Are you on the road to financial wellness? Are you taking the right approach? Is it too early or too late to start thinking about financial planning for your future? If you have asked any of these questions you are going to love my interview today with Lori Atwood, the founder and CEO of Fearless Finance. This is a platform and app that gives a complete 360° view of your entire financial situation.

Lori also has the expertise to back up her work. She started Fearless Finance after working in the finance industry for over two decades. Some of her prior experience includes private equity funds, investment banking, being CFO of an Internet startup, and telecom investment banking in Europe. She also has a financial planning consulting business where she helps clients understand overall cash flow and retirement planning.

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Show Notes

• [03:13] Lori started out on her own in kind of a roundabout way. She wanted to improve her video skills and started offering free finance workshops. Pretty soon people were asking her if she took clients.
• [05:01] She became a certified financial planner. While working with clients, she discovered that many people had the same questions and she wanted to find a way to automate things.
• [05:40] Lori took her passion and combined it with technology and Fearless Finance was born.
• [07:16] The Fearless Finance platform can be a way to discreetly run different financial scenarios and explore your tree situation.
• [08:07] Fearless Finance is only $6.99 a month.
• [09:21] With the software, Lori is trying to reach people who don't want to come in and see a human.
• [10:06] She also wants to help people who are making it, but who just aren't financially secure yet.
• [11:58] Most people are too overwhelmed to work on their finances.
• [13:33] It's never too early or too late to track your expenses and project your savings. Clients range from college students to retired people.
• [14:57] A lot of Lori's clients are millennials and what stands out about them is that they are asking questions.
• [15:47] Getting people to ask the question creates an opening to serve people with Fearless Finance or consulting.
• [16:59] Lori has an undergraduate degree in computer science. She's always been interested in technology.
• [17:58] The biggest obstacle when offering something new is getting people to understand that they need it.
• [19:16] The ultimate challenge is finding a need and then finding a solution to that problem.
• [20:04] Taking the first steps when starting a business can be nerve-racking. People need to understand the runway of cash they need to get going.
• [25:34] Lori gets so much done because she has a single focus. She also tries to be extremely economical with their time.
• [27:40] Lori knows how long things take to do, so she sets out realistic time goals.
• [30:51] It's better to set out time to do the unpleasant tasks then to get behind and become stressed out.
• [31:45] Lori is a one-woman crusader for living within your means. She thinks it's better to face things head-on.
• [33:01] Lori likes tools that help her simplify her life.
• [34:47] Lori just came back from FinCon and people told her that her app was amazing. She is building the app because it needs to be built because people need a tool to help them with their finances. Lori feels successful because she is filling a need by helping people.
• [37:52] Your passion finds you. Be open to your passion finding you.

Links and Resources:

• Fearless Finance
• Lori Atwood
• @LoriAtwoodsays on Twitter
• Fearless Finance on Facebook
• Lori Atwood on LinkedIn
• MileIQ
• Get 2 Weeks of Prep Dish Free

You may be storytelling about your brand, but are you a courageous marketer? Do you have what it takes to cut through the clutter? Courage is something that we need to embrace today, especially if you are a marketer. How do we make a brand stand out? How do we get recognized? CMOs have to have both sides of their brain working.

My guest today is Drew Neisser the founder and CEO of Renegade, a marketing company that helps courageous CMOs cut through the clutter. Drew is a strategist and writer who has helped dozens of CMOs unleashed their inner renegade. He has told the stories of over 300 marketers via his AdAge column, his book The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing, and his podcast called Renegade Thinkers Unite.

