the true objective is not the outcome, but rather lies in how you handle the struggle — finding empowerment in taking risks, even if those risks result in failure.
As an engineering student who attended South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, I left the state for a career opportunity and spent the next 20 years trying to figure out a path back. This quote strikes home because it relates to what inspired me to take one of the most rewarding risks I’ve ever taken — leaving my job in another state and returning to my roots.
Rian ‘Heungsil’ Lee of Korea Ginseng Corporation On Five Things You Need To Build A Trusted And Beloved Brand
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Define your brand values, commit to them and evaluate your own performance. It is important to have consistent brand messages. Korea Ginseng Corporation is devoted to providing better health and wellness solutions by honoring a traditional way of living to achieve overall wellness. We’ve delivered on that promise for over 120 years. We have become the most trusted and reliable manufacturer of Korean Red Ginseng because we have held our values close to our core throughout our company’s history and invested in sourcing, manufacturing, and marketing that reflects those core values.
Rian (Heungsil) Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC) U.S. As the American-based CEO of the number one global brand of ginseng, Rian brings his passion for Korean agriculture and Korean Red Ginseng to his work, driven by his commitment to support American consumers on their health journeys. Rian is responsible for overseeing the U.S. branch of the company and the expansion of its KORESELECT product line into the U.S. market. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Rian was KGC’s Head of New Global Business Development, General Manager of Domestic Business and Export Sales Manager, where he was based in Seol, South Korea. He also held a previous role as Marketing Chief for KGC U.S. Rian has a keen eye for sales operations, marketing and branding and has a strong breadth of experience in adapting marketing strategies, successfully, to reach and connect with the ever-evolving consumer market. He is based in Cerritos, CA.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
You’re welcome and thank you for the invitation to participate in this Q&A. I grew up with my parents who ran rice farms and orchards in South Korea and learned Korean agriculture. Korea doesn’t have a lot of flat, farming land; it’s about 70% mountains. Though Korea has a different agriculture than the U.S., the country is home to optimal growth conditions for Korean Red Ginseng, one of the most highly sought-after superfoods. Grown in the Korean Peninsula, it is known to be a core part of Korean agriculture due to its excellent quality and efficacy for our overall health.
I felt positively impacted by the powerful benefits ginseng could bring to the world, so it became a passion of mine to explore how I can help bring Korea’s agriculture — and, specifically Korean Red Ginseng, to a global level. That career path inevitably connected me with Korean Ginseng Corp. as the global category leader.
Can you tell us what lesson you learned from making an early marketing mistake?
When we started our business in the U.S., I was learning how to adapt to different consumer habits — one of those being how to earn brand loyalty with U.S. consumers. In Korea, consumers will often favor companies that have a higher price tag or are considered to be an industry leader. In the U.S., I learned that a higher price tag or ranking number one in your category was not always the way to achieve brand loyalty. U.S. consumers tend to favor companies that offer a product that meets their needs and at a reasonable price. I realized that the marketing approach we deployed in Korea and other parts of the world would not be a successful approach in the U.S. market. After realizing my marketing efforts led to minimal results, I knew I had to adjust to fit the new market.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Korea Ginseng Corporation stands out in the industry as a company with a deep history, a commitment to high standards of quality, and a brand that invests in sourcing and innovation to ensure a consistently premium product offering.
Korea Ginseng Corporation, also referred to as KGC, was founded in 1899 by the Empire of Korea to manage the scientific cultivation of ginseng. Over the last 120 years, KGC has earned the position as the number one brand of ginseng in the world by delivering on quality and consistency. We have brought our brand and products to over 40 countries and earned that number one global position in sales and brand awareness. With our presence spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East regions, we are now working to grow in the U.S.
In Korea, ginseng was classified as a national treasure in 1908. CheongKwanJang, our flagship ginseng brand, representing the gold standard in Korean Red Ginseng products, is often presented by the president of the Republic of Korea to visiting dignitaries as the national gift of South Korea. Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Francis were gifted CheongKwanJang products. Also, CheongKwanJang products were the first Korean health food brand to be displayed on the shelves of the esteemed Harrods Department Store in London. It was an exciting time for our company, as it opened a door for a new customer base and the opportunity to educate more consumers on the powerful benefits of ginseng.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Yes, we’ve just launched KORESELECT in the U.S., and we are working on building our presence in the market. We have grown our subsidiary product lines CheongKwanJang, GoodBASE, Donginbi and KORESELECT, which has led us to become the most trusted and most reliable source for Korean Red Ginseng.
Now, the U.S. represents an exciting opportunity to introduce U.S. consumers to the powerful and natural benefits of Korean Red Ginseng. KORESELECT, which is the line we are focusing on growing in the U.S., exclusively uses six-year-grown red ginseng in all-natural products that can help consumers address core aspects of their health and wellness — from supporting healthy blood circulation to providing natural caffeine-free energy to an immunity boost.
In the last couple of years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans and others worldwide have spent more time sitting as we work from home and spend less time moving around and commuting. Prolonged sitting and less movement can negatively impact our circulatory health, which can lead to troublesome long-term effects such as fatigue, lethargy and a higher risk for blood clots. At the same time, as mask restrictions begin to ease and we head into summer travel season, our immune systems may be exposed to larger social gatherings, potentially putting us at risk of getting sick. The KORESELECT line is meant to address these types of health concerns, needs and goals. Our products, such as KORESELECT Wellness, Energy and Immune, offer natural solutions to support healthy blood circulation, provide natural, stimulant-free energy and may support immunity as well.
Ginseng is a time-tested natural solution for our overall wellness and Korean Red Ginseng is at the top of the category mountain. We have over 120 years invested in the brand, ginseng research, and product innovation, and we’re excited to share all of this with U.S. consumers!
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
Brand marketing and product marketing are different, but I would also define these disciplines beyond branding and advertising. Brand marketing tells the story behind your brand, and this requires multiple channels, including paid and advertising initiatives to build a brand. Product marketing is showcasing specific products and their benefits, and we do that through a mix of methods and channels, including public relations, social media, and consumer experiences. Our brand story focuses on our proof points, such as our deep history, our global performance, our values, and our relentless commitment to quality, including the way we follow the traditional harvesting process to ensure we provide the most carefully selected Korean Red Ginseng for our products.
Our product marketing includes sharing the scientific research on our Korean Red Ginseng and our specific product benefits for blood circulation, natural energy, immunity, skin and cognitive health. Our brand story plays an important role in product marketing as a proof point that we can deliver on what we’ve promised. KGC has delivered a high level of quality and performance for over 120 years. When you visit our website (kgcus.com), you can see it’s evident in how we tell Our Story and present our range of brands. We’ve put a lot of work into how we talk about our brand and our products, and we often revisit and refine the copy and images. That careful and consistent brand messaging is realized in the presentation and performance of our products.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
Building a brand is essential to building trust with consumers and being successful at product marketing. You have to convey your performance, values, passion, history and science, to build trust in your brand as the source of your products.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
Yes, and know that for every 5 examples, there are a different 5 or 10 that can work for a particular brand. This is what I’ve learned and what has worked for us.
Define your brand values, commit to them and evaluate your own performance. It is important to have consistent brand messages. Korea Ginseng Corporation is devoted to providing better health and wellness solutions by honoring a traditional way of living to achieve overall wellness. We’ve delivered on that promise for over 120 years. We have become the most trusted and reliable manufacturer of Korean Red Ginseng because we have held our values close to our core throughout our company’s history and invested in sourcing, manufacturing, and marketing that reflects those core values.
Communicate your product process, from sourcing to purchase. Consumers want to know what they are ingesting and where it came from. At KGC, we follow an optimal sourcing process. We know this process is time-consuming, but it is worth it to provide our customers with the highest quality ginseng. We take two years to condition and prepare each field for planting, allowing each plant to grow for six years in order to reach its optimal state of maturity, and then allowing each field to rest a full ten years before replanting. We conduct more than 430 quality and safety tests in each 18-year production cycle to ensure every product is up to our high standards. Not only are we transparent in our souring, but we are also transparent in how we support our KGC farmers. KGC supports ginseng farms in funding, technical support, GAP management, and buying the qualified ginseng with the highest price point in order to support them. The transparency in this process matters. In addition to communicating it on our website and on social media, we’ve invested in a documentary production showing our sourcing and manufacturing process. This documentary is available in various languages, such as Chinese and Vietnamese, and we are preparing a version to present to American consumers.
Invest in your product proof points and presentation. American consumers are drawn to packaging. At KGC, our premium product is showcased in its polished and sophisticated packaging. The brand story, commitment to quality and the overall wellness of the consumer can be seen through its labelling. Of course, packaging can only go so far. It draws the consumer in and then, as a brand, you must close the deal with product proof points. That is why every year we devote over 200 researchers and 20 million dollars to the science of ginseng. We’ve also made a significant investment in our product presentation. Our ginseng is available in capsules, in teas, and in single serving liquid sticks. Those formats serve a range of tastes and preferences, and we work for superior bioavailability, so our consumers get the benefits they are seeking. Check out our product packaging. Hold it in your hands. It’s high quality, reflecting who we are, what we represent, and what we want to bring to the market. It’s packaging that communicates the number one ginseng brand in the world.
Foster a dialogue with your customers, employees and other key stakeholders. It is important for your target consumers to feel like you listen to their wants and needs. One way to do this is by customer reviews. We have a diligent team that analyzes reviews on both our own website and Amazon. We then take feedback directly from customer reviews and implement that into our strategy. We also listen to customer reviews on how we can better and more simply share the benefits of Korean Red Ginseng. When first bringing KGC to the U.S. market, many consumers did not know ginseng’s benefits or the difference between ginseng and Korean Red Ginseng. We took this feedback and outlined this information right on our website and Amazon pages. We have also invested in marketing and public relations efforts to embark on a Korean Red Ginseng education campaign to educate American consumers about KGC and our product benefits. Public relations is especially important to us to foster dialogue and to reach and educate audiences through news media.
Innovate and stay true to who you are and where you want to be. Even companies that have long-standing histories need to innovate and grow with the times. Consumers’ needs change and it is important for brands to market their products to needs that are relevant to today’s consumers. For instance, during the height of the pandemic, we saw immunity as a top concern consumers were interested in addressing through natural products. Now, we are seeing that shift with more consumers interested in circulation from long hours working and skin health with the summer months approaching.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
Samsung is a great example of a believable and beloved brand. The South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate has continuously grown and shaped the future of technology with its innovations; they are believers in the power of technology and its ability to enable meaningful, long-lasting positive impact in the world. Since its founding in 1938, Samsung has developed a loyal and trustworthy customer base, one that is eager to know what’s coming next and relies on the industry leader to deliver high-quality technology. They started as a Korean company and grown into a global technology leader, a household name, and a top innovator.
Samsung has defined their brand values and continuously commits to them. For companies looking to build brand success like Samsung, it’s crucial that your products, and everything you do, defines your brand value — from there, everything will fall into place. Your customers will recognize the value and will commit to your brand.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
Measuring brand building (and even advertising) is more complex. Sales tell a big part of the story and are a key performance indicator. We also look at consumer reviews, market research, and retailer feedback. As a company, we believe listening is a key part of our measurement. Listening is a central value for KGC and part of our culture. Listening enlightens areas of strength where we can invest and areas where we can improve before they become problems.
Brand building takes patience and consistency — it’s what creates company longevity, and it instills the credibility and reliability of the brand.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
Social media can do wonders for branding efforts, but it’s important to have a strategy before diving right in — it certainly is not as simple as it looks. Brands should determine their overarching goal for their social media platforms; ultimately, what do you want social media users to feel when they visit your platform? What action do you want to be associated with users visiting your platform?
For us, we continuously strive to educate our customers and the general consumer audience on the benefits of ginseng, and we want to spark curiosity and interest when it comes to what it can do for your overall wellbeing. So, we began to translate this into our social media efforts. For example, this Instagram post highlighting ginseng in a cartoon-format and detailing its efficacy was well-received by our followers. Also, our Instagram posts that highlight the benefits of our products, such as this Instagram post centered around our Women’s Balance capsule, tend to have higher post activity.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Yes, I propose the 2:30pm Self-Care Walk. No matter where you are, whether working from home or the office, give yourself 15 minutes to walk, preferably outside, meditate and listen to your body. Do your legs feel heavy? Do your legs feel weak? Do you feel sapped of energy? Those symptoms could indicate poor circulation issues. Poor circulation saps our bodies of energy and, over time, deprives our muscles, joints and organs of proper flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrition. Poor circulation starves our brains, organs and bodies. Over time, that can take a toll. Take that afternoon walk. Do it for you and those you love. Finish your walk with a glass of water to hydrate and a big plus if you can take a shot, capsule, or cup of tea of Korean Red Ginseng. Taking care of ourselves is an important first step toward doing the extraordinary.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” I often ask myself: what do we HAVE to do… and what CAN we do? Our goal is not just to be the number one ginseng brand, but we want to provide products that help people achieve optimal health and allow them to live a fulfilling life. So, we are sailing in the wild ocean.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would enjoy having lunch with John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market is an industry pioneer in the natural products space and has proven to deliver high-quality products time and time again, sharing similar values to KGC. John is well-versed in the industry and understands U.S. purchasing habits. I would love to hear his words of wisdom on building a successful natural products brand in the U.S.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
KGCUS is on Instagram and Facebook! Follow us to stay up to date on new products and announcements. We also have a Facebook community where people can share their experiences with ginseng and learn from others. I also invite your readers to connect with me on LinkedIn. I welcome their feedback on our product experiences. We listen and it means a lot to us!
Makers of The Metaverse: Thomas Kidrin of Worlds On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Efficiency, mentoring, collaboration, education all will bring a new dimension to our work life. We don’t think about how cumbersome word processors were when they were first rolled out, but as refinements evolved, word processing has become taken for granted and is so integral to our lives that we don’t even thing about the underlying process. So too will this new industry’s products and tools.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Thomas Kidrin.
Thom Kidrin has been at the forefront of online interactive technology since its inception, overseeing development of: the first celebrity online virtual world (now called metaverses) with David Bowie (Bowie World); the first 3D virtual world ecommerce stores; the first virtual worlds for major entertainment groups including Aerosmith, DMC, Hanson and world renowned brands such as Coca-Cola in China, WWE, and the NY Yankees; and the first 3D educational virtual worlds for Pearson Education. Additionally, he oversaw the development of technologies that allowed for interaction between large numbers of players which became the foundation for online interactive gaming enjoyed by millions today and developed College Television Network, an interactive entertainment/advertising network that was sold to MTV and became MTVU. Today, Kidrin heads Real Brands Inc., and continues to lead Worlds Inc., as it interweaves new virtual and augmented reality technologies with cryptocurrency and NFTs in innovative ways to further enhance entertainment, business, education, and many other aspects of our lives.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I’d say I had a “Pleasantville” childhood growing up in the ’50s. My folks were creatives, so the smell of oil paint and turpentine was ever present. Canvas, stonework, and stain glass were everyday projects. My dad would always say, “Don’t let anyone tell you how to live your life. It’s yours not theirs.”
I remember going to Greenwich Village in the ’50s and seeing the “beatniks” in black berets and black turtlenecks playing jazz under old streetlamps in Washington Square.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
HG Wells’ “Time Machine” instilled in me the belief that I could figure out how to warp time. Since my math teacher could explain how we could divide in half between 2 fixed points infinitely, which meant theoretically there was an infinity tunnel, I realized that adults don’t always have the answers.
I built crystal radio sets, when Radio Shack was called Tandy Corp and sold electronics and leather working supplies. I used to go to Canal Street in NYC and rummage thru electronics for my experiments. I recall blowing out the entire electric circuit in my house at about 8 years old.
There was a book I also remember; I think it was “Different Worlds, Different Perceptions,” and it described what it would be like to live on different planets with different gravitational forces, light levels, long time elapses between dark and light and temperature and how an organism would have to evolve and perceive thru particular senses and physical anatomy. That insight prompted me to see things thru the eyes of different environmental conditions; creating adaptive perceptions from our Earth beings.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
I was always fascinated with the notion of immersive interaction and actually built what I called the “Video Visor” in 1981 with small head-mounted Ikegami color monitors and mirrors with a gyroscope. In fact, it was used as a prop in an Aerosmith music video.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
I ran into two childhood friends whose father had a coin op route of cigarette machines, pinballs, and video games. They were driving in a limo, which was odd for them, so I took them to dinner and asked how they could afford this luxury. They explained that in the arcade business, once a video game started to fall off in revenue they had to buy new equipment for about $2500 per machine. They realized that they could change the graphic and EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memory game code chips) for under $150 and sell the upgrade for $1000, keeping the cabinet and coin handling hardware. This became known as retro kits.
I was in TV production and up to speed on the latest video equipment and technology and aware that laser discs were capable of track jumping in the vertical interval (the blink of an eye) and had a higher quality of visual and audio than a traditional arcade games and that Laser discs could be replaced for a few dollars. I contracted a proof of concept and demo from undergrads at the MIT Media Lab who had worked on the Aspen Project, a tank training simulation system that MIT developed for the military.
I came up with the first Laser Disc based game system — The Wall Street Journal wrote a very stellar article; investment bankers came calling and that started my career in the interactive entertainment space.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I don’t know if any mistake is funny, but rather a learning experience. Probably the stupidest thing I did was put a floppy drive with a week’s worth of code next to a bulk magnetic eraser. That was embarrassing and hurt, but I learned to think through the consequence of every move I make with valuable one-off data that’s not been backed up.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Bernie Stolar, a video game legend, the former CEO of Sega America, and former Sr. VP of Sony Games; having launched the Play Station in the U.S. Bernie has been a friend and mentor for over 38 years and a member of Worlds’ Board of Directors for 20 years. I met Bernie when he sold me the first laser disc players for our laser disc game system. Bernie was always gracious in inviting me to high level private dinners, introducing me to industry players from the US and Japan, and always offering advice and analysis on technical game design and marketing strategies. As Bernie moved up the corporate ladder to the C suite, I always would remind him that, at heart, he has always been an electronics salesman, albeit one of the best.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
As a CEO of a public company, I can’t get into details until an official announcement, but I can say that we are working on the blending of chemistry and technology that I believe will have a profound effect on helping large segments of people suffering from varying degrees of mental health issues. An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older — about 1 in 4 adults — suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, as reported by Johns Hopkins Medicine. And less than 10% of patients who have a mental health disorder actually get effective treatment, according to National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). We see a huge opportunity to significantly improve millions of lives.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
I’m excited by the validation of VR that I entered 23 years ago. This is the third wave. I started in the first wave in 1994. The second wave was Second Life in 2004. And now with Meta’s commitment as well as Microsoft’s and likely soon Apple’s, the time has come for mainstream acceptance.
We are already seeing applications in education and training by automotive and aerospace for industrial utilization and efficiency. I’ve seen some very impressive architectural walk throughs with multiple users from around the world literally checking out the electrical conduit locations and plumbing lines between buildings that haven’t yet been built. That was inconceivable 10 years ago.
Widespread adoption is finally possible, primarily because we have broad deployment of critical enabling technologies that include:
1. Broadband speed,
2. High speed processing
3. High resolution graphic capabilities
The tools are broad based and user friendly for a wide group of creatives to design and develop.
The intervening years have refined concepts of integration and human psychology. We also now have a generation that has been inculcated with digital interactive entertainment and expects, as well as creates, highly sophisticated multi-layered engagement.
It’s a cultural norm today with some quite interesting novel ideas that are cost effective and relatively quick to develop and deploy.
Clearly, the easy-to-use tools for world building that Roblox offers demonstrates user-created content that is easy to do as well as addictive. Similarly Sandbox and Decentraland offer a framework for virtual land ownership and cross-traffic exposure to a larger user base than may be available under a standalone site. The psychology of ownership and creativity shared in a community is compelling. Integration of streaming video and game play as layers augments the engagement of users and fans.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Like every new rollout of mainstream technology, there are dark sides, and abuse is always a part of the equation. I believe that active, constant forum moderation is required. I fully embrace free expression of ideas and communities of common interest. However, wherever children are capable of being influenced, and as we have seen with information bubbles today, walls are being built and distorted fields arise. Manipulation is a constant concern to me. We have an obligation to self-evaluate the products we develop and must consider the implications of our content on society.
As any industry evolves, we should, as forerunners promulgate accepted SOPs that, hopefully, as an industry we can agree will be beneficial to society. Pharma, broadcast TV, and automotive do it and we should as well as we enter a new era of blended reality. But we should not rely solely on the industry to police itself, as history has proven across many industries, there will always be bad apples. In addition to accepted industry SOPs, there needs to be independent external regulation and enforcement.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
Efficiency, mentoring, collaboration, education all will bring a new dimension to our work life. We don’t think about how cumbersome word processors were when they were first rolled out, but as refinements evolved, word processing has become taken for granted and is so integral to our lives that we don’t even thing about the underlying process. So too will this new industry’s products and tools.
Are there other ways that VR, AR, and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
As I mentioned before I am of the belief that with the integration of advance AI and supercomputing, the medical field will experience major realignment.
For example, the utilization of smart bot avatars that interface with an AI platform, such as Watson, to analyze a medical condition and suggest possible causes and treatments down to the level of demonstrating a procedure virtually, is unprecedented and invaluable to a small local hospital or rural medical center.
Similarly in distance learning applications, a student that is in a remote location can collaborate in a virtual classroom with simulations that take the student across time and through history reenactments, as well as allow them to see in first person what the streets of Ancient Rome looked like or walk through the city of Pompeii as Mt. Vesuvius is erupting.
In the field of nutrition, the concept of carbohydrate conversion to sugars is abstract, but if a user could take a VR tour inside the human body and see what the digestive tract and conversion process looks like with the impact on body organs, there could possibly be a positive effect on eating behavior because of the personalized experience.
The entertainment industry will always have linear story lines, but an exponential change will occur in the art forms of entertainment with integrated wearable devices.
In Bowie World, the first celebrity metaverse created in 1999, Worlds enabled fans to go inside some of the David Bowie imagery and for the first time could inhabit an avatar that David was involved in designing. The advent of wearable smart body accessories and clothing with air bladders and micro motors will enhance the sensory experience of events, such as watching a football game in a VR environment and feeling the tackle impact with smart vest-triggered actuators further enhanced with an olfactory dispenser wafting the smell of dirt, grass and sweat.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
There is a prevailing myth that those who excel in technology are “geeks,” “nerds” or mathematically gifted, when, in reality, it’s everyday people with creative drive, intuition and luck that make thought take form. Our industry’s leaders are some of the most fascinating people you could ever met, with extremely varied interests and one common trait — a passion to create novel solutions to improve specific areas.
Another myth is that the most successful tech developments come out of Silicon Valley or Austin. Boston-based Worlds and hundreds of other companies we are associated with are living proof that innovation is not tied to geography, but instead linked to the mindset of individuals who are willing to look at things with open minds to develop new solutions. With the ease of online collaboration, we and many other companies assemble talent spanning the globe, and work seamlessly together without the constraints of being in one central office.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
My personal journey is the example. I was told when I started, that VR was just a fad, a gimmick. It has waxed and waned over two decades, but continual thinking through the issues of limitation and possibilities on what works is an ongoing exercise and must be constantly practiced. Engage with other people in your field, ask tough questions, dare to dream, and then seek a solution. It can be done. Travel the full distance.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would like to instigate large-scale collaboration with diverse disciplines in seeking solutions to major medical conditions and illnesses, such as rewiring the brain for motor skill rejuvenation. I’ve done work with VA vets who have lost limbs and seen firsthand the return of function to those just beginning on the road to recovery with prosthetics, as well as the psychological improvements when they can see their avatars performing functions that they are relearning. It’s truly inspiring. There will be a tremendous need for these types of rehabilitative technologies after this unnecessary war in Ukraine is over.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’ve been quite fortunate in my life to have had private meals with Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Michael Milken, and other renowned individuals, and it’s their intellectual curiosity and analytic insights that I most look forward to exploring. At this time, I’d say I would like to meet Bill Gates for his evolving legacy and Mark Zuckerberg for his belief in VR/AR and continued personal growth.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Meet The Disruptors: Nicolas Darveau-Garneau of Coveo On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
“Start with the future state,” …too often I find myself thinking about things starting where things are today and trying to improve them incrementally. When I want to really transform things, I start with the art of the possible, where things could be in five years and work backwards from there. It makes a really big difference in terms of mindset.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicolas Darveau-Garneau.
Nicolas Darveau-Garneau is Chief of Growth and Strategy Officer at Coveo, a leader in AI-powered personalization, recommendations and search for digital experiences. He is a former Google executive, where he worked 11 years and most recently served as Google’s Chief Evangelist.
Mr. Darveau-Garneau has been an Internet entrepreneur since 1995. He was part of the founding team of MSN.com; was the co-founder of four companies (imix.com, Liquor.com, BigDeal.com, and Fanhood) and an investor/advisor in over 50 Internet companies.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
The most important thing to know about me is that I failed kindergarten (seriously!). The upshot was that my mom spent hundreds of hours teaching me math, reading, and writing. When I went back to school, I skipped the first grade. Early adversity helped toughen me up.
Career-wise, I was sitting in a computer lab in 1994 and saw the Internet for the first time. I was completely enthralled and knew right then that my entire career would be around digital experiences. I was then fortunate to spend a summer at Microsoft as part of the launch team of MSN. Right after business school I started my first Internet company and have been part of the industry ever since. I’m really proud of the (mostly) positive impact the Internet has had, democratizing access to information for nearly the entire world.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Digital transformation is key to survival. Customers expect extraordinary experiences everywhere, not just on Amazon or Netflix. But creating an amazing, personalized experience across an entire customer journey (web, app, email, customer service…) is very difficult. Amazon and Netflix have large AI teams to do this. Coveo helps any enterprise create great customer experiences without having to build AI teams. The impact is usually a significant lift in customer satisfaction, profits, and loyalty and a significant decrease in the cost to serve customers.
Imagine building an Amazon-like experience in 6 months and generating a significant shift in ecommerce profits.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve made so many mistakes and continue to do so. One of my biggest mistakes early in my career was to not mentor enough. If a team member was not immediately contributing to my liking, I was very impatient and did not invest enough time with them. I lost great people in the past because of this. I haven’t made this mistake again and will invest as much time as necessary to coach and mentor team members.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
My mom is my hero and my mentor. She was a single mom with three kids and very little money and she worked two jobs while going to school. She never complained, she worked hard, and she gave everything she had. Without her, I don’t know where I would be.
Another mentor is Gordon Buchanan. I met Gordon at McKinsey and he taught me more about business than anyone else. We would sit down often over a great scotch (which he paid for!) and would take me through business situations he had encountered and explained them in depth. He also spent countless hours advising me on how to get admitted to a top MBA. Gordon and I are still close today and he was my main advisor when I was considering joining Coveo.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption is not the key. The key is customer delight. Sometimes, customer delight can be accomplished best through personal contact. Sometimes through digital. Often, it’s a combination of both. When thinking about disruption, start with the customer and what would absolutely blow them away. A good example is Asbury, a car dealership group. They transformed themselves from a very traditional car company (sales at all costs with relatively low customer reviews) to an extraordinary company that delights customers. They started with simple things like putting bows on cars after they are sold. They then improved their car service operation by videotaping the underside of cars during inspections and sending those videos to customers to explain repair estimates; and now they are the only car dealership in the world to fully sell cars online including real-time financing, real-time trade-ins… an extraordinary transformation that started with one idea: improve Yelp reviews.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
“Start with the future state,” …too often I find myself thinking about things starting where things are today and trying to improve them incrementally. When I want to really transform things, I start with the art of the possible, where things could be in five years and work backwards from there. It makes a really big difference in terms of mindset.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Well, I just started at Coveo. It’s an extraordinary company with great success and even more potential. My goal in the next few years is to make sure every single large enterprise knows what Coveo can do and tests our platform. When companies see what we can do, they are blown away. Coveo can help thousands of companies dramatically improve their customer experience and impact their bottom-line.
My goal is to help every large company 10X their customer delight.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
This Ted Talk on “how to tie your shoes” really hit home with me. It’s a constant reminder to continue to question things and improve every day. There is nothing more simple than tying a shoe. But I had been doing it wrong my whole life. What a lesson!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Live in the now, man.” As a tech executive, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future. But I try hard to live my personal life very differently and be in the present. I was not like that when I was younger and regret it deeply. It’s important to dream and think about the future. It’s important to look back and learn from the past. But 90%+ of our time on earth should be spent living in the now. Enjoy your next sandwich. Kiss your child. Phone a friend.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’m very proud of what the Internet has brought to the world but unfortunately it has caused some divisions and balkanized society based on political opinions. I wish the discussion online was more civil. Robust, combative even. But more civil.
Makers of The Metaverse: Dalia Lasaite of CGTrader On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Improvements can definitely be made for overall health and mental health from our industry. We’ve seen people dealing with their fears — fear of heights, vertigo, motion sickness, and training with simulations to practice and confront the fears to overcome a mental or physical challenge.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dalia Lasaite of CGTrader.
Dalia Lasaite is the CEO and co-Founder of CGTrader, the world’s leading provider of 3D content and chosen by 150 of the Fortune 500 companies. Dalia joined the company in 2015 and has been instrumental in growing both business lines — the B2C Marketplace and B2B ARsenal — and professional 3D designer community, which now tops 5 million. She currently lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, with her husband and children.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I was born in Lithuania when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. When I was a young girl, I saw all the changes that happened when we regained our independence as a country. It was a really turbulent period in history, but I appreciate the experience because I was able to witness an important transition period that shaped Lithuania into what it is today and appreciate the freedom that we have even more. This transition also gave my parents the opportunity to become entrepreneurs and slowly grow their businesses, which led me by example. By the time I graduated from university, I saw entrepreneurship as a great next step that could lead to a fulfilling career. CGTrader was born in Lithuania and is now a global company with an international workforce and a strong presence in the U.S. The dynamic changes that have shaped my country and career happened in a generation’s time and is a great lesson in how quickly technology can change an industry and the world.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Two books come to mind. One I read when I was studying finance and economics in university called “Fooled by Randomness” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It made me think about risk in a new light. Once I realized that events do not occur linearly, it completely changed the way I approached my life and career. Instead of viewing risk as something to avoid, I began to see it more as something that could open many doors. Suddenly a corporate career path seemed less appealing and I began to gravitate towards the rapidly changing world of technology and found a better fit with startups.
Another novel that has stuck with me through the years is called the “Three Body Problem” by Liu Cixin, which is about how the human race clashes with ExtraTerrestrials and how Earth’s various organizations could not work well enough together to come to a resolution. I really enjoyed it and think that it is reminiscent of today’s current events with geo-political conflicts and the on-going pandemic. It serves as a reminder that good leadership is essential in turbulent times.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting out in your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
CGTrader is my third startup so I’ve learned quite a bit since starting out. In my first startup, we made every mistake in the book including spending an entire week debating the color of the logo for a concept that had not even been launched yet. We didn’t have a tangible product and placed so much emphasis on the brand logo as it felt like the defining piece to go to market. Clearly, I learned a valuable lesson and many more since then and placed a heavier emphasis on prioritization and really learned how to focus my attention when building a new business.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Jon Bradford is the founder of an accelerator called Difference Engine in the UK that I participated in years ago. I am grateful for his support and advice over the years. It really has inspired me to propagate the practice of “paying it forward” and mentoring others. I try to share my own expertise where I can in the spirit of start-up culture and learning from his leadership and example.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Whether you work in E-commerce, the metaverse, or gaming, 3D content creation is one of the biggest bottlenecks in the industry right now and we are solving that through our ARsenal platform. We have the largest 3D designer community in the world that can quickly convert any quantity of images into high quality 3D models. Customers can reap the benefits of AR and VR in an easy and affordable way without ever having to bid, while designers enjoy a platform that helps them grow in their careers.
Another aspect of the business that is helping reduce this bottleneck is the CGTrader marketplace which has the largest repository of 3D models for sale on the market. So far we have 5 million users buying and listing 3D models on the marketplace… and counting. We also depend on our designer community to provide the scale that our customers are looking for. So many companies in our space claim they can provide scale and quality to the projects that brands and companies are looking for when starting with 3D, but we can truly back that up with the number of designers and models that we create monthly. Our platform on the designer side is easy and seamless for them to sign up and start working right away. There’s no bidding system for designers, they can pick up projects right after signing on and create models.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
Virtual try-ons is one of the most exciting aspects of the industry in my opinion. It’s been around for a couple of years now but the technology is getting much more sophisticated and leads to so much creativity. The customers interact with brands in various ways and have the option to experience a store-like visit whereas before, you had to purchase the product, wait for shipping, and then return half of the items that did not suit you. Which leads me to my second point, which is the sustainability aspect of our industry. We are seeing a huge reduction in carbon footprint from less returns, shipping, waste, and even less samples being produced. Some of our customers at CGTrader have adopted 3D into the design and production process so there’s no need to create a physical sample of a product for testing or approval. It has cut down time, processes, and even more waste! We truly hope more companies are able to follow this trend in the near future as they evaluate their ESG policies.
And lastly, from these new practices, we’re seeing products from brands that only exist in the digital form or a physical product with a digital twin where you can wear the product and have a digital copy of it to use for social media, your avatar in different games, and in virtual worlds. The extended life of the product and a branding opportunity for the company are all aspects of 3D assets we try to educate our client about when they’re evaluating the investment into 3D.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
I think an overarching theme of concern in the industry for me is the user experience and usability of the platforms. If there’s no delight to the user right away or it’s too difficult to play or understand, it will delay the mass adoption of VR, AR, MR by the mainstream consumer. And without the industry being more mainstream, you won’t attract brands which will want to play in the space with branding and advertising opportunities.
NFTs are an interesting space with a lot of potential, I think it’s still early days so something to watch there, especially with pricing as it’s volatile in movement.
Trust and risk also comes to mind as the technology becomes more realistic — think deep fakes and the blending of the real world and virtual reality.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
I think the last two years have shown us that these technologies are not only a nice to have, but a must have at this point. Collaboration and enhancement of physical space is important to our ongoing work and our need to feel connected.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Improvements can definitely be made for overall health and mental health from our industry. We’ve seen people dealing with their fears — fear of heights, vertigo, motion sickness, and training with simulations to practice and confront the fears to overcome a mental or physical challenge.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
The myths are a bit one-dimensional — the belief that you need to know 3D to be in this industry or need to be highly technical to work. I think it’s important in this industry, and even the broader tech industry, to understand that there are different roles you can use your talent to achieve a successful career. There are entry points you can create that are complementary to this specific industry. If you’re passionate about VR, AR, and MR — choose a career in marketing or engineering and the creative side and have a fulfilling learning experience while performing the role you work in. At CGTrader, we have seen a lot of transferable skills from employees in different departments and they didn’t necessarily know the industry at all when they started but were able to learn quickly and provide value to the business.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
1 — An idea: always focus on what you want to achieve, technology is a means to an end
2 — Early adoption mindset, setting up experiments: knowing it’s ok to fail and fail fast in the beginning
3 — Curiosity: continuously looking for information and new technology trends in the space (what others might be doing or solving)
4 — Technical inclination: technical skills can be learned so you don’t need to necessarily start with these skills but the ability to learn them fast is helpful
5 — OK with the unknown / open mindset: new territory, new industry, always will be unpredictable
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Currently my mind is mostly around Ukraine. And the support for them, especially monetary support. It’s the most efficient way to help them. CGTrader donated $100K to the effort, especially for helping women and children refugees. As a mother, a movement that I would most like to inspire is one where we humanize refugees, especially in the case with Ukraine — women and children, since the men aren’t allowed to leave the country. We want to make sure the children are still able to receive an education by volunteering our time to teach and our money to help them set up schools. Our recruiters also prioritize finding Ukrainian women candidates for our open roles and any type of freelance work they’re able to do within our community. We are already seeing a great deal of generosity from our designer community where they have also donated part of their royalties to the on-the-ground efforts for Ukrainians. We hope Ukrainians know how much they inspire us when defending themselves against Russian aggression and find it encouraging that they’re already starting to return to the larger cities, like Kiev, to stand their ground.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I must say Elon Musk — he has had such a massive impact on several industries, and is a true entrepreneur tackling impossible challenges.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
I believe that in today’s online world, you should be able to directly communicate with your market without a middleman. If you have the capital, it may be beneficial — however, you should be the one who has the most drive and passion to overcome obstacles throughout your business venture.
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Daniel Galea
From making his first $10,000 online by the age of 18, Daniel has since gone on to create multiple successful businesses — the first being a real estate marketing agency founded in 2020, when he was just 23 years old. He grew this into a six-figure company within 30 days, pushing it to over a half-million/year business within the first six months. Amongst his online projects, Daniel is an example of the Gen Z’s making their mark in the business world. He can be found at: www.danielgalea.com.au
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I was born and raised in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and I’m a first-generation Australian. As the son of a business owner, I grew up with a constant desire to also make a name for myself. This pushed me to start experimenting with ways of making an income whilst in high school — ranging from reselling, graphic design and freelancing to creating a clothing brand.
I continued down the path of becoming an RMIT Bachelor (Honours) graduate as I continued to find my way into the business world, amongst short-term sales/construction jobs.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
In business, learning from failure is the only way to overcome perceived roadblocks. This quote had been heavily applicable — especially when I had been creating solutions that had yet to exist in the Australian marketplace.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The Slight Edge written by Jeff Olson.
It describes that what you do matters — every day, every moment, your life path is either curving upward, or curving downward. This book had a major impact on my life during my full-time employment in the corporate world. I knew I wasn’t fulfilling my potential, I felt stuck for months on-end and simply thought that “an idea would eventually come to me”.
Reading this book ultimately led to the realisation that I needed to take control of my situation and start by directly going to market — testing various niches and finding pain-points that I may be able to solve.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
When you don’t have experience or knowledge in a particular niche/market, you might convince yourself that an idea seems good. Thinking of an idea is not difficult. The challenging part is finding one that the market finds valuable enough to pay for.
To have success in translating your idea into an actual business; you will need to directly ask, interview and question your future clients/customers. Find out what they currently do to solve the problem your “idea” fills. Discover how much they would pay for such a product/service. You should never rely on an “idea” without any market validation first — you can save yourself a great amount of time, money and inventory by directly asking them what their problems are. Chances are, this will change your “idea” to something which may better solve their pain-points.
When I started my first business of producing home buyer/seller leads for real estate agents, I found the biggest pain point for clients had been cold calling these leads and translating them into sales. My clients were on the road doing business and did not have time to call leads until after-hours. I therefore built out a lead qualification sales team to solve this issue. Meaning, we generated and qualified leads before transferring those that were suitable to the client. This gave us a higher value to our business and resulted greater client satisfaction.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
Start by searching online using keywords, topics, questions, etc. Pose yourself as the customer/client when doing your research. You’ll have a greater likelihood of your search returning more accurate results.
When you find a similar competitor: use their language to revise your next online search. Since you may not be directly involved in their niche, you may not know the lingo of the industry. Revising your search to include the lingo/phrasing that competitors use will help produce more specific results — as most businesses rely on keyword targeting and specific phrases to rank higher via SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Utilise the ‘Similar Pages’ dropdown on a competitor’s Instagram, Facebook, etc. to see how the rest of the market is attempting to stand out with their unique value proposition.
Go directly to experienced professionals in your niche and ask them. This will differ for goods and services.
If your “idea” is a service: most of the professionals in your target market will be open to discussing how they’re currently solving a problem with an existing competitor. Example: real estate agents are open to discussing what software platform they’re using to manage leads. If your request is more private, you may need to rely on friends or connections to obtain more detailed information.
If your “idea” is a physical product: there is more difficulty, however it’s not impossible. An approach may be to research websites that host reviews such as Trust Pilot, Product Hunt, etc. These websites have a “Related Products” sidebar to further research your niche/product. A paid approach is to utilise tools such as Pollfish — which can shortcut the route of market research.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.
Using what we’ve mentioned, you’ll need to first get market validation for your idea. You do not want to go to market with an idea that you will only ‘hope’ to sell. Your idea should be simple enough to convey with an elevator pitch.
For physical products that are not yet available online, you can obtain a provisional patent giving you some time to develop a proof of concept / minimum viable product. Keep the main pain-points in mind when designing. You should not stray from what the end-customer confirmed throughout your market research.
Quality manufacturers typically require some form of MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). Most entrepreneurs that create brand-new products rely on public crowdfunding campaigns to raise capital — such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo. This can also help spread your brand if you’ve undertaken correct market research, and will assist with selling your product before it has been created — i.e. through pre-sales / pre-orders.
A good quality manufacturer will have experience producing similar products over an amount of time. Sourcing locally can mean higher manufacturing fees, however sourcing overseas can mean greater delays. This will depend on what product you are hoping to create.
Instead of local retailers distributing your product, use your rapport and audience from pre-sales / pre-orders to drive traffic to your website via Ecommerce. Spread the word through further incentives, run online advertising campaigns and sell direct to the consumer. You have an audience list of people who want to buy, and therefore can use lookalike audiences and further research to put your product in front of more people who are similar to your customers.
Overall: if you’re looking to create a product, I would highly suggest a private labelling route to first get experience before diving into a capital-intensive venture (such as creating a product yourself from scratch). In my experience, it’s usually always best to first create a business with higher profit margins that allow you to undertake these more expensive ventures.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
‘Business’ is simply an exchange of value. It isn’t about ‘the next fad / product’; it’s about providing some form of value to someone, where you both receive a win-win return.
Every market/niche has numerous pain-points. Those in your niche want to remove obstructions and achieve a desired ‘Transformation’ — whether it be through a solution that’s quicker, cheaper, more efficient, etc. As an entrepreneur, it’s your problem-solving ability that creates the ‘Mechanism’ to deliver that ‘Transformation’ to the said market. When starting out, I felt like I had no monetisable skills or anything I was even remotely passionate about. In most cases, you can find your mastery/passion in delivering results that can change peoples’ lives.
Finding the right mentor. This can take time (and potentially numerous attempts), but it will yield a great amount in return. The right mentor will help you learn from their mistakes and shortcut learnings. The internet is, again, the best avenue — however I highly recommend undertaking detailed research before reaching out to those who make themselves known for the wrong reasons.
You can find ways to start with very little capital. Most people inject a great amount of funding to start their business — through purchasing inventory, products, equipment, hiring, graphic design, 5-year business plans, etc. — and then waiting for the market to come to them. With the online world at our fingertips, you should always test the market before you officially launch. This can be through investing in a landing page (i.e. website design), putting it in front of your market and seeing if viewers turn into purchasers. If so, you’ve found a great business angle and have not outlaid a great amount of capital.
Scaling requires delegation — you eventually have to let go of your business. Hire those who specialise in certain areas of your business, instead of spreading yourself thin and attempting to do everything. Once you have product-market fit, business becomes an internal matter of how you can replicate the ‘Mechanism’ for your market without losing quality.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
Obtain market validation for your idea; you do not want to go to market with an idea that you will only ‘hope’ to sell. Research competitors in your target niche to get a detailed understanding of how your problem is being currently solved and what could potentially be improved. Those who you come across through your market research may even turn into pre-sales and testimonials — meaning you have clients and social proof ready to go upon launch.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I believe that in today’s online world, you should be able to directly communicate with your market without a middleman. If you have the capital, it may be beneficial — however, you should be the one who has the most drive and passion to overcome obstacles throughout your business venture.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
I have yet to rely on venture capital. It will heavily depend on what you’re providing. Both have their benefits, though. Bootstrapping will always be the best method for validating an idea and first obtaining proof of concept. If you’re requiring venture capital, it can assist with driving the business forward at a faster rate — however, be prepared to give up equity (and therefore control) of the business.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I share everything with aspiring entrepreneurs at my website listed above. I believe I made the world a better place through providing real estate agents with more sales, more time with their family and peace-of-mind. I’ve also assisted many entrepreneurs to start their own business and unlock their potential. The last thing I would want to do is gatekeep what I’ve learnt from those who want to follow a similar entrepreneurial path.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Many people fail to understand that life isn’t about looking for the next online fad or the next way to make a quick income. The only way to achieve success is by helping enough people get what they want with no expectation in return. We all have our own unique set of skills and expertise, all of which can be utilised to help a market to result in a win-win outcome.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Naval Ravikant— an entrepreneur and investorwho had been crucial in shaping my day-to-day mindset and outlook.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Presence of mind. This means being fully attuned to the moment, which will allow you to seamlessly incorporate the elements of the environment and energy of the audience. You don’t just write a speech and then deliver it. You will write something, you will bring your message, but the event of your speaking will ultimately be a blending of the message you bring and what the moment offers.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Reverend Maureen Cotton.
Reverend Maureen Cotton is an Interspiritual minister, serving the spiritual-but-not-religious and non-dogmatic people of faith. Since ordination at One Spirit Interfaith Alliance in 2015, she has worked as a hospital chaplain and officiated countless weddings. Currently, she offers non-dogmatic, premarital spiritual guidance, consults with couples on crafting ceremonies, and, of course, officiates wedding ceremonies.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
My dad was in the military so we moved a lot, although I spent most of my childhood in Colorado Springs. Transitioning places, schools, and communities all the time challenged me to feel at home in the world, which I now see as a basis for my spiritual life; I needed to tap into something ever-present since my circumstances were always changing.
When I was 12 years old, my family had just moved to New Hampshire when my dad suddenly died of a heart attack. Grappling with loss at that early age while beginning to practice yoga (which was “weird” in America back then!) led to deep spiritual experiences that not only served as my awakening, but made me more comfortable with loss and emotional suffering than the average person. It’s no surprise that I’d later discover a calling to be with people at the end of life.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
In 2011, after my grandfather died a peaceful death with good palliative care, I discovered a call to become a hospice chaplain. I didn’t have a religious background but had tapped into the divine in my own way throughout my life. I learned about the Interspiritual movement and that I could become ordained clergy without having to accept or espouse a specific doctrine. My seminary experience was multifaith, but I didn’t become an expert on comparative religions, I learned how spirituality works in our lives.
I never planned to officiate weddings, but people who knew about my spiritual-but-not-religious path started asking. So many people today are spiritual-but-not-religious and don’t know how to craft something like a meaningful wedding ritual without the framework of religion. This is my exact specialty.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
After graduating seminary, I was plagued with what we now call “imposter syndrome”; was I a “real” minister after my unique heart-centered training when other types of clergy study for years and years in one tradition? One experience that helped me move past this occurred while working as a chaplain at an assisted living home.
I ran a weekly spirituality group for residents who were mostly Catholic women in their 80’s and 90’s. They were skeptical of me, but I showed up each week as I offered spiritual practices and discussions that people could try without having to believe anything. We talked about the nature of forgiveness (an especially important topic toward the end of our lives) and I led Loving-Kindness meditation. We used a board game to talk about our wishes for end of life care and our funerals.
On my last day there, we created a ritual to welcome spring. After sharing about our hopes for spring time, we created holy water. I shared with them my philosophy about blessings and that I believed anyone can offer a blessing, while acknowledging that they might have been taught that blessings only come from “on high” (from God to Pope to Cardinal and so on). I offered a mini tutorial about blessings focusing on the power of our intention. Then I took a large glass pitcher of water and brought it to each person for them to hold and bless. When we were done we used the blessed water to water all of the plants in the common areas. I then offered to water any plants in their apartments.
To my amazement one woman brought out a small empty bottle. It had been a bottle of holy water from Lordes, which is considered a miraculous spring of holy water by Catholics. She asked if she could please refill it with the holy water we had created together. I was so moved that she felt the power of our blessings and valued it the same as the holiness she had been taught as a Catholic.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’m really having trouble thinking of a funny mistake, which may be because my wife says that I don’t embarrass easily.
When public speaking, when officiating a wedding, it’s important to not think of it as a performance. With that attitude, there are no mistakes; there are just planned and unplanned things that happen in the container we’ve created together. An effective public speaker will integrate things that go awry, even their own “mistakes,” which relates to my first tip!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My first mentors in ministry were the Little Brothers of Saint Francis. They were a small community of Francisan brothers who lived alongside and ministered to “the poor” in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. As the neighborhood was gentrifying in the early 2000s, I was a college student and lived just around the corner from them.
Initially, I asked to photograph them for a semester-long documentary photo project for school. They agreed and invited me into their world; we quickly became soul friends.
The deep peace I had felt practicing yoga also lived in their chapel peppered with minuscule relics and a mini tabernacle. I was stunned by how much I related to the events, reflections, and questions that guided them on their journeys. “Oh!” I thought, “That peace, that love, that interconnectivity, the immutable undercurrent that all shall be well… that’s what you mean by ‘God?’ Well, then, I too know God.”
I often went with them during their street ministry through which they handed out socks and sandwiches to the homeless while also listening deeply. People bloomed in their presence and vented their suffering in those conversations. The Brothers’ loving and non judgemental presence taught me what ministry is.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
For anyone who is drawn to make a living doing the work of their heart, I can only assure you that it’s worth it.
People sometimes don’t want to pursue a hobby or personal joy as a profession because they are afraid it will make it not fun anymore. It’s true that making something your profession changes your relationship to it. It does demand you educate yourself on things like business and communication. However, putting what you love at the center of your life, ever sharpening your skills around your gifts, transforms you and the world for the better. It’s not an easy path but it’s incredibly rewarding.
There are very hard days, and the future is often unclear. Then there are the days where I’m like, “Oh hey, I’ve created a job out of having deep spiritual conversations and helping people remember they are a beautiful expression of the divine. What could possibly be better?!”
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
As a wedding officiant, my main message is that a wedding is a rite of passage. As a culture we’ve forgotten this and even the best, most grounded couples can get lost in the circus of the wedding spectacle. It is a powerful, meaningful threshold that can permanently deepen connection in your life. Your connection with yourself, your partner, your loved ones and — if it’s part of your worldview — the higher presence that holds this whole place together.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
To craft highly customized ceremonies, I created a process that helps me get to know my couples on a deep level. As the years go by, I’ve realized that my process also helps them get to know themselves and each other in a new way. People need guidance while they plan for their wedding and marriage — in the secular world we’ve lost sight of that.
So my focus is now on a process called The Soulful Wedding Roadmap, which blends premarital guidance, spiritual coaching, and wedding visioning. It lays the groundwork for a deeply meaningful and joyful wedding and early marriage.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Civil rights activist and faith leader Valarie Kaur says that, “Grief is the price of love.” I feel this on every level and I embrace the grief around me — my own and others. Although I’m currently working with people at the threshold of marriage instead of the threshold of death, I see how present grief is and the need to embrace it. Embracing grief in all forms in our life allows us to embrace change and thereby life more fully.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
First, let me define “effective.” Effective public speaking creates a new perspective or possibility.
Presence of mind. This means being fully attuned to the moment, which will allow you to seamlessly incorporate the elements of the environment and energy of the audience. You don’t just write a speech and then deliver it. You will write something, you will bring your message, but the event of your speaking will ultimately be a blending of the message you bring and what the moment offers. When you don’t have presence of mind, things can get awkward, fast. It separates you from your audience. I was in attendance at a wedding years ago where a bird suddenly flew really low right overhead of the couple while the officiant was speaking. He was so nervous, clenching his script and only thinking about getting the words out. He wasn’t present so the bird really threw him off — it wasn’t in the script, he didn’t know what to do, so he ignored it. Ignoring it, and seeing he was taking pains to ignore it, made it really awkward. However, if he had presence of mind he could have incorporated this spontaneous moment and transformed it into a meaningful synchronicity. How amazing to have a bird fly right over love birds! What a beautiful sign from nature, what a blessing and special moment. What could have elevated the moment instead interrupted it.
Body awareness to manage nerves. Simon Sineck did a great talk about how nervousness and excitement are physiologically the same. He observed that when a journalist asks an athlete if they are nervous for a big competition they almost always answer, “No, I’m excited.” If you start to notice you’re sweating, pacing, getting butterflies in your stomach, etc. observe that signal and think to yourself, “I’m excited.” Don’t allow yourself to spiral thinking you’re nervous and that your nerves might derail you. Embrace them as part of a special moment. You have an opportunity to convey your message, and you’re so excited about it that it’s showing in your body. If you feel like you need to shift that energy, you may wish to engage in a grounding movement practice such as yoga, chi gong, or simply a long nature walk that morning.
Words that you enjoy speaking. When writing your speech or generally preparing your response, take care to think of a few phrases that really distill your overall message. Speak in your language, not more academic or casual than you think you need to. If you enjoy speaking the words and message, then they will be compelling to listen to. Find a message that you yourself are moved by and others will be as well. When I officiate a wedding I tell the couples’ story, but I also draw a lesson out of it or admire the overall arc or theme of their partnership. I personally find this very moving, and in the moment I take time sharing this lesson. As I do, I can feel how much people are hanging on each word and being inspired to reflect on the nature of love.
A conflict. You’ve probably heard that a story needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. A key component to the middle is that it’s a grappling with difficult circumstances or emotions. Even for weddings, I embrace some of the tough stuff in life. Couples grow when they overcome obstacles, so it might be common for me to mention the death of a loved one, illness, or other life challenge that they have overcome together. While such a mention is temporarily painful or difficult to consider, then it’s all the more joyful to reach the resolutions. The joy is more deeply felt as we celebrate the powerful and connected couple that they are today.
Connection and interactivity. If you’ve been asked to give a talk, there’s a reason it’s a talk and not an essay or a radio show. It’s a gathering, a shared experience. Consider that people pay lots of money to see a musical on Broadway even if they know every word. They are not paying to learn the story or even to hear the music, which they can do at home. They want to be a part of something. If offered a podium or stand, decline it so that there’s nothing between you and the audience (if you’re reading your script, put it in a sturdy book that you can hold). When I officiate a wedding I do not maintain the typical spot behind the couple, but move to the side so I can really speak to the guests and the couple. Eye contact and gesturing are important for connection too. You don’t have to exaggerate it if you’re not someone who gestures a lot. In whatever way you show your attention in conversation, you can show it from a stage as well.
Connection is formed by interaction, and your talk can be interactive even if people don’t move their bodies at all. You can prompt them to think of something, or hold a person or place in their heart. Find something in your talk that you know offers an important takeaway. Instead of just hoping people take it away, build it into the talk. Pause and prompt them to think of it and imagine a new possibility.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
When you give your talk, don’t view it as a performance. Instead, focus on the power and potential of your message. Focus on what’s bigger than you. Public speaking is not a chance to show off, be perfect, and entertain — unless you’re a pop star. The rest of us are vessels for a message or experience. You’re speaking to uplift and transform. Public speaking fear is a fear of being judged or measured in some way. If you think of yourself as standing there on behalf of your message or cause; you’ll be empowered to deliver it instead of fearing giving a bad performance.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could start a movement it would be: Go First. Be brave, honest, and compassionate enough to go first. Be willing to say, “I love you,” first. Be the one to offer forgiveness, reach out an open hand. Raise the question everyone is thinking about but afraid to verbalize. Say what you’re really feeling or what you really need.
Go first and trust that everyone else wants compassion, love, forgiveness, growth, and understanding as much as you go. Don’t wait for permission, but once you go first you’re giving others permission.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Civil rights activist and faith leader Valarie Kaur, who has given us the vital insight that grief is the price of love. As a person of faith who prizes compassion there are so many difficult questions about what compassion and love really look like in a world of injustice and war. For over ten years I’ve seen Valarie tackling these questions head on and it inspires me to no end.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Allow your personality to shine. People love authenticity.
Out of all five tips I am giving, this one ranks at the top. I can vividly remember when I first started speaking. I was rigid and scared of making a mistake; I never allowed my personality to shine. Once I did, the flood gates opened. I began to have people recommend me to their bosses, co-workers, and family. I became known without doing anything but being myself, being vulnerable, and authentic.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chad Osinga.
Chad Osinga is a high school dropout turned college graduate, special operations sniper, and combat applications instructor for the military. Chad grew up in a drug house with a mother addicted to crack cocaine, who later died due to an overdose. Never knowing his father, he turned to the streets for the better portion of his early life.
Chad joined the US Army, becoming a sniper and eventually teaching combat applications to every branch and the FBI, US Marshalls, DEA, and SWAT teams. While stationed in Germany, his five-year-old daughter had a massive stroke caused by a rare disease. German doctors misdiagnosed her before transporting her to Hamburg, where she would undergo surgery and initial testing. During this crazy time, Chad’s pregnant wife would go into labor, complicating his family’s situation.
Chad and his wife would have a fourth child a year after his daughter’s stroke, but life would become harder as his two youngest sons were diagnosed with Autism (ASD). After sustaining multiple injuries, Chad was medically retired in 2015. Once he exited the Army, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder seemed to attack him as he had never experienced it. He turned to one of the drugs that destroyed his mother’s life, alcohol. What started as a nighttime remedy soon became an addiction that would almost cost him his marriage and his relationship with his four kids.
In 2015 Chad was taking a left turn when a car ran a red light and plowed through him, placing his body into a guard rail. Most thought he would not make it through this incident, but God again had different plans. It took him almost a year to get back on a motorcycle, but he was determined not to allow fear or this wreck to control his future. Shy of two years later, in 2020, he was riding with a group of friends when a van came into his lane. He was propelled into a construction zone as his motorcycle was pinned into a jersey barrier. Chad died on the way to the hospital and before his second surgery.
Though Chad’s last accident placed him in a position of hardship, it also spurred a change in him and an understanding that God had a purpose for his life that was bigger than him. He quit drinking cold turkey, quit smoking marijuana (which was an ounce-a-week addiction at one point), and began unearthing the power within himself. Chad can relate to almost any scenario from war, special needs children, marital problems, and physical setbacks.
Now Chad uses his time to speak on podcasts such as “Good Life Great Life with Brian Highfield” and writes for publications like “Authority Magazine & The UpJourney” as a life coach/mentor and a motivational speaker. His main initiative is to help empower people by revamping their mindset. He believes the fight for success, failure, mediocracy, or greatness is won or lost within our minds.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Life has been somewhat of a challenge since birth as I was born in the beautiful love state of Virginia with Erb’s Palsy. My mother worked vigorously to retrieve mobility to the left side of my body. Once I regained the strength on my left side. My mother relapsed into her first love of drugs and alcohol. Entering school, I was labeled a “special education” student early in life. I remember a teacher vividly telling me I was dumb because I did not comprehend the lesson taught in class. Comments like this throughout my early life would shape my subconscious — embracing the “special education kid” and allowing those words to define me.
I became a loner, began to rebel against authority and became angry at the world. Before I knew it, life spiraled out of control, my mom had become entirely dependent on crack cocaine, and her dealers moved in with us. I was barely going to school, which raised quite a bit of suspicion.
At fourteen years old, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies raided my home. It was one of the scariest moments in my life. Our home had so many people inside that they did not have enough handcuffs. Instead of going to a juvenile detention center, I was placed on probation and shipped to Oklahoma with my aunt and uncle I barely knew. Before I arrived, I had been declared anemic due to the lack of nourishment I received. The drug dealers ate most of our food, leaving me with just scraps. Not realizing the circumstance forced upon me would lead me to another abusive scenario. While in my new environment, I was abused (physically, mentally, and emotionally) for minor incidents caused by my cousins. They would quote scripture and declare the name of the Lord to feel guiltless for their abuse. Meanwhile, my mother was sentenced and sent to federal prison.
Roughly a year and a half went by. Realizing I was just a paycheck and tired of my current state of affairs, I hitch-hiked to the airport, making my way back to Virginia. Breaking probation, willing to face the circumstance of jail, I was released in the custody of my grandmother.
My mother was released from prison and fell victim to her addictions. This time the drugs took her life. The ironic part is that she passed while doing drugs at a friend’s house from Alcohol Anonymous (AA).
I continued down a similar path as the woman who brought me into this world. I dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. During this period, I met a young lady unlike anyone I had ever met in my life. Despite the negativity swirling around my life, she was a bright light to a guy surrounded by darkness. This young lady would be the one who convinced me to stop selling drugs, get an honest job, and support my leap of faith to the US Army. She would become my wife, my rock, and the mother of my four children. Life growing up was quite the journey but made me the man I am today. I am thankful for the lessons that I have been fortunate to learn and overcome.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have two stories, actually; For years, friends and family members have tried to convince me to step out and talk about my life. My life has been unique because I have had to endure hardships consistently throughout my life. Whether it is how to overcome obstacles in your personal life, marriage, with your children, mental struggles, or physical injuries, I have been through them and fortunately overcame them. However, outside of the courses I was teaching for the military, I would not speak in front of people. I did not want to allow my fight to be known by everyone until my last two life-changing incidents.
After being medically retired from the United States Army, I began riding motorcycles to combat what I like to call “demons” (PTSD).
In 2018, I took a left turn at a stoplight on my motorcycle. As I was looking into the turn, a driver who was not paying attention blew through a red light. That driver plowed into me at forty-five miles an hour, putting my lifeless body into a guard rail.
Most of my friends thought I would die that night, but I didn’t. It took me a little over a year to recover and get the courage to get back on a motorcycle.
In 2020, just shy of two years after my first wreck, a van hit me again. While I was on I-95 with a few buddies riding, the driver, not looking in their mirrors, changed lanes, and my bike went into the jersey barrier as I went into a construction zone.
This wreck broke my femur, pelvis, and hip and fractured my neck. I died on the way to the hospital and before my second surgery. Yet, somehow I am here in this interview today.
While recovering from this incident, I realized that I had a purpose bigger than me. I knew that all I had been through was to help others. Moreover, to empower people by assisting them to maximize their potential through changing the way they think. I knew it was time for me to take action, and help as many individuals as possible.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I began speaking, I did so in a military setting. I was teaching Soldiers. Up to this point, my clients were close to the base where I did most of my engagements.
I was doing a week-long course, and on the last day, a student walked up and introduced herself. She went on to say she had flown from Fort Brag to learn from me.
Taken back, I asked why and how she heard about me? The tiny but motivated woman said that my credentials spoke volumes at the highest level of her command. She then went on to tell me she was a Lt Colonel at Fort Brag. I had no clue that people were recommending me or that Soldiers were willing to travel to learn from me.
The craziest part was following that course; I began to have people fly in from all over the country to be taught by me, including the U.S Marshalls.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I spoke in front of roughly forty people; this was the most audience I had been in front of to date. Everything was going well, and boom! Brain dump, I went completely blank, turned bright red, then began pacing. It felt like all forty people were staring a hole through my soul. After retrieving some notes, I finally got it together and was able to finish strong.
The main thing I learned from that moment was to relax and trust in my preparation. I had everything down before that class started. Once I got a little stuck, I allowed the moment’s pressure to affect my flow. I also learned that stuff happens, no one is perfect, and to push forward regardless of the mistake; if I drive on rather than allow the error to affect the overall performance, the audience rarely notices the minor mishap.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
A few people have strengthened my resolve, encouraged my entrepreneurship, and ultimately just believed in who I could be. One of whom is a phycologist I have known for seven years. One afternoon, he and I were talking about life in general. Before Covid-19 had hit the world, I was teaching at-risk children basketball. I relate quite a bit to these children, so I gladly went twice a week before school to help these kids learn the game. The only condition was that they had to do well in class, listen to their teachers, and respect their peers. Honestly, teaching those kids was like a form of therapy for me.
As we sat there and discussed life, I mentioned how I wanted to impact the lives of these children. Moreover, to grow my capacity to assist special-needs families as well. “There are considerably fewer finances with this type of work, but the joy it brings is genuinely priceless,” I told him. He looked at me and said, “you are an outlier.” I asked what he meant he said, “most that have experienced a life of such adversity do not have the same moral compass as you do. I see men who have far less adversity to them yet allow a singular event to alter their morals or beliefs regarding the world.
On the other hand, you have endured more than most on multiple different fronts of your life; the difference is that you have not permitted those struggles to poison how you view others. Nor have these hardships caused you to abandon your goodness toward those in need.” Little does he know that those words inspired me to move forward with my career as a speaker and mentor.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Fall in love with the process. No matter how much success one achieves, there is always another level to attain. Understand that you either win or learn; the only time one fails is when we refuse the lesson. Know your “why” and cultivate the right belief system. I am not referring to anything religious instead, what we believe about ourselves. As an entrepreneur, you will face setbacks. If you do not know your “why” or your belief system is not changed, the friction felt will derail you from success.
Allow me to unpack what I mean by belief system. If we associate every mistake with failure, then every time we make one in the future, we will believe we failed and quit before giving ourselves a real shot. It is no different than why we associate alcohol with happiness, death with pain, or television with relaxation. One must revamp their thought processes to find success as an entrepreneur.
Lastly, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” I preach action; however, it is unwise to “place the cart before the horse.” Let me explain; Floyd Mayweather (Professional Boxer) has some of the most vicious and accurate jabs in boxing. He tears opponents down with this punch. I can watch a YouTube video on throwing correct jabs, yet, it will not be anything like Mayweathers. Why? It’s simple; he has spent thousands of hours learning how to throw that one punch so effectively that he can revolve his entire style around it. So invest in yourself, learn, and never stop perfecting your craft. Do not rush the process, remember, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
I did not have someone to help me see the greatness within myself for most of my life. To help me see that everything I have ever needed I already had. To help me create and enforce the right belief system.
Despite rough beginnings, physical challenges, or a lack of opportunities, I could not just achieve my dreams but reach heights unimagined.
So I wake up each day in pursuit of empowering and being that individual I did not have. To strengthen the resolve of every listener, helping them target the foundation of success, their mind.
I hear many people talk about struggling in different areas of their lives and they have tried to no avail to achieve or stop something in their lives. The root of the issue is our beliefs, which is why even when people take action, they quit. Consistency can only be attained through the right mindset.
The aforementioned leads me to the message I aim to share; our decisions are tied directly to what we believe about this world, our lot in life, and ourselves. Moreover, changing our belief systems and maintaining what we believe is imperative to maximize one’s potential. Once people tap into the power of rewiring their mindset, there is truly nothing they will not be able to conquer or achieve.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I am very excited to announce that I have started working on my first book, “The Legend Of An Outlier.” I also have been asked to be on a Podcast called “Good Life Great life” with Brian Highfield, and I m very honored to have such an opportunity.
Over the next year, I have several goals I will be setting out to accomplish. One is to start a podcast that focuses on revamping mindsets. Honestly, I can see no limits to where I will go from here.
As I mentioned, I am writing a lot now and will begin writing and publishing several different books I have had in my heart. However, the most significant accomplishment I will be setting out to tackle is helping my community. I am from an area where poverty has tremendously affected the youth. We also have many special needs children who do not have the resources to succeed. I have already started a yearly motorcycle rally that aims to raise money and provide items these kids need to live a better tomorrow. The next phase is to place mentors in their lives and give them a glimpse into the possibilities that await them if they put forward the effort.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“THINKING WILL NOT OVERCOME FEAR, BUT ACTION WILL” — W. CLEMENT STONE
This quote resonates to the very core of my being. Not because I have not accomplished a lot throughout my life, but rather because I have had many setbacks trying to place limits on myself and my fantastic family. A limit solely based on fear and doubt. From my daughter’s stroke to my wife having our third child while my daughter was in the Intensive Care Unit in Hamburg, Germany, until my last motorcycle accident, where I died twice.
Fear has been a predominant force I have had to face. Doubt has arose shaped in many different forms along this journey.
Many think I am crazy for getting back onto a motorcycle after being in two horrendous accidents, mainly as they were based on drivers not paying attention. For myself, however, it was about facing my fear and slaying that beast. Bringing the power and control back to me and proving I could do it.
I believed that I was cursed for longer than I wanted to admit. From growing up in such a challenging situation, all my injuries, and the struggles my kids faced, it seemed as if we would never have anything better in life. This type of thinking was based on fear, and I allowed it to control not just me but my family.
I found that the things I thought I couldn’t achieve or were too scary to try were all built up in my head. Once I started to take action, I saw how attainable it was and how brave those “things” were. It was all a figment of my imagination.
We were trapped until we found the skeleton key. The solution was taking action, and oddly enough, we gained freedom I had only heard about from afar. In the Army, we say “move or die”; doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Understand who your audience is.
For example, when I speak in a room full of combat leaders, I am super poised; however, I cuss and use military slang that only they understand. Furthermore, if you do not understand whom you are speaking to and their needs, wants, or expectations, you cannot provide an impact.
2. Tell Stories.
I believe stories connect with our audience. Furthermore, it becomes a bridge for information to pass through. For instance, when I speak or coach entrepreneurs, I like to tell a story of my first failed business and stories of current deterrents. I have found that my relatability increases when I am vulnerable, equating to the listener’s overall growth.
3. Use verbiage that everyone can understand.
How we speak is crucial; if I am in front of Church staff speaking on leadership and begin to use profanity, I will lose the audience quickly. Additionally, our verbiage needs to be clear and concise; remember, you are the subject matter expert. How we speak confirms said expertise — using conciseness and a calm flow when speaking demonstrates our expertise to our listeners.
4. Ensure your message has a flow and is organized.
When I first started speaking, my thoughts were cluttered. I did not have my delivery structured. When I opened the floor for questions, it put me at a disadvantage. The audience was confused about what they would do first, second, and third. I went back to the drawing board and worked on not just organizing the information but bringing a personal flow. In return, this allowed my organized data to be personal and professional.
5. Allow your personality to shine. People love authenticity.
Out of all five tips I am giving, this one ranks at the top. I can vividly remember when I first started speaking. I was rigid and scared of making a mistake; I never allowed my personality to shine. Once I did, the flood gates opened. I began to have people recommend me to their bosses, co-workers, and family. I became known without doing anything but being myself, being vulnerable, and authentic.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Everyone is different, and I believe in “different strokes for different folks.” But, a few things helped me when I began speaking. First, practice until you know the material by heart, and then practice some more.
Secondly, ensure you know the topic you are discussing. One thing people cannot stand is clueless individuals on whatever topic the attendees came to get instruction on. Being the subject matter expert is essential.
Lastly, and probably what has helped me more in my career in speaking and life in general, is envisioning my success. I learned this tactic from an old Green Beret, who told me the key to passing any selection course is to see yourself on the stage, graduating with your peers. I do this before every speaking engagement and in almost every area of my life. I don’t just envision the end of the event, but I imagine myself actively speaking and delivering my message with excitement, clarity, and a contagious fire. Doing this as many times as I need is imperative for my success, and I encourage you all to give this a try before your next speaking engagement.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I was someone who struggled with my mindset, how I perceived the world I lived in, and how I saw myself. The most significant adaptation I did for myself was renewing how I thought. Therefore, the most remarkable impact on people is mindset alterations. This would have to be the movement I would aim to lead.
Take a few minutes, stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes, and envision every obstacle holding you back from achieving your desired life. Now I would ask that you remain with your eyes closed and imagine what you need to overcome your current situations and what is required in order to grab hold of that better version of the life you want.
Now open your eyes and look straight ahead into that mirror. You are staring at the source of everything needed to get to the place you just envisioned. Furthermore, what is in front of you has perpetuated and given strength to what has kept you from not rising above the circumstances that have held you back. Need a better relationship with your spouse or your kids? Everything starts with us. The same applies to finances, education, and entrepreneurship.
I had not attended formal schooling in over a decade when I went to college. Moreover, I was considered an individual with a learning disability. Knowing that I was much more than a label, I not only finished my Bachelor of Science in three years, but I made the Dean’s list every semester for the entirety of the three years.
Everything we have ever needed is within us; once people realize the power they hold within, there is genuinely nothing that person cannot accomplish. Therefore, I will spend the rest of my days shining a light on mindset and the power it can produce in our lives when utilized.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
There has been a person I have been following for several months now. I will be candid; I do not impress easily, as I have served with some of the bravest men in the world. However, this individual has impressed me with what I can see of his character, the ability to be himself, and most importantly, his mindset. Ryan Stewman would be the person I would love to sit down and have a bite to eat with. Every morning I read Ryan’s blog posts, listen to his podcasts, and anything else I can get a hold of that he has produced. In fact, I even joined his Break Through Academy/Apex Entourage, which has truly elevated my life. It is nice seeing successful people be givers, have a solid moral compass, and, most importantly, be themselves no matter the audience.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
You definitely need to be persistent. Your pain threshold to frustration and patience needs to be extremely high, having good relationships and a sense for selling your work and business making doesn’t hurt, and you certainly must love the process of creating.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Miriam Kuhlmann.
Miriam Kuhlmann is a filmmaker, actor and media artist. Her work incorporates new technologies, such as AI, VR, and game engines, and was featured in numerous films and exhibitions, including at the AplusD Museum and the Helms Design Center in LA. The trailer for Kuhlmann’s Sci-fi short film Mercury XX was presented at the LA Fashion Film Festival in 2020.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in Germany, in what I would say was a very sheltered environment. German society overall is rather risk-averse and safety-first. Engineering technology and the automotive industry are dominating, which still results in a very male-oriented, structured and rule-based lifestyle. In retrospect, I guess I was unconsciously trying to break outside that box by being constantly drawn to the arts, and trying to find what my palette was. I started out interning with a goldsmith, then worked in a metal workshop, and also with a stone mason in Portugal for a couple of months. He created these organic, seemingly flowing and light sculptures out of huge, heavy blocks of marble and I just had to go and meet him. I remember arriving late at night by taxi at a gas station after my flight, and he was this huge guy, built like a tank, one eye blindfolded, and with a stubble, but he actually turned out to be one of the kindest people you could imagine. Together we went to a quarry in the midst of Portugal and chose some good pieces for the next sculptures. He showed me how he designed his sculptures in software, starting out with 3D-printed models. I learned how to use a handhold buzz-saw to cut out the real sculptures from the stone. At the end of my 3 month stay we celebrated our adventure together with a wonderful exhibition in a gallery in Monchique with his live band, beautiful art by one of his artist friends, and the sculptures sitting in the center of the room. Coming back I was definitely struggling to match my fantastical, complicated, and gravity-defying ideas with work reality after joining an Interior Design school, where I did my BA, and I continuously kept looking for a space to call home. After a couple of years working on and off in architecture and design studios I found a wonderful art school in Frankfurt called Staedelschule, where a small, magical architectural program existed and I found mentors, who taught me, which personal and software tools I should pursue to fulfill my fantasies. I found that there are really no limitations to what is possible in a purely digital realm, the only limitations really are to what people are able and willing to perceive. Ignoring even that limitation, my travels to India, Japan and Kenya inspired me to broaden my own horizon and grow as a person. Somehow I landed in Los Angeles mid 2019 based on a scholarship for SciArc’s Fiction and Entertainment program with Liam Young. Then the pandemic hit and I started my first film project Mercury XX which took almost 2 years to complete due to post-production.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I would say, that I take inspiration from a lot of things around me. I feel very attracted and inspired professionally by the strange and weird and boundary pushing art.
A truly inspiring book for me was “The glass bead game” by Herman Hesse, which is about the inexhaustible human learning experience. It describes the ultimate game, in which associations between disciplines like math and music become deeper and more meaningful. The rules of the game are so sophisticated and specialized, that they are not easy to imagine and are not explained. It is only played by highly trained people living in an academic futuristic bubble, almost like monks in a monastery. Technology and other pleasantries of life are kept to a strict minimum.
I am also fascinated by the works of Marcel Duchamp and his excessive inquisitiveness for the unknown and the multidimensional made me realize, that there are ways to describe the chaotic and unresolved matters of the human mind through the lens of art. If there is a scientific explanation, a complex matter can be visualized, it just needs the right palette and decision making. For instance, his “Large Glass” explains a wondrous story of male and female desires conflicting and coming together through a complex piece of machinery that follows made-up rules that are near impossible to abide by.
I can’t help watching films like Aniara, which is a science fiction film based on an epic swedish poem that really impressed me when I was watching it. I had never felt such bleakness and desolation before in a film. When the pandemic hit 3 months later, I felt like I was in that ship drifting into the dark cold space everyday more and more. The isolation was so hopeless, that I wanted to build something inspiring and beautiful, because I knew it was there, I just could not see or feel it. I wanted to explore, if I can create hope in darkness.
Beyond the black mirror was a great inspiration as well, visually, but also energetically. The story is about a psychopathic man using his power and holding a magical girl captive in a hospital. In a larger sense, it speaks about the male ego and never ending quest for power. It speaks about a whole generation of traumatized humans, the reconciliation between science and spirituality, allowing humans to move into a new age of happiness and I do see a lot of parallels of that in our present. Many people say that we are currently living through a second space race, but we also have new technologies such as AI, NFTs, and block chains now which we simply did not have even 10 years ago. It is interesting to me, however, how these marvels are really mostly driven by greedy, traumatized human beings, hungry for change, and not by gratefulness, empathy and the will to fight for survival. Maybe it’s a mix of both. Showing examples of how humans can heal and use their inner strength to create and make progress rather than using fear as an engine became very important to me.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the AI Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
During one of my first mixed reality exhibition as a student back in 2017, there were a lot of interested visitors, that wanted to try on the VR goggles. When we had families coming in, usually the dads put on the goggles onto their children and the mothers were just looking at the screen. When we asked the women, they were mostly much more hesitant and it took a long while to actually convince them to try the goggles. They were afraid to use the controllers, because they didn’t know how to use them and did not want to break any of it. The maybe four year old kids were extremely quick and understood the controllers in a minute, but the women were too nervous to try. It inspired me to stay in that kind of tech space as an inspiration for other women, and it inspires me to stay calm and curious, even though I don’t know everything and things break all the time. If I am interested in a topic, I try to not let other people’s judgment and comments stop me or put me down. Most of the time, deep down, most people are actually curious I would say and there is something really beautiful and pure about that.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
We shot Mercury XX in August 2020, when most of the filming locations were still closed. I was incredibly nervous, because I had planned 3 hours for the location shoot in the desert, but there was a big car crash on our way to the location. I couldn’t afford to postpone the shoot to another day and we were also stuck in the resulting traffic jam in a canyon, where even turning around is a risky option. So we were stuck for hours, and when we were finally out of the canyon, I calculated, that we only had around 30 minutes left for the shoot, if the rest of the drive goes well. Leaving the canyon, we saw ash cloud emerging above and it began following us from the canyon pass all the way to our shooting location two hours away. It became bigger and darker. My DP assured me, that a cloudy sky might look better on camera than harsh sunlight. Inside, I was a mess. When we arrived, we found our spot and we had to start shooting immediately. After 5 minutes, the large gray cloud spread all over the sky and the sunset started to paint this ugly ash cloud into a deep red, orange and pink- the same colors as the AI-spacesuit I had hand-made for the protagonist. We shot the last frame about 10 minutes before the place was pitch dark and we all got silent. The cloud did not only color the movie frames, but also our drained souls with peace and calm. We later learned that the cloud was a result of the forest fires going on in that region, a phenomenon I had never witnessed before — there are no seasonal forest fires in Germany. So it actually turned out to be the first fire cloud in my entire life.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I guess, taking my first break after an 10 hour VR session I started to feel nauseous and stumbled around like a sailor stepping off their boat for the first time after months at sea, hitting my head pretty badly. However, luckily I didn’t end up breaking the monitor like you see some people do or dive for their 5000$ TV taking an imaginary leap of faith.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
Of course, I had help from a lot of people on my way, too many to name here really but I am eternally grateful for each and everyone: my mom and dad, my brother and his kids who mean the world to me, my godmother who has always helped me out when I was struggling, my best friend, friends from high school and uni, people I met while traveling and working, and of course my mentors and professors.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
My brain always brews more ideas than I can handle, and wants to delve into new territories and explore the boundaries. Right now, I am marinating on combining different media and find funding for another short, which I am excited about. I am also working on further AI explorations with Metahuman and 3D-Scanning technology this time, which I hope I can include into my work. I also strive to encourage others, especially women, to find their voice within the entertainment industry which tends to be very tech-heavy these days. Women to this day have been extremely underrepresented in tech, and I am glad, that this is continuing to slowly change more and more.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
I am super excited about the new kinds of visualizations coming out of the AI space these days like NeRFs and GANs. I am also looking forward to dive deep into Unreal 5 which came out just a couple of weeks ago, and then finally of course the Metaverse which I guess is really going to have a more long-term effect on how the industry is going to evolve. I hear Epic Games is working on an interesting project in that space as well, and with movies like Ready Player One and books like Daemon by Daniel Suarez it’s not hard to become excited about the new kinds of ideas, stories and experiences that such tech would enable, because there are very little restraints in the digital 3d world. One thing in particular I really enjoy right now already is the combination of AI and VR in the fashion space, which actually has a wonderful mental and profoundly practical impact on people.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
I am concerned about Vr etc technologies, because they eat a lot of our time, which would not be a problem, if it didn’t require a constant state of isolation. Working on a dress for instance in the olden days would be something where you can easily walk over to a colleague and show them, let them take part in the process, ask their opinions or just chat about it over a coffee. The tools we have right now are so great and addictive and immersive, but they aren’t really very collaborative. In the end they require spending a lot of time isolated which I feel not only takes a toll on people’s mental health but it also limits the creative process and it’s really easy to become stuck inside a bubble. So I wish, there was more exploration and education about that aspect in tech. Another challenge of the constant sensory overload is that people may be desensitized to certain types of beauty in the world. People always talk about the desensitized towards violence, but I think, that the virtual world can be so beautiful, that it is hard to readjust and find a balance because it overstimulates your brain, which in the end evolved in the natural world. As a second point, and this has been a concern throughout the internet, is that there is no law and moral code in the VR/AR/Mixed technology world. People have been murdered for fun, get raped and abused mentally every day on multimedia platforms. The victims suffer real consequences, but the online world is like a parallel universe, but planetary, and it runs itself with very little oversight, transparency, or accountability. Another concern I have, is that maybe someday the real world is not going to be enough. What if it hurts to wake up and see the lack of things, that you have in our virtual bubble? That would be awful.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
It’s already overtime for businesses to adapt the new normal. It is now simply essential for companies to build flexibility into their processes. I have worked in architectural and design offices before, and the further I pushed the visualization of an idea, clients respond respectively. There is a large difference between the emotional response to abstract, conceptual images than to realistic images or videos for example. Simulated walk throughs for living spaces or exhibition environments can be extremely useful for the clients to design their signage and product displays without fully committing to the build like you would in the real world. For clients being immersed in the project and the vision of the designed is a whole other level of understanding. They are able to take part in this process on new levels and discussions can be more meaningful, before any decisions are made. The difference between having to hold a presentation about a design with flat imagery, and the ability to virtually experience the product is like going from black and white to color TV. For the designers and artists who develop these ideas, there are no sensory distractions as well, which obviously improves productivity but also creates a new way of shaping a space, that is a pretty rewarding feeling.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
I do not know, if improvement is the right word, I would say they extend it. Technology can enhance, immerse, stimulate. For instance, I would have never guessed that VR can help with criminal cases. But a couple of years ago, I went to an exhibition in Germany, where an artist built a crime scene and simulated possible outcomes. I guess there are all kinds of interesting opportunities like that, that we are still missing out on. We can certainly do better than just experiencing things that we are not able to in normal life, like jumping from a High rise or flying through digital mountains or launching into space in VR. Not to diminish these wonderful experiences, I think there is a deeper, more meaningful way to approach VR by using it collaboratively. Additionally, I would also like to encourage trying out tools that help personal development and mental health, such as learning new languages, workouts and meditation. I think it would be wonderful if we could teach kids or even young adults remotely, who would otherwise not have access to education.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
Working with VR is not just fun and entertaining, it can actually be really lonely and hard work for months and years, not only to create something, but to understand the technology and understand how to use it to maximize the impact of your work. I have seen a lot of projects through the years, that just wanted to use VR for the sake of using VR, and it is usually pretty obvious. If an idea is not profoundly researched and executed, people will know and feel it. People in the industry usually know this, but the magic for someone coming from outside can easily overpower the judgment. Another myth is, that working with VR is expensive. Actually it is really accessible. The biggest expense I would say is the time it takes to learn how to create a scene, but even that is becoming easier. Unreal Engine and Unity for instance are completely free and come with lots of 3D assets and online documentation. VR goggles are also not that big of a price tag anymore. For the basic design and creation process, you don’t even necessarily need goggles, for instance, you can test out your work easily with a phone and a paper frame for 20 bucks if you really want to. Of course I would not recommend hour-long sessions.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
You definitely need to be persistent. Your pain threshold to frustration and patience needs to be extremely high, having good relationships and a sense for selling your work and business making doesn’t hurt, and you certainly must love the process of creating.
Furthermore, I think you need to know, what is realistic in a given time frame, what other projects are out there and you need to want to push the boundaries either of the technology or your way of storytelling through the new technology. Last but not least, staying motivated and inspired, and that is the wonderful challenge, that everyone is more or less confronted with. The most important thing though is to also have fun at what you do and give yourself the space to experiment.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would like to see more women leaders in the tech industries, and I would love to build an “old girls” network somehow. I would love for young girls to have a vision of accomplishment and hope through building skills and their ability to master a craft; Hope is the most freeing and liberating gift that you can give. There is a lot of hopelessness in the world, and women often have to work much harder to be recognized for what they do. There is just this large barrier that every human faces, that can seem unattainable.
I do think we can learn a lot from the old boys club and how networking and sharing insider knowledge can catapult individuals but also provide safety for a larger organizations. I do believe, that women deserve to not be played against each other, but learn from and inspire each other. Seeing women nowadays to thrive, step into their power and speak up is wonderful, but it is even more wonderful, if they are supported by a network and are not only seen as competition.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would love to have breakfast with Jack Grapes. He seems to be a wonderful teacher and mentor. Everyone sometimes has a hard time being vulnerable and getting to that point of converting the essence of an idea into something tangible. The way he describes concepts techniques is one of a kind. I would also gladly meet Grimes. I do think, she has Pippi Longstocking vibes. I admire women, who do not wait for someone to allow them to do something. I feel like she is just fearlessly telling her mind, doing her thing, trying out, she seems to love to collaborate and I think I could learn a lot from her. In terms of thinking out of the box, I would love to talk to Yuval Harari or Adam Curtis. After watching a lot of Curtis’ films, I think I learned a lot about how I can use film making to express visions and ideas may seem confusing or incoherent at first. I also would love to pick Marina Abramovics brain because of her impactful concepts. She truly groundbreaking and to me the epitome of pushing the boundaries fearlessly.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Salo Sterental is cofounder of SoStereo, the music for advertising company aiming to unlock access to the world’s best music for brands & creators. Salo is a start-up founder, musician, and creative partner who has worked in the music industry for more than 15 years.
Salo has been partnering with Grammy-winning music engineers and production artists since he was 17. He has held roles as a producer for Zumba Fitness, as an engineer for The Flipstones (Jason Derulo, Jake Miller), and in marketing for Sony Music Entertainment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music production and engineering from Berklee College of Music.
As a student at Berklee, Salo partnered with Beto Azout to launch SoStereo to share the power of real music and artists with creative professionals to make it affordable and available on demand. They developed a revolutionary platform that helps artists monetize their work and breaks down the walls of access to music, and the technology they developed was the perfect solution for advertisers to easily find the compelling tracks they need to connect with audiences through unique sounds in advertisements.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I always knew I wanted to go into the music industry and that’s what lead me to Berklee College of Music. I met Beto Azout there — my then roommate and now business partner — and we both immediately connected over our passion for both the creative and business sides of the industry.
After graduating, we both worked in various roles in the music industry and recognized the same issue — having worked with Zumba and other major brands, we saw their need for a better and more cost effective way to leverage music across their content (ads, social, etc). From our experience working for the major labels and their artists, we saw how many artists were struggling to monetize their work beyond sales/streaming. And finally, how there was just no way to access that music for commercial licensing use — meaning artists’ music were literally sitting on a shelf while demand for music licensing was exploding. We knew that something needed to change to break down the walls of access to music and that technology was the perfect solution.
We launched SoStereo to unlock access to the world’s music for brands & creators — to share the power of real music by real artists with creative professionals and make it affordable and available on demand. We developed a platform that helps artists monetize their work and gives brands/advertisers a solution to easily find the compelling music they need to connect with audiences through music.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I think early on, when you’re first building a company with no proper marketing education background, you make some very rookie marketing mistakes. One of the first mistakes we made was channel-audience fit. We thought, “we’re an online startup, we should be doing SEM & Display ads” and quickly proceeded to run experiments with both. We paid little to no mind thinking about whether this was the way our audience wants/expects to see us. We tried different copy, designs and ultimately stopped running them a couple of months later when we didn’t see results. It was still early and while our audience wasn’t as clear as it is today, the bottom line at the time was, we were pursuing ad agency producers and creatives. And it took years after we had stopped running those ads that we had built the proper relationships in the space to figure out WHY they didn’t work — we were targeting our audience through a B2B channel that they didn’t use for work-related things/products. A complete misalignment on channel-audience fit.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We’re music people first and foremost, so I’ll start with that. But as we’ve built SoStereo, we built it as a tech company at our core. Our investment and development in AI music discovery, data-crawlers & data enrichment, platform architecture and scalability — all of these things that have never been done or tried before in this space make us an extremely unique solution for brands to unlock the power of music for their content and artists to unlock more value for their art. It’s why we know we can finally unlock access of music for use on content in a scalable manner where both brands and ARTISTS win. And that’s important to us — making sure artists win and not bastardizing the value of music like other stock libraries- because like I said, we’re music people first.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We recently launched Season 2 of our ‘What About the Music’ Podcast. The weekly show is hosted by our co-founder Beto Azout and features intimate conversations with the top tastemakers in advertising, music and the creative arts. We are really excited to share the unique perspectives, trends and insights from industry leaders with anyone who is interested in the power of music and the ability it has to build strong brands. Music is important — but it’s kind of like one of those things everyone knows to be true but is afraid to say out loud. So, by getting the top industry execs to yell it from the rooftops (podcast), we believe it will create an organic groundswell to place the proper importance on music in advertising/branding it deserves.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
To me, brand marketing is what makes someone pay attention. It’s what gets someone in the door — the credibility and trust factor to push the person into the next step — consideration. Product marketing helps answer the what/why/how — what is it, why do I need this, and how do I use it. That’s critical for to push the consumer through consideration and ultimately to purchase. It needs to be a balanced build — you can get people in the door, but if you don’t have anything advertising what/why/how, chances they transact are lower. The opposite is true as well — you can have great product marketing but without a brand, chances are you won’t even get them to look your way.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
A brand is an extension of you. It’s an extension of your company’s philosophy and ethos. Ultimately, it is your why. And research shows more often than not, people don’t ‘buy’ the ‘what’, rather they buy the ‘why’. People buy purpose more than they buy products. And to me, building a brand is basically the communication of that purpose — they’re synonymous. Building purpose should be everyone’s first step — not just for your audience & clients, but for your employees as well — a proper brand helps align everyone and make sure everyone is rowing in the same direction.
In addition, and whether you like it or not, you’re always building your brand — either in the positive or the negative. What I mean by that is even the actions you DON’T take, the places you’re NOT in — those build your brand as well. Say you’re a vegan brand but don’t focus on building your brand, i.e. communicating your purpose in the places and ways your audience expects. That absence will now be part of your brand — at best, your audience won’t think of you, but at worst they will think about you negatively — as disingenuous or phony.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
Live your purpose & values. Some of the most distrusted brands are ones who have wonderful purposes but their actions (and those of their employees) speak differently. It creates inconsistency, confusion and ultimately distrust. There are brands out there that advertise as if they’re saving the world, being inclusive and caring, but a quick google search will show just how detrimental they are to the environment in the pursuit of profits. Not quite aligned.
On the flip side, the most beloved brands live their values. Think of Patagonia donating revenues to sustainability causes. Perfectly aligned.
Consistency is key. That’s not just about visual brand or copy — it’s about everything. Yes, visuals and copy — but also values, sound, actions, etc. Everything a brand says, does, looks like, partners with, supports, condones — everything needs to be consistently LIVING the brand and its purpose.
People are important. From the leaders down to the employees, everyone is an extension of your brand (to bigger or lesser degrees). You need to make sure that you hire people that will be strong representatives & stewards of your brand & purpose.
Be authentic. It’s really hard to be someone you’re not. Similarly, if a brand tries to be something it’s not, consumers can smell right through that.
A brand is only as good as its product. If you do all of this work to create brand and purpose and get people in the door, but your product doesn’t meet expectations or creates some of the inconsistencies mentioned above, that’s a surefire way to have your brand lose all trust & credibility you built.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
I mentioned Patagonia in a previous post because of how they lived their values of sustainability, but also actions during the pandemic could be used as another example of them living their brand value. Obviously, no conversation about brand would be complete without mentioning Apple. Look at how their brand aligns to their purpose and aligns to their advertising/marketing initiatives and then how the product delivers on that. “The Best User Experience via Innovative hardware, software…” etc. And its brand perfectly aligns to that — all they do is show you how they execute on that, whether it be via advertising, via new product (Apple CarPlay or AirPods), how they do product marketing of those products, etc. And Apple literally has fans as a brand. That’s the power of complete alignment.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
I think sales is always the primary measure no matter what. Even if you’re converting 1 percent of leads, a stronger brand should, in theory, drive more traffic — if you go from 10 leads to 100, you will still 10x your bottom line too. With that said, I think there’s other ways to measure brand building campaigns. Leads/traffic is a simple one — a stronger brand gets people to pay attention more, then ideally, you’ll be driving more people to become leads (however you measure that). We’ve seen that firsthand as we focused on cultivating the SoStereo brand, all of a sudden, we had more sign-ups, more downloads, etc.
Another way to measure success that’s a little more complicated is brand affinity. From having casual conversations with your clients to algorithms that can measure affinity via what people say (and how often they say it) about your brand in the digital domain. This can be an important insight into “word-of-mouth” growth or organic growth. It’s great to hop on a call with a client and hear “I see you guys have been killing it lately, congrats.” Depending on your strategy, it can boost credibility, fomo, etc.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
It plays a huge role in continuously communicating our why — we’re here to unlock the power of music for brands & artist alike. It’s huge because it helps artists see that we’re on their side and that we can help them unlock revenue and make a living with their music. It helps brands see the level of credibility we have when working with the Apple’s and the Nike’s of the world. You build that trust from both sides; you get people to pay attention and to want to learn more and understand how we’re being as successful as we’re being. And then next thing you know, they’re in consideration — a brand sending us a brief or going on the platform and searching; an artist sending us their music to try to be a part of our movement.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I think if we could zap “understanding of other people” into everyone’s minds, we’d be at least 80 percent of the way to a more inclusive and supportive world. Too often we get caught in our own personal life/worldview without understanding another person’s culture/history/story/etc. To loosely quote Cornell West; it’s not about ignoring our differences and pretending they don’t exist, but to learn about them and celebrate them together.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I think that’s like saying choose your favorite song — an impossible task. But some quotes I live by: Michael Jordan’s “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” or Thomas Edison’s “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” Those are some of my favorites because in business and in life, the worst thing that can happen is someone tells you know. In Spanish we say “el que no llora, no mama” — the baby that doesn’t cry, doesn’t eat. Sometimes you have to ask, try, do, because it’ll never be worse than not trying.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’m going to get greedy and include two because they’ve been a duo of late: Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. From music moguls to partners in Beats to now other music ventures, I think they’re the examples of what I aspired my career to be. Like them, I started my career behind the scenes as a producer and songwriter, albeit at a much much smaller scale LOL. And taking those lessons into the entrepreneurial world of building a company — again at a much much smaller scale for now than what Beats became. To innovate in the music industry, it’s just my dream. And to be able to have dinner with them, the stories and lessons they must have must be priceless. If there was a Dr. Dre/Jimmy school, sign me up.
Understand that it’s not about you. It’s all about your audience — their issues, their concerns, their questions, and their needs. Too many presenters make it about them and showing what they can do. Show your audience they can do. Years ago I attended a knife fighting seminar where the instructor showed off a flurry of very impressive ninja-like moves. Despite his skill, he was unwilling or unable to pass along anything of value. The students walked out no better than when they walked in, which was a missed opportunity for everyone.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dan Fraser.
Dan Fraser is a presentation maven. He coaches speakers and trainers to captivate audiences and hold their attention. With over 20 years as a police officer, tactics instructor and owner of Fraser Training Solutions, Dan takes his expertise in training and consulting across North America. Based in Alberta, Canada, Dan helps instructors hone their ability to deliver unforgettable training. Hi book, Kickass Presentations, just launched. Learn more about Dan at frasertrainingsolutions.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was lucky to have what some like to call a wonderful “Leave it to Beaver” childhood. My father was in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police so we moved around a lot. I loved the outdoors and spent many years in Scouts. I don’t have a place that I would call a home town, but I do have friends all over Western Canada. My Dad’s time as a police trainer had a big influence on me and he encouraged me to gain expertise in dealing with people.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started speaking when I entered a French public speaking competition at my school when I was 8 years old. I wore a camouflage outfit (hard to find in the early 1980s!) and I talked about how I played with my little plastic army soldiers. I later joined the military and then the police where I became a part time instructor in a few subjects. I was eventually selected to teach tactics full time in my department’s academy, which I did for six years. When I left that teaching job some other instructors asked if I would put together a course on how to “actually teach”. Obviously, I had done something right and this set me on a path to create a presentation workshop and eventually to write a book. I retired in 2020 to pursue speaking full time.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I’ve always been an enormous fan of standup comedy and with prodding from my wife, I finally decided on my 40th birthday that I’d give it a go. I signed up for a standup class, but when the class was cancelled the organizer asked me to compete in a comedy competition. I thought, “What? A competition? I’ve never even done this before!” I was too naïve to understand what I was getting myself in to and I agreed.
I wrote 8 minutes of jokes and showed up to a hotel ballroom to take the stage. I also invited a bunch of friends and family — no pressure! There I was, a clean-cut cop, surrounded by a bunch of pot smoking twentysomethings who were all seasoned amateur comics. During the pre-show meeting they dropped the set time down to 7 minutes and I was freaking out! I was so scared that I would just completely blank up there. I didn’t die and this started me on a path that would lead me to perform in three countries, at dive bars, night clubs, coffee shops and bowling alleys.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was a new tactics instructor in our academy, and I was teaching a group of recruits about ground fighting in a padded room. As I was imparting some piece of sage (in my mind!) advice, my ringtone, Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl And I Liked It” blared at full volume from my pocket. Everyone laughed and my face went lobster red. The lesson — don’t take yourself too seriously…and put your phone on silent!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
When I was in university I was lucky to have a professor who helped his students define what their life’s purpose was. Mine was that I was a dedicated wisdom seeker who used that wisdom to empower others. This helped me to make decisions about what types of jobs I chose as a police officer, which lead me to become a trainer. His name is Terry D. Anderson and several decades later he even wrote a testimonial for my book.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Just do it. When I started I thought, “Why would anyone want to listen to me?” This is just imposter syndrome telling you that you’re not enough. Here’s the thing — everyone feels like this! The reality is that you will learn a ton along the way and through the process of striving to be your best you’ll grow into the person you need to be.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
Getting up everyday is easy when you love what you do. My mission is to empower others to succeed, which often involves being able to communicate an important message effectively. When I can help others to deliver their message in a way that is clear, memorable and entertaining, then we all win.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
My book, Kickass Presentations, was just published at the end of March 2022. That project was a marathon! Now I continue to deliver instructor development training to great people in both government and the private sector. My goal is to expand my reach by building a cadre of talented instructors who will spread this training far and wide.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“We are most powerfully positioned to help the person we once were” — Roy Vaden. I wrote the book I wished I had when I was a trainer. All I wanted to do was to be a police officer, and I later found myself in a teaching role in that same career. This is happens to professionals in nearly every industry. I’m now able to leverage my skills to raise the bar for trainers and presenters everywhere.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Know your objective. If you don’t know where you’re going with your presentation, you’ll never get the audience there. I’ve made this mistake many times. I sit down to develop a presentation and the first thing I do is open PowerPoint and start making slides. It’s fun, but not very effective. Creating clear objectives isn’t sexy, but it is the foundation to any good presentation.
Understand that it’s not about you. It’s all about your audience — their issues, their concerns, their questions, and their needs. Too many presenters make it about them and showing what they can do. Show your audience they can do. Years ago I attended a knife fighting seminar where the instructor showed off a flurry of very impressive ninja-like moves. Despite his skill, he was unwilling or unable to pass along anything of value. The students walked out no better than when they walked in, which was a missed opportunity for everyone.
Master your content. You need to know your subject matter at deeper level than you’re speaking about. This means working to gain that knowledge and experience by reading books, taking courses, listening to podcasts, and studying those who have also mastered what you’re speaking about. The time and effort you put in will set you apart from your peers.
Be the speaker you would want to see. Image that you were walking into a one-hour presentation (you can choose any topic you like). At the door you have the choice of two identical presentations. In one, you’ll laugh a couple of times and in the other you won’t. Which will you chose? You’d choose the one where you’d laugh, and so would your audience! The same goes for using stories, memorable analogies and impactful images. The trick now is to build those things into your presentation with purpose.
It’s hard to read the label when you’re inside the bottle — so seek feedback from everyone you can. This includes your audience and from presenters who are better than you. After every presentation take stock of what went well and what didn’t so that you can be better next time.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
There’s a saying in comedy that there’s no substitute for stage time. Like playing the bagpipes, decorating a cake or operating a backhoe, speaking is a physical skill. You can’t get good by reading about it or watching a video. Just like golf, if you want to get to the Masters, you’ve got to get out there and hit the ball. The best way to overcome your fear is to practice and rehearse. A lot. When you get up in front of an audience you’ll still be nervous, but it should feel like you’re walking in to write a test that you’ve studied for.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would inspire people to just be kind to one another. Everyone is going through stressors in their life that few others are aware of.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
As both a hunter and a reader, I’m a huge fan of Steven Rinella from Meat Eater. He’s built an immense following by sharing his love of the outdoors and teaching his audience along the way. He’s very well read and highly articulate. He tells stories through highly engaging video, books and podcasts.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yes! They’ll find some helpful tips and videos on my Instagram page @kickass_presentations. Readers can also book me to bring my workshops to their organizations through my website: frasertrainingsolutions.com
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Don’t wait for the platform, make your own platform. — We are leaving the gatekeeping mentality in the past and utilizing the opportunities and tools to build something even better than you might have been limiting yourself to.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jordyn Benedict (TAROT).
Jordyn Benedict aka TAROT is a Nashville-based independent singer-songwriter who has transitioned her music career into the web3 space. The 24 year-old sold her first NFTs by minting 28 tokens everyday in the month of February — all of which contained a new song written, produced, mixed and mastered by Jordyn herself. With a modest social media following and streaming numbers, the female singer made nearly $10k from songs that otherwise would have sat in her collection or streamed for pennies — all thanks to web3. Next up, she will be launching her crypto crowdfund campaign at the beginning of May, which will fund the release of her debut album, “Wake.” Benedict is one of the few female independent music artists leading the way as an NFT creator in a very much male-dominated space.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Growing up, I always knew that my purpose was to make music and perform ever since I was 3 years old singing songs from The Wizard Of Oz all the way to building my independent music career. I moved from home in Newbury Park, CA to Nashville, TN in 2016 to study songwriting and music business at Belmont University and graduated in 2019. Looking back, the passion for music was and still is undeniable, but through my journey in web 3 so far, I feel as if it is a reminder of other passions such as building communities, planning out and executing a vision, and being a leader. I believe in alignment and I believe I was led to this career path because connecting and creating with others for a greater purpose than myself is what brings me fulfillment.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
NFTs. Psh. Probably nothing. But probably the most innovative and most expansive opportunity that independent artists can take advantage of to really build their community, their relationships with their supporters, and cultivate an ecosystem around their music without the need of the middle man. When I first learned about NFTs this last December (which feels like forever ago), my brain started exploding with new ideas and avenues to approach my independent artist career as if I am the CEO of my music. Now there is an opportunity for artists to own their work, get directly paid, distribute the pie accordingly, and give back to the supporters in the community who have helped you turn your vision into reality.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Shilling. Ahhh do not shill! Haha I definitely have learned a lot about when it comes to promoting your music and connecting with the community. I owe it all to minting a song every day in the Tarotsings 28 Day Music NFT Marathon because I was literally learning real time through trial and error. I started out by just posting my songs in discord chats and on twitter but then I was like…this is embarrassing..lol. What I learned is that the best way to truly build community is to share your story, have real 1–1 conversations, discover what values you have to bring to the community, and step out of your comfort zone by constantly educating yourself and putting yourself out there. Let the art speak for itself.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
There have been so many artists in the space that have inspired me and impacted my journey 100%. Every single person innovating whether on the creative side or tech side is leading the way and it is a privilege to be surrounded by such forward minded visionaries. Phinestro, or so I like the call The Oracle, has been in my corner since day one. He is a collector of the first TAROT music NFT off of the 28 day collection and has been the most inspiring mentor and collaborator in the music industry and web 3. He is a husband and father of two, a talented and hardworking producer, engineer, and musician, and he just built his own studio. What inspires me the most is how much support and love that flows through him. He has taught me to believe that what I am doing has a purpose and there’s nothing in my way to stop me but myself. I have so much respect for the people grinding in this space who have families and full time jobs. These are exactly the type of people I would dream of having in the Soul Tribe.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
The music industry has always and will forever have constant disruptors and that’s what makes it so exciting! Adaptation is key to making it, but when there are flaws in the structure of the industry and an opportunity to create a positive shift, a revolution is upon us! I am not saying that all record labels will die and streaming won’t be a thing because NFTs are taking over…I’m saying that now artists can rewrite the script in their own interest rather than the standard model of building a following only to sign their rights away. There is a way for artists to be independent and successful, and in that success, there is an opportunity to bring back value to the actual art and relationship with the fans which can then inspire the entire industry to follow suit in order to adapt.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Don’t wait for the platform, make your own platform. — We are leaving the gatekeeping mentality in the past and utilizing the opportunities and tools to build something even better than you might have been limiting yourself to.
The age of single player mode is deactivated and it is now multiplayer mode — Collaboration is essentially a joining of energy to create something even more magical than one can make on their own. You need a team, a support system, in order to execute the vision.
What you are doing has purpose — It doesn’t matter how small or big you are when it comes to numbers. Everyone starts somewhere and it is your choice as to how far you want it to go. What you are doing has purpose, never doubt it, or else you will only be getting in your own way.
When you are aligned with your purpose, the right abundance is bound to flow into your life — I have been blessed with the most meaningful connections and relationships in this space ever since I set out on my web 3 journey. I truly believe I have attracted the people I have always been meant to come across in life in order to build my career and achieve dreams I never used to think were possible.
Remember burnout is real. We are all human and it is important to find a balance — I’m definitely the type of person who goes all in when I am passionate. I have had to learn how to take care of myself and discipline myself in new ways. My brain is firing up 24/7 and it keeps me so excited and working constantly on all the ideas! I have conditioned myself to always show up even when it’s hard, because I know that is really all it takes, but it is also important to rest and give yourself real time to be present in order to get the job done.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Of course! It’s just the beginning. I am about to launch my crypto crowdfund to raise funds for my debut album “Wake” on mirror.xyz with the $TAROT token and tier based 3D Tarot Card NFTs. The goal of the crowdfund is to raise the funds to put towards my album that comes out at the end of the summer as if I had an indie record label budget, while also giving supporters a stake in the $TAROT token. The goal is to raise 33ETH soft cap to 77TH hard cap in exchange for 50% of my artist share of royalties and a percentage of NFT sales from the 11 song project. The NFT tiers come with unique utilities from gaining a seat to the live stream performance of the album before it drops to VIP +1 tickets to any TAROT headlining show. What began as a plan to fully fund my debut album as an independent artist has rapidly evolved into an ecosystem of talented and trusted creatives building essentially an entire world of content collaboratively, all inspired by the music. It is my purpose to follow my visions all the way to the moon while connecting with and inspiring others to awaken their own passions and potential. In my eyes, the possibilities are limitless, so why not take advantage of the blessing and privilege of having a voice and creative expression, all while bringing back the value to the art and the creators.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
I was listening to an episode of the Aubry Marcus podcast the other day, Re-Membering Our Future With Matias de Stefano, and they touched on the idea of morality versus consciousness. For the longest time in human history, humans have evolved and formed societal structures around communities. They used the example of the morality behind killing a cow to feed a village. One can say killing the cow is immoral, but if the people view the killing of the cow as a means to feed the village, they can’t understand why it is perceived as wrong. In today’s digital age, we are still learning how to navigate technology and the internet as if we just discovered how to make fire. Now the world exists on a global scale, connected by the internet, with access to this massive collective consciousness. I’m no expert so definitely check out the podcast if you are interested, but what I took away from this conversation is that humans are experiencing an actual shift on Earth when it comes to the way we operate as a society, so there is an opportunity to steer humanity into a more positive direction through consciousness.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My dad taught me that the three words to live by in life are humility, gratitude, and purpose. Whenever I need to ground myself, I remind myself of what each of those words mean to me. I recognize where I come from and I am so grateful every day that I can wake up and live a life where I get to make music in my robe and connect with people all around the world. I don’t need much materially to be happy. As long as I remember how grateful I am for the love I have received from my family and friends and the drive I have to accomplish something that can give back to those who have impacted my life, I could die tomorrow peacefully.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I hope to inspire a movement of evolution through music and mindfulness. Music is the language of the universe and if I can inspire others through following my purpose, I truly believe it can impact the vibrations of our earth and collective consciousness as a whole. I am just trying to be as vulnerable as I can in my journey and it brings me so much joy to share and help anywhere I can in any way. As cliche as it sounds, it is more than just a dream of being a rockstar (as much as I can’t wait to go on tour), it is about making a difference in the best way I know I can. I hope that I can leave a mark by creating a community where people can be inspired and grow and let go of self limiting beliefs in order to contribute to the change.
How can our readers follow you online?
I’m always tweeting, it’s like my thing so come hang @tarotsings on all social media platforms and TAROT on music streaming services.
Arielle Walrath & Sean Wilkinson Of Might & Main: Five Things You Need To Build A Trusted And Beloved Brand
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t be afraid to change — looking timeless doesn’t mean that you’re always the same. Being flexible and adaptable over time is a hallmark of successful brands, and we work closely with a lot of great clients to help them grow and evolve their brands over the years.
Arielle Walrath and Sean Wilkinson are co-founders of Might & Main, a boutique brand design firm located in Portland, Maine. Might & Main specializes in the hospitality and food & beverage industries, and has garnered national attention for excellence in execution and attention to detail and craft. Might & Main has created visual identities for nearly 100 restaurants and hotels, partnering with global brands, regional hospitality groups, and independent operators, leading the company to receive numerous awards and recognitions for their work in the hospitality industry. Might & Main’s mission is to find a brand’s voice and make it tangible — to create a sense of realness that guests want to seek out, build a relationship with, and keep in their lives.
As co-principal and creative director, Arielle seeks to bring meaning and context to the artifacts that Might & Main produces. She believes in the power of design to connect people with brands in authentic ways, cares deeply about systems thinking, loves over-complicating design problems, and always seeks material honesty in every detail — never faking it, always making it. Day-to-day, she crafts strategic brand narratives, oversees the firm’s creative output, and ensures that brand storytelling is represented seamlessly in every touchpoint.
As one of the principals and creative directors of Might & Main, Sean has overseen the creative work of the boutique brand design studio since its founding in 2010. Sean believes in the power of typography and form, of language and craft, to shape brands into true personalities. His mission is to find your voice and make it tangible — to create something that truly exists in the world, that we want in our lives, and want to build a relationship with.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
SW: Arielle and I were both young but seasoned design freelancers when we started to commiserate on wanting to tackle more interesting jobs and take more ownership than we were able to when working for other agencies. We really just went for it: got an office space, hung out a shingle, and started seeking work together. We wanted to work with restaurants, and we had that wish granted when the owners of Eventide Oyster Co. came to us in our second year. Portland was experiencing a serious restaurant boom; one restaurant project quickly turned into dozens, and eventually spread into Boston, New York, and beyond. Our branding and design for restaurants then led us to hotels and hospitality at large. Along the way, we’ve built an incredible team of first-rate designers and a well-tuned set of processes for strategic branding and compelling visual design.
AW: In the few “real” jobs I held before starting our agency, I found myself running out of things to learn and growing bored with repeating the same types of tasks over and over. Running an agency has given me the chance to constantly figure out something new, travel to new places, and learn the intricate details of countless different industries. It’s the only career I can imagine wanting to do for life.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
AW: It’s not really “funny” — especially not at the time — but our first two years in business we were under another company name. We chose the original name because we liked it, plain and simple…and then we got smacked with a cease and desist from a much bigger company who owned the trademark on a similar name. We learned an important lesson about naming, and since then we strongly suggest that all of our clients, no matter how much they love their first choice, do their legal homework before we start designing a logo or identity system.
What was our original name? Can’t tell you. We swore to never speak it again.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
AW: Our culture. We don’t have account managers; instead, our designers are deeply invested in and work directly with clients, which leads to much better work than if they were simply assigned a task. Because we’re a small, tight knit group, every member of our team knows what everyone else is working on, and we often call on one another to help solve a creative problem.
SW: We’ve all evolved to take on a variety of roles in our small firm, but we all started as designers. We live and breathe the language of visual aesthetics. Our team loves to invest extra effort into tangible, visible things that express a brand’s unique voice and provide a moment of joy and delight for someone to discover.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
SW: We’ve been working on several new hotels and hotel brands in the southern United States, including some very exciting projects in Asheville, North Carolina that are challenging the usual set of rules for a typical hotel brand. Just like our favorite restaurants, these new projects are interesting because the people behind them are interesting — we knew from our first conversations that we were going to create really cool stuff together. There’s so much to be said for finding good people to work for, establishing mutual trust, and then testing the limits of what one can do within that relationship. That’s the kind of client that lifts up your company with their success and innovation, and it’s exactly the kind of client we love working with.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
AW: For us, branding is about defining who a company or organization is at their core: what are their values and beliefs, what makes their approach unique? From there, we build a visual vocabulary that expresses that essence in every detail. It’s about providing the tools and empowering people to act as and for the brand, so that the brand appears to take on a life and a personality of its own, no matter who is pulling the strings. Marketing and advertising are about putting that brand out into the world and encouraging the right consumers to form an emotional connection with it.
SW: Sometimes we think of our branding work as creating the voice of an entity. Advertising and marketing can make use of that voice to tell the stories that engage customers, guests, and consumers.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
AW: If you were to undertake an advertising campaign without the core brand work coming first, you wouldn’t have established an authentic brand voice and personality. I think consumers sense when a brand doesn’t know who it is, and they don’t engage in the same way they would with a brand that’s been crafted with intention.
SW: Our work goes beyond creating the visual identity and personality of a brand — it’s important to also create a foundation of strategic positioning that becomes a set of rules for how the brand interacts with the world. Whether that’s an in-person interaction with a guest or a multi-level campaign, a good brand strategy acts as a compass to keep communication efforts on the right path.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
1. Objectivity
SW: You need objectivity in the process of building a new brand. I think it’s one of the most important things that we offer to clients; getting an idea out of the echo chamber and putting it through the paces is where it becomes stronger and more compelling.
2. Find your right audience
AW: Define your audience and their needs that you are best equipped to satisfy. Brands don’t succeed by trying to be everything to everyone. Some of the strongest brands today offer one product to one niche audience. They have a strong point of view and they express it in language that’s designed to connect with a very specific demographic or psychographic.
3. Ensure internal buy-in
SW: Include your stakeholders and get them excited. Your first real ambassadors are going to be the people who work most closely with the brand, and the branding team should help the client build consensus and get buy-in throughout its organization. Their input and feedback throughout the process adds to the valuable objectivity we’re seeking, and if they understand and believe in the brand that we all create together, they will serve as the launch crew that gets the new brand off the ground.
4. Your brand is in everything you do.
AW: Build a brand that you can live fully every day, in everything your company makes, says, and does. Engaging a professional branding partner isn’t a quick or cheap endeavor, and you get more out of it when you put more into it. Your branding team should provide the tools and education your people need to actually be the brand in their day to day work. We also see this as an opportunity to create beautiful and memorable branded touchpoints that enrich and deepen the connection between your brand and your audience.
5. Don’t be afraid to adapt / change
SW: Don’t be afraid to change — looking timeless doesn’t mean that you’re always the same. Being flexible and adaptable over time is a hallmark of successful brands, and we work closely with a lot of great clients to help them grow and evolve their brands over the years.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
SW: I think Huckberry has done a fantastic job building a brand that works hard for an old school business model of outdoors gear and men’s fashion. They’re thinking in more interesting, innovative, and younger-minded ways than the typical old guard of outdoors gear brands: focusing on collaborations that make sense, getting gear in the hands of personalities that are too cool to be called ‘influencers,’ and crafting beautifully made aspirational content — both online and in print. It all feels very natural, authentic, and never feels like it’s trying too hard. At the end of the day, they have a great shop of well curated goods that’s hard to browse without buying something…
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
AW: Brand building is definitely harder to quantify. We feel we’ve succeeded when, at the close of our work, the entire organization feels like the brand is an idealized, but genuine reflection of their highest aspirations as a whole. When people are excited to be a part of the brand and to represent it. Additionally, we feel like we’ve succeeded when everything the organization is putting into the world looks cohesive and speaks with one voice.
SW: I wish that metrics for the return on investment for branding were easier to come by, but our clients tend to come to us because they know how important it is. We often say that we’re not in the business of convincing someone that they need branding. Our best clients come to us because they know what we’re bringing to the table.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
SW: We always think about how any brand will be perceived by its intended audience, and that audience is always going to be on social media to some extent. It’s different for every project — some brands have a very ‘digital native’ voice that’s comfortable online and works hard in that space. Some brands feel more natural posting on a semi-regular schedule with predictable kinds of content. Others can rely heavily on organic content, and we can find ways to encourage patrons to generate more content for the brand. It’s all about determining how the brand voice should authentically speak.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
SW: We work hard to find an authentic voice for brands. It’s important that we find ways for people to quickly ascertain what a brand is about based on very little input — sometimes just a logo or a sign or a name. Because of this, I’m hyper-aware of how much of our daily actions are driven by first impressions, and I wish that we would all take a little more time to learn the story behind the things (and people) that we can be so quick to categorize. Information keeps coming at us faster, and we seem to increasingly put things into highly polarized buckets of right and wrong, left and right, on my team or abject enemy. There’s more nuance to life than that, so let’s leave snap decisions to what we’re eating for lunch and give humans a little more time and consideration before we act.
AW: We could all stand to be more conscious of the things we buy and consume and the impact that our choices have when added to millions of others’ choices. I hope that we continue to work with brands that prioritize slowing climate change and increasing social equity — at least until these concerns become table stakes for doing business at all in today’s world.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
SW: My dad was talking to me about a very mundane task when I was in high school and introduced the power of “under-promise and over-deliver.” I know it’s been said a billion times, but it’s something that I think about all the time, whether I’m reminding myself not to float untested ideas that might not work (it’s hard to not get ahead of yourself when you’re excited about a project), or thinking about how we can really wow a client or a guest with an extra consideration that they wouldn’t expect. I feel like when we do the latter successfully, that’s when we’re doing our best work.
AW: A place for everything and everything in its place. If there isn’t a true place for a thing, whether it’s a personal habit, or a decorative flourish on the page, it needs to go.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
AW: Mona Chalabi, the data journalist, or Hasan Minhaj. They are both incredible at translating complex and often little-known issues and inequities into super-accessible, entertaining but thought-provoking formats. I’d love to just soak up either of their knowledge for an hour. Day to day, nothing interesting happens at breakfast or lunch. Who wants to grab a whiskey?
SW: I would love to talk with Danny Meyer about his approach to hospitality and building Union Square Hospitality Group over the last few decades (and maybe do some work together).
The Future Is Now: Yair Nativ Of Hour25 ai On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Formal education is not directly relevant. I don’t consider law school a waste of time, since I did learn how to learn there, but generally speaking, formal education is just not as important as some think — at least for this profession.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingYair Nativ.
Yair Nativ is a social entrepreneur with a passion for leveraging technology to make a positive impact on society by improving lives. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Hour25.ai, an early stage startup that works to increase Internet user resilience, focus, productivity, and overall wellbeing. He also co-Founded and was the CEO of Safe Lane, a social network mobile app that reduces casualties on the roads by using crowd-sourcing, an initiative that began after his father Meidad Nativ was tragically killed in a car accident. Safe Lane has created significant changes to Israeli regulations, with the Israeli government investing in the platform and recruiting thousands of volunteers. He’s also one of the founders of Voiceable, which was named by Google as a company that can change the future.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Everything in life led me to a career of making change. In high school and during university, I thought that I would be a journalist, writing about social injustices. I studied law, thinking that it’s the best way to make a difference, and at 25, I understood that my true passion is entrepreneurship. I actually developed my first website when I was 13, on my favorite soccer team — and received the first offer to purchase! The first meaningful venture I worked on was after my father died in a car accident, and I knew that something would change after that. And it did.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Born in a poor city, I’m extremely grateful every time I find myself traveling the world. I traveled to almost every state in the US, met super interesting people, and did things that I would have never expected to do. Also, meeting and working with NBA players these days is cool!
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
We’re Improving resilience to addictive technologies in real-time. As far as we know, we’re the first digital platform that improves human resilience in real-time — solving the root cause. Other companies solve the symptoms caused by addictive tech, which is also important, but no one is solving why we go there. And just to clarify, there’s nothing wrong with any tech — as long as we as humans decide we want to use it.
How do you think this might change the world?
Right now, we’re stuck in a loop. We experience negative emotions that we want to escape; we then go, in most cases, to the tech in our hands, which then sucks us in. 60% of distractions are internal and emotional. We feel overwhelmed at work so we go to Amazon Prime or Facebook, we feel bored in a university class so we enter Instagram. We are giving users, or as we prefer to say, human beings, the power to decide what they want to do”.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
That’s the point. We’re the fix for the potential drawbacks of the wonderful technology that helps us a lot, but also hurts us. We like the analogy of being an antivirus or firewall to negative consequences of bad AI.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
We want to enhance human capabilities, and we spent a year researching the best way to do that. You can increase someone’s IQ, but just by a bit. We believe that the single most important thing that can make a difference in someone’s potential in life is being in control of their attention, in this day and age, and a large part of that is addictive technology.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
Like most startups, time and money (:
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We’re just now beginning to publicize this idea, and this interview is a great start….
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It really is a team effort. I am fortunate to have my co-founder, Amir Raskin, join me on this journey. He’s a true tech leader, being at the edge of AI and data science even before it was called that. We have a wonderful team of rock stars — it really is a team effort.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have only worked on impact ventures. I find it very hard to commit my time to projects when there is no social added value. Being an entrepreneur is demanding and requires a lot of sacrifices, and the cause needs to be important enough. My first venture is about saving lives on the roads. We’re literally saving lives! You could argue that Hour25.AI is saving minds.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
It’s 90% hard work. You only see the headlines and the exit on social media, but most of the work is extremely difficult and without immediate rewards.
In this case, try to enjoy the journey. I am not always remembering that myself, but I keep on reminding myself that if it’s going to be hard, at least try to have fun on the way.
It’s a cliche, but for a good reason: the most important thing is people — ideas can change, competitors can give a good fight, but as long as you have the right people by your side you can win!
If you are not 100% passionate you will not endure. The difference between the successful and unsuccessful ventures, at least for me, is in direct correlation to my passion level. It’s too difficult to make it if you’re not 150% in.
Formal education is not directly relevant. I don’t consider law school a waste of time, since I did learn how to learn there, but generally speaking, formal education is just not as important as some think — at least for this profession.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Join us in saving the world from the bad AI that is managing our lives! And also — if you’re into preventing car accidents — ping me (:
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There are two. One of them is by an Israeli songwriter that I like a lot. I hope that I don’t do any harm with the translation: It’s always darkest before dawn. Another quote that I like is by Franklin Roosevelt: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
We envision a world where AI augments human resilience instead of undermining it. AI for AI:). Join us!”
Mandy Karimi Of The James Agency On How to Effectively Leverage The Power of Digital Marketing, PPC, & Email to Dramatically Increase Sales
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Desire to learn — Digital marketing is always changing, so you have to be open for continued education all the time.
Marketing a product or service today is easier than ever before in history. Using platforms like Facebook ads or Google ads, a company can market their product directly to people who perfectly fit the ideal client demographic, at a very low cost. Digital Marketing tools, Pay per Click ads, and email marketing can help a company dramatically increase sales. At the same time, many companies that just start exploring with digital marketing tools often see disappointing results.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mandy Karimi.
Mandy Karimi is Media Director at The James Agency. Mandy is responsible for leading strategy and execution across all paid media channels. With more than 10 years of industry experience, she brings an insightful understanding of the diverse media landscape to every conversation. Mandy leads the team in collaborating with new and old media partners to ensure The James Agency offers the latest and greatest, in terms of media placements and targeting for our clients. In addition to leading the paid media team, Mandy also oversees organic social media and research efforts within TJA. When she’s not making money moves, she’s either at home loving on her two dogs or out swinging a tennis racket.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I kind of fell into a job with Clear Channel Radio, before it became iHeart Radio. I quickly became passionate about all things advertising and after a few years on the radio side I moved agency side and never looked back. I had the privilege of having some really great mentors along the way that encouraged me, pushed me to learn new things and helped me course correct if I got it wrong.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
A silly mistake I made early on was for a client’s project that I really didn’t believe in. Without too many details, the client had an idea for something that seemed a little too good to be true, and I just didn’t see the project coming to life. I stalled on putting together the plan as long as I could, and when I presented to the client, they could tell that it wasn’t my best work. Luckily the client was nice enough to not tear me apart, but they weren’t happy with what was presented and I wasn’t happy with it either. After more conversation with the client I was able to change my perspective and got another shot at presenting. This is not always the case but this taught me very quickly to be more open with the clients and make sure I’m getting a clear understanding of their project before starting it and not being afraid to ask more questions along the way.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
At my last agency I had an amazing Media Director, Bridgette Foord. She taught me a real foundation for media planning that I still utilize today and also always encouraged my questions, to both clients and media vendors.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Transparency. Many, many times we have sat with new clients that had zero idea how much was being spent on different channels, what was being considered a conversion and ultimately how the campaigns were performing.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Curiosity/desire to know things — My team jokes that I am the “fact checker” because I’m always researching something, whether it’s the origin of a popular phrase, a random fact thrown out at the lunch table or really digging into how media platforms really work.
Perseverance — When I started out in agency life, I didn’t always get to work on the fun projects or even the fun tasks. There were a lot of administrative duties that I had to learn how to do first, but learning those and pushing to learn more eventually paid off making it to a Media Director position.
Listener — I enjoy hearing people talk about the things that matter to them, and hear their thoughts on important (and unimportant) things. I’m often seen as the quiet one in a group setting, but I like to think that makes people pay more attention to the things I say when I speak up.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
One campaign that we’re currently working on is Wishes For Teachers with our client, Fiesta Bowl Charities. They invite Arizona public and charter school teachers (K-12) to submit for a $2,500 grant to better the school experience for their students. This is the third year we’re working on this campaign, and I love having a small part in improving the school experience for students across our whole state.
Ok super. Now let’s jump to the main questions of our interview. As we mentioned in the beginning, sometimes companies that just start exploring with digital marketing tools like PPC campaigns often see disappointing results. In your opinion, what are a few of the biggest mistakes companies make when they first start out with digital marketing? If you can, please share an example for each.
Not having clear goals — If you don’t have a clear destination how will you know when you get there?
Not having clear conversions — When onboarding new clients that had existing ad accounts, we start with an audit. It’s always interesting to see things like “time on site” or “pages per session” be the conversions on campaigns when the client is very clearly wanting people to sign up for an email list or has the availability to purchase something on the website.
Not having a plan for incoming leads — I had a client who swore we weren’t producing enough quality leads, but we could see in the platform we were driving a lot of calls. In order to see what was happening we implemented CallRail. We quickly found out it the client’s call center was only answering about 10% of the calls driven from the campaigns. Once they were able to pinpoint what was happening in the call center and got more of the calls answered they started getting customers from our campaigns.
If you could break down a very successful digital marketing campaign into a “blueprint”, what would that blueprint look like? Please share some stories or examples of your ideas.
4 things you always need to know before starting your campaigns:
Flight Dates
Target Audience
Budget
Goal
When it comes to choosing media channels, I believe it’s important to “fill the funnel” and make sure you have something that is touching users in each part of the marketing funnel — and remember not everything has to be paid media. If your client is active with public relations efforts, organic social posting and email marketing, be sure to consider those in your funnel approach.
Let’s talk about Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC) for a bit. In your opinion which PPC platform produces the best results to increase sales?
In my experience, Google AdWords remains the best platform. We’ve seen some success on Microsoft Ads (Bing) but it is not as scalable as Google.
Can you please share 3 things that you need to know to run a highly successful PPC campaign?
Goals and KPIs — it’s important to have some KPIs in place, as it may take a little time to hit the real goal of the campaign. The KPIs will help you determine if you’re on the right path.
Keywords — You need not only a great list to start with, but also need to be prepared to tweak it along the way.
Plan for Daily Monitoring — Make sure you have time every day to check in on your accounts. You likely won’t need to make sizable changes every day, but ensuring you are actively monitoring the campaigns will keep you from blowing your budget without hitting your goals.
Let’s now talk about email marketing for a bit. In your opinion, what are the 3 things that you need to know to run a highly successful email marketing campaign that increases sales?
1. Keep your audience engaged with A/B tests, whether it’s subject lines, type of content or use of images.
2. Clean your list — Have a regular schedule for cleaning out people that don’t engage with your emails.
3. Have a clear goal of what you’re trying to accomplish with email and optimize accordingly.
What are the other digital marketing tools that you are passionate about? If you can, can you share with our readers what they are and how to best leverage them?
Not specific to digital marketing, but the number one digital tool I’m a fan of is Grammarly. It has saved me so many times!
More specific to digital marketing, all are Google Chrome extensions:
Ghostery — Helps you see all the trackers on a website.
GoFullPage — A full page screenshot extension that’s great for capturing long website pages.
Tag Assistant — Specific to Google Tag Manager and seeing what is/isn’t firing without launching preview mode for GTM.
Here is the main question of our series. Can you please tell us the 5 things you need to create a highly successful career as a digital marketer? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Desire to learn — Digital marketing is always changing, so you have to be open for continued education all the time.
Take the time to really learn how Google Analytics, or another analytics platform works.
Understand your client’s customer journey. There can be little nuggets that change how you set up or run campaigns knowing the path a consumer will go down.
Don’t be afraid of testing — Testing new platforms, different creative, etc. — but also have a back up plan if things don’t go well.
Be ready to teach — This goes for teaching other team members as well as clients. Be ready to bring people along in the process.
What books, podcasts, videos or other resources do you use to sharpen your marketing skills?
I read a lot of blogs or digital publications regularly including Think with Google, Facebook, AdWeek and DigiDay.
Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. Here is our final ‘meaty’ question. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to see an environment where we can have constructive conversations around things that failed — the plans that seemed like such great ideas but then burst into flames for one reason or another. Failure can be the best teacher, not just for the person that it didn’t work for but also for others. Or, others might be able to spot where things started going wrong and offer more insights for another test.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Visit www.thejamesagency.com for agency insights on marketing trends, or follow us on social media at @thejamesagency on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
Deliver every presentation as if it’s your last one. When you are making a presentation, you are doing more than representing a company; you are representing yourself. Even if it’s your last day on the job, give a performance as if you are going to be in that position for the next 25 years, and leave no one the wiser.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Bridgett McGowen.
Have you ever experienced an energy that made you move to the edge of your seat or that had you stand to your feet? What about an excitement that stayed with you and had you talking about it long after an event ended? That is the best way to describe Bridgett McGowen, an award-winning author, an award-winning publisher, and an award-winning international professional speaker who is known to be both comical and memorable. She will not only energize you but will inspire you to not let anyone or anything get in the way of you being the most unforgettable person in the room.
Bridgett has been a professional speaker since 2001 and has spoken on programs alongside prominent figures such as former President Barack Obama, Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Kim Coles, Amy Cuddy, Stacey Abrams, Dr. Mae Jemison, Common, Mel Robbins, and Katie Couric.
The prestigious University of Texas at Austin presented her with a Master Presenter Award; Canada-based One Woman presented her with two Fearless Woman Awards; and she has facilitated hundreds of presentations to thousands of go-getters positioned all around the globe.
Bridgett is a former Forbes Coaches Council contributor and a contributor for Medium and Entrepreneur online magazine. She has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and has taught for Prairie View A&M University; Lone Star College System in Houston, Texas; and University of Phoenix. She is the author of multiple books to include the award-winning REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won’t Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle and Show Up and Show Out: 52 Communication Habits to Make Even More You Unforgettable. Her publishing company, BMcTALKS Press, won a 2021 Bronze Stevie® Award in the Startup of the Year — Business Services Industries category in the 18th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Bridgett resides with her family in the Phoenix, Arizona area and loves gorgeous sunsets.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up as an only child in a genetically strange environment. What does that mean? I was adopted. No one around me looked, sounded, or acted like me, and to further complicate matters, I did not find out I was adopted until I was well into adulthood. Gotta love a good surprise, eh? So, after stumbling upon this revelation, it was no longer strange to me why I loved my role as Sunday school secretary where, at the Methodist church that was directly across the street from where I grew up, I had a captive audience — no matter how small it was! — to read the minutes or that during those times when we had to read aloud in elementary school, I was that child who would count the number of students ahead of me to determine which paragraph I’d read, then I’d silently practice it in an effort to execute a flawless delivery. I’d read that passage with all the necessary inflections, pauses, and drama to make the words sound is if they were jumping off the page!
As you can imagine, as a child, I absolutely loved words — and still do, of course! — and got involved in all sorts of activities that involved speaking or reading. One of my proudest moments was winning second place in a second-grade spelling bee, and I’ll never forget the word that tripped me up: achievement. How could I forget the second “e”?! In high school, I was in marching, concert, and jazz band. I was also on the track team for just one season. (That’s an interesting story there for another article!) And as a member of the journalism team in high school, I recall partnering with a classmate to write a column called “Shabba Says …” to give answers to students who’d anonymously submitted some of their most pressing concerns. I also completed in UIL, winning prose and headline writing competitions at regional and state levels. One of the most memorable pieces I read at a competition was a passage from the short story “Marigolds,” written by African American professor and writer Eugenia W. Collier. The story’s themes of poverty, maturity, and the relationship between innocence and compassion captivated me at the time and in a way that has stayed with me decades later.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My first career was teaching, but … I didn’t know a THING about teaching! I was always a great student and love love loved school, excelling in all subjects all throughout childhood and college, but to be on the other side of the desk and to be good at it was a foreign concept to me. So, what do good students do when they need to learn something? They go to school!
I started attended conferences, workshops, symposia — anything I could get my hands on to learn how to teach college students enrolled in transitional courses. And, as I was attending these professional development events, watching speakers at the fronts of rooms, teaching peers their best practices, I started thinking, and I said to myself “I can do that!! I can do better than that!” And that’s where it started.
I began submitting proposals to conferences, and they were getting accepted; but better yet, I was developing something of a following! At a conference in College Station, Texas, I recall overhearing a gentleman say to another conference-goer just before the start of my session “I don’t know what she’s presenting, but I saw her present once before; so, when I saw her name in the program at this conference, I knew I was coming to her session.” True story! And that’s all I needed to hear. Granted, I had made presentations prior to starting to teach in 2002, and I’d read attendees’ positive reviews after participating in my sessions; but it was something about hearing that testimonial that made it was official.
I had been bitten by the speaker bug!
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
OMG! Have you ever put your hat in the ring for what you know will be a sure-fire win only for it to backfire on you? Yes! That happened to me when I submitted a proposal to speak at a local conference, and not only did I receive my rejection letter, but the feeling was compounded by the fact that I’d submitted practically the same proposal — I’m talking about virtually VERBATIM!!! — to speak at the international conference that was being put on by this same organization the next spring.
So, of course, as you can imagine, I’m feeling doubly disappointed, thinking “If I’m not good enough for the state chapter, then the international committee that’s already confirmed President Barack Obama as one of its speakers is literally going to laugh at my proposal!”
But … I was wrong!
A few months after receiving the local conference’s “no, thank you,” I received my confirmation email that my proposal for the international conference had been accepted, and I was on my way to San Diego to speak on the same program with 44 himself! With that, I learned sometimes a rejection is not meant to be a dejection but is meant to be a redirection.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It happened at a conference I presented at in San Antonio while I was working on a PhD in juvenile justice. I thought my outfit was amazing, sporting my favorite purple pantsuit perfectly paired with a gold top and gold pumps to properly represent my alma mater’s colors. And one added touch was a gold pen that I felt the need to keep in my hand the ENTIRE time I was presenting. With every gesture, every move, and every word, that pen was right there with me! It wasn’t until one of the professors who’d accompanied us to the conference told me how great the presentation, that everything was terrific with the exception of … that pen! I was mortified! What if the audience remembered nothing of what I said and only remembered that bouncing pen?!
The lesson? I learned to practice every single move of my presentation from start to finish at least three times so I know what the audience sees and avoid manufacturing distractions that can take away from my message. (And I have also adopted a practice of wearing black as opposed to colorful outfits when I present so the audience pays more attention to what I’m saying than what I’m wearing.)
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Both Simone E. Morris and Dr. Sheila Pope see what I can’t see and believe in me when all I have are questions and doubts. When I finally decided to write my award-winning book, REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won’t Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle, it was Sheila who told me I needed to think bigger with where my book would be sold, that I needed to make it more widely available so it could reach people all over the world. And it was Simone who told me to take extra copies of it with me to the first conference that had it available for sale in its bookstore. I responded to Sheila with “Girl, please. I can just keep a few on hand in my office and sell them on my website as needed.” And to Simone, I said, “Give me a break. I don’t want to be bothered with lugging around extra books that no one’s going to buy!” Well, what do you know? The book sold out at the conference bookstore, and when people came to me with the news, I sold the few copies I had on hand, eventually running out, and I was beaming as I told people the book was available for purchase online wherever they prefer to buy books!
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
You won’t know if you’re a success or a failure unless you try, and you do not want to look back years from now and say “I wonder what if ….” Just do it. Avoid getting consumed by what you see on social media. Those posts mostly show only the wins, not revealing that it may have taken ten losses to get to that one win. Give it your best, know there will be stumbles along the way, get up when you fall, and have no regrets.
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
You hear “no,” “you’re wrong,” and “you can’t do that” more times than you care to count. And it can be hard to push through and believe you will eventually hear a “yes,” “you’re right,” or “let’s do this!”
What drives me to get up every day and give my talks — formally and informally, one-on-one or one-to-many — is I may be that one person who gives someone a “yes!” I may be that one person who finally has someone believing in her/himself.
In my presentations, audiences arereminded that they are valued and that they are valuable. They are reminded that in those moments when they simply want to retreat and take cover that they can be resilient and truly confident. I’m driven to give my talks because my voice may be the voice that someone has been needing to hear and to remain silent is an injustice to that someone.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
The most exciting project on the horizon is my work with a go-getter in Missouri to not only publish her book on her birthday in March 2023 but to also position her to use her book as a foundation for confirming paid speaking engagements! My team and I have done this time after time again for me, and I’ve supported others in locating speaking engagements as well as getting their books published; but to fully mesh the two worlds is something I’ve never done before for someone else, and I’m beyond thrilled about this project!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The most powerful person in the room is not the one who’s the loudest one in the room. It’s the one who knows how to command a room without saying a word.” — Bridgett McGowen
Don’t feel the need to always have your life or yourself on display. Don’t search for approval. Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t worry about what everyone else has going on. Lean into who you are, how you uplift those around you, how you want to show up in the world, and how you want to be remembered. Those who embrace your message and your magic will circle around you and find value in what you bring to the table.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker”?” Please share a story or example for each.
1. Remember it’s not about you; it’s about the audience. Somewhere around 2011 or so, a colleague and I were making simultaneous presentations in different parts of a building to groups of faculty members in California. During a break, I scurried over to the colleague and asked him if he was getting a weird vibe from the professors in his room. He was indeed. “Okay. Good.” Not “good” as in I was glad he was getting the stink eye, too, but “good” as in I was glad I wasn’t alone, that perhaps it was not 100% my fault that the audience wasn’t loving everything I was saying.
We later found out that before our presentations, during the 8:00am plenary session, the faculty had been told there was a ton of new policies being put in place for the new term; they needed to enforce the policies and comply, as applicable; and raises for the new year were in jeopardy. “And with that, ladies and gentlemen, please go forth, and soak in everything the presenters have to give you!” REALLY?! The feelings weren’t personal. They were real. The audience had been slammed with all kinds of new information that required time to process, but everyone was expected to immediately shift into gear and participate with full engagement and a happy face. Yeh, right.
As a presenter, keep your game face on, don’t worry about what you cannot control (e.g., audience attitudes). Deliver a presentation that has them moving, thinking, writing ad feeling. Give them a presentation that shines the light on how amazing they are. Give them an experience like they’ve never had before so once your presentation has long ended, all they can remember is what a good time they had.
2. Omit insignificant details, especially those that do not cast you in the brightest of lights. Imagine presenting an afternoon webinar, zipping off to the airport, flying three hours to the east, hardly sleeping, presenting a two-hour workshop, sprinting to your hotel room to moderate another webinar, then dashing off to the airport to fly to another city to facilitate that live workshop again the next day. That sounds extreme and ridiculous, right? I’ve done it. But here’s the deal: your options are tell everyone how tired you are and even look and perform in a fatigued way OR show up; give it 100%; and knock the audience’s socks off, knowing you can sleep another time. For which do you want to be remembered?
Audience members want to know how you can help them be more powerful, more productive, better professionals, incredibly outstanding in all facets of their lives. It matters not to the audience what YOU know or what you do until you show them how you can take what you know or what you do to help them with what THEY do!
3. Give everyone a reason to listen, and provide a call to action. Picture it. Early May 2018. San Diego, California. The convention center. It was almost 1:00pm when I was on my way to the speaker ready room to make some final changes to my slide deck in preparation to facilitate my presentation at 3:00pm when I read a unique and incredibly familiar name on a conference-goer’s name badge. There were 10,000+ people in attendance at this conference; the odds of me running into this person and then even engaging in a conversation with him were one in billion … make that one in a trillion. I will not go into details, but do know that the encounter and the huge secret that was revealed during the course of our conversation caused both of us to become totally shaken. Totally. In my mind, I was thinking “How in the world am I going to get through this presentation NOW?!” But I also had to tell myself “Suck it up, buttercup.” I had a presentation in just over two hours; 400–500 people were going to be in the room, and cancelling or finding a replacement was not an option whatsoever. I showed up and did what I had to do. Period.
Sometimes that’s what you have to do. Start your presentation by telling everyone what they will know or be able to do by the end of your presentation. Do not start with your bio. Do not start with long story about the wild encounter you had just hours before the session. Let them know how their time will be spent, then deliver the goods. After you present, give a call to action that moves the audience to extend its thinking and its engagement. Take your audience members from listening to acting, and when you do that, you inspire your listeners to do more, to be more, and to realize how incredibly dynamic they are.
4. Deliver every presentation as if it’s your last one. When you are making a presentation, you are doing more than representing a company; you are representing yourself. Even if it’s your last day on the job, give a performance as if you are going to be in that position for the next 25 years, and leave no one the wiser. (I’ve been here. Seattle … April 7, 2016 … I’d received notice on April 5 that my last day with the company was April 15; however, the trip to Seattle has been planned and was still ago. I went in there and gave a performance of a lifetime; you would have thought I was going to be selling the product on which I was presenting for the next 50 years!)
The degrees of separation are getting smaller and smaller; as such, you never know when paths will cross again, and you do not want to be remembered as that one person who made a presentation and obviously didn’t give a care. This is one where you remember the bigger picture — your career, your reputation, your future — and you show up and show out!
5. Never let them see you sweat. It doesn’t matter if …
you got lost while trying to find the place…
technology fails …
your slides do not show correctly …
an activity seems to flop …
you lose your train of thought …
you got ahead of yourself with a point …
anything goes wrong.
I have had all of those happen to me. And what you do is you smile, and make it clear that all is right, you are having the time of your life, and that there is absolutely nowhere else you’d rather be or nothing else you’d rather be doing than spending time right here right now with the people gathered before you.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Make everything you say a presentation.Keep your shoulders back, your head up, and your eyes laser-focused; adopt these practices with your body language every single time you speak no matter where you are — the grocery store, the bank, the post office — and no matter to whom you speak. Eliminate the “uh’s” and “um’s” otherwise known as filler words. Make statements that sound firm, not flimsy. For instance, say, “I know,” not “I think.” Eliminate high-rising terminals or uptalk so every statement you make does not sound like a question. Consistently sound like a confident and powerful speaker in your day-to-day life, so when you’re on a physical stage with a microphone and it’s time to deliver, sounding confident is habit, and it feels totally natural to own the microphone.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Let’s stop searching for explanations due to someone showing up in the world just a touch different from how you show up. Let’s quit insisting people put their lives on full display before we can fully empathize with them. Let’s not question who people are or why they are the way they are. Instead, for those whom we know are doing no harm and are doing the best they can with the lives they’ve been given, let’s lean into them, learn from them, and lift them up regardless of how much or how little we know of their story.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Oprah! First, I want to have lunch with her simply because she’s freaking awesome. But second, I want to discuss with her how to teach a lesson from a deeply painful and personal story, how to push past the barrier of shame or self-doubt to publicly share that story and the accompanying lesson with the goal of impacting others, and what’s the greatest lesson she believes she has taught or that she has yet to teach.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yes! I cannot wait to connect! Readers can visit www.connectwithb.com to get all my social media handles plus links to articles I’ve penned for Forbes, Entrepreneur, Medium, and other outlets as well as links to my podcast, my blog, and online retailers that carry my books.
This was so informative. Thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
I still get nervous when I speak. I look at that nervousness as being excited about sharing my message with an audience. The more I focus on my message, the less fear I have.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Allen Klein.
Comedian Jerry Lewis has said that Allen Klein is “a noble and vital force watching over the human condition.” Klein (aka “Mr. Jollytologist”® and “Ambassador of Light”) shows people how to use humor and positivity to deal with life’s not-so-funny stuff. He is an award-winning professional speaker, a TEDx presenter, and author of numerous books including, The Healing Power of Humor, You Can’t Ruin My Day, Embracing Life After Loss, and The AWE Factor. www.allenklein.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a five-story walk-up apartment in the Bronx. My playground was the cement sidewalk and gutters of New York City. My schools had hundreds of students. I went to Hunter College, which was part to the city college system. Looking back, I’m amazed that it only cost $22 per semester…and that included all my books. Being in the heart of the city, we had some of the top artists in the world as teachers. And, I’m honored that they selected me to be included in the Hunter College Hall of Fame.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I became a speaker and author to share how humor helped me deal with the loss of my wife when she was thirty-four. I wanted to tell the world how important therapeutic humor was to help us get a perspective on our challenging and dark times. My first book was The Healing Power of Humor, now in a 40+ printing and 9th foreign language translation.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
My editor for The Healing Power of Humor kept wanting stories and more stories to illustrate what I was writing about. After searching everywhere to find those stories, I went to a used magazine store and bought a stack of Reader’s Digest magazines. I found several anecdotes in their pages that fit with what I was saying. I rewrote one of the stories. I changed the names of the people in it, but basically kept the same ending. When my book came out, my publisher sent a copy to Reader’s Digest for review. The only thing they chose to print from the book was the story that I originally found in their magazine.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of my first big presentations I did was on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry Hotel, in Nashville, TN. There were 1,500 people in the audience. Instead of coming onto the stage from the side, I thought I’d make a grand entrance center stage and enter threw a slit in the curtain. After they introduced me, I tried to find the opening in the curtain, but couldn’t. It took a long time spreading the curtain apart trying to find the opening. Finally, I did.
What I learned was that if I’m going to try something new, make sure it works before doing it.
I also learned that I probably should have shared my dilemma with the audience. It probably would have gotten a big laugh.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There were other speakers who I admired who helped me along the way, either by their advice or by observing them on stage. Just by watching them, I learned what to do, or even more importantly, what I shouldn’t do on stage. The National Speakers Association was the biggest help. 90% of what I did in my presentations, I learned for other speakers who were also NSA members.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Passion for your message will help you deal with your speaking challenges and setbacks. I almost failed speech class in college. I hated getting up in front of an audience. Yet, because of my passion to share what I learned when my wife died at the age of 34, and how humor helped us through that difficult time, I put my fear of speaking behind me in order to share my important message with the world.
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
The world is often in a sad place these days. People often ask, “How can you laugh at a time like this?” My answer is, “How can you not? Finding the humor in a situation helps you rise above it, helps you get through it, and gives you a different perspective on the situation. Yes, there are tragic moments in the world but there are also comic ones to at the same time. That is the message I want to share with the world.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
One of my most rewarding events in my speaking career was when I was asked to speak at a weekend retreat for burn survivors.
At first, I was reluctant to accept the job. I wondered how I’d face people who were severely disfigured, especially for three days. But even more than that, I was in doubt about how I could teach people like this to lighten up, after all they have been through a horrific situation, I haven’t.
But I’m glad I took the speaking engagement. They taught me so much…especially about laughing through loss, and, about unconditional love.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It is my own quotation: “Our attitudes are the crayons that color our world.”
It is how I live my life and how I have gotten through many dark times.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Focus on your message, not your fear.
I still get nervous when I speak. I look at that nervousness as being excited about sharing my message with an audience. The more I focus on my message, the less fear I have.
2. Have a memorable opening.
The first few minutes of your talk is often the most important. You either get the audience’s attention or you don’t. Open with a powerful or funny personal story or an intriguing question, quotation, or fact. Make sure it is related to your talk, then build on that.
I’ve seen many speakers open with a joke; that often doesn’t work because the speaker is not a good joke teller, or, it has nothing to do with their talk. Steer clear of joke telling unless you do it well.
3. Have a dynamic closing.
The second most important part of your talk might be the ending. Send ’em off with something that will remind them of your theme. I, for example, ask the audience to take an interactive “humor oath.” It reminds them to get more laughter in their life.
4. Be yourself.
Over the 20+ years that I’ve been a professional speaker, perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned has been to be myself on stage. When I first started out, I thought I could not do what I was doing because I’m not boisterous or use off-color language as many comedians do. What I learned from audience evaluations was that people related to my message because of my quiet gentle humor.
5. Have fun.
Another thing I learned, from my longtime speaking career, was that if I’m having fun on stage, so does the audience.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
As above, focus on your message and have fun. If you make a mistake, use it to poke fun at yourself. If something goes wrong, use it as grist for the mill. The audience will love you more the more you can show them that you are flexible and go with the flow. Like life, things happen on stage that were unplanned. Use whatever happens.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Train every world leader how to lighten up. Why? Because you can’t function fully when you are stressed out. Humor helps de-stress, and, people like you better.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Woody Allen (Maybe he’ll see this an invite me to lunch)
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Facebook: facebook.com/allen.klein
Twitter: @allenklein
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/allenklein/
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
The ability to speak from your heart, not just your head. Speaking about what’s important to you, telling stories and using emotion in your talks/presentations helps draw in an audience more than if you only share information/what you know. Example: Share a story about yourself (e.g. how you started in your particular field), or something you’re passionate about, or something that’s important to you.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Eric Atwood.
Eric Atwood is a speech and presentation coach, trainer and speaker. As Founder and CEO of The Speakers Studio, he teaches and trains clients to develop and deliver compelling talks and presentations and communicate effectively in any situation — from one-on-one conversations to group settings, both in-person and virtually. Go here to find out more about The Speakers Studio: https://www.thespeakersstudio.com/
As a certified Speaking Circles® and Relational Presence facilitator, Eric helps people overcome social anxiety and public speaking fear so they can express themselves confidently, powerfully and authentically in any situation.
Currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Eric has lived in seven countries and traveled worldwide, bringing a deep knowledge, understanding and passion for language, cultures and people to his work and his life.
Eric is also the author of the book New Thinking New Being: Moving From “The Daily Grind” to a More Meaningful, Deeply Fulfilling Life.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up living in the following countries: Malaysia (where I was born), Honduras, Colombia, Afghanistan and India. My father was the Country Director for CARE®, so we were posted to a different country every few years. I went to American schools in the capital cities of these countries, where children of diplomats from other countries were allowed to attend. I also traveled to more than 50 countries when I was young. Much of my worldview was formed by living in and traveling to these countries and consorting with/being friends with people from all over the world. It helped me be very open-minded, connected to and accepting of people from all cultures, with a consistent desire to explore different places, people and cultures worldwide. After graduating from the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India, I moved to California (it was the first time I had ever lived in the US) to attend college. After graduating from the University of California, Riverside, I began my professional career.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
From pre-adolescence to the age of 40, I was a very shy person who saw the world as a harsh place. When I turned 40, I was living in New Zealand with my wife. I had my own consulting business and a small circle of friends, but I realized I was very unhappy. I decided I needed to make a big change in my personal and professional life. For the next five years, I went through what I have labeled my “Personal Development Years.” I went to counseling, did numerous self-assessments, read a lot of self-help books, and enrolled in various personal development courses and workshops. With all those experiences under my belt, I was able to release many of my limited beliefs that were keeping me stagnant and unhappy. I realized I had many gifts to share, passions to cultivate and people to connect with. More than anything, I wanted to make a bigger difference in the world.
One of the things I found in that five-year period was Speaking Circles®, a speaking technique that helps people overcome public speaking fear (one of my many fears at the time), to speak from the heart (rather than only from the head) and to connect deeply with their audiences using different practices (including Relational Presence, which is the practice of being with one person at a time in a group setting). I attended these Circles for three years — and it transformed how I interacted with people. Realizing that public speaking is one of humans’ greatest fears, I decided I wanted to help people overcome this fear using the practices I had learned. I enrolled in the certification training and become a Speaking Circles Facilitator in 2011. Soon after that, I started my own business called The Speakers Studio. Ever since then, I have coached and trained hundreds of people to be better public speakers and communicators in all settings (including virtually), and I have also done a fair amount of public speaking.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I would say the most interesting thing that has happened to me since I began my coaching, training and facilitation business is that, as a result of the pandemic, I’ve found ways to pivot my business online so I and the people I coach/train/facilitate can use and benefit from the same practices I teach in in-person settings in virtual environments. Equally interesting, I have discovered novel ways for people to interact with and engage others in virtual settings that they cannot experience in-person. One example: gazing into the camera lens while speaking allows everyone in a virtual space to see your eyes, which is something that cannot be done or experienced in an in-person setting (only the person you’re looking at is able to see your eyes). Thus, I have found additional applications of the work I do and the practices I teach that I probably would not have explored or discovered had I not been forced to pivot my business into the virtual space due to the pandemic.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the funniest things that happened to me early in my business was facilitating a training session at a military base. Given the many restrictions and protocols required to enter the base for non-military personnel and staff, I decided to give myself what I thought was plenty of time to drive from my hotel to the base, get my badge and other materials that would grant me access to the base, and arrive at the training classroom with about a half hour to spare. However, little did I know that for about the next hour and a half, I would be on a wild goose chase trying to find the place where they would issue my badge/materials and then find the classroom on the base. I went to literally six or seven different places (including a church) trying to find the right buildings. People’s verbal directions and my GPS were not helping, my training contact was not answering her phone when I called her, and I was in full panic mode as the training start time quickly approached. I finally got everything I needed and arrived at the classroom about 15 minutes after the class was supposed to start, which was not a good look for a facilitator!
What I learned from this ordeal was from that point on, whenever I had a training or speaking engagement, I would 1) make sure I had all the information I needed at least a day in advance of the engagement, including all the directions and materials I would need to get to where I needed to go, and 2) I would give myself extra time that day to get to the venue with plenty of time to spare, allowing for traffic or any other possible delays or circumstances that might prevent me from arriving early. The lesson I learned and applied from that moment was that logistical considerations (which sometimes includes setting up audio-visual equipment) are often equally important as preparing the actual content you are presenting in your training, talk or presentation.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My wife, Athena, was the person who was most instrumental in starting me on the path I am on now. Knowing what a difference Speaking Circles had made in my life and how passionate I was about it, she encouraged me to enroll in the certification training and even helped me start and build my business. (She is a leadership coach and trainer, so she is very skilled at helping people with their professional and business goals.) Although we are no longer married, we are still good friends who are in regular contact with each other, and she continues to support me in my business and other areas of my life.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
While there were certainly many challenges in building my business and getting me to where I am now, I stuck with it from the beginning, learned from some early struggles, and did what was necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. For anyone who is embarking on a career path of being an entrepreneur or professional speaker, I offer the following words of advice:
Do your research and learn from others — find out what other professionals in your field did/do that was/is successful, and emulate their process.
Learn by doing — sometimes you need to learn and try new things, gain knowledge from these experiences and tweak things as you go.
Be patient with yourself during the early months of your journey — it will take some time for you to find out what it will take to get where you want to go.
When things feel challenging or your motivation is low, tap into your “why” — ask yourself why you have chosen this career path and always keep that in your mind and heart as you move forward.
Don’t feel as if you have to figure everything out at once — do one thing at a time (multi-tasking is usually not the best way to get things done) and continue to take small steps.
Get help from others in any part of the business where you are not very skilled or passionate (e.g. accounting, marketing, writing, social media, etc.) — don’t feel like you have to wear every single hat in your business.
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
I am driven each day to empower others to communicate confidently and authentically in all settings (with one person or many, in-person or virtually) and to connect with others in meaningful, enjoyable and powerful ways. Whether I’m coaching someone to do this, or training a group of people to do this, or speaking in front of a group explaining how they can do this, I feel as if I’m in my element and I can see the results of my efforts. I realized at the age of 40 that serving others and making a difference in the world was my life’s mission. When I discovered how I was going to do that — teaching what I teach now — this has been my ultimate daily motivation.
The main empowering message I want to share with the world is that it’s vitally important that you speak your truth, be fully who you are (without trying to be someone else or hiding your true self from others), and appreciate others for exactly who they are (without judging them or seeing the differences between ourselves and them). When we do each of these things, we share important information and details with others, we feel good about ourselves, and we feel deeply connected with others in the most meaningful and gratifying way possible.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I am currently developing an online course that will help people overcome social anxiety and public speaking anxiety using some of the practices I teach, and I plan to launch it later this year. I am also crafting a TEDx Talk that I plan to deliver next year. In the coming years, I see myself creating other online courses and programs, running workshops and retreats (online and in-person), training teams in companies, writing a book related to the work I do, and doing many more public talks and presentations on the practices I teach.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite life lesson quotes that I heard during my Personal Development Years (see above) was “Don’t worry about what others think of you; they are too busy worrying about what you think of them.” One of the reasons I was so shy and had social anxiety and public speaking anxiety when I was younger is that I was terrified that other people disliked me or disapproved of me, which is why I mostly kept to myself and withdrew from others. This quote, along with some deep inner work that I did during this period of my life, made me realize that what I had been doing for most of my life was projecting my fears and judgments onto others. I realized that most people didn’t think badly of me, but were in fact quite interested in me and liked who I was.
Once I discovered this, I was able to open up to other people more readily. I had a lot to share with others, I was genuinely interested in them, and being this way was both enjoyable and a way to connect with others in a very meaningful and rewarding way. With these insights in hand, I have been able to teach others how to simply be themselves in their interactions (one-on-one and in group settings) and to not worry too much about what others thought of them.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
The ability to connect with your audience. I’ve been trained in a practice called Relational Presence, which teaches speakers to “be with” one audience member at a time as a way to connect with everyone better. Example: When you’re standing in front of an audience, look at one person for a few seconds and talk to that person only. Then move to another person and do the same thing.
The ability to speak from your heart, not just your head. Speaking about what’s important to you, telling stories and using emotion in your talks/presentations helps draw in an audience more than if you only share information/what you know. Example: Share a story about yourself (e.g. how you started in your particular field), or something you’re passionate about, or something that’s important to you.
The ability to speak to your audience’s wants and needs. When you know in advance what your audience is looking for that would help them, you can address those wants/needs in your talk/presentation. Example: If your audience has a desire to make more money, or start a new career, or overcome a fear, or improve their spousal relationship, focus on that topic throughout your talk/presentation.
The ability to be in the moment. When you let words come naturally — without memorizing, over-rehearsing or delivering a canned speech — your audience will be more interested in what you’re saying and will connect with you, not just your content. Example: Outline the key points of your talk/presentation, practice these as well a compelling opening and closing, and then deliver these points in a relaxed and spontaneous way with your audience (as if you were having a conversation with a friend about this subject).
The ability to use good body language. Because most of our communication is nonverbal, when you use good eye contact, facial expressions, posture, hand gestures, pitch/tone, etc., you get through more effectively to your audience. Example: Practice some of these good body language signals on your own or with a small group of people. Video record yourself and watch what you’re doing, then make any adjustments as needed during your actual talk/presentation.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
In my experience, here are some good ways to overcome the fear of public speaking:
Only speak on subjects that you are knowledgeable and passionate about.
Practice speaking on these subjects on your own and/or with a small group of people that you know.
Join a group or class such as Speaking Circles® or Toastmasters to practice speaking in groups.
Practice being in front of a small audience without speaking; get comfortable being still and being seen by others.
Do as many talks as you can to keep improving.
Give yourself a pep talk or repeat some affirmations before you speak.
Envision yourself doing well and feeling good about your talks.
Tell yourself your audience will get some valuable things from your talk/presentation.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would inspire a movement in which people a) thought of others more often (instead of thinking only themselves) and b) saw the similarities between themselves and others, instead of the differences. In my view, part of the reason there is so much conflict and unhappiness in the world is that most of us are quite self-centered (we only think of what we want or what matters to us) and that when these people do see/hear/interact with others, they see them as separate or different from themselves. If we all saw each other as equals, respected and appreciated everyone for who they are, and considered ways we could support other people with whom we were interacting, there would certainly be a lot less conflict and unhappiness in the world.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Barrack Obama would be one person I’d enjoy having lunch with. I’d love to find out as many things as possible that he did to get to where he got, how he overcame his obstacles, what inspired him to keep moving forward, what helped him be a great speaker, and any lessons he’s learned that he’d like to pass on to future generations.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Keith Bailey Of Articulated Intelligence On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Practice Out Loud. It is imperative that we practice our content, stories and key points out loud. How many times have you practiced for that presentation in your head, over and over, then you open your mouth at go time and it’s like someone else took over your body. As good as it may sound in our head, it never seems to come out with the same level of success until we’ve practiced saying it out loud, over and over again. Practice with your dog, your partner, in the mirror, walking through the park, driving in the car, get in the reps. I like to use Zoom or Marco Polo so I can record, review and refine. I know for some this is even worse than public speaking, having to watch yourself speaking, so if that’s not for you, at the very least practice out loud.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Keith Bailey with Articulated Intelligence.
Keith’s public speaking passion started with a seminal moment in the 4th grade while delivering a book report. From the hospitality industry to global corporate sales, he learned the power of storytelling for profit, influence and fun. During his 16 years as a coach, 8+ years as a Toastmaster, and ongoing involvement in the National Speakers Association, he has learned that good speakers are created, not born. To give everyone the opportunity to live life well spoken he co-founded Articulated Intelligence, a communication up-leveling firm where the gamified storytelling technique With 1 Word® was created to help build relationship equity and prevent unintentional audience abuse.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I moved from a small farming village in the southern part of Holland to the suburbs of Kansas City at the tender age of 8. While I did not speak the language of my new country, I will never forget learning the power and impact of body language and gestures when I flipped the bird for the first time on the elementary school playground. As my language skills grew so did my confidence in speaking, a direct result of a seminal moment, in the 4th grade, after delivering a book report. The teacher, Mrs. Merrick was so moved she had me repeat my performance for the 3rd and 5th grade students. From that experience I learned those who believe in you will take you by the hand and show you the way. My love for the art and craft of public speaking and storytelling was born on that day. It led me to photojournalism in the Marines, to nearly 10 years in Toastmasters and now as a board member with the National Speakers Association and owning a speaking business. I believe everyone can experience success in public speaking which is why I take my clients by the hand and show them the way.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
In the Spring of 2017 the legacy corporation I worked for hired a new president tasked with righting the ship and rallying the crew around a North star that would restore our historic prestige. His debut was speaking to a room full of hopeful employees, at our company meeting, ready to be inspired by their fearless leader. And instead, he ummed, he ahhed and he fumbled his way through an introduction, providing nothing of substance about himself or stories to help us relate and rally behind him. It was at that moment I realized my purpose — to prevent business professionals from committing unintentional audience abuse. Unintentional because the speaker wants to do their best but does not possess the confidence, skill or knowhow to connect, convey and convince. And in turn they don’t give the audience the one thing they want, for the speaker to WIN! They want to be inspired, moved, educated. They want to feel their time was well spent. I knew there had to be an approach, a methodology to help people overcome their fear of speaking and a way for anyone to connect with their audience. And so was born the With 1 Word® storytelling method.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I call it my “Covid Surprise”. As my in person business slipped away and everything moved to virtual interactions I was left staring at my computer camera light in front of me and the static backgrounds behind me. In person interactions are so dynamic, I knew my soul would be crushed if I couldn’t figure out a way to bring this dynamic nature of my business into a virtual realm. On a virtual call I was glazing over and started fiddling around with the virtual backgrounds, flipping from one to another and blam, it hit me! Instead of using slides and sharing your screen, where you the speaker, the main attraction, becomes this tiny box in the corner, why not build your info into the virtual backgrounds so you can stay in the foreground just like in person presenting. Think about it, sharing your screen, where your visual aid becomes the centerpiece, is akin to being in the boardroom, starting your PowerPoint and walking into the hallway to present. I started using this “hack” for my workshops, my Toastmasters speeches, and my social interactions. The reactions I got were incredible, even to the point where people were barely paying attention to what I was saying, they just wanted to know “how was I doing that?” Figuring out this hack and sharing it with others helped me pivot my business to a fully virtual realm and helped feed my soul during a challenging time. I’ve created a short course on “How to Use Virtual Backgrounds as Your Presentation Deck” which you can find on our Articulated Intelligence website for anyone interested in learning more.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This is only funny because if I didn’t laugh about it, I would have cried. I worked so hard to land a gig with a national fitness company working with their coaches on their public speaking skills. This fitness organization understood the importance of making connections with members through personal stories shared by their coaches. The schedule was confirmed and I had everything ready to go. I was on cloud nine. A couple days later I get a phone call and the key stakeholder says, “where are you?”. I get that sinking feeling in my stomach and think I am going to throw up. I look at my calendar and have nothing on it! Apparently I hadn’t saved the calendar event. Fortunately I’d spent time getting to know the key stakeholder, understanding his needs and defining what success would look like for him. This upfront time spent with him collaborating and designing together saved my bacon. Because of this time getting to know, like, and trust each other he gave me the benefit of the doubt and gave me a chance to make it up to his team. From this experience I learned the importance of not rushing to close the contract or win the deal, but rather spend time building relationship equity because when (not if) something goes awry, the equity will pay dividends.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It is the Spring of 2014 and I am sitting in the audience, along with 40 other members of Cherry Creek Toastmasters, listening to Ed Tate’s farewell speech. He is moving his family and professional speaking/coaching business to Las Vegas. When Ed speaks you cannot help but listen, not because he is the 2000 Toastmasters International Speech Contest winner and ‘World Champion of Public Speaking”, but because his message always hits home in a personal, meaningful way. As he comes to the close of his speech, he imparts this knowledge upon the assembly.
“Toastmasters is not the place where you deliver your best speech, this is the place where you practice, try new things, and see how far you can stretch yourself.”
Those freeing words forever changed how I approach the practice of public speaking. They released me by giving me the permission to not be perfect. Over the years, especially after my departure from corporate in 2017, my relationship with Ed has evolved into a mentor/mentee connection. We speak on a regular basis to collaborate on ideas, work through business problems and currently Ed is coaching me on my Toastmasters International Speech Contest journey.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
We believe if you are in a role that includes introducing ideas, providing updates or presenting pitches, then you are a professional speaker. After all, you are getting at least in part, paid to speak! So this advice applies not only for those who want to be professional speakers but for those who are speakers in a professional setting.
My best advice is practice. There is a direct correlation between professional speakers and professional athletes.
A professional athlete spends more time scrimmaging and practicing the play book then they ever do playing the actual game. As a professional speaker you need to apply this exact same principle! This is the reason why I have been a member and active participant of Toastmasters for years. Once a week I show up to practice by actively listening, giving feedback, and trying out new material (aka running plays and getting in the reps).
If your intention is to up level your ability to connect and convey via the spoken word then you must make the time and put yourself in the place of most possibility to practice. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he references the attributes of those who stand apart from the rest. One of the primary differentiating factors is the amount of hours Outliers have applied to practicing their craft. “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
Good speakers are not born, they are made!
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
My secret pleasure is other people’s “Ah!Ha!” moments. Many of our clients believed that “Nothing exciting has ever happened in my life!”, to which I always respond, “Have you lived this thing called life?”. Everyone’s life is fascinating, the difference is that many people have never looked at their experiences through the lens of a storyteller. Look at comedians, they are some of the greatest storytellers and what they talk about is simple, everyday stuff… going to the grocery store, raising kids, breathing, you name it! It all comes down to understanding where in your brain to find stories, how to construct a good story and sharing it, over and over again.
At Articulated Intelligence, our With 1 Word ® approach makes it easy to find memories and specific experiences for any occasion, shape them into the framework of a story, and most importantly share them out loud. The more you do this process the easier it becomes to search, shape, and share, even on the spot. And it’s incredible the stories, remembered and forgotten, that come out of this process. We so often hear, “OMG I haven’t thought of that in ages” and “wow, I’ve never shared that before!”. It’s empowering. The beauty of this approach is these are your stories/experiences, you know them, you own them and it’s actually quite fun to share them, even in a large group. It helps build confidence because it’s not so formal, it’s simply a game.
Our main empowering message at Articulated Intelligence is everyone can “Live Life Well Spoken”. With coaching, support, practice, and stories anyone can be a successful “public speaker”. By improving your speaking skills you can create lasting connections, spread your ideas, sell more products and services, and grow your overall relationship equity at work and at play.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
One of the most interesting projects we are working on now is “gamifying” the preparation, execution, and follow up of networking. Networking is definitely a form of public speaking and the majority of people dread it. We are creating a networking game with a reward system for things like doing specific prep work prior to networking, introducing yourself in a particular way, and answering/asking questions that allow for deeper conversation. We’ll let you know when it’s released!
Overall we see ourselves continuing to figure out how to gamify public speaking even further so it feels more like fun than fear.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite quotes is by Winston Churchill — “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts”. It actually hangs on a placard above my office door. This quote is relevant to my life because win or lose you must continue to reinvent and have the fire in your belly to keep on trying.
We began building our business in 2018, experienced some success in 2019 with great anticipation of doubling our book of business in 2020. Then on April 5th of 2020, as the world was shutting down due to the pandemic, my professional and personal world came to a crashing halt. Clients began to cancel in droves. We quickly realized that our business was about to evaporate because everything we did was live and in person. All of the momentum generated the year before was dissolving overnight. To add insult to injury, on the morning of April 5th I was out riding my bike trying to figure out what to do. I hit a bump as I wasn’t paying attention and ended up crashing into an iron park bench. The impact put me into the emergency room with a broken left shoulder.
Shortly after my bike crash my friend Hawthorne, upon learning about my predicament, prophesied “You are about to enter the most creative state of your life because you broke the shoulder of your dominant hand”.
For several weeks I walked around with my arm trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey wing completely demoralized. I felt embarrassed, sorry for my situation both professionally and personally and I was lost. I know now I was not alone, many of us went through the same if not much worse.
What I know to be true is that when I am in the service of others I always find purpose and self-worth. With everyone pivoting to the virtual realm there was a mad scramble to stay connected which resulted in an abundance of social outreach groups on Zoom. After attending many sessions, I started to ‘Pin’ and watch people in the gallery while speakers were presenting. What I saw through the veil of engagement was distressing to me. I saw people all alone, scared, and looking lost — just like me. The first person I reached out to was a friend from within my professional speaking industry, Judy.
“Hey Judy, I hope this finds you well… I welcome the opportunity to connect for a breakfast babble, or a lunch liaise or a happy hour harangue to play a game of With 1 Word ® . She responded quickly as many of us would, “I am doing great!! Thank you for reaching out, I am so busy right now. Perhaps another time.” About 30 minutes later my phone rang, it was Judy. “ I changed my mind, I would love to connect with you. What is this game?” “ The game is an opportunity to get to know each other and escape, for a brief moment, from our current situation. I want to take you on a guided visualization to share a personal experience.”
That conversation changed everything. From then on, for the next 12 months, I had over 100 conversations with people inside and outside my network. “The shortest distance between two people is a story!” This quote by Pati Digh rings so true and is the foundation by which we rebuilt our business. Through these conversations I began to understand how our storytelling method can help business professionals become more influential, have their ideas heard, understood, and bought into.
Hawthorn’s prediction has come true and it is built on the foundation of the quote by Winston Churchill, “…it is the courage to continue that counts”. Our business is thriving in the virtual realm and with restrictions being lifted we are seeing an uptick with in person events.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Always, always incorporate stories, it’s how people remember. Stories evoke feelings and feelings are a magic memory elixir. Anytime you are presenting, find a story or anecdote to help people understand and remember your topic(s). It’s way more interesting for your audience than just timelines, facts or figures and it gives your audience an opportunity to know, like and trust you. And it’s more interesting for you, it feels good to share stories, it’s part of our DNA. Even if it is something as simple as an introduction at a meeting, a networking event or a social gathering, incorporate a story. It will differentiate you from other people who do what you do and it will allow people to quickly find out if they have similar experience, shared values, and common interests, which are the building blocks of lasting connections. Let me give you an example. This is the introduction one of my business partners uses when she meets people.
“Have you ever been in a meeting or at a presentation and the presenter um and ahs after every word, or they read every slide to you (although you know how to read) or they dump a bunch of information on you without any way to relate to it? My business partners and I help people with these challenges. We help them up-level their communication and help prevent unintentional audience abuse. I didn’t know it at the time but the idea for this business was planted back when I was a senior in high school in Bennett, a small farming town in Colorado. I am preparing for one of the biggest moments of my young life — I will be delivering the Valedictorian address to a gymnasium full of parents and peers. Fortunately, I had an incredible coach, my dad, who told me, Renee, if you want to keep people engage, you have to tell stories. So instead of delivering a speech full of platitudes like “Follow Your Dreams” or “It’s Our Time”, I told a story about a 3-legged chicken. I remember looking out at the audience, seeing their eyes on me, laughing when I finished my story and feeling immense pride in a job well done. Fast forward to now and I want everyone to have that feeling whether they are presenting in a boardroom or delivering a keynote. And I know it’s possible with the right coaching, support, and practice like we provide at Articulated Intelligence.”
By incorporating a story, people now know more about her, perhaps they can relate or empathize. There are also different conversation threads they can explore, “I must hear the chicken story” or “I grew up in a small town too”. And, they’ll likely remember her more than if she had just said “I’m a speaking coach”.
2. Opt for Authenticity Over Memorization. Scripting and memorization simply don’t work. Either you lose your place in your mental or written script or you lose your authenticity. It is impossible to be yourself if you are stuck in your own head or your head is stuck down looking at a piece of paper. Writing it all out to then speak it is like wanting to be a good swimmer by practicing running. They are both cardiovascular exercises but doing one is not the same as trying to be good at the other.
How I develop my keynotes and how we coach our clients at Articulated Intelligence is through using recall words organized on a Run of Show document. Imagine a big white board — create an intro column, body column(s) and a close column. In each of these columns put recall words for the info you want to share. For example in the Intro column put a sticky note that says “Chicken Story”, then another sticky that says “5 Ways to Overcome Public Speaking Fears”, then another sticky that says “Failure Story”. As you practice (out loud) you’ll fill in the additional information around these key points and sure you’ll likely tell the chicken story a little different every time but it’s way better than being the memory robot that’s super stiff and has no personality.
3. Practice Out Loud. It is imperative that we practice our content, stories and key points out loud. How many times have you practiced for that presentation in your head, over and over, then you open your mouth at go time and it’s like someone else took over your body. As good as it may sound in our head, it never seems to come out with the same level of success until we’ve practiced saying it out loud, over and over again. Practice with your dog, your partner, in the mirror, walking through the park, driving in the car, get in the reps. I like to use Zoom or Marco Polo so I can record, review and refine. I know for some this is even worse than public speaking, having to watch yourself speaking, so if that’s not for you, at the very least practice out loud.
4. Pause…………….. Pausing creates suspense and impact and from a practical standpoint it allows us to find the words for the next thing we want to say, especially since we are not memorizing. It gives us time to remember our recall words and start visualizing our next bit of content. Also, we forget our audience doesn’t know the information we are delivering, they need a little time to digest it before we go on to the next thing or they are going to forget what you said and your bravery was all for naught. Use pauses to your advantage, it’s a win/win for you and your audience.
5. Know your audience is always rooting for you. They want you to WIN! I always carry this knowledge in the back of my mind when speaking. It has helped me through times on stage when I look out at my audience and see the resting listening faces and think to myself “they hate me!” What’s interesting is, typically when this happens, those tend to be the people who come up to me afterwards to thank me and they often say “It felt like you were speaking directly to me”. This happened to me recently. I was speaking to a Chamber of Commerce Association and there was a gentleman at one of the front tables. He had a solid resting listening face the entire keynote. I had to really focus to not let it throw me off my game. After the keynote he approached me with a list of items I was sure were all the things he hated about my keynote, but I was dead wrong. It was a list of organizations, along with their contact person, he was urging me to get a hold of as soon as possible as they needed to hear my message. Knowing that public speaking is one of the most feared activities, there is no doubt the majority of people in your audience are already giving you huge props for putting yourself out there, they will give you a lot of leeway and if you win, they win.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Start small and trick yourself into getting comfortable. Let me explain what I mean. At Toastmasters everyone has a role. Sure there are people doing their speeches but there is also a grammarian, a jokester, a timer, evaluators; small speaking roles with very low stakes. It’s brilliant, they’ve created super low risk speaking opportunities that don’t really feel like public speaking, but they are. The small speaking bits start morphing into bigger and bigger ones and before you know it, you are giving a 3 to 5-minute speech. I know Toastmasters isn’t for everyone, but you can still apply this methodology. Take on small informal speaking opportunities at work, at events or in social situations and your confidence will grow.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
When I moved from The Netherlands to Kansas as a kid, the thing that stood out to me, aside from the endless prairie and the oppressive humidity, was how strangers would greet you. You would receive a “How, Ya Doin?”, a “Mornin” or “Evenin” or eye contact and a nod. Even when driving down country roads you would get the hand on the steering wheel wave. It’s something I still do today and find joy in engaging in this cordial manner, oftentimes disrupting people I pass on the street. I always say “Good Morning” even when it is the afternoon or evening. It brings me joy to see people’s reaction. Unfortunately, I rarely receive greetings from others, in fact I rarely even get eye contact. I often imagine how inviting the world would be if people got back to greeting each other.
When you engage in the practice of greeting people, they feel seen, acknowledged and they become a person, not a stranger.
“Good Morning!”
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Absolutely, Simon Sinek! He is a brilliant thought leader whose conceptual model “The Golden Circle” has enabled me to help people understand how using stories to convey their WHY can be so impactful.
When we meet for lunch, I envision discussing his conceptual model along with sharing a multitude of stories. Simon, you name the time and place and I will gladly pick up the tab.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
People are your business, and attracting the best people is different from retaining them. Diversity can help retain talented employees to grow your businesses. More and more employees are valuing diversity in their workplace, and for some, it’s become a necessity to stay in a job. About 57% of employees want to see their company increase diversity, and 83% of Millennials are more likely to be actively engaged if their company has a diverse and inclusive culture.
As a part of our series about “How Diversity Can Increase a Company’s Bottom Line”, I had the pleasure of interviewing James Cooper-Jones, CEO of award-winning, HR technology company Simply.
James Cooper-Jones is a CEO of Simply, an award-winning HR technology company helping businesses streamline recruitment, improve employee engagement and increase diversity. James is an experienced senior executive with a global perspective, having worked for public and private companies with operations in APAC, Africa, Europe, MENA and North America.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive into the main part of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you share a bit of your “backstory” with us?
My backstory has quite a bit to do with my current journey with Simply. I grew up in Australia to parents who had lived around the world, so our household was full of different cultures, cuisines, and languages. Perhaps influenced by this, I left Australia for overseas almost as soon as I was old enough to do so — I have since lived and worked around the world, throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa. I have been fortunate that this has included working in a variety of senior management roles and with some really great people from various diverse backgrounds.
I am also the proud father of a Japanese-Australian family, so diversity and inclusion are very close to my heart.
Finally, I have been a senior executive, CEO, and finance executive, of both private and public companies, and I have some insights on how to manage a team, what makes an effective team, and how getting those right can impact your company’s performance — from my own experiences, both good and bad, from someone that has been there and done it themselves.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you tell us a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” This is an African proverb that embodies the work we do at Simply. We help employers assemble best-fit teams so that businesses can better focus on their missions, drive bottom lines, and deliver long-lasting results. Long-lasting success for businesses starts with the people who show up to work every day and are engaged, which is why values-based hiring and culture alignment with HR technology can help businesses be equipped with the talent needed to grow and thrive.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
This is where I would like to thank the Simply team for their dedication to our goals and mission. Chief Technology Officer Oliver Fehr and the rest of our team and partners around the world uphold what Simply stands for and have created a runway to help us continue growing, improving the employee experience and diversity in the workplace.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I would say authenticity. When founding Simply, my co-founder and I found the companies we had worked well with and respected most over our careers were those organizations that were genuine. We have brought that spirit to Simply by executing each client relationship with a ‘people-first,’ genuine approach.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that might help people?
Simply’s approach to recruitment is a project I am really proud of.
Simply is an award-winning, Australian HR Technology company that has adapted methods of recruitment proven to increase team engagement, wellness, and diversity into an easy-to-use and easy-to-implement software. We’ve won awards around the world that we’re really proud of.
Essentially, Simply can help business managers and the community in two ways.
First, we have developed a turnkey way to help find the right personality for the right role. We do this using values-based recruitment. This helps the employer, of course, because the right personality type for the right role generally means a happier employee, and studies tell us happier employees are more productive — and less likely to leave an organization. So, this is good for business managers.
But this is also good for employees because they are happier, and happier employees generally have better wellness, including mental health — which is good for people and the communities we live in.
Secondly, we have developed a purposeful way to increase diversity in recruitment. We do this by combining values-based recruitment and blind hiring.
One of the main aims of any diversity recruitment process is to remove unconscious bias. The challenge with most conventional recruitment processes that rate candidates on qualifications and experience is that qualifications and experience are common unconscious bias triggers. So, focusing and rating candidates on if their values fit in the recruitment process, such as with the Simply system, allows the hiding (blinding) of unconscious bias triggers such as name, gender, age and qualifications and experience. This is great for business managers as it is an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement, diversity recruitment tool.
But it is also good for employees and communities as this levels the recruitment playing field for all sections of our communities.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Diversity and inclusion are a passion derived from my personal life. I see Simply’s success in increasing diversity in workplaces all over the world and believe that we’re making a difference for our users and offering a blueprint for how companies can become more equitable and inclusive. Ultimately, it’s a great thing.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. This may be obvious to you, but it is not intuitive to many people. Can you articulate to our readers five ways that increased diversity can help a company’s bottom line? (Please share a story or example for each.)
When I get asked this question, I usually point out to business managers these key points.
Diversity will help make your business be more innovative and competitive.
Studies, including one from McKinsey & Company, have shown that diverse companies are more innovative and adaptable to change.
There are many contributing factors, but one likely significant contributor is a broader repository of life experiences.
This is sometimes called epistemology or group think and deals with how we accumulate knowledge, and what we know is commonly a product of our life experiences and exposure.
For example, three engineers grew up in the same town, all went to the same university and then all worked at the same company. When presented with an engineering problem, they will likely come to present very similar solutions, as their life experiences are all largely the same. Then consider three engineers, who grew up in say three different countries or regions, went to three separate universities, and then had very different work experiences. When presented with the same engineering problem, they will likely present different solutions, drawing on their different life experiences.
Group think is only one of the many reasons why diverse companies are more innovative and adaptable to change.
There is probably not a time in our recent history where organizations needed to be more innovative and adaptable to change to survive such as in the COVID pandemic — so diversity definitely matters for your business.
2. Diversity will help you attract the best people.
Studies, including those by Josh Bersin, have found that candidates are more likely to apply for roles with companies that they feel are diverse.
Most business managers would explain that people are their business. That’s held true for me in my senior roles around the world. Most business managers would also explain that talent pools are becoming more competitive, and it is getting increasingly harder to attract the right people.
There is change occurring currently in the workforce, and I think this trend of an increasingly competitive talent pool will continue.
So, if we understand that people are your business, and having a recruitment strategy that drives diversity will help you attract the best talent — it makes sense that diversity will help improve your business.
3. Further, diversity will help you retain the best people.
People are your business, and attracting the best people is different from retaining them. Diversity can help retain talented employees to grow your businesses. More and more employees are valuing diversity in their workplace, and for some, it’s become a necessity to stay in a job. About 57% of employees want to see their company increase diversity, and 83% of Millennials are more likely to be actively engaged if their company has a diverse and inclusive culture.
Replacing employees is costly for businesses, so retention is vital to companies’ bottom lines. Research is proving that employees want and need a diverse workplace, so in order to retain top talent, businesses need to value and execute diversity and inclusion strategies.
4. Diversity will help improve your financial performance.
Again studies, including from Bersin and McKinsey & Company, have shown that diverse companies consistently, and often significantly, financially outperform their non-diverse peers.
When you consider the three previous points, this becomes a bit of a no brainer — diverse companies are more innovative, adaptable to change, and attract and retain the best talent. It makes sense that when faced with the ever-changing corporate environment, that the modern business manager is currently presented with, that diverse companies have more and better caliber human capital resources to draw on to address those challenges. They are just going to outperform — it’s a no brainer.
Some managers can see diversity and inclusion as a burden. This is disappointing to me, but on some level, I get it. The task list for the modern business manager seems to be constantly increasing. However, when the above points are considered, not only is diversity and inclusion a significant thing we can all do for the communities we live in, but it can also be something business managers can do to provide their business with a competitive edge and improve their bottom line.
5. Diversity increases efficiency and productivity.
Referring to the earlier example about the engineers, it would also make sense that the group of engineers who offer diverse backgrounds would arrive at multiple solutions faster than the group of engineers with similar backgrounds. Diverse teams have proven to make decisions faster and develop more in-depth approaches than individuals or a non-diverse team.
Especially when you have diversity across upper and lower-management positions, productivity can increase because teams hold greater creativity, multiple perspectives, and differing skill sets, heightening potential for results. Just last year, research found that diverse businesses’ productivity was 1.32 times higher than businesses that weren’t diverse. That increased productivity translates to monetary gain.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help their employees to thrive?
The first things that come to mind are to listen and engage, and I think business managers will find that employees will then engage in return, increasing productivity and retention.
However, the challenge is to what level do you engage. Due to differences in personality type or values, the level of engagement may be welcomed by one employee but may be viewed as an annoyance to another. So, understanding your employee’s values or personality is probably the best path to helping your employees thrive, which can be done simply with Simply’s values-based hiring.
What advice would you give to other business leaders about how to manage a large team?
This is a good question, that is probably becoming more about not only managing a large team but a large team that is remote and diverse.
Most managers I know would probably describe themselves as a good judge of character and good team leaders. However, the reality of the modern working environment, and likely the workforce of the future, is that we are going to have less and less face-to-face time with our team members. This means that the tools and interactions we relied on in the past to get a feel for our team members’ personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and wellnesses, are gone.
So, in the same way that Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other technologies have become a common replacement in our workplaces for physical meeting rooms, the modern manager needs technologies that help them engage with their teams. A good judge of character and good team leadership skills are still of great value — but technological support of these skills, such as with Simply, will help business leaders manage large, remote, and diverse teams into the future.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
Well, having worked in Southern Africa, it would have to be Elon Musk, right? Elon being originally from that part of the world and us both perhaps being equally good at bad jokes (I for one love your jokes, Elon, mate). We can also swap notes on who has the cooler accent, Aussies or South Africans.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I always recommend people follow our LinkedIn company page. We often have content and thought leadership pieces there from our community across Australia/South East Asia, UK/EU and USA. https://www.linkedin.com/company/simply-alined/
We would love to hear your readers’ voices and insights there.
Thank you for these excellent insights. We wish you continued success in your great work.
Livia DeFilippis Barndollar is a family law attorney with the law firm Pullman & Comley with more than 35 years of experience. Based in the firm’s Westport, Connecticut, office, she also serves as co-chair of Pullman & Comley’s Appellate practice, with a focus on family law appellate matters. In addition to representing parties in dissolution of marriage cases and marital and premarital agreements, she has also represented children in the divorce process. Barndollar is a past president of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and of the American Counsel Association. Livia wrote the chapter on alimony for the Lexis Nexis Connecticut Divorce Handbook, and has served as an editor for the Connecticut Bar Journal since 1985. She is also editor at large for the Family Advocate, published by the American Bar Association’s Section of Family Law, and has frequently presented at educational programs at both state and national levels.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
It was a combination of things. When I was choosing a career path, there was a partner at the law firm I had joined just out of school who had an esteemed national reputation in family law. By watching him and by writing for him — articles, memoranda and briefs — I determined that I had the opportunity to master a substantive area of the law if I worked in that practice area. Knowing a particular area of the law really well was important to me, and still is. Equally important to my choice, however, was the opportunity for a personal connection to clients. My family ran a private neighborhood pharmacy for 40 years. My dad started the pharmacy when I was 1 year old and my parents, and eventually my siblings and I, were part of the neighborhood. I saw how much good my father’s patience, advice and compassion did for people who might be in extremis. I saw that I could give that same type of valuable support to people in the field of law I chose — also poetically — about 40 years ago. A family lawyer acts as a counselor at a very crucial time in someone’s life. I welcome my clients relying on my judgment and I try to be both the voice of reason and a safe place for them when they are going through the process of changing their lives.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
I don’t know that I would typify this story as interesting, but I remember something that happened when I first started as a divorce lawyer that was an instructive experience. I had just been in court entering an agreement in a divorce (lots and lots of cases settle rather than go to trial) and the parties were just officially divorced. They walked out of the courthouse with their arms around each other’s waists, and went off to lunch. I remember thinking in my young practitioner’s mind: Why were they divorced if they got along so well? Now, decades later, I know that many times people simply can’t be happy together as married couples but still can be friendly, if not friends. Frankly, if people can go to lunch on the way out of the courthouse, it usually bodes well for their futures and the futures of children, if they have them.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When my sons were little boys, I had spent hours preparing for an appellate argument, even down to determining where I could park after a trip upstate to an area where I did not regularly appear in court. I had everything laid out — both the legal part and the practical part — the night before. I drove 90 minutes to the appellate courthouse, parked my car handily in the preplanned area, and as I was getting out of the car, looked down to see that I was wearing a skirt from one suit and a jacket from another. Best-laid plans of getting out of the door early so as to be upstate well in advance of “showtime” meant that I had dressed in the dark and paid more attention to running my argument through my mind than what I wore. Clearly, no one cared what I wore as long as I was respectful, but being mentally prepared for the argument was essential. What I learned from that experience, and many other arguments and speeches over time, is that the best work is done when one is the conduit of persuasive arguments and facts. Both internally and objectively, presentations get delivered with less angst and more effect — at least for me — when I concentrate on the message and not on what others might think of me.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
I have a couple. “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” This is something that clients should remember. Making lots of noise (or filing lots of pleadings) is not a sign that your case is being well handled. This is also an apt adage in our personal lives. Moving, moving, moving often means that we aren’t actually accomplishing much. I heard a presentation by a federal judge one fall afternoon about six years ago that stuck with me. He talked about the lost art of lawyers thinking about the best course of action and taking the time to do so. He shared that he did not send out his decisions on Friday afternoons, rather waiting until Monday mornings so that practitioners did not spend all weekend assessing how to explain his decisions to their clients and how to best respond. He bemoaned — and I think rightly so — that with ubiquitous electronic communication, people, especially those in service professions, believe they have to answer now. That does not always allow for consideration and may not lead to the best course of action. In my line of work, I know that it is important for my clients to know that I “hear” them, so I try to acknowledge that I have received a communication (usually email) and say that I will respond when I am at my computer, able to think about what they have said, and able to consider courses of action.
The other is, “Don’t judge your insides by other people’s outsides.” Don’t compare yourself with what you see on the surface with other people. It only robs you of your self-confidence. I have always been my sharpest critic, and I remember years ago having a boss tell me that my demeanor reflected that I never doubted myself. Anything but was the truth. You never know what’s going on in others’ lives. Just because they look like they have it all together, it doesn’t mean it’s true. In a work context, particularly in negotiations or mediations, I find that trying to really hear what is important to people — rather than working off of their “outsides” — is a key to resolution. I think that works in our personal relationships as well.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
In recent years I have become very involved with the Norwalk Community College Foundation, where I serve on the board of directors, recently as chair of the Scholarship Committee. We offer financial and mentoring support to students, including those transferring from NCC to four-year colleges to complete their baccalaureate degrees. We have some recently launched programs to particularly assist cohorts of students statistically shown to be at risk of not completing their associate degrees. We also have programs to bring students up to speed in English language and math so they can start college-level courses at the community college if their education up to that point has not given them the necessary skills. Many of these students have overcome significant obstacles in pursuit of their education, and it’s incredibly gratifying to work on these initiatives, particularly at a time that has been so challenging for everyone.
I’m also proud of the work that I have been able to do on the Advisory Committee to the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk. The Commission is focused on the improvement of child welfare laws and programs across the nation.
I am also on the board of the American Counsel Association. The ACA gives scholarships to law students who are in need; best of all, so many, if not all of the ACA scholarship recipients, are focused on initiatives and/or career paths in public interest law or international human rights law.
While it is an ongoing project, my work as an editor of the American Bar Association’s quarterly magazine publication — the Family Advocate — is always rewarding. I am often an issue editor and the work is intellectually stimulating. Being an accomplished family lawyer means learning all the time. I have been lucky enough to have complicated cases in my practice; both in the custody and financial fields. I find my work as a presenter and an editor on family law topics helps me stay on top of developments in related fields and aids me in representing clients in complex cases.
Ok. Thank you for that. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you tell us a bit about your experience going through a divorce, or helping someone who was going through a divorce? What did you learn about yourself during and after the experience? Do you feel comfortable sharing a story?
I have been representing divorce clients (and to a lesser extent, served as a children’s representative in contested custody, probate and criminal disputes) for decades. As a result, I have watched a lot of people go from the depths of despair or guilt to rebuilding their lives. What I’ve found — and I represent both women and men — is that if one can only view themselves as a victim, it is very hard to constructively move forward. Particularly when a partner has been disloyal, it is very hard for the “left-behind” spouse to trust others and themselves in personal relationships.
In contrast, my own personal experience has been with the illness and death of my spouse. When you have thought of yourself as part of a team, and you have come to be a solo act, you have to learn to trust yourself. If you don’t trust your own judgment you are stuck. It is hard to make decisions and certainly hard to forge any new relationships if you can’t develop, hear and trust your inner voice. I can see that this process is one that my clients have to journey through as well. Unless you can rely on your own judgment, your divorce will define you. That’s not what you want! You don’t want a divorce to be your last chapter, only a chapter.
In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes people make after they go through a divorce? What can be done to avoid that?
One of the most common mistakes people make is spreading themselves too thin. They keep moving and don’t give themselves time to process the divorce. You need to focus on yourself and the people who are most important to you. Doing too much is what I refer to above as “activity” which may prevent you from “achievement.” Give yourself a chance to process and to try to learn from what has happened to you. If you feel overwhelmed, try to identify your objectives and approach them step by step.
One of the worst mistakes divorce clients make is internalizing victimhood. Family and friends might believe that they are supporting and validating you by talking about the unfairness of what has happened to you, or even the downright lack of quality of your spouse for what they have done to you. That may be true, or what you need to hear for a while. But if you live in that space for a long time, you will be sad, likely angry and, worst of all, stuck.
Let yourself grieve, but remember the place for that grief is not in court or negotiations. Try to view your case as a business deal, which, of course, can be very hard to do, particularly when children are involved. Find a lawyer who will counsel you, not just fight. Learn your finances and find a good financial adviser.
People generally label “divorce” as being “negative”. And yes, while there are downsides, there can also be a lot of positive that comes out of it as well. What would you say that they are? Can you share an example or share a story?
One of the positive outcomes of divorce is that it can yield the opportunity to reinvent (or remember) yourself. Like the pandemic has done for many, a cataclysmic event such as a divorce can give you the chance (or leave you no choice but) to think about what you want to do that you were not able to do when married. While you may have to start working for the first time in years, or move your home, those life changes can allow you to change the course of your life. You can take chances, find a place to live that really is nurturing, or start a new career. I have one former client who was home with her children for about 20 years after she had attained her MBA. She had a chance meeting while waiting for an almost adult child to get off the train, chatted with someone, interviewed for a job and 12 years later she is the “right-hand man” for a second financial services office. She has become recredentialed, and not only did she find herself the financial security that she needed, but she launched a “second-act” career after the age of 55 with intellectual and social stimulation. I canvassed some of my clients who have become friends and they all talked about a variation on the same theme when identifying the positives that came out of their divorces: learning to stand on their own, having control over your own life, enjoying a sense of accomplishment, reconnecting with people you may have neglected and reevaluating what’s important to you.
Some people are scared to ‘get back out there’ and date again after being with their former spouse for many years and hearing dating horror stories. What would you say to motivate someone to get back out there and start a new beginning?
Actually, I think it’s important not to try to “get back out there” too soon. It’s important to be comfortable with being alone, being or becoming self-reliant, and identifying what you want of yourself and others before you start dating again. I have seen, though, that while we all have heard horror stories about online dating, I know of many success stories. Just remember what is important to you. And use your common sense.
What is the one thing people going through a divorce should be open to changing?
Get over your disappointment with your failed marriage. All that ever does is hold you back. This is a time to remember what you really enjoy in life, including avocations or small luxuries that you have sacrificed or compromised during the time that you were married or have been raising a family. Of course, depending on the time of your life that divorce happens, you may not have as much freedom to make immediate changes for yourself. You may still be ministering to the needs of a young family, for example. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t remember who you were or what you want to be.
Try not to allow bitterness to drive your choices. Sure your children want a dog and you want to make them feel that their lives are going to improve rather than deteriorate, but before you take on more responsibility, examine your motivations. If you are getting a dog because you have always wanted one and your spouse was allergic, this is one of the changes you can make that may improve your life. If you are getting an animal because you want to get back at the other parent, and you are already up to your eyeballs with responsibilities, think harder and longer on the topic.
Instead of thinking about what you have lost or about failure, think of this stage of life as opportunity. Depending on your stage of life and work situation, you may want to consider whether you are interested in moving to a different residence. Do you want to move closer to adult children who may have moved away and enjoy time with grandchildren? Do you want to live in a small bungalow on the beach rather than a large house in the suburbs with the attendant maintenance responsibilities? If you are unable to make large shifts in your lifestyle due to others who depend on you, you can make small ones. Maybe you can read until 3 a.m. with the light on now and you couldn’t before.
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. If you had a close friend come to you for advice after a divorce, what are 5 things you would advise in order to survive and thrive after the divorce? Can you please give a story or example for each?
Focus on the things that make you heal. Find experiences that make you, if not happy, at least peaceful. Take yourself away somewhere that is a balm to your soul.
Focus on others. If you have children, you may want to focus on their needs. It may help you develop some good energy and, after all, they too are suffering loss; at the very least a loss of their routine. Do not put them in the middle of their parents, not even between a parent and a step-parent. Encourage freedom to associate. Helping other people makes me feel better; that may not be true for everyone and every situation, but I think it is true for many.
Keep an eye on your finances. Don’t overspend, at least not until you have a sense of what you need. Don’t make quick decisions out of emotion.
Find a good therapist or renew your relationship with one you had. If you don’t feel heard, go to a different therapist. Work on your own strength and power.
Take care of yourself physically as well as mentally. There is great stress during a divorce and after. Get your sleep. Pay attention to your body when it doesn’t feel well. Even standing tall and straightening your shoulders can make you feel better. Eat healthily and exercise. On that last one, do as I say, not as I do, please.
The stress of a divorce can take a toll on both one’s mental and emotional health. In your opinion or experience, what are a few things people going through a divorce can do to alleviate this pain and anguish?
Avoid people who want to gossip and bring you down. Don’t accept negative energy. Get involved with people and experiences that make you happy and tackle your problems one at a time.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources related to this topic that you would recommend to our readers?
After the Affair by Dr. Janice Spring. The book talks about how affairs happen because of an individual’s life experience, not necessarily from their marriage relationship. Notably, it also hypothesizes that an affair does not mean that your marriage needs to end, but that in order for the couple to move on the reasons for the affair need to be understood so that trust might be rebuilt. Without trust, the relationship cannot survive.
I also value TED Talk The Journey Through Loss and Grief by Jason B. Rosenthal, which showcases the lessons learned at the end of life of his late wife Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Amy wrote an essay published in the “Modern Love” column in The New York Times entitled “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” Mr. Rosenthal’s talk is about love and loss, and while it may not be about divorce there are many similarities, I believe, between loss through divorce and loss through death. In fact, Mr. Rosenthal likens those losses and adds the loss of a meaningful job. He talks about layer upon layer of loss, as his father died shortly after his wife (which resounded with me as I lost my mom a year or so before my husband) and questioning how much he could bear. He talks about believing that he would not be able to find joy again, but promises that he has. He expounds seriatim examples of the beauty he acknowledges in each day and ends with the challenge: What will you do with your intentional empty space? What will you do with your fresh start?
While not all divorce lawyers agree, I liked the 2019 film Marriage Story. It showed how hard the divorce process can be, how people may feel the need to win and impose their wishes and, in the end, how opening one’s mind to the possibilities of a different life than the one you envisioned can be generous and sustaining. When people are divorcing, they seldom both want futures that look like the futures that they envisioned together. The last scene of Marriage Story — which portrayed a moment of kindness that nourished a fractured but still bonded family and reflected some healing to the benefit of the young boy involved — makes me smile each time I watch it.
Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I wish that we could be a society that is so much less divided than we are now; that we could all agree that equal access to voting rights, good health care, a truly living wage and good education for all are both worthy rights of individuals and good for society. Following the rule of law and believing that we should provide these safe spaces for people should not be considered political statements, but rather commonly held humanitarian goals toward which we are working.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
The Obamas. I simply admire them. I admire their marriage, their family, their vision and their integrity. And we know that Mr. Obama can sing. I love to sing!
Thank you for these great insights and for the time you spent with this interview. We wish you only continued success!
Makers of The Metaverse: Afsana Akhter Of Amelia Virtual Care On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Passion — in any new, trailblazing area or industry, where you are fighting against the status quo, it takes extraordinary passion and perseverance to evangelize a new approach or solution.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Afsana Akhter, CEO of Amelia Virtual Care. With 20+ years of experience across Tech and Digital Health, Afsana Akhter is driving the expansion and adoption of Amelia Virtual Care’s VR platform for mental healthcare. Afsana has held commercial leadership roles at Livongo, Prealize Health, and Medullan. Afsana holds BS and MEng degrees in E.E.C.S. from MIT.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I am originally from Bangladesh and grew up living in both the US and Bangladesh. I really cherish this aspect of my childhood, being able to live in both cultures immersively. Also, moving continents five times in 18 years gave me tremendous resilience, which has helped me throughout my life. I was a math and science kid. In fact, languages and humanities were very hard for me, so I attended MIT to study engineering. I had a great experience there, worked in Tech for six years and then transitioned to Healthcare in 2006, and have been in Digital Health ever since. I love working in this field because it allows me to apply all of my skills in tech, business, and startup growth, but mainly because it gives me a great sense of fulfillment in being able to help people in a fundamental way. I am especially passionate about projects and solutions that promote consumer empowerment in healthcare so that people can better manage their own health and have data and tools to make better decisions about their health. After college, I lived in the Boston area for 15 years. I then moved to Silicon Valley to work at Livongo — a great example of consumer empowerment as they enable people living with diabetes to better manage their own care. I love building and growing companies and take a very cross-functional and sales, market, and customer-driven approach. I was super excited to take the CEO role at Amelia Virtual Care — a company that lies at the intersection of mental health and the metaverse and has worked with over 2000 mental health professionals to bring the power of VR to mental health.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
While I was in college, I read two books that had a profound impact on me. One was “how to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. It introduced me to the concept of emotional intelligence — a topic for which I have an endless appetite. The other was “think and grow rich” by Napoleon Hill. One summer, I had a particularly grueling internship, and I used to listen to it in the car every morning. It helped me get through and stay motivated — some great lessons in that book. Nowadays, I love watching Ted talks on all kinds of topics — my latest favorites have been talks by Brene Brown. Her talk on gratitude as the path to happiness and vulnerability really resonated with me. I also love reading about different personality frameworks such as DISC, Enneagram, and Entrepreneurial DNA. Listening to these audiobooks over and over again has allowed me to better understand myself and others.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
A few things inspired me to join Amelia Virtual Care — which uses VR to support mental well-being. First is that the need and demand for mental health have been unprecedented since COVID, and there is a huge unmet need given the shortage of therapists, the fact that so many people don’t have access to or insurance coverage for mental health, and the average wait-time for a therapist is months. Also, we know that so much of mental health services are delivered through remote sessions, and we need to find ways to make that experience better and more engaging for the user. I saw VR as a game-changer in how people can experience mental health treatment with their therapists. Also, there is compelling and long-standing evidence and scientific studies showing that VR increases adoption and adherence to treatment and can improve clinical outcomes, and people can see benefits sooner. The benefits of VR for mental health are so compelling both clinically as well as for the user experience. And then, when I got the demo — I was wowed, especially by how the platform can support anyone anywhere since all the parts are connected to the web, so it fully supports virtual care. I think VR as a new modality for delivering care in a more immersive and engaging way can have a huge positive impact in healthcare.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
The most exciting part of the journey is seeing people experience VR for the first time. It’s a wow experience, where people typically are surprised and shocked and utter profanity, but in a good way. I love to record people’s reactions and then send it to them. It’s like when you first get on a roller coaster or on an airplane or the first time you see a 3D movie. It’s fun to be able to give people an experience like that.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I can share one of my most embarrassing work moments. I had just started my first job at a Tech company — Cisco systems. A few weeks into the job, the Iluvyou computer virus was spreading. My PC got infected and spammed all my contacts with the Iluveyou emails. It was very embarrassing. My manager at the time, instead of making me feel bad about it, brought me a printout of instructions on what to do. I was so grateful that he wasn’t upset with me and didn’t make me feel worse than I already felt. I learned from that experience that we all make mistakes, and a kind and helpful gesture can mean a lot at a time when someone feels exposed and vulnerable. That manager was Carty Castaldi, and I’m grateful to him for the many management lessons I learned from him.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Growing up, I was fortunate to have very strong female role models. My maternal grandmother was a trailblazer. Though she married at age 15 in Bangladesh and had five children, she completed her medical education to become the first female OBGYN in her region and had a long career as a clinician and medical school professor. My mother was also an extraordinary role model as an accomplished Medical Doctor and global health expert, creating a huge impact at both a policy and grassroots level.
In my career, I have always had ambition and worked very hard, and delivered great results. However, that was not enough to get promoted. My first promotion at a tech startup was at first blocked by the CEO, but then thanks to the strong advocacy of my manager, the VP of sales, and my mentor, the VP of Engineering, I did eventually get promoted to build and lead a sales engineering team. Then, when I strived for my first C-level role, that also required the advocacy of a key board member. Along the way to my first CEO role, there were many glass ceilings and “no’s,” but I kept moving forward and kept working to create impact. I am deeply grateful to my mentors, supporters, and advocates who went out of their way and applied their social and political capital to open doors for me and advocate for me. I hope to keep doing the same for others. There will be a lot of “No’s” so the key is just to treat it like a road sign that you drive by and move on.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I currently lead Amelia Virtual Care as CEO. We develop VR solutions that mental health professionals can use to help them effectively treat conditions such as anxiety, stress, phobias, and more. The use of VR in mental health has many benefits, including the ability to create personalized environments to simulate scenarios and triggers in a controlled manner and gradually expose people to them while training them on how to manage their emotions. The VR-based simulations make many types of exposure therapy possible, which would otherwise be very hard to create in real life, such as driving, flying, public speaking, crowds, tough family or work situations, and more. Also, VR-based therapy is shown to improve acceptance and adherence and improve clinical outcomes, so it’s readily accepted by the clinical community. By using the Amelia Virtual Care platform, not only can therapists can better support their patients, they can also scale their services, enabling more people to get the mental care that they need.
Looking ahead, we can bring ‘ready to use’ mental health therapies to the metaverse. Today, we offer these capabilities guided by a clinician. But in the future, we can serve people directly and anyone with any VR headset could have access to our programs, either in conjunction with a clinician or on their own, depending on the type of program. This can vastly increase access to care through a very exciting and immersive experience that people will really enjoy and want to experience. If we can make healthcare fun and exciting, then we won’t have to work so hard to convince people to get care.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
What excites me most about the XR industry is how quickly it is evolving along with all aspects — the hardware or VR headsets, the content, and user readiness to adopt. It will take all three of these to develop in lockstep for rapid adoption and value creation.
Next, I am excited at how applicable this is to so many aspects of Healthcare. It is already being used in medical training, in mental health, musculoskeletal care, and stroke rehab, just to name a few. The key hurdle that many solution providers will have to overcome is the regulatory hurdle to get effective VR-based therapies into the hands of people and clinicians and the reimbursement.
Also, the more integrated all these environments can be, the better. For example, If I am using XR for gaming, I’d love to have the mental health or other health environments available in that same ecosystem, so I can go from playing a game or from a stressful work session to a VR based relaxation program.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
As with any kind of tech — too much of a good thing can end up being bad. As is the case with social media or gaming or any kind of device, too much use can lead to negative effects, both physically and emotionally, so responsible use is key, especially for children. I worry that moving so much of our existence to the Metaverse could exacerbate the isolation issues and lack of human interaction so many people are already suffering from. Also, with the next generation growing up with the metaverse, it is yet to be seen what impact it will have on them.
I think the key is education. It will be critical to educate children and adults alike on the potential risks of the technology and anything that is addictive in nature.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
With more people working remotely, creating work environments in the metaverse can bring back some of the realism of being in an office or shared space. Conferences could be in the metaverse without expensive and time-consuming travel. We can also bring a whole new dimension to client meetings and customer support. Companies can compete at a whole other level in creating client experiences in the metaverse.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
For those who suffer from loneliness, the metaverse could bring them a more realistic social network.
For education, content in the metaverse could be more engaging and effective at educating our youth. We are already starting to see virtual schools and institutions pop up in the metaverse.
The applications for healthcare are also very promising. I’d love it if my father, who is 82, could use VR to do brain exercises every day to help prevent cognitive decline. I’d love to use it for daily meditation and mindfulness practice. It would be great if anyone with a chronic condition could get support and education through XR tools and resources.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
Some Myths about working in Digital health/ healthcare
That you can show up from another industry and just apply functional skills and succeed in Digital Health. I see many VCs and Boards think they can just hire people with functional skills and not domain knowledge and throw them into Digital Health companies. It’s a risky bet. Healthcare is so complex and takes a lot of time to learn. It can easily take a year or two for someone to get enough domain knowledge unless the product offering is quite simple.
That you must have reimbursement from the getgo to gain traction. While reimbursement definitely helps, it’s not required from the get-go. Buyers such as employers and health plans will often fund the solution prior to CPT-based reimbursement, as companies work their way towards reimbursement.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
Passion — in any new, trailblazing area or industry, where you are fighting against the status quo, it takes extraordinary passion and perseverance to evangelize a new approach or solution.
Must have very tangible value — as they say, if you can be a pain killer rather than a vitamin, meaning essential rather than optional to your buyer, that is key.
Really solve those usability issues. VR has come a long way but has even further to go to become truly easy to use by all, there are still some kinks to sort out with the XR hardware and software. We have to be super focused on solving those and push all suppliers in the process to up their game in ease of use.
Speed — the industry is moving very fast now, operating with speed is critical.
Ecosystem and interoperability mindset. We all need to build this metaverse ecosystem through interoperability and not build closed hardware or systems. It is the key to a thriving ecosystem.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
There is still so much poverty in the world. With the amount of wealth that exists among the rich, it’s really unbearable to think of people still living in abject poverty. If every family with a household income over 200k would sponsor a poor child or family — that would help a lot and the direct connection would be meaningful, rather than just donating money into a fund and not knowing the human on the other end. This could make a big impact.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’d love to meet w Satya Nadella. I am amazed by his leadership and the impact he has had on Microsoft in a short time. I admire how he applied the growth mindset paradigm to shift the company’s culture, which contributed to its renewed success, and also the lessons and experiences he has shared from his personal life.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Whitney D. Walter of ‘Harness Your Power’ On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Effective speakers know how to use supporting resources without them becoming crutches. Let’s be honest here. No one wants to watch you read directly off of a PowerPoint presentation or repeat exactly what was just shown in a video. These things should support your speech. Not the other way around.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Whitney D. Walter.
Whitney is the founder of Harness Your Power, a company dedicated to helping professionals reach their career goals and achieve their full potential. Whitney is a professional development expert, a Microsoft-certified PowerPoint Specialist, and holds an MBA from Florida State University. Whitney has spent years mentoring others in Corporate America and continues to aid in the success of professionals across the country by offering professional guidance through in-person and virtual trainings, various publications, and via her website www.WhitneyDWalter.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Florida. I only have two siblings, so it was a small but very close family unit. As you can imagine, we spent a lot of time at our neighborhood swimming pool, hanging out at the beach, and exploring different water parks.
I’ll admit I was a nerdy kid growing up. I was all skin and bones with big glasses and I definitely preferred being inside reading over group activities of any kind. (Laughs)
That didn’t change much in high school either. I had a small group of friends but mostly kept to myself, focused on my grades and my part-time job. Maintaining good grades was very important in our household so that was always the first priority. By the time I got to 11th grade, I had enough credits to graduate so I decided to start college early.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
You know, I realized how much I enjoyed teaching others when I got my first job. I was hired to be a cashier at Target when I was 16. After just a few months, I was moved to the guest services department and from there I started training other new hires.
The interesting thing about it was that I spent most of my days training people who were 2 or 3 times my age. I realized that teaching others allowed me to connect with and even have a positive impact on people who, otherwise, I might’ve thought I had very little in common with.
Ever since then, every job I had involved some aspect of teaching or mentoring others. It just happened naturally.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I was in my mid-twenties, I went through a major period of transformation. I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship that ended very badly and having the ability to advocate for myself in my personal life kind of became the catalyst for advocating for myself professionally too.
I made a conscious decision that I wanted to get promoted at work within a certain time frame and I started to be much more vocal about my expectations with my manager. When I had my monthly one-on-ones, I would bring my own agenda items to discuss and one of them was always “When am I getting promoted?” or “Why haven’t I been promoted yet?”.
I know that might sound crazy but I realized that if my intentions weren’t known then I couldn’t expect to magically achieve my goals. And it absolutely led to some uncomfortable conversations but those discussions shed light on how I could improve and be better positioned for success.
I ended up getting 3 promotions that year. I also started traveling the country and speaking in front of hundreds of people.
It was truly a year of personal and professional transformation.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh, I’ve made plenty of mistakes! How do I choose just one? I think I made a lot of mistakes by thinking I could “wing it” in scenarios that warranted more due diligence.
I can recall one occasion where I agreed to give a presentation on a topic that I didn’t really know much about. Instead of spending time familiarizing myself with the concepts in the presentation, I waited until the last minute to review the corresponding PowerPoint deck and, although I was a bit nervous, decided I could riff if there was a moment or two when I needed time to think of what to say next.
The presentation went surprisingly well but everything fell apart when the audience started asking questions. I stumbled my way through two or three and then decided all of the remaining questions were “so good” that I would rather reach out to them with answers directly after the presentation ended.
I wasn’t laughing at the time but thinking back I have to giggle at the overconfidence and what I’ve learned since then.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
That person is definitely my mother. She has always pushed me and my siblings to be better. If we’re feeling discouraged, she’ll remind us of what we’ve accomplished and how we have the potential to do even greater things.
Over the years she has been the leader of countless brainstorming sessions for job searches, interviews, entrepreneurial aspirations, and more.
When I was a kid, she supported my idea to sell candy to my fellow students at school. When I was 19 or so, she encouraged my numerous side hustle ventures like reselling items online and delivering phone books. Yes, I said phone books. (Laughs)
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
First, I would say that you have to become a person that sees every failure as an opportunity to learn something new instead of a reason not to do something. It’s not easy — and I’m still working on it every day — but you’ll find that this tiny mindset shift makes you so much more willing to put yourself out there.
And that’s actually my second piece of advice. You have to put yourself out there. I know that as women, we often feel like we have to be the best and greatest before we will give ourselves credit but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.
The last thing I would recommend is to be a person who never stops learning. If you’re always eager to learn more and improve your craft you’ll go far.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
Simply put, I find it tremendously fulfilling to help others. I often think about the advice I wish someone had given me early in my career. I’m talking about everything from tactical skills to how to think about certain professional situations and opportunities. If I can share what I’ve learned over the years with someone else and help them to reach their goals faster than I did then it was a good day.
I would love to share the importance of self-advocacy — especially for women. Knowing what you want and deserve and being vocal about it works wonders.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
We’ve got a lot of exciting stuff in the pipeline! I’m planning to reopen enrollment for my digital course, The Polished PowerPoint Playbook, soon. I’m also in the process of writing a book about how to land your first six-figure job that’s completely based on my personal experience. Oh, this is actually the first time I’ve mentioned that publicly. You’re really getting the scoop! (Laughs)
I’ve got some pretty grand ideas for the future too. I’d love to put together a conference or summit that brings women together to discuss personal and professional development topics. Because it’s really all connected. That’s still in the brainstorming phase but it’s definitely on my list.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
That’s an easy one. All things come together for good. I’ve lived by this scripture for as long as I can remember. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been disappointed by something in life only to find out it was truly for the best later on.
I’ll tell you a quick story actually. Years ago, I had the opportunity to apply for a managerial role in the department I was working in. At the time, I was one of the most tenured people on my team. I had quite a few other managers encourage me to apply and even one who said I was a shoo-in for the role. I applied and the interview went very well. Needless to say, I was pretty confident that I would be offered the position.
A week later, the position was offered to someone else and I was pretty devasted. I didn’t understand what went wrong. It really bothered me for a while.
Fast forward a few months later, the person who received the promotion was suddenly given an additional team to manage which effectively doubled his workload overnight. At that time, I was working full time and going to school full time so there is no way I would’ve been able to handle all of that at once. I actually ended up feeling very grateful that I didn’t get the promotion.
I guess that wasn’t as quick a story as I thought it would be. (Laughs) But I always think back to that as a lesson learned and it reminds me that everything happens for a reason.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
The first tip I always give is to know your audience. And beyond that, try your best to understand your audience. Whether you’re speaking to them to inform or entertain you need to know where their minds are when they sit down to listen to you speak. Are they excited about the topic at hand? Skeptical? Hopeful? What questions might they have throughout your speech? Thinking about the answers to questions like these will allow you to position yourself and your message in a way that your audience will better relate to.
Next, effective speakers are master storytellers. It doesn’t matter if they are talking about data or current events. There is a story somewhere in those numbers or seemingly mundane details. You just have to find it and shed light on it. Believe it or not, our brains naturally connect to and remember stories better than facts and figures. You can use that to your advantage.
Effective speakers also know how to create and maintain audience engagement. Ever wonder why so many speakers ask how everyone is doing at the beginning of a speech? That’s a prompt to encourage audience engagement. The more engaged your audience is doing your speech, the more likely it is that they will not only understand and remember what you’ve talked about but they’re also more likely to take action afterward.
Effective speakers know how to use supporting resources without them becoming crutches. Let’s be honest here. No one wants to watch you read directly off of a PowerPoint presentation or repeat exactly what was just shown in a video. These things should support your speech. Not the other way around.
Finally, one of the biggest differences I’ve seen between good and great speakers is the constant dedication to improvement. I mentioned the importance of being a person who never stops learning earlier and I can’t emphasize this enough. Great speakers are always doing something to improve whether that is practicing new speeches, watching recordings of prior speeches, soliciting feedback from trusted colleagues, or studying other speakers. They never stop learning so they never stop growing.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
One word; practice. I’m not trying to minimize the fear by any means but that is truly the best way to get over a fear of doing anything. Anyone who performs in front of crowds of people is going to be nervous starting out — even if you’re a talented singer or an amazing magician.
With practice comes confidence and you can start small. I always say big goals should be broken down into bite-sized chunks. start by practicing out loud in front of a mirror or camera. then, practice in front of a few family or friends. If your speech is work-related, practice in front of colleagues.
Try to figure out ways to expand your audience slowly. Before you know it, you’ll be comfortable speaking in front of hundreds of people!
It’s worth mentioning though that having a fear of public speaking is totally normal. There have been numerous studies that have polled audiences ranking public speaking as the number one fear even above death itself. Isn’t that crazy?!
So I always like to say that having the courage to speak in front of a room full of people — no matter how big or small that room is — is a very desirable trait. Even if you make a few mistakes or stumble over your words, there’s someone in the audience admiring the fact that you were brave enough to get up there.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
That’s such a good question. I would love to inspire a movement related to emotional intelligence and empathy. I think we would all be so much better off if we were just a little bit more understanding of ourselves and each other.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
You know, as a person who has dedicated so much of my life to teaching others, I would love to have a conversation with Malcolm Gladwell. He’s my favorite author and I truly admire his ability to take very complex concepts and break them down into the simplest ideas.
I also think he does a phenomenal job taking sensitive topics — like racism, sexism, and classism — and explaining them in a way that feels very disarming and relatable.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yes, I am! You can find me @whitneydwalter on all social platforms.
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
That’s so kind! This has been great! Thank you so much for having me.
The Future Is Now: Sami Arp Of Largo AI On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t over-trust or under-trust plans and things. Being agile with plans and people in a fast-growing company is very important for success.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingSami Arp.
Sami is the Founder and CEO of Largo.AI — a Swiss-based company that provides data-assisted intelligence to the film and television industry. Sami has a background in both computer science and the film industry. He received his PhD in Computational Aesthetics from the prestigious Swiss university EPFL and pursued a director’s program while undergoing his master’s degree. He has directed two short films — “Les bruits des pas”, 2014 and “L’evasion”, 2015. Additionally, Sami is also the founder and President of the Ouchy Film Awards, which take place annually in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
My first journey to Los Angeles for having my first meeting in Hollywood in order to present Largo.ai to a very first potential client was a difficult one, one that I wouldn’t forget. I was in a business camp at the Swiss Embassy in San Francisco. I rented a car to drive to Los Angeles from San Francisco, for my meeting the next day in Los Angeles. Not having too much experience in the area, I trusted Google Maps, showing a 6-hour drive time. This made me think to leave in the early afternoon and it would take me to LA in the late evening. Then, after a night in LA, I could go to my meeting the next morning. However, everything that could have, went wrong that day. A drive of only a mile and a half from my starting point at Pier 17 to the Bay Bridge took 7 hours because of an almost complete block of the roads. After spending the day and night in traffic, around midnight, my car broke down and it was a while till it could be repaired. Eventually, I had to drive until the morning and arrived at my meeting in an exhausted, sleepless state. What a way to start off with our very first client. The producer I met at this meeting has since become a loyal client of Largo.AI. But all the interesting and unexpected coincidences that day showed me that selling a product would be much more challenging and have many more unexpected hindrances than developing a product.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Professionally I have been a computer scientist having finished my Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees. However, during my all studies, I made interdisciplinary research by combining the disciplines of art, cognitive science, and computer science. I took filmmaking classes while studying for my bachelor’s degree, and during my PhD, I started to work on my own films in my free time. This led me to direct and produce two short films and start a film festival in Lausanne, Switzerland. Towards the end of my PhD, I was sure about combining my know-how in computer science and my passion for filmmaking to create a specific market solution when I saw the opportunity. All this led me to create Largo.AI.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that it will help people?
We create the audiovisual DNA of a story by using text, video or audio with our patented “neural network system.” For example, our system creates a pattern of drama, comedy, thriller or many other cinematographic elements by predicting how such patterns evolve from the start to the end of a film. We represent any content in a narrow space of elements which can help the content producers structure creative process in a more disciplined way. The patterns that we create can be considered like the role of musical notes or sheets for music. Our system does not tell the writers or directors what type of patterns they should create, but it rather shows the patterns of what they created. And, these patterns then act like magnifiers that identify strong and weak points of a story. Apart from that, by using such cinematographic patterns, our system can make casting recommendations for each character, predict the type of audience that might like a story, and forecast the amount of revenue that the movie can make at the box office or the number of streams it might achieve on a streaming platform.
How do you think this might change the world and specifically of film making?
There is already a big change in the movie industry with Netflix and the entry of tech players such as Amazon and Apple. They effectively use the data and AI for disrupting and getting a competitive advantage. However, their data and technology are not available to the industry. This is where Largo comes into the play. We bring similar technologies to the rest of industry in a very affordable way, which allows even the independent producers to make such innovation a part of their development.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
We design our tools with a vision of making those as data-assisted moviemaking tools rather than data-driven moviemaking tools. A drawback for such technologies would be using them as data-driven moviemaking tools, which means giving all the control of creativity to AI. I strongly believe the most fundamental asset of filmmaking is human creativity. That is why we develop all our AI tools to be a magnifier rather than a tool giving commands. Largo.AI becomes a tool to help in the decision-making process but does not replace human creativity or decision making.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
In my own filmmaking process, I was always questioning how we can formulate movies with a set of rhythms like those in music. With that, I’m talking about something more low level that can be used for any type of movie, mainstream or art-house, different than some of industry’s standard patterns such as Hero’s Journey, which brings significant creative limitation. The goal of that was not to create formulas of successful films, but rather a system that could aid or ease the filmmaking process and help to understand previous films and film styles in a defined methodology. During my PhD research, in our initial study, once I saw that we can make AI learn drama, comedy, romance etc. I realized that we could create the cinematographic DNA of any given content, which has been main building blocks of our innovation.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
There is a very fast adoption of the usage of AI and data in the movie industry. For the people, who are still against the usage of such technologies in the industry; there are two reasons. The first one is the fear of losing authority. The second one is the high costs. We can very often see that once the producers overcome their fear and use our tools, they feel more empowered rather than threatened. For the second one, sometimes it is difficult to explain the cost for software solutions to the industry. A person inexperienced with the technology, sees that AI can bring about the results they want in 5 minutes, so they think the cost should be based on this 5-minute execution. But years of work and the investment in the creation, innovation and development of making this breakthrough happen, stays invisible.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
We have collaborations with the major film markets and festivals. They invite us to speak on the topic along with the case studies, which significantly help us to make the industry know about such innovations. Apart from that, we use AI to answer some popular questions in the film industry. For example, we made an AI analysis two years ago on who should be the next James Bond according to AI, which became viral around the world. Our analysis was published everywhere around world in few hundred of articles and TV news. Upcoming, we will be presenting at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and at AFM in Santa Monica, CA in November 2022.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
The role of my PhD advisor, Prof. Sabine Süsstrunk, is really important for Largo’s success. She has always been a great supporter during my PhD and really helped me with my filmmaking journey. And, at the end of my PhD, once I mentioned my plans to her about merging my experience in filmmaking with computer science in a start-up idea, she has been fully supportive and she brought her strong experience in digital photography and digital humanities to this venture. As a result, she is a co-founder of Largo.AI and one of our board members.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
We call our tool a democratization tool for movie industry. The usage of more data and AI tools is a way to overcome our human biases. For example, our AI tools propose significantly more actors of color as casting propositions compared to the industry average in US. We developed our tools to be ethnicity blind. Apart from that, our tools bring the invisible talents to the forefront for producers. Once it reviews the script, it can match actors for a role pulling from a database of millions of people. That would be very hard to be replicated by a human. While industry is heavily driven by the popularity of talent, it is not necessarily the main metric for a project to be successful, according to our data. In that manner, we believe our tools play a role for advancement in diversity.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
Divide goals into smaller targets. It is very easy to get lost within big targets. And it is very difficult to convince and motivate a team to aim for big targets without valuing the smaller steps achieved on the way.
Don’t over-trust or under-trust plans and things. Being agile with plans and people in a fast-growing company is very important for success.
Do not overstress. There will be always a Plan B, or C, that will work out. In our growth story, several times we faced very difficult challenges that made us think that we arrived at a dead-end. However, in all cases, we have found a solution, this made us realize that we were over-stressed.
Realize your limits. Finding the right talents in today’s market is not easy. Sometimes this leaves a lot of extra things on my shoulders. Having a big load on yourself is not a solution either. Temporary hiring of freelancers has been a good solution that we discovered until we make our perfect hiring.
– It is not possible to make everybody happy. In a start-up/ scale-up, we have many parties to manage. This includes employees, investors and board members that you are responsible for as a CEO. At a certain point, the main responsibility of a CEO becomes “happiness optimization.” After certain scale, I have realized that it is impossible to keep everybody happy at the same level and it became an optimization problem with no solution. It was at that time that we started to define company policies and culture in a more concrete and written manner.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement, it would be one that would be related to “empathy”. Our differences in many cases become our weapons to create many kinds of problems; from wars, racism, mobbing, etc. AI has been used dangerously to match audiovisual content for creating feelings such as anger or hatred as we have seen in some political campaigns. In a similar, but positive fashion, why not use it as a tool to empower empathy in the media? That would perhaps make the world more peaceful.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”, a quote by Einstein, has been my life motto for the past 15 years. I’ve been busy with both art and science since my childhood. The art is fully driven by imagination. And science is very often built over prior knowledge. Unless some genius shows breakthroughs that go opposite to the prior knowledge. In many cases, I find knowledge to be a barrier to thinking outside of the box. For that reason, not to be biased, many times when starting to develop a solution of a completely new thing, I first make “thinking exercises” for my team to help develop how we will arrive at our own solution. And after that, we go and check domain knowledge to complement our ideas and create benchmarks. This brings me and my team in many cases to arrive at creative solutions that could not have been practiced, and that can deliver an edge. We apply this thinking to our product development cycles, in business development and in sales & marketing.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
The development of a movie takes a long process including steps such as scriptwriting, casting, fundraising, production, post-production, distribution strategy etc. There are many important decisions that are taken during this whole process, mostly by using gut feeling, while new innovative platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are using data-assisted intelligence during their decision-making process. Their approach helped them to disrupt the entertainment industry. However, the technology and data of those platforms are not available to the rest of industry such as producers, distributors, studios, and agencies. This has been the market opportunity for Largo.AI to provide these types of technologies as a third-party provider to the other players. For this goal, we developed Largo.AI as an SaaS platform that filmmakers and distributors can instantly analyze their movies with screenplays or video versions of the movies to get insights on the content, casting, the potential audience, and financial outcome at pre-production, post-production, and distribution stages.
Making Something From Nothing: Michael Brandt Of HVMN On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Delegate. A good founder should be able to do a lot of different things, but you’ll quickly need to hire other people, simply because there are not enough hours in the day. Just because you can design your own logo or file your own taxes doesn’t mean you should. Look for opportunities to identify tasks, or roles, and delegate them to other people who will save you time and ultimately help the business achieve its goals sooner.
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Brandt.
Everything Michael Brandt does is fast and intense. Aside from cruising through marathons at a cool 6-minute mile pace, he and fellow Stanford alumni co-founder, Geoffrey Woo, have scaled H.V.M.N. in a few short years. Most recently, they introduced the second iteration of their flagship ketone drink, Ketone-IQ™. H.V.M.N. invented Ketone-IQ™ because they believe people should spend more time with elevated ketone levels for better health and performance. Through Michael’s steadfast leadership, H.V.M.N not only launched the world’s first drinkable ketone, but is tracking to redefine the limits of human performance, metabolism, and longevity to combat the global metabolic health crisis.
Alongside his co-founder, the duo secured a $6 million dollar contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command to continue research into the benefits of ketones. The pair gained early interest from pro-athletes including Former Olymian Speed Skater Apolo Ohno, Professional Racing cyclist Vittoria Bussi and Ultrarunner Jeff Browning and notable early investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, and Joe Montana (Hall of Fame NFL Quarterback).
As a father of a newborn, Michael has increasingly limited free time but remains an avid triathlete and marathoner with a 2:42 personal record.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I went to public school in Chicago. I was accepted into Stanford for undergrad, where I studied computer science and design. I have always been interested in the intersection between new technologies and culture, where new products and user experiences emerge. Over my lifetime I’ve seen the shift from the internet and smartphones as the most exciting platforms for innovation, to the present and future where the human body is the most exciting platform for innovation.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Alan Watts has a quote, “Even the best informed person ultimately comes to a leap of intuition before making a decision.” It’s important to know how your intuitive mind and rational mind interact. We should trust our intuition because it can be incredibly powerful, especially when guided by decades of insight and experience. At the same time, being able to rationally inspect your own decision-making is an important part of how we hone our intuition.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
As a 2:42 marathon runner, one of my favorite books of all time is Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. Besides being a beautiful anthropology of running culture, there’s an excerpt that sticks with me — great runners think about being easy, light, and smooth. They don’t worry about being fast, because if they can run easy, light, and smooth, then they’ll be fast. It’s a great mantra for life.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
Taking a good idea into an actual business requires 1,000 different steps that need to be executed well. No one step is impossible, but in aggregate the effort requires discipline. It also requires insight in knowing what exactly needs to be done next and how you’re going to attack it, either directly with your own skills and hard work or indirectly by leveraging other people.
One of the most valuable things you can do when you have a big idea but haven’t made any progress on it, is force yourself to identify one small step you can take towards your goal today, and take that step without hesitation.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
Uniqueness doesn’t matter as much as people think. Google was something like the 12th search engine. Of course you should do some research in an area before launching into it headlong — if you’re launching a new app, look around the app store; if you’re launching a new CPG look around Amazon and Target; etc — but if you truly see a better vision than anything that exists on the market, don’t be afraid to go after it just because someone’s doing something similar.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.
Source a good manufacturer. To source a good manufacturer, you need to have a good understanding of what it is that you want to make and how to make it. This can be a chicken-or-egg problem because you may not know exactly how you want your product to be manufactured until you speak with manufacturers. That is okay. Start building your product specification outline by writing down everything you know. Then start talking to manufacturers — search the internet, ask for recommendations, and start emailing, calling, and visiting various manufacturers to get a sense of what’s possible. As you speak with more manufacturers, hear what questions they have for you. Form opinions on where you want to trade-off on quality vs. speed vs. cost. Eventually you’ll have a short list of manufacturers that you feel are trustworthy to work with, and can achieve what you need, and then press go!
Find a retailer. Finding a retailer is relatively easy once you already have sales traction. This can be another chicken-or-egg problem (Notice a pattern here? A meta-skill for founders is being able to break out of chicken-or-egg problems). One of the great things about the internet is that you don’t need permission to start selling. You can start selling on your own website with tools like Shopify, and you can start selling on Amazon pretty quickly as well. Having sales traction will help make your case once you’re speaking with buyers at retail stores. If you go this route, you’re not beholden to any one buyer because you’re also able to sell directly to your customer, which is a good position to be in.
File a patent. I advise founders against spending time thinking about patents early on. A patent doesn’t make a business. In most cases it’s a better use of time for a founder to focus on building their business, making products, generating revenues, and making their customers happy, rather than filing patents. That said, if you feel strongly that patenting certain novel intellectual property is the correct business strategy, the first thing you should do is interview a few lawyers and find one that you feel comfortable guiding you through the process. I would not recommend doing it alone, it will take a lot of time and is a very nuanced area of law.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
Delegate. A good founder should be able to do a lot of different things, but you’ll quickly need to hire other people, simply because there are not enough hours in the day. Just because you can design your own logo or file your own taxes doesn’t mean you should. Look for opportunities to identify tasks, or roles, and delegate them to other people who will save you time and ultimately help the business achieve its goals sooner.
Think Hard About Branding. It’s worth obsessing over getting your brand name right. I heard the founder of Expedia, who also founded Zillow, speak about this in an interview. I really enjoyed his philosophy around creating new words, so you can completely own the meaning around them. There are other ways to name your company, but the point is, it’s important to get right because it’s the first impression that everyone is going to have with your brand. Make it count.
Consolidate Your Feedback. You probably have ideas and feedback for different people and projects around your company, but you’ll drive yourself — and everyone else — crazy if you deliver feedback at all hours. Keep organized notes, and deliver feedback in the right venues like scheduled 1:1s or project check-ins.
Build A Following. It’s always better for your company when the founders have an audience of people who like them. Cultivate that audience along the way by creating content about what you’re building and letting your community into the process.
Differentiate Between ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 Decisions’. ‘Type 1 Decisions’ are irreversible or very expensive to change, like what you name your company. These decisions should be deliberated and taken very seriously. However, most decisions in business are ‘Type 2 Decisions’, which are relatively easy to change if you get wrong. For example, the pricing on your product or the copy on your landing page. For Type 2 Decisions you should move much more quickly, and be comfortable making updates along the way based on what’s working or not.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
Start selling it. Put up a website where people can buy your product. It can be your own website, or something like Kickstarter. You don’t need to actually manufacture the product yet, but you do need to communicate what your product is (and what it looks like, how much it costs, etc.) and get that in front of people. Figure out what’s on the gating path between where you are now and getting your first 100 customers. Then once you have market validation from your first 100 customers, you’ll feel much better about pressing go on manufacturing.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
The right expert consultants can massively accelerate a project. Make sure you have a good agreement on what the deliverables are. You may want to break the project into checkpoints along the way, so that you can have honest, objective conversations about whether or not the project and relationship are on the right track.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
If you want to make a lot of money and have a large impact, you should raise money from investors. Venture capital is the best way to scale a business quickly and get a much bigger outcome for yourself and everybody involved. Not all founders want to build a massive business, and that’s okay too. But if you want to build a big business that goes public and makes a large impact, you should fundraise.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’ve chosen to focus my talents on solving the metabolic health crises. Our flagship product, Ketone-IQ™, is based on years of research into metabolic health and performance. It helps people boost their metabolism so they can have more energy, reduced appetite, and better physical and mental performance. My goal is to continue bringing down the cost of ketones as a nutritional primitive so that everyone can have access to it.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Do something active everyday. It’s a simple rule, and if a movement could build behind that, I think the world would be in a much better place, physically and mentally.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Justin Bieber. I think he’s one of the best entertainers of our generation, and I respect how he’s evolved over the years. I also think he’s made some smart business plays, and am excited to see what he does next. It would be great to collaborate.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Be confident. If you exhibit discomfort, you’ll make your audience uncomfortable too — and that’s never enjoyable. Even if it means you need to practice your delivery a hundred times before you get up on that stage, then practice it 101 times. Rehearse on your own and in front of friends, family, or strangers if you have to. Just don’t get up on that stage unprepared and full of awkwardness. Show fearlessness and your audience will love you for it.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Lucas Seyhun.
Lucas Seyhun established one of the first coworking spaces in NYC back in 2014. Since then, he’s developed TheFarmSoHo to accommodate countless startup businesses and helped entrepreneurs, freelancers, tech innovators, and thought leaders find success. Today, the company has grown to more than 24/7 coworking facilities but now also offer private office spaces and a range of popular event venues.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Istanbul. I later spent most of my childhood in New Jersey and now I live in New York. One aspect most people don’t know about my life is that I used to be a US military veteran. I spent 5 years on active service.
Afterwards, I became an entrepreneur and a nomad. My sense of belonging is divided between the United States and Turkey. I embrace both cultures. I grew up — and continue to grow — in different settings and different places of the world.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Sheer luck and determination in the face of early failures, which became a valuable learning curve. Starting from the age of 20, each business that I built went from being traumatic to becoming, slowly but surely, a fun experiment. Now I possess more than one source of revenue and one source of passion. I don’t even consider them to be businesses anymore. They’re just a series of different passions and learning experiences.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In 2014, I started my coworking space business in the real estate industry. I was petrified! I was 33 at the time and I had zero knowledge on marketing and lead generation. To make matters worse, I also didn’t know much about technology. I didn’t know what CSS was, how to build a website, or what content management really looked like.
All of these components were so alien to me because I came from a very traditional family-run, brick-and-mortar business that required us simply to have a storefront and merchandise in a store. That’s how people found us and purchased our goods.
I had to learn to combine my past skills, which I obtained from running a traditional business, with a whole new way of doing business. I became one with my clients, where I joined people who are doing what they love with the help of The Farm. This inspired me to develop The Farm and provide services beyond a coworking space to help other small business owners find an easier path to success.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We were so broke when we started The Farm. So we hired daily laborers to build drywalls and tables in the space. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the required skills to build such things.
It became kind of a routine where we built something, and then had to rebuild it and pay out more because the cheap work didn’t work. I ended up learning how to do plastering, drywalling, and framing but my efforts left a lot to be desired. So I would build something in my lack of knowledge and somebody else had to rebuild it after me. I became the person everybody had to clean up after. That continued for quite some time until I focused my efforts on marketing and related skills.
Now, I’ve gained a lot of skills and we have a dedicated and competent staff. I believe we’re all very proficient in what we’re doing and nobody’s cleaning up after each other anymore.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I would say my family. My father was a role model especially in the early years of my life. He was an entrepreneur himself. He came to the US with $10 in his pocket and had a vision, a dream, and a willingness to work hard to achieve it.
He built things from scratch. I benefited so much from the knowledge he shared with me. I also paved my own path in quite a similar situation because when I built The Farm, it was at a time when we pretty much lost everything — family-wise, business-wise. We really had to start from scratch. My father’s ability to lead, be brave, and be bold in difficult situations was a great example to me.
You have been blessed with great success in an arena that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but are daunted by the prospect of failure?
Look at me! What’s the worst that could happen? We live in a Western civilization and it’s very unlikely that you’ll face the hardships of being completely homeless or hungry. That’s a highly unlikely outcome if you’re an entrepreneur and keep pushing. You could hold down two positions. You can have a safety net of regular income to fulfill your responsibilities while you build your own business.
At the beginning of my career, fear eroded my ability to have a long-term vision. I lost time because of it. So, my message to everyone is don’t be afraid.
In our company, we replace the word “fear” with “learning” and “opportunity” because you grow every time you leave your comfort zone. Keep trying. Keep pushing. Don’t be afraid but still be cautious. You still have to be rational with your decisions — look before you leap and most importantly keep learning. Knowledge will always prevail. You will always be able to build and ultimately thrive as long as your knowledge continues to grow.
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
I love what I do. I love filling my time not with only tasks but visions. I love challenging myself, having a healthy amount of stress but not becoming so stressed that I’m completely blocked off from reality and live in fear. I take my physical health and my well-being seriously. All those factors combined keep you driving forward and help you to be positive for the future.
Always have the future in mind but with a watchful eye on the present moment — focused by your daily task list. Together, both the vision and the practical work generate excitement and genuine satisfaction.
You do such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
We’re going to re-focus the company as a property management company. This means that instead of expanding and renting properties, we are developing relationships with landlords who have unoccupied offices. Due to the pandemic, this is a very common thing in New York. They need to fill these properties. They can’t fill these properties with traditional clients, who previously would have been seeking leases of ten years or longer. They want to be able to comply with the current needs of clients, who are looking for short-term service solutions. So, plug-and-play solutions!
The Farm provides that and we’re exceptionally well-equipped, staff-wise, in knowledge, experience and ability. We could convert a property into a short-term rental service property within a month or two, thanks to our tried and tested contractors and highly skilled employees. This is something we’re looking to provide to landlords in New York City. That’s the direction we see ourselves headed in.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I actually heard this one recently.“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” Another one I like is from Mark Twain. He said, “There has been much tragedy in my life; at least half of it actually happened.”
Fears often block us from being successful, or make us suffer or prevent us from having clarity happen first in our minds. They don’t originate in the real world. What happens in our minds is actually what happens in the real world. So if you suffer in your mind, your business will suffer in the real world as well. I have some battles executing these principles myself but I think those are quite simple but powerful adaptations for the best way of thinking and progressing. Those quotes are the ones I strive to live by these days.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
First, have an objective in mind. What are you trying to convey exactly? What topic are you covering? Is the audience able to connect to that topic? Have you selected the right topic and the best words to reach your audience? Focus on what you need to say. You can come at any subject from multiple angles, but you should always know exactly what you want to impart from the get-go.
Second, be confident. If you exhibit discomfort, you’ll make your audience uncomfortable too — and that’s never enjoyable. Even if it means you need to practice your delivery a hundred times before you get up on that stage, then practice it 101 times. Rehearse on your own and in front of friends, family, or strangers if you have to. Just don’t get up on that stage unprepared and full of awkwardness. Show fearlessness and your audience will love you for it.
Next — and this doesn’t only apply to being a public speaker but in one-to-one speech — you have to have empathy. See yourself from a third-person point of view. That helps you focus on whether you’re being heard, if you’re telling the story properly, and if it’s easy to understand to your listeners.
Another thing is: try to make it as interesting as possible. Don’t make it monotone. You gotta crack a joke here and there, make momentary eye contact with as many attendees as possible, and most importantly, make it personal. Move around the stage if there’s room, but don’t overdo that either. Watch a bunch of top-viewed Ted Talks and take notes. Great speakers aren’t born — they’re the product of their experience, what they’ve taken in. Take it all in!
Lastly, your posture is very important. Your hand gestures are very important. Body language is where a lot of the communication happens. The tone of your voice… it just has to be natural. Once you focus on what you’re doing, you become one with your work and your speech. Be true to your own experiences, your own knowledge. Be authentic. Eventually, you’ll just flow, you’ll know what to say. You won’t even need a filter on, “Oh, should I say this or not?”.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
I haven’t had anxiety for a long time so I don’t know how to answer that. But as I said, if you’re prepared and you’re in the flow, you shouldn’t be too anxious because you’re being true to yourself.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I’m an entrepreneur, not a leader of a community of artists or anything like that. My influence is limited to the people that I work with or interact with.
You influence others if you’re a good leader — even if you’re relieving somebody of a position. You say, like “Hey man, you’re not doing a good job. This is not your career path. You’re not enjoying being here. I’m letting you go.” You’re not really firing that person, you’re giving the opportunity to someone who loves that position — and you’re also giving the person who’s leaving a chance to find their true path.
We did that with a project manager recently. I’m so grateful for her. She’d done an amazing job but as our project manager, I felt she was never really motivated. It took time to find a replacement, but it was well worth the wait. Now, the project manager we hired is someone we know gives 100%. We let her transition into something she loves and found someone who can do the same job with greater enthusiasm.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Don’t take advice from everybody. There are so many leeches that want in on what you’re doing. Just because a person wants to talk to you doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. You must follow your instincts, but you have to be an expert first in order to do this.
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Levi Conlow.
Levi Conlow is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Lectric eBikes, based in Phoenix, Arizona. At the age of 23, he partnered with longtime friend and engineer, Robby Deziel, to design and market an electric bike built for everyone at an industry-shattering price. The final prototype resulted in sales of $1 million in just three weeks in 2019. Today, Lectric is one of the fastest growing ebike companies in the nation.
A Lakeville, Minnesota native, Levi earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from Grand Canyon University (GCU) in 2016. He subsequently gained a Master’s degree in Leadership from GCU in 2018. Levi resides with his high school sweetheart and wife, Rachel, in Phoenix.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I think my dad was swinging for the fences on his 4th boy. My older brothers were troublemakers — they were a little restless and found themselves in some sticky situations as kids. My dad allowed them to go out and get jobs in our hometown. For me, my dad insisted that I not go out and get a job, but instead set up my own business. He always encouraged me to make my own money, as he wasn’t going to give it to me and I wasn’t allowed to get a job.
When I was a kid, I made $10 a day walking dogs 365 days a year, which was a lot of cash for a kid. One summer I arbitraged energy drinks at camp. I also made a lot of money helping people cheat on video games. I would rent this software for $45 an hour, but I would make about $600 an hour, and that was awesome! By the time I hit high school, it was never even a thought that I would work for someone else after working for myself for so long.
My dad would challenge me to take ownership of everything. He would insist that I plan events with my friends, and make sure the plans actually came through. It’s stuck with me to this day, and I’m still planning the parties.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I think Brent (my dad) should write a book on how to raise an entrepreneur. He sent me this email on July 6, 2014, and I still have it in my inbox. It’s the only email in my inbox that I won’t delete. I read it every day — it has a quote by Charles Swindoll.
“The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”
I have lived by this quote for 8 years now. I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Conscious Capitalism. It opened my eyes to using business as a force for good.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
If something matters to you, you’ll move mountains to make it a reality. You’ll be scrappy, rash, competitive. You’ll do anything. We set out to be the greatest urban transportation solution ever, but there came a point when we were low on inventory during COVID. You can’t be the greatest urban transportation solution ever if you don’t have eBikes in stock.
So, I got to the point where I airmailed bikes across the world. I lost money, but I had to get bikes out there. I sometimes paid over $40k for a container when the average price was half of that. The philosophy is: it’s not the wrong decision if it’s getting us to our goal. Our investors told us they had never seen a business set up a warehouse so quickly. I think that’s part of the reason Lectric has surpassed our competitors, because we have worked harder than them and have stayed true to our vision.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
Become an expert in your field. I track all the data and I know all my competition; I consume every piece of information I can. What most people don’t realize is that you can become an expert in your industry before you even start.
Before starting Lectric, electric bikes had already existed for years and the XP was not necessarily a revolutionary concept. It’s this particular bike, at this level of performance, in this particular class, at this particular price that made it revolutionary. I knew that I didn’t have to win, I just refused to lose. It pushed me to come out with a really affordable bike and it meant that I needed to care more about getting bikes on the road than margins.
It’s about doing the research, having a big idea and being crazy enough to tackle it.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.
I’ll speak to the second item here, and that is that you need to go TO the manufacturer. Even before we ordered, I went and visited factories in person, some of them even unannounced. We cared so much about good working conditions. So, it’s about doing a great job of vetting the manufacturer in person and being diligent in testing. You can’t settle on any issue with a sample. Every concern needs to be addressed before going on a production run.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
Don’t take advice from everybody. There are so many leeches that want in on what you’re doing. Just because a person wants to talk to you doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. You must follow your instincts, but you have to be an expert first in order to do this.
Have good self-awareness. Our self-awareness was more on not wanting to hold the company back and getting help when we needed help. Understanding your own limitations and hiring rock stars really helped us out.
Don’t completely reinvent the wheel, because it can be very costly when you screw up.
Understand every single cost. I didn’t learn how much insurance would be until I shipped my first bike and it was ridiculous.
It’s supposed to be hard. My dad always told me in the early days of Lectric, “If it was easy then everybody would do it.” I have lived by that since.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
Start with market analysis, prototype it, get it to a manufacturing source, and get on it! I’m all gas and no brakes. If you understand your market and you see there’s a gap and if the data is telling you to make this thing, then go make it happen.
With our latest innovation, the XP LITE, we conducted extensive research to find out what the current ebike market was missing. We realized that consumers longed for an ebike that was easier to maneuver and available at an even more affordable price, while still maintaining high quality features of traditional bikes on the market. So, we did just that — creating a model that’s lighter and easier to utilize, entering the market at the industry-shattering price of just $799.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I had terrible experiences with consultants in the early days of Lectric. You need to be your own expert. If not, then you need a partner who is. I knew all the data from the industry and I dumped that info on Rob who crafted the design and we worked together to build the first XP.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
We bootstrapped for as long as we possibly could. The moment you realize that you and your finances are holding the company back, you need to look at what’s best for the company. If you’re looking to do something special, the top priority should be the success of the company, not your own personal financial gain. We followed our GUTS(e) philosophy (to be the Greatest Urban Transportation Solution Ever) and that helped us make the right decisions.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
We can do more and Lectric will continue to do more. Although we do participate in philanthropy by donating toys and financially to charitable organizations, such as the Leukemia Society, just look at what our bike is doing for the environment. I really dig that.
In the last 2 years alone, we’ve gotten about 140,000 people on electric bikes in the US. That’s more than any company before within that timeframe and at a more affordable price than anyone before. Our community is using it as a commuting tool in some serious volume. With that type of change in transportation behavior, together, we’re making a real impact in the world.
If you just accept that your business can be used as a force for good, you can do some really special things.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I’d like to get more people to think about the idea of Conscious Capitalism. If you make a bunch of money and then use it for doing good, that’s a great purpose! I want to see more people start their own businesses.
I was in the bottom half of my class in high school and probably the same for college — that doesn’t mean you can’t start a business. As long as you’re willing to work hard and really learn it, you can be successful. It’s not just about hustle. You need to become smart in the field you want to be successful in. Hence why I have Robby (Lectric Co-founder), Jay (Lectric CFO) and Bertram Labs (Part of Bertram Capital, who owns Lectric), so I can surround myself with people who are smarter than me and will help lift the company higher.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Shawn White or Rob Dyrdek. They were the ones that showed me the narrative between business and fun — not just action sports, but true fun. I idolized them not only because they did sick flips, but because they created careers out of it and withstood the test of time in doing so.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Confront to real life. Go on the field: there you will really understand the stakes of your business. Exchange and meet your customers and partners. It’s your brand, but in a way, it’s also theirs. They are the ones who will allow you to grow your brand in line with reality.
Julien Revol is the CEO and Co-Founder of ALPAHSCIENCE Skincare and has developed a 20-year experience in cosmetics, both in leading worldwide companies and innovative SMEs. During his tenor at L’Oréal he successfully launched La Roche-Posay in Mexico before switching to marketing strategy at the L’Oréal headquarters in Paris, where he started working on Vitamin C and skin aging. In 2015 he met Dr. Alfred Marchal at a medical congress and was immediately impressed by his deep knowledge in anti-aging and antioxidants. When Dr. Marchal sold his company to a major skincare firm from Spain, they decided to co-create Alphascience to bring to life all his new ideas. Since its launch at the end 2016, ALPHASCIENCE has been a success. The brand is present in more than 30 countries worldwide and is very much appreciated for its high efficiency on the visible signs of aging.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started working in cosmetics in 1999 at L’Oréal. I launched Vitamin C skincare products, but they were not really stable at that time.
In 2015, I worked for a Swiss anti-aging company and met Dr. Alfred Marchal at a medical congress. As a scientist, Dr. Marchal is a renowned expert for antioxidants and Vitamin C stability.
I was really impressed by his deep knowledge in anti-aging. He had already created famous formulas based on Vitamin C and Vitamin K, and he still had many innovations in his mind.
I have always wanted to build my own company with innovative products. When Dr. Marchal sold his company to a major skincare firm, I jumped on the opportunity and convinced him to create ALPHASCIENCE together, to bring to life all his new ideas.
Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I sold a product to our distributors that was still in development. But during heat stability tests, the product oxidized and looked more like a chocolate cream than a cosmetic product. Since we weren’t called Nestlé, we really hesitated to launch it. The lesson is that developing products as complex as ours takes a lot of time and you have to be very patient!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
ALPHASCIENCE stands out by innovation. Its particularity is its scientist Dr. Alfred Marchal who is an internationally recognized antioxidants and aesthetic medicine expert with a lot of innovative ideas. He has the ability to observe nature, to understand it, and to make state-of-the-art products by working on the associations between complex ingredients.
Tannic Acid is a good example. Dr. Marchal got this idea when he visited the Yosemite National park with the giant sequoia trees which get their red color from Tannic Acid, a very interesting active compound. It protects them from external aggressors such as UV exposure, oxidative stress, bacteria, parasites and fungi. This protection explains their exceptional lifespan; some sequoias are 3,000 years old.
This molecule is really unstable. By observing how it interacts in its natural environment, Dr. Marchal has been able to stabilize it. We couldn’t believe the fantastic results we got when we tested its stability.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We have just succeeded in stabilizing pure glutamine in a cream. Glutamine is well-known to physicians as a supplemental drug to repair tissue damage after accidents or intestinal damages. This is a major breakthrough as our consumers will have the opportunity to use this pharmaceutical ingredient to treat their skin for a wide range of indications such as wound healing, wrinkle reduction, vascular fragility, rosacea and more.
Ok let’s now jump to the core part of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define the difference between brand marketing (branding) and product marketing (advertising)? Can you explain?
I believe that brand marketing is the foundation and identity of a company. For ALPHASCIENCE, our identity is rooted in innovative medical aesthetic treatments to accompany physicians’ protocols. Product marketing focuses on product communication: benefits, recommendations for use, results for our clients.
Can you explain to our readers why it is important to invest resources and energy into building a brand, in addition to the general marketing and advertising efforts?
In a world that is moving and evolving with so many new brands supported by influencers, it is essential for us to stay firm on our foundations. We always avoid going into areas that are far from our identity. This is very important because we want to reinforce the trust that the consumer has placed in our brand. Supporting our brand means investing a lot in R&D to bring innovations and working closely with skin specialists such as aesthetic doctors, dermatologists and plastic surgeons. We then move on to product marketing, always keeping in mind the brand’s identity.
Can you share 5 strategies that a company should be doing to build a trusted and believable brand? Please tell us a story or example for each.
1st “think different”. This very famous Apple slogan is essential to me. You build a specific brand because you believe that you can bring something different, new, and better to your customers.
2nd: Try to reach perfection and be exigent. Carl Lewis said: “No limits but the sky”. Set your goals higher and higher and be confident that you will achieve them. Don’t be afraid to think big for your brand. After five years, ALPHASCIENCE is now present in more than 30 countries worldwide.
3rd Keep your promise. When a consumer gives us his trust by buying our product, we must never disappoint him. I try to encourage everyone in the company to keep this promise.
4th Confront to real life. Go on the field: there you will really understand the stakes of your business. Exchange and meet your customers and partners. It’s your brand, but in a way, it’s also theirs. They are the ones who will allow you to grow your brand in line with reality.
5th Have the best team that shares your values and the brand’s values. Surround yourself with people who believe in the future of the brand, in its strengths and who want to take it to the next level. Work with people who are consistent with your brand’s mindset. Take for instance our marketing manager, Carmen, who is a pharmacist with a passion for cosmetics. At the age of four, she was already mixing ingredients to make her own cosmetics for her dolls.
In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job building a believable and beloved brand. What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?
I would say Apple.
The brand is so strong, they differentiate themselves with the highest quality. Remember that in the 90s they were on the verge of bankruptcy when they started trying to clone PCs and abandon their identity. Steve Jobs came back to a shell of a nearly bankrupt company and decided to focus on revamping the Mac. He managed to get Apple up and turn it into a global icon. He refocused the company on its original beliefs and promises: an innovative brand with cutting-edge technology and a unique identity.
In advertising, one generally measures success by the number of sales. How does one measure the success of a brand building campaign? Is it similar, is it different?
First of all, we have to see if we have reached the objectives set for this brand building campaign. It’s really about promoting your brand in a strategic and tactical way.
I would also say that a successful campaign is one that uses means that are in line with the brand’s philosophy. For example, if I want to have a lot of visibility, I’m not going to work with very famous influencers that might make us a lot of money but don’t really relate to our brand promises. Stay consistent and it will work.
What role does social media play in your branding efforts?
The importance of social media should not be overlooked, even for a medical cosmetics brand. It is certainly a way for us to reinforce our notoriety, but it is above all an opportunity to make our customers talk and to let them testify about our products by sharing their feelings.
Our doctors are our influencers: they are the ones who use our products, who trust us and who talk about them honestly on social networks.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
That would be corporate responsibility. By this I mean a company that grows, creates good jobs, establishes fair relationships with its local partners and satisfies its customers to make its modest contribution to a responsible economic environment.
Our logistics, packaging and packing are managed by a team of disabled people. This is also our way of being responsible and creating meaningful jobs.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is from Darwin: “It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself”. I think it speaks for itself.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have a lunch or breakfast with? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would like to meet Katalyn Kariko, an outstanding scientist. She always believed in her revolutionary ideas. Despite failures and lack of support, she kept firm for decades and eventually invented a technology that saved millions of lives.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
@alphascience_international
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Meet The Disruptors: Jeffrey Zuckerman Of Main Street Events On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
You have to care about the business, industry, products and, most importantly, people. To build and maintain trust, your care for these aspects of innovation needs to be sincere. Building your “trust account” is how you can effectuate a positive change.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Zuckerman, CEO of Main Street Events.
Jeffrey Zuckerman is the chief executive officer of Main Street Events, a leader in fashion industry and trade show events. Zuckerman leads a dynamic team of live events professionals, breaking the mold with innovative and personalized trade show experiences. In addition to his role with Main Street Events, Jeffrey serves as president of Leona Lee, a brand he founded with his wife, Maria.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Our family-owned business was formed in the 1970s. I grew up working summers in our warehouses. Even as a kid, I loved the creative energy and relationships that drive the global fashion industry. I attended law school after college and became a licensed attorney. But I was drawn back to the business, especially after we launched our trade shows in 2012, and I have built an exciting career alongside my family. I am now chief executive officer of Main Street Events, and I co-own and manage a fashion brand, Leona Lee, with my wife, Maria.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Over the last several decades, and more acutely amid the COVID-19 crisis, we have seen tremendous consolidation across the fashion industry; especially, within our segment — trade industry events. These events are crucial to bring the best-known designers and fashion brands, as well as emerging artists, to the market. Along with this consolidation came cold, impersonalized events that we believed stifled the creativity and relationships that make fashion such a special industry. My dad, now our chief relationship officer, took a huge risk and decided to host his own fashion industry event. We built ILOE STUDIOS from the ground up, learning as we went, but always keeping relationships and personalized service at the forefront. Now, we are delivering an unrivaled experience that has put our events at the top of the “must-attend” list for all our clients.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first came back to the business after law school, I found out the details that I had learned to master as a lawyer were just as important in the fashion events industry. I accidentally booked a business trip over the wrong dates, and didn’t realize it until everyone was already at the airport. We had to quickly re-book everyone and make it work. I never made that mistake again! But I was grateful to be working with family who took the entire situation in stride.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
My parents have been the most amazing mentors. I witnessed all their challenges and success as business owners, and their ingenuity and work ethic is a huge source of inspiration for me. Their focus on relationships, above all else, has been critical to our success over the decades — and it’s a major reason why we are now considered disruptors in our industry.
There have also been many others in the business who have been great mentors to me. Scott Bernstein, one of our former business partners, taught me a lot about customer service, networking and management. One of the things that made him such a great mentor was his willingness to share both his knowledge and contacts with me. He would introduce me to potential client and collaborators, and help me navigate those relationships when I was just starting out. In his current role, he is able to provide us with business intelligence that has helped us maintain a strong connection to some of our legacy partners in the industry.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
I like to think about disruption as innovation. In our case, we found that the current state of the fashion events industry was not conducive to our business or continued success. Others agreed with us, but no one was taking action. We knew we needed to be the ones to innovate in order to create a positive change. In that case, disruption has been positive for ourselves and for our industry overall. On the flip side, we have seen where innovation doesn’t hit the mark and results in more negative disruption. A lot of us in the fashion industry need to balance our interest in and reliance on technology, as one example, to ensure productive innovation. We can’t let technology completely overtake personal relationships, or we’ll be moving backward. Overall, our belief is that disruptors should seek to create positive change — to grow and meet the needs of an evolving society and industry rather than creating change merely for the sake of change. That only produces a chaotic neutral where we really need positive momentum and progress.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
I was in a production of “Bye Bye Birdie” when I was younger and this line always stuck with me: You have to be sincere.
You have to care about the business, industry, products and, most importantly, people. To build and maintain trust, your care for these aspects of innovation needs to be sincere. Building your “trust account” is how you can effectuate a positive change.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
We’re evaluating a lot of different ideas. Our inaugural ILOE STUDIOS — Las Vegas event was a huge hit, and we can’t wait to return to The Strip again this fall. We are also focused on rebuilding our flagship Midwest show after COVID-19. And then there’s direct-to-consumer events, which could come in the near future. We’d love to bring our personalized event experience to help consumers connect more intimately with the retailers and brands they love.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
I recently read “About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior” by Colonel David H. Hackworth. In writing about his incredible career as a soldier and leader, he discussed the military’s “zero-defect policy,” and how becoming a leader within the military required soldiers to appear as though they never failed. He disagreed with this idea because such a policy discouraged strategic risk-taking and creativity. His ideas reminded me that it’s important to surround yourself with thinkers: colleagues who don’t rely on the “safe” solution, are willing to challenge convention, and sometimes fail, in the pursuit of success and progress.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Stephen R. Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” has so many great life lesson quotes. One is, “We see the world not as it is but as we are.” We all view the world through our own, unique lens and cognitive biases. In business, it is important to surround yourself with individuals who bring these different perspectives and ideas to the table. Otherwise, you can end up stuck in a rut. Our business is multi-generational, and that is a major differentiator for us in terms of creativity and success. Our brand is strong because our culture and business is based on diverse thinking, understanding and creative problem solving.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Personal relationships are a cornerstone of our business. Especially after the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, we want to help more people create meaningful connections with each other and the things they love. If we could start a movement in business, it would be a return to personal relationships and service.
The Future Is Now: Irete Hamdani Of askBelynda On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Competition. You are going to have competitors. This is a good thing, it means there’s a market for what you’re doing. Yes, it can pose a threat to your business but use this energy to get better and bigger. When I started out there wasn’t too much competition but now there is. Investors like to know who you’re up against and especially what is your differentiator compared to them. You should focus on your uniqueness and develop that. Be aware of the market landscape but don’t waste too much of your time on comparisons.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs, I had the pleasure of interviewingIrete Hamdani.
Irete Hamdani is an entrepreneur and founder of askBelynda, a Google Chrome extension helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint by recommending sustainable products while they’re shopping online. She has a Computer Science MSc. with honors from Tel Aviv University and is an AWS Certified Associate Developer and Solution Architect. She believes in a greener future with the expansion of sustainable consumer goods. Irete resides in Denver, CO, with her husband and two daughters.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
We moved to the US in 2018 and I was both delighted and taken aback by the online shopping possibilities. Anything you want at the tips of your fingers and at your door within 1–2 days. At the same time, I was also on a personal journey to live a more sustainable life. I started looking into the products I was buying and found it hard to really know what the right, environmentally-friendly product is without spending time researching. I’ve been in tech for 25 years and I decided to use my development skills and my growing knowledge of what makes products sustainable, to provide this as a product to others in the form of askBelynda.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
[go back to]When I began, I dived in with my work, having carried out research, and went straight to the investors for funding. I knew what I had was a bullet proof and the moment I took it public everything will take shape. That was until the investors asked me to show them the lists of users and their experiences. That is when I realized it’s never about paperwork alone. You need proof, numbers, engagements, etc before anyone can put faith in your work. They need something tangible. As they say, every day is a learning day.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
I would say that askBelynda is less of a cutting cutting-edge technology and more a product that shifts consumer spending to sustainable products and that helps people. Close to 80% of the American population state they care about the environment (reference) and yet under 20% buy sustainability-marketed products (reference). This is a huge opportunity. Researching how environmentally friendly a product or service is, requires time, expertise and effort — something the average shopper doesn’t have. askBelynda provides recommendations for the right products, at the right time.
How do you think this might change the world?
Theymore people use their buying power on sustainable products the less harm we’re doing to the environment. And in time this will put pressure on companies to look at what they’re doing and how they can improve.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
I haven’t seen “Black Mirror” and from what I read about the series it’s definitely not my cup of tea. If I were to think of a dystopian future in the sustainability realm I can only imagine technology “punishing” humans for letting the planet deteriorate as much as we do. But again, I’m such a positive person, this is making me feel uncomfortable.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
When I got sick with Covid. I was already working on askBelynda but it was more of a side project. Getting sick was the “tipping point” that led me to taking take this on at full force ahead. I’m now putting all my time, energy, and efforts into making askBelynda a success. I believe everything’s connected — air pollution, the extreme weather, global pandemics,… This is my humble contribution towards reducing carbon footprint and other damaging effects on the environment.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
At this point mostly marketing to generate awareness. I’d like to get to a certain level of traction and then reach out to investors. I have big dreams and plans for my company.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
I’ve recently started working with a great marketing agency that put together a strategy and plans focusing on organic growth, social marketing, PR, etc… I strongly believe they will not only exceed the goals I gave them, but also lay the foundations for continuous quality growth.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’ve been given a lot of ‘gifts’ throughout the process. People who I don’t even know are more than willing to spend time with me and give me their advice. There’s this Facebook Group Startup for Startup that I go to almost every day. It’s a collaboration of VCs/Angel investors, new/established start-ups, and generally people who want to help others out. I would call out Noa Hilzenrat who runs the group and nurtures the platform as someone I’m grateful for.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
askBelynda itself brings goodness to the world. Every time a consumer selects a more sustainable product, we’re reducing the carbon footprint.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
Pick the right people to work with. I had a co-founder at the beginning who was the right choice but as time went by I realized they didn’t have the time and budget to invest in the startup and that that was holding me back. We eventually dissolved the partnership but I wish I would have done it much earlier. I also had a marketing consultant that wasn’t getting the results I needed and also had to stop working withwith a great fit and we discontinued the work.
Be patient with the process. Things take time to structure the right way, to decide on the right path. We are all impatient to get to the finish line but it’s a journey. I started with building the product after I verified the market fit and then I thought to raise funding but the feedback I got was to get an initial customer base first to prove the business model so now I’m focusing on that. In a few months, I’ll go back to reaching out to investors. It may seem like I’m zigzagging but it will all come together soon.
Outsource as much as possible. We all have our strengths and should use them to our advantage but we should be aware of the tasks that other, more qualified people should handle for us. I have an amazing marketing agency that I signed up with that is pushing me forward in ways I would never have been able to do on my own. On the other side, there are menial tasks that drain our time and can easily be outsourced to freelancers. There are many platforms out there for freelance work — Fiverr, Freeup, Upwork. You should use them whenever you can. I’ve created a process for vetting the companies and products I’m recommending through askBelynda and use using freelancers to gather the data for me. I still go over every little detail to ensure credibility but this saves me a lot of time. As soon as I get more budget I want to bring on developers to free up some of my time that goes into coding and developing the product.
Learn and grow constantly. Whatever your background is, starting a company means endless new domains you need to become proficient in. There are many channels — Books, Training Sessions, Small Business Programs, etc… you can use to grow. Of course, you’ll need to prioritize your time and balance between the learning and the doing. I would advise against investing thousands of dollars in training programs. There are many free sources out there such as Freedom in Me that take you through 12 weeks of everything you need to start a small business. Out of the books I’ve read, this one ‘Believe IT’ by Jamie Kern Lima is the one I found most inspiring. Especially when we’re talking about female founders.
Competition. You are going to have competitors. This is a good thing, it means there’s a market for what you’re doing. Yes, it can pose a threat to your business but use this energy to get better and bigger. When I started out there wasn’t too much competition but now there is. Investors like to know who you’re up against and especially what is your differentiator compared to them. You should focus on your uniqueness and develop that. Be aware of the market landscape but don’t waste too much of your time on comparisons.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
There are things thatSome things are hidden from us — what is the environmental impact of our consumption, where does all our trash go, what is the damage we are leaving behind for future generations. I believe in transparency. Just like the FDA ensures every food and beverage has its Nutrition Facts printed on the package, I would love to see a label on every product that shows how much water, electricity, natural resource, etc… was used to manufacture, package, and ship that product and how recyclable it really is. I believe this would do a great deal not only in forcing large companies to comply but also will change the consumption habits of individuals.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Your thoughts create your reality”.
I’m a strong believer in what you could call ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ in psychology, or ‘projections’ in Buddhism, or the philosophy of the ‘law of attraction’, or what I call the Universe. I believe that everything that happens to me or around me is an expression of my own creating creation and that I have the ability tocan influence it. When I’m on a clear path I see the “gifts” I receive. When I’m in self-doubt or on a negative path I see that manifesting. I’m I do not always intuit to what’s going on but I try to get better at it.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
askBelynda is on a mission to reduce carbon footprint by shifting consumer spending to sustainable eco-friendly products.
Today only 1 in 5 people who care about the environment end up buying a sustainable product. Consumers are missing a quick, identifiable, trustworthy way to know what products are truly sustainable. This is also a great opportunity.
askBelynda offers a personalized eco-friendly shopping experience that provides consumers with the right product recommendations at the right time with all the right information. askBelynda has vetted thousands of products across the Household, Personal Care, and Clothing categories and is continuing to grow. These products are currently recommended to consumers over a Google Chrome Extension operating on Amazon.com.
I have plans to expand beyond Amazon, beyond the US, and beyond the Extension.
With the right funding, askBelynda will be the largest database of sustainable products in the world and will change the buying patterns as we know them today.
I’m on a journey to a cleaner, better world. Join me.
Agile Businesses: David Lareau Of Medicomp Systems On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t fall in love with the latest new thing. Every couple of years something new emerges in our industry. It becomes the latest fashion, and you get pushed to adopt it. Early adopters of new technology can become evangelical and insist that everything that came before is inferior. Focusing on tools, rather than on the problem you are trying to solve, can lead to “designing yourself into a corner.” There are pros and cons to every technology so you need to focus on things that will be around for a while and are general and flexible, and adaptable enough to evolve, since nothing in technology remains static.
As a part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing David Lareau.
David Lareau is Chief Executive Officer of Medicomp. Lareau joined Medicomp in 1995 and has responsibility for operations and product management, including customer relations and marketing. Prior to joining Medicomp, Lareau founded a company that installed management communication networks in large enterprises such as The World Bank, DuPont and Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. The Sinai Hospital project, one of the first PC-based LAN systems using email and groupware, was widely acknowledged as one of the largest and most successful implementations of this technology.
Lareau’s work at Sinai led to the founding of a medical billing company that led, in turn, to his partnership with Medicomp. Realizing that the healthcare industry made less use of information technology than almost any other industry, particularly in the area of clinical care, Lareau immediately saw the potential for Medicomp’s powerful technologies and joined the company to operationalize Peter Goltra’s vision.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I was working for a company whose CEO was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of a local hospital. He asked me to help the hospital upgrade their internal communications and management systems, and in doing so, I met a surgeon at the hospital who was having problems with his billing. He asked me if I could help him find a billing system and, after doing a bit of research, I saw an opportunity to start a medical billing and service business. A few years later one of my billing clients wanted to find what was then called an electronic medical record (EMR). My research on that led me to Medicomp Systems, where I have been for the last 26 years.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
That first billing client was having problems because the person who handled his billing — let’s call him Sam — was committing Medicare billing fraud and embezzling from the practice. Unfortunately, for me, Sam was a relative of the managing partner of the practice. So, to avoid confrontation, the managing partner had me inform Sam that my company was taking over the billing. That did not go well, and the next day Sam called my office to speak with me and was put on hold. I was told that he was on hold and before picking up the phone I let loose with a stream of ill thoughts, crudely expressed, about what I thought of Sam. But Sam was not on hold — he was on speakerphone and heard every word I said. Later that day, the doctor called me at home, my wife picked up the phone, turned a new color I had never seen, and handed me the phone saying, “I don’t know what he is trying to say, but he’s using a lot of really bad words.” It’s funny now, as I managed to keep the customer, but I learned two things: make sure you know the difference between hold and speaker on the phone (the modern version is “mute” on a video call) and, more importantly, keep ill thoughts about others to yourself, as it’s a small world and you tend to run into the same people over-and-over again. I now try to remember the concept of the “karma bank” when I am tempted to respond to situations in irritation or anger.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Twice in my career I started new companies which could not pay me for as long as three years. During those periods my wife supported us financially and gave me the emotional backing I needed to persevere in some tough times. If not for her support, I would not have been able to take the chances I did. At one point we were going through our apartment looking for loose change so we could get something to eat. A frozen cheese pizza never tasted so good.
From a business perspective, one of my first managers noticed I was working very late but never seemed to get anything finished. I had developed a reputation for being willing to help anyone with just about anything, so I ended up accepting a lot of responsibility for things that I had no business doing. I was unable to say “no” and kept working harder but always falling further behind. My manager told me I should always have a list of priorities, not just in my head, but on a whiteboard in my office so that I, and anyone who came into my office could see them. If something came up as a new project, he said it had to either replace something on the priority list or should go on one of two other lists: “later” or “probably never” — and I should update it whenever a new request came in, or if priorities did change. This introduced me to the concept of opportunity cost, which in software and business development I think of as “if you are working on something, you are NOT working on something else, so be sure you are working on what is most important.”
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
Our company was founded in 1978 by Peter Goltra, who saw that computers could be used to empower medical professionals by presenting clinically relevant information to them at the point of care. He says that doctors and nurses are among the most highly trained knowledge workers and that technology could support their decision making and workflows if it can pull information together diagnostically based on each patient’s clinical situation. That has been our focus ever since and has resulted in our clinical relevancy engine, which has tens of millions of links between more than 400,000 clinical data concepts. It is the core of everything we do.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell our readers a bit about what your business does? How do you help people?
A problem in the healthcare industry is that clinically relevant information based on a patient’s condition is not always readily available because information is stored in multiple systems and in different formats. Even within a single system, patient information is scattered. Our business is focused on providing tools so that relevant clinical data can be presented instantly to a medical provider when they need it. It is the solution that satisfies clinicians’ demands to “show me what I want to see, when I want to see it, without making me specify what I need.” We provide those tools, which can be integrated with existing clinical systems.
Which technological innovation has encroached or disrupted your industry? Can you explain why this has been disruptive?
In healthcare, several technological, as well as regulatory changes are reshaping the industry
On the regulatory front, the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, requires that medical information be shared with patients. This is a huge shift from the days when doctors and hospitals talked about “our charts” and were able to block information sharing with patients. Another big change is the development and widespread adoption of the data-sharing standard Fast Health Interoperability Resources (FHIR), which defines how healthcare information can be exchanged between different computer systems, regardless of how the data is stored. A third development is the adoption of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) which outlines a common set of principles, terms, and conditions to enable the nationwide exchange of electronic health information (EHI) across disparate health information networks (HINs). The regulatory changes are all driven by the federal government’s desire to move from a fee-for-service medical reimbursement model that pays clinicians for every transaction to a value-based care model that holds medical providers accountable for their patients’ overall health. The combination of expanded clinical data sharing and reimbursements based on patient outcomes is resulting in significant disruption in our industry.
On the technology front, the industry is experiencing disruption from the shifting of software from “big iron” and client/server solutions to web-based ‘software-as-a-service,’ as well as from the accelerated movement to API-based interoperability. This will be disruptive to the incumbent vendors as it will make it easier for enterprises to turn to new entrants into the market as systems start to shift from monolithic system architectures to more nimble, best-of-breed modular solutions.
What did you do to pivot as a result of this disruption?
With the shift to value-based reimbursement models, we have made changes to our relevancy engine to address evolving industry regulations and provider requirements. The Medicare Advantage program, which is grounded in value-based care, was rolled out between 1997 and 2003. In 2003, the government first declared a set of clinical reference terminology standards for health data, and we began mapping the new terminology standards to the clinical data concepts in our relevancy engine. This has enabled us to provide diagnostically filtered views of healthcare information regardless of the source of the data, making it easier for users to manage patient conditions.
In 2005, as the industry was shifting to technology to host software-as-a-service “in the cloud,” we also began migrating from “big iron” and client/server implementations to web-based deployments — even though the technology was still somewhat primitive. Now, the shift is to what the industry calls “API-based interoperability,” so we are pivoting again to make it easier for existing systems to integrate our products.
Was there a specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path? If yes, we’d love to hear the story.
As a middleware vendor, aha moments and new paths happen all the time and are an essential part of doing business. The ability to adapt quickly is critical because our partners rely on us to anticipate where the industry will be in five to ten years and provide solutions that can updated to meet future needs. A major turning point for us was the realization that the industry was about to move away from the “one size fits all” products offered by the dominant systems vendors in our space to the notion that the core systems should serve as a platform which can be augmented by newer technologies.
For example, in 2005 we started working on a new product named Clinitalk, which used a desktop or client/server architecture to speech-enable our clinical documentation tools so a physician could use our software “hands-free” in the exam room. We made it the centerpiece of our booth at HIMSS (one of the healthcare industry’s biggest annual conferences), and everyone who came by raved about how cool it was and what a great job we did. However, nobody wanted to buy the solution because that was the year that the industry decided that everything had to be moved to the web — and our speech technology was not yet ready for deployment on the web.
When we got back from HIMSS, I congratulated the staff on a great show and thanked them for their two years of work on the speech product. Then I said we had to move on and strip the speech capability from our solution and move everything to the web.
That pivot led us to develop our current product, Quippe, which now, twelve years later is deployed on hosted platforms such as Microsoft Azure and AWS. And, incidentally, we are now taking another shot at speech-enabling it, but this time it will be “in the cloud.”
So, how are things going with this new direction?
We cannot be more pleased with how things are developing. The industry is being forced to open up, share patient data using FHIR, support API-based interoperability, and make it possible for our solutions to be more easily added to existing systems. Data sharing has increased the need for healthcare providers to be able to quickly find clinically relevant information related to specific patient problems and concerns — exactly what our main focus and vision has been since 1978.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this pivot?
In the summer of 2019, we were contacted by Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. Holy Name is an independent health system that was looking for a new information system to manage its 361-bed hospital and hundreds of ambulatory providers. After meeting with the dominant system vendors, they decided that none could support their vision of a modern, cloud-hosted community health infrastructure. They approached us and said they wanted to develop their own system and were considering using our tools as the clinical core.
I told them that I thought they were crazy to believe a single hospital could build their own system. I was wrong.
Holy Name began working with our latest tools in late 2019. In early 2020 they were getting ready to go live in their emergency department when COVID hit the New York metro area. Holy Name was at the epicenter of the outbreak and were even featured on the cover of Time magazine with the headline “The Eye of the Storm.”
Despite this, their team continued development and completed their project in 2021. Now Holy Name is expanding its implementation across the organization and making plans to commercialize their solution. Starting in 2023, they intend to offer the system to other independent health systems.
Holy Name shows what can be accomplished when enterprise leaders embrace change and face challenges with a clear vision and a focused team. We are thrilled to be part of their journey.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during a disruptive period?
The most critical role for a leader during disruptive times is to keep people informed by engaging directly with them and asking them to share their thoughts and concerns. You cannot pretend that you have all the answers. People get uneasy during disruptive periods, so leaders must let their teams know that you are all in this together. Outline the challenges and the opportunities and let them know that disruption requires adaptation. Help them see the situation as an opportunity and not just as an unpleasant change. If you see disruption coming, share your perspective on it with your team. You will often discover more resilience than you expected.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate, and engage their team?
It starts with continuity and engagement — though if you have not been open and collaborative with your team, it will be seen as disingenuous to begin suddenly. As for continuity, a leader must find the right people and keep them, particularly in a knowledge-driven business such as software and clinical development. We pride ourselves on having a turnover rate of less than 3% per year, which is what it takes to maintain high quality in what you produce.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Stay lean, keep the right people doing the right work, and stay focused on your core priorities.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make when faced with a disruptive technology? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
Denial, and hoping it goes away. We once had a technical development manager who did not want to learn anything new and insisted that the internet was a “fad” and would go away. To avoid this, you must be willing to listen to people who will tell you what you do not want to hear. That development manager did not want to admit that his skills had to be updated and that things that worked for him in the past would not work in the future. Always be willing to ask yourself how you need to adapt.
Hoping there is some magical solution that will save the day. Today we are seeing some of what I call “magical thinking” in terms of artificial intelligence and machine learning being able to solve the problem of EHR (electronic health record) usability. Approaching change with an open, but questioning mind, is the key to determining what is real from what might be false hopes.
Changing people when you should change vision, focus, or process. Changing people during times of disruption can result in loss of institutional memory and in organizations making repeated attempts to do something that didn’t work the first time. It reminds me of Einstein’s parable of quantum insanity: “Insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over and expecting different results.” You can avoid this by remembering that almost everyone wants to do good work, feel like what they are doing is valuable, and to be part of something that gives them satisfaction. If you build your approach around that, to make everyone feel valued and involved, you can build a team that gets through tough times and comes out stronger because of it. If you are not getting what you need out of your team, it is a fault of leadership and vision, so fix that before you go about changing team members.
Waiting for perfection. Don’t do it. Determine what your priorities are and move quickly with incremental improvements instead of waiting for everything to be “just right.”
Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies? Please share a story or an example for each.
Listen to the people using your products and ask what worries them about the future. Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jay Anders, was originally a customer. While still a customer, he came to our office and said that the doctors using our software were complaining that it required too many “clicks” and that the screens did not adapt to reflect the patient’s condition. He said we needed to create a documentation engine that would dynamically change the information displayed on the screen as the doctor questioned and examined the patient. At the time, the industry standard was to use fixed lists rather than clinically dynamic views as Dr. Anders suggested. He said the system needed to “show me what I want, when I want it, without me having to tell you what it is that I want.” I thought he was out of his mind, but he had some ideas on how to do it. That led to a breakthrough in how we proceeded to build our next generation of tools.
Talk to people outside your typical contacts who you know believe you are on the wrong track. At trade shows people often come up to your booth and ask what you do. When you show them, some will say, “Well, that’s never going to work.” Instead of dismissing them, ask them why and listen to what they tell you. As clinical terminology standards started to evolve in the late 90s, a clinical informaticist came to our exhibit at a trade show and said we were destined to fail if we did not adopt a specific terminology as the core of our clinical relevancy engine. I followed up with several other people, who said the same thing. We knew that we could not use the standard they were proposing, so we did not change our core data model. But we realized that if that many people in the industry share the same thinking, we had to at least accommodate it. That led us to develop a new tool, which is widely used today.
Take chances on new entrants into the business, but carefully vet the leadership. In any industry new players are constantly emerging, making it difficult to decide with whom to cast your lot. It is easy to get excited about new technology, but it is hard to pick the right partners for your business. When vetting new partners, I have found it useful to examine the background of the leaders to understand what they have done previously, including the success of their ventures and how their vision has evolved over the years. Treat each partnership as a relationship like a marriage, and not just like a casual date.
Do a lot of reading and talking with people “swimming against the current.” Every industry has gadflies, which are generally defined as “an annoying person, especially one who provokes others into action by criticism.” They can be vocal and prolific and can sometimes seem a bit unhinged. Like the person who comes up to you and says, “You don’t know what you are doing,” be willing to consider that they might be onto something and don’t dismiss them out-of-hand.
Don’t fall in love with the latest new thing. Every couple of years something new emerges in our industry. It becomes the latest fashion, and you get pushed to adopt it. Early adopters of new technology can become evangelical and insist that everything that came before is inferior. Focusing on tools, rather than on the problem you are trying to solve, can lead to “designing yourself into a corner.” There are pros and cons to every technology so you need to focus on things that will be around for a while and are general and flexible, and adaptable enough to evolve, since nothing in technology remains static.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“What goes around, comes around.” This is related to the concept of the karma bank. Every industry is small, the same people are in it for years, they move around and, sooner or later, you will probably see them again. Even if you strongly disagree with someone and have no reason to do business with them, you should treat them with respect, hear them out, explain your position, and try to part with mutual goodwill toward each other.
Makers of The Metaverse: John Aghayan Of EMCEE On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
…. Surround yourself with like-minded people who believe in this vision of the future and believe in you. Sharing information and excitement about where we are heading is important when dreaming of the impossible.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewingJohn Aghayan.
John Aghayan is the founder and CEO of EMCEE, a cutting-edge retail platform in the creator economy. With a background in the fashion and retail industry, John witnessed a gap in the wholesale model and was determined to create an alternative distribution model. This mission, along with his realization that today’s most powerful retailers are influencers, led him to develop EMCEE, an online shopping platform where influencers are the retailers.
John studied business and finance at The European Business School in Paris. Before returning to Paris and embracing the world of retail and entrepreneurship, John worked at AXA Financial in New York, while subsequently working in private equity in London investing in renewable energy. During his time in Paris, John’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found multiple companies within the fashion and retail space including Pop Up Storz, a community marketplace for short-term retail space, and EBE, a company offering high-end, made-to-order outerwear. Upon his return to New York in January 2019, John launched Le Board, a co-retailing platform where brands share the retail costs.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I was raised in Paris where I was lucky enough to study at an international school and grow up with friends from all around the world. It gave me access to global perspectives and exposed me to a range of diverse people and cultures. There was no question in my mind that in my adult life I would have to move to New York City, the only place in the world that would reflect the multicultural point of view that I was raised with. After I moved to New York City, I became obsessed with the possibilities that the metaverse would unlock. I saw the metaverse as an opportunity to redefine social interaction by giving people exposure to different cultures and access to a global mindset similar to the one I grew up with.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
NPR’s podcast, “How I Built This” is one that I’ve enjoyed listening to for years. I love to hear the stories of successful entrepreneurs and gain insight into strategic business perspectives beyond the industry I work in.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
On a trip to New York City, as I was walking through SoHo, I took note of how many empty retail spaces there were in a city where retail should normally thrive. At this moment, I also thought about how traditional e-commerce is stuck in the transactional search-based user experience that was created by Amazon more than 20 years ago. Both of these realizations inspired me to rethink the future of commerce, creating a holistic, social-first experience where both physical retail and e-commerce can become one with technology. Much like when the first malls opened, shopping will again become fun and entertaining through AR/VR/MR.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
It was interesting to see how uninterested investors were about our vision before Meta put the “metaverse” on everyone’s radar. Considering the entire ethos of Web3 goes against all that big tech stands for, it is funny that it took one of the biggest tech companies in the world to validate this new frontier.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This isn’t really a funny mistake, but it is an important lesson I learned along the way as an entrepreneur that I think would be valuable for other leaders to hear. The lesson comes from our first and best investor, who said, “There’s no substitute for good people.” When you first start a business, you’re doing a lot on your own. As we continue to grow and scale at EMCEE, I am so grateful for the diverse team of innovators and leaders that we have been able to recruit along the way. With their help and knowledge, EMCEE will redefine the future of commerce.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
One of the things that has impacted my life the most has been practicing meditation with affirmations. I reached out to a Guru because I wanted to work on a personal issue that, despite my best intentions, I was unable to fix on my own. This issue I was experiencing was being short-tempered with my parents, who have given me nothing but love and understanding my entire life. One specific moment that was causing my frustration was when they asked for help with tech-related issues. While I was aware that this frustration was irrational, I was unable to change my behavior on my own.
I turned to a Guru to create a custom-built meditation to help me adjust my behavior. Through this, I have started to find joy in teaching my parents new things about tech, which in turn inspired me to want to bring access and education to all people with this new perspective. Web3 currently feels so foreign and inaccessible to many, but all it takes is an approach of patience, understanding and accessibility to expose the masses to a whole new world.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
At EMCEE we are building the capital city of the metaverse; a virtual world that will foster entrepreneurship, support community and make it easier than ever to start a business without any physical boundaries. Our goal is to democratize what currently feels inaccessible to most, breed creativity, and completely redefine human interaction, commerce, and entertainment.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
The ability to create new businesses and new business models.
I’m excited to see what people come up with when starting businesses in the metaverse. Entrepreneurs were once limited to a physical retail space, and then the internet made it easier to sell goods and services online. By combining the best of both worlds in the metaverse, there will be no limit to creativity when selling physical and virtual goods, or experiences.
AR in retail environments.
Physical retail will take on a whole new life when we’re able to tie the experience back to the metaverse through AR. This will allow brands to drive traffic to physical stores, enhance storytelling, and allow for robust art direction, which will create less waste and a more sustainable physical shopping experience.
Artificial intelligence and virtual humans.
Artificial intelligence is advancing to the point where machine learning will allow for things such as the re-creation of historical figures as avatars, or even creating a virtual friend for ourselves. Engaging with AI and virtual humans will become the norm, and it will enhance our experiences in everything from education to day-to-day social interactions.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
Monopolization.
We need to do everything in our power to prevent big tech from owning everything and gatekeeping smaller startups and thought-leaders from entering the industry. If one major tech player owns the whole space, this creates a centralized authority and puts users’ data privacy at risk along with many other issues.
A dystopian future.
Sci-fi movies have portrayed the metaverse as the beginning of a dystopian future where people do not engage in the physical world any longer. While that seems like it may be a distant future issue, we can work against this by building complementary experiences in the real and virtual world that will entice users to engage with both.
Impact on younger generations.
Much like social media, this will be a new place for young people to engage with each other; however, as with any new platform there can be unforeseen long-term risks with development, trolling and mental health. We won’t be able to see most of these issues until they are happening, but we can do our best to not repeat the mistakes that have been made by current big tech companies and their business models.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
During the pandemic, we saw the kind of burnout and Zoom fatigue remote workers could face from interacting with colleagues through a screen all day. Remote work is here to stay, so being able to adapt to this new way of interacting virtually and create new tools to make it feel more normal is something exciting that is on the horizon.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Fashion is one of the least sustainable industries, creating waste through production, shipping and ever-changing trends. Through AR and VR, more value will be placed on digital clothing items, therefore greatly reducing the vast amount of waste currently created.
There are also multiple ways that we can avoid creating unwanted waste from live events and retail experiences. With AR and VR technology, real life experiences can be completely designed and enhanced digitally, creating less waste than current event production.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
One myth is the idea that no one will ever live in a virtual world, but if you look at how much time people spend looking at their screens, we are already there. VR and AR will only enhance people’s current digital experiences and hopefully make us more present when not plugged in.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
Collaborative mindset.
Creating the future of the internet requires a variety of skill sets, which is why developers, designers, producers, and creators all need to collaborate. Learn how to work with others, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and then fill in the gaps with other people who can meet those needs.
Community.
Surround yourself with like-minded people who believe in this vision of the future and believe in you. Sharing information and excitement about where we are heading is important when dreaming of the impossible.
Ability to dream.
There are infinite possibilities with no physical boundaries in the metaverse, so it is important not to get stuck on current conceptual limitations because those will not exist in this new world. Is location that important in a world where you can teleport? Does virtual clothing have to have a zipper? Should you walk when you can fly? Don’t forget to dream.
Agility.
In order to find success in this industry, it is important to be flexible and adaptable to the constantly changing environment. There are new products, tools, and innovations being launched and developed daily, so being agile and willing to adapt to new technology is crucial to thrive in this space.
Focus
It’s easy to get distracted by what other people or companies are doing, but it’s necessary to focus on the consumer or business need you set out to solve and stay committed to your vision.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The movement I would like to inspire is exactly what I’m creating right now with EMCEE. At EMCEE, we are on a mission to democratize Web3 by offering a platform without gatekeeping that is accessible to all. We’re creating user-friendly consumer entry points to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, and empowering our users to realize their limitless potential as creators without overwhelming them.
Behind the scenes, we’re also working on a series of US pop-ups and eventually a flagship destination as well as international locations so we can expose people from a wide range of backgrounds to everything that Web3 has to offer. These spaces will be physical hubs for Web3 and Metaverse education, commerce and community building.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would have lunch with Tim Sweeney because last December he tweeted: “Life’s short, so challenge the world’s most powerful tech company and fly a pirate flag above your headquarters.” That really stuck with me and I would love to continue the conversation about the fight for a fair and open metaverse.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Be yourself — talk like a real human. Have a favorite quirky phrase? Use it. Stumble over your words? Laugh it off and move on. Let your authentic voice shine through. People can sense when you’re trying to be someone you’re not.
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Heather Rameau.
Heather Rameau is brand strategist, mentor, speaker, and contributing author. She helps female and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs build their authority, communicate their value, and connect with their clients through her psychology-based approach to personal and professional branding. She is passionate about helping her clients own their brand story, lead with vulnerability, and gain the clarity they need to confidently rise to the next level in their business.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Heather worked as an English teacher and in Corporate America as a management consultant. She lives in Washington, D.C. and serves clients worldwide.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I’m from Woodstock, Vermont, a quintessential New England town that looks exactly like a postcard. It was once voted “America’s Prettiest Small Town” by the Ladies Home Journal, which was kind of like our claim to fame.
I grew up in a working class family and was loved unconditionally. While my childhood was full of sweet and happy moments, there was a dark cloud hovering nearby. My dad was sick with a medley of chronic illnesses for a lot of my childhood. Because of this, I had a lot of big feelings but didn’t have the coping skills or cognitive abilities to know what to do with them.
I was dreadfully shy, so I learned early on to lean into my creativity and imagination. In elementary school, I found solace in reading and writing. In middle school, I found my voice through an incredible theater teacher who believed in me. By high school, I was playing leading roles on stage and winning state championships on the Forensics team, which is competitive public speaking — not the crime scene stuff.
And to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. For someone who used to be terrified to read my book report in front of the class, I suddenly loved captivating a room with speech. I realized how powerful words — and your delivery of them — can be.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Many of my career decisions were made with traveling in mind. I’ve been to over 35 countries and can say without a doubt that seeing the world is what makes me feel most alive.
When I graduated college, I packed my bags for Southeast Asia and taught English in Hong Kong. After that, I came back to the US and landed an entry level sales position. I was severely underpaid and barely able to afford my rent, let alone any travel. So when my firm’s consulting division had an opening for an analyst, I jumped on it. I knew nothing about consulting except that travel was required. For three years, I was on the road amassing more airline miles and hotel points than I knew what to do with but I was bored stiff by the work I was doing.
When the pandemic stopped all business travel, I started looking for a new job and was discouraged to find mostly entry level roles, ambiguous job descriptions, and postings without salary information. It soon became clear to me that I wasn’t going to find what I was looking for — I was going to create it. That’s when I set out to start a business.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Becoming an entrepreneur turns your lens inward in a whole new way. I always thought I was self-aware, but this career path has exposed and exacerbated some of my deepest limiting beliefs and insecurities. Since beginning this career, I’ve been forced to face these fears head on, unlearn a lot, and create a new identity. It requires me to know and trust myself on the deepest level, which has been the most interesting, unexpected, and rewarding experience.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Thinking back on it now, it’s ironic how in my first year of business I invested in almost every type of coach, course, or resource under the sun except for brand strategy. And I’m a brand strategist!
I don’t believe any investment in yourself is a mistake but I learned a lesson in trying to cut corners and grow too quickly. I thought buying up all the Instagram marketing courses, sales webinars, and templates I could find was what I needed to do to get my business off the ground. But it wasn’t working. I was just regurgitating the content and offers I saw everyone else doing because I had no idea what my value proposition was, who I was trying to reach, and what I was trying to say. As soon as I invested in brand strategy, the fog started to clear for me.
It was a painful lesson to learn, but an important one because it reinforced the value of the work that I do. It also taught me that it’s never too early to invest in brand strategy because it’s not a “one and done” thing. Your brand is supposed to grow. Your offers, ideal client, and marketing strategies are supposed to change. But you can’t build a house without a foundation. You can’t run before you can walk. And most importantly, the clarity and confidence from having a strategy that feels aligned and true to you can collapse your timeline to that next level by years.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My dad. While he always supported me in life, his death kick-started my journey of self-exploration that landed me here today. Having my world shattered at 26 shook me to my core. I began to ask questions and the answers I found within myself changed my life. I started going to therapy to unpack years of medical trauma stored deep in my body and release subconscious blocks holding me back that I didn’t even know were there. I worked to rewire my thought patterns and behaviors so I could ditch the unhelpful coping mechanisms and addictive patterns I’d adopted to give myself the illusion of control.
All of this not only ignited my love of psychology, but gave me first hand exposure to understanding how we think, the narratives we tell ourselves, what we truly are afraid of, and what we need to hear on an emotional level to open up to someone else for help. I use many of these insights to craft powerful brand messaging for my clients.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
My biggest piece of advice is to rewrite your definition of failure. The only way you can fail is to give up. There’s always something new you can try. There’s always another approach you can take. The funny thing is, what failed for you last year may be your biggest success next year because you change, people change, and industries change. My clients and I focus on getting to the root of your why because when you truly understand why you’re doing something, putting yourself out there failing doesn’t seem nearly as scary.
I’ll also say that when you’re able to separate yourself and your worth from the failure, you’re able to see failure as feedback. Say you had a failed launch. This doesn’t mean that you suck, you’ll never sell anything again, or you’re not cut out for this. A failed launch is feedback. It tells you that your audience wasn’t clear on your offer, why it would help them, and why they need it now. This can be fixed! I also genuinely believe sometimes failure saves us from something that is not a good fit.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
Not too long ago there were days when only 30 people would watch my Instagram stories, which was deflating because I spent a ton of time creating that content and it was scary as hell to show my face. But I kept telling myself two things:
30 people are watching.
You never truly know who needs to hear what you have to say.
Picture a room with 30 people in it and you’ll realize that’s actually a sizable crowd! Those 30 people don’t care if no one else is watching. They’re watching. And you never know if your message could be exactly what they need to hear.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
It’s an exciting time to be doing this work because the online service industry is going through some massive changes. The gig economy is booming, more and more people are starting businesses, and it’s never been more accessible to work on the internet. All of this creates a need to stand out, clearly communicate your value, establish your authority, and connect with people on a real level. Having a brand that reflects your mission and creates an experience has never been more important.
As for what’s next for me, I’m always looking to learn more and grow personally and professionally so that I can funnel everything I learn back into serving my clients. I’m excited to be filling up my calendar with podcast guesting, speaking opportunities, and attending some in-person events again!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I love F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.”
It reminds me that it was an act of courage to do what I did. It’s my responsibility to live a life I’m proud of and each new day is an opportunity to do that, not necessarily starting from scratch but with just a little bit more knowledge than you had yesterday.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.
Be prepared — you may feel angst over public speaking because you feel underprepared so dedicate the time to be sure you know your audience, your message, and what you want them to take away. Also prepare your logistics and tech. Arrive onsite early, test your audio and video. No one needs the scramble of getting lost in the parking garage or fumbling trying to connect your Airpods.
Be engaging — if you’re in person, lock eyes with your audience and speak directly to them. Move around the room if possible. If virtual, use first names, slightly lean into your camera, and change up your speed and tone to keep your audience engaged and listening.
Be vulnerable — open up and share your story, especially the messy parts. Take your audience on a journey and bring them with you to your moments of epiphany. Show them that if you can do it, they can too.
Be yourself — talk like a real human. Have a favorite quirky phrase? Use it. Stumble over your words? Laugh it off and move on. Let your authentic voice shine through. People can sense when you’re trying to be someone you’re not.
Embrace the jitters — we all get them sometimes. It’s your body signaling to you that you’re about to do something important. Breathe and slow down. Impactful pauses are like the white space of public speaking.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
For most people, it’s not the speaking that terrifies them but the possibility of being judged if they make a mistake. Ask yourself what you’re truly afraid of. Is it a limiting belief? Who told you this was true? And is it really true? Our minds are so powerful and convince us of a lot of things to try to keep us safe but I’d encourage you to think less about your fear and more about the person on the receiving end. Letting fear hold you back means this person won’t hear your message, and that could be a huge disservice to them.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
My mission is to be the resource I wish I had when I needed it most — whether navigating grief, starting a business, building a brand, or something else. We all go through storms in life and learn a lot on our journey to the other side. That wisdom can make someone feel seen, heard, and understood. That wisdom can be the tipping point for someone to make a change in their life, which changes someone else’s life, which changes someone else’s life, and continues to reverberate.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would absolutely love to have lunch with Cheryl Strayed. Her writing is like comfort food to me. I’ve cried and laughed and felt so seen and validated as I’ve read her work.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Making Something From Nothing: Jared Dalton Of The Jared Dalton Agency On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Take advantage of grants and organizations geared to help small business owners. Simply filling out forms or entering contests have done great things for my business. For example, I recently received the Comcast RISE award, which provided free commercial advertising for three months. For a small business, that type of marketing is priceless!
As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jared Dalton.
Jared Dalton is a 33 year old Nashville native and the founder of The Jared Dalton Agency LLC. His agency helps small business owners with their marketing and promotion — most specifically to social media. Jared had 1 client for the first year, 3 clients for the 2nd year and by the 3rd year he rocketed to an average of 25 clients. Now, The Jared Dalton Agency LLC has grown to have 2 full time employees, 1 part-time employee and other skilled contractors. He has served over 75 companies with positive results and has a physical location to encompass the team. Jared has been awarded with a Nashville Black 40 under 40 award, recipient of Comcast Rise’s grant program, and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. He has taken multiple certifications to prove his marketing prowess but ultimately thrives from self taught techniques with experience in real world application.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
I was born and raised in Nashville, right down the street from Zanies Comedy Club. Throughout my childhood I was a straight A student, involved in gifted programs, attended Meigs Magnet School and Hume-Fogg Academic High School, graduating with Honors. My grandparents played a major role in my upbringing and instilled me with Christian values that some might consider traditional or dated. The village that raised me — my parents, grandparents, godparents and church family — they raised me to be a God-fearing gentleman.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of the biggest lessons I got in life involved taking a one-way flight to Australia to pursue music. It felt crazy to leave the country without a ticket to come back home, but it turned out to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life. The quote that continues to resonate with this experience and my life is from hockey-great Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” If you never try, you’re guaranteed to fail.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
The one film that has made a significant impact on my life is The Pursuit of Happiness. The story describes a determined father who experiences some tough challenges and setbacks in his career. Knowing that his success was bigger than himself, he refused to give up. I am the same way. Life gets tough, but perseverance precedes success.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?
There is no question that people struggle with taking the first step in turning their great idea into reality, and I believe it is because of their fear of failing. When I first considered doing social media marketing and management full-time, of course I thought it was a great idea, but there was nothing to say that I would be able to make the business succeed — there was no how-to manual at the time. In my experience, it takes failure to learn what makes you unique and to build a business that keeps consumers coming back. Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Success is a process, don’t be scared to get started on the journey.
Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?
You should not worry about whether your idea has already been created. It’s like opening a new restaurant. There are already countless restaurants, but yours would have a unique taste or service. The current market is a good indicator of things such as new business trends, but most industries still have room for improvement. If your idea has already been created, even better, you know it already works! Identify how you can make the business model your own.
For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.
I first came up with the idea to start a company when a friend confirmed my skills in marketing. From this point, I mapped out my business plan, decided on a name for my company and created a digital presence with my website, brand and social media. With social media management, you might consider trademarks or copyright to protect your business ownership, and the business plan develops includes mapping out services and price plans using market research. When starting out as an entrepreneur, you’ll also want to get your business registered with the appropriate state and federal entities.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?
Confidence is just as important as experience
Having the skill set is not enough on its own to lead teams and land clients. You have to have faith and show confidence in your product and your quality of service. In the past, I have held back on selling my company and my services, but it would have been more effective to have a short and impactful elevator speech that demonstrates the transformative power of The Jared Dalton Agency’s services.
2. It’s okay to fire a client
I wish people would have told me that it’s ok to fire a client. Although we strive to please every client, every now and then you realize that it’s impossible to satisfy everyone. Take the initiative to cut ties when red flags emerge — acting early will save you a lot of time, energy and money in the long-run.
3. Leadership requires you to be flexible and adaptable
When leading teams of people, there will be several things to adapt to personalities, schedules, priorities, people’s lives, etc. but you have to figure out how to organize that team for action. This includes potentially adapting the way you’ve come to do things in the past. Sometimes change is necessary to achieve bigger goals.
4. Apply for grants and awards
Take advantage of grants and organizations geared to help small business owners. Simply filling out forms or entering contests have done great things for my business. For example, I recently received the Comcast RISE award, which provided free commercial advertising for three months. For a small business, that type of marketing is priceless!
5. Schedule time to work on your business, not just in it
When leading a team, you initially are caught up in the work. Yet, in order to effectively scale and grow a company, you have to put in time managing more than just the day-to-day workflow.
Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
You should own the idea, and pursue it as if you know how to make it happen. Even if you aren’t sure how to do it, do your research. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. A product can take a while to develop to the point where it can be sold, and at an early stage it may not be appealing to potential partners. Developing a business plan helps you outline everything you would need to get to the point of sale. Work on obtaining the materials you need, and take imperfect actions. Getting started is the most important part.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I started out on my own and ended up being successful. It is nice to be able to maintain total control over how my company operates, and I am fine with learning as I go.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
Both could be great choices, and you can even start bootstrapping until you get to the point where you are ready and willing to get venture capital. However, it also depends on how personal the idea is to you. You may not enjoy relinquishing control of your vision if it is very personal. Depending on the type of funding you accept, you may not enjoy relinquishing control of your vision if it is very personal.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
The primary focus of The Jared Dalton Agency is to help small business owners succeed. I could focus on corporations or federal agencies, but I chose small businesses because the support goes further. The JDA services create a big splash in a small bucket, if you will. Through professional social media marketing, we have helped many small businesses grow. Even in today’s technologically advanced society, many small businesses market solely off of word of mouth sales. When these company’s shift to a tailored social media presence and strategy, the growth and exposure to a larger market is almost immediate.
You are an inspiration to many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Everyday I walk this earth, I am very passionate, deliberate and intentional about how I navigate this world as a Black man. Knowing I do not carry this heightened awareness of navigating alone, it’s my hope that a movement would be ignited to allow Black men to have a safe space to express themselves .
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
If I could have a private breakfast or lunch with anyone, I’d love to chat it up with Nas. Outside of being my favorite lyricist growing up, Nas is a savvy business owner. I would love to get the behind the scenes perspective on some of my favorite hits, but I also hope he’d drop some knowledge on navigating the business and investment world.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