Show Notes

• [04:09] Drew's first taste of marketing was when he was in college. He created flyers and passed them out at Duke University when he was running a film event.
• [04:36] To his surprise, his tactic worked and people came to the theater.
• [05:39] Working at an agency Drew learned everything you shouldn't do when marketing.
• [06:19] He worked at different agencies until he finally had the opportunity to get involved with Renegade, which he eventually bought out.
• [08:04] Calling your agency renegade sets the bar pretty high. They present clients with ideas and programs that they may not necessarily be expecting.
• [09:59] Drew's books orchestrates and organizes all of the elements that CMO's use. He used his existing interviews and added a few more, and ended up with a book.
• [11:32] The CMO roll is the most bespoke role. CMO's are in charge of so many different things from marketing to sales to product development.
• [12:18] A great CMO can pick what they need in the moment and apply that with some general principles in mind.
• [13:06] A great CMO has the courage to be unique, and the courage to make sure that the brand is unique.
• [14:35] CATS courage, artful, thoughtful, and scientific. These are the things that make a great CMO. Plus, having the ability demonstrate that they can solve the problem the client didn't even know they had.
• [14:58] CMO's have to artfully build a team. The great ones are also great storytellers.
• [15:56] Being thoughtful and thinking about how to be of service to your customers.
• [16:45] Science is always creating hypothesis and testing.
• [19:00] Because of all of the technology, CMO's frequently have to go back for more for more continuing education.
• [24:09] The difference between male CMOs and female CMOs. Sometimes female CMOs are reluctant to put the spotlight on themselves. They talk more about building and nurturing teams and seem to be more self aware.
• [28:29] Get the operational experience that you need and then when you get on a board, keep in mind that it is an advisory role.
• [28:56] Leaders who give credit to their teams excel.
• [29:43] As a CEO, Drew tries to do only the things that only he can do. He also understands how to delegate. He focuses his interviews on people who will be of interest to his clients.
• [31:47] His episodes are also a springboard for additional content like his AdAge columns.
• [32:22] Business books are about delivering hope. Books that give a simple path seem to be more successful.
• [33:50] One of Drew's heroes is Benjamin Franklin. He was America's first chief marketing officer. "Well done is better than well said." This Benjamin Franklin quote has been a mantra for Drew.
• [35:26] Drew personally loves social media. In 2008, when they pivoted to social media, it saved their company.
• [39:16] Drew is a marketing omnivore. He just loves learning. He knows that working on one business and just one channel would bore the heck out of him.
• [40:14] He also needs deadlines and pressure to do his best work.
• [42:06] To become a better leader Drew recommends reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln to learn how to bring out the best in a team.  

Links and Resources:

• Renegade
• AdAge
• Renegade Thinkers Unite
• The CMO’s Periodic Table: A Renegade’s Guide to Marketing
• Drew Neisser on LinkedIn
• @RenegadeLLC on Twitter
• @DrewNeisser on Twitter
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

What's it like when you're the CMO of the New York Stock Exchange and you get bit by the entrepreneurial bug? My guest today is Marisa Ricciardi who was Vice President at Goldman Sachs and then became the CMO of the New York Stock Exchange. She then made the leap to a business owner and founded her own company.

She first served as a virtual CMO for several major financial-focused brands and quickly identified a niche. She then founded the Ricciardi Group where she helps early-stage CEOs allocate venture capital, assists CMOs navigating the marketing landscape, and provides clients with a clear path for turning business strategy into action.

Marisa was named “Marketing Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2017 at the Markets Choice Awards for Women in Finance and was cited as one of Inc.’s “10 Leading Ladies Changing Business as Usual” in April 2018. On this episode, she shares insights into her business and making the transition from employee to founder.  

Show Notes

• [03:18] Being the CMO of the New York Stock Exchange was amazing. They had several different businesses, so from a marketing aspect, they had to get into the mind of several different personas.
• [03:49] There's also a huge sense of national pride working for an exchange.
• [04:45] Part of her role at the exchange was to engage and market the startup community. While meeting with entrepreneurs, Marissa got to feel the entrepreneurial spirit.
• [06:05] It was magical to work with companies like Twitter, Yelp, and Pandora.
• [07:07] Marketing is an intersection of sales and risk-taking.
• [08:00] A lot of team members that used to work with Marisa have since joined her company.
• [08:56] She has a small boutique company but adds freelancers to give the business diversity.
• [10:10] When you have different people in a room, you will have different outcomes. Marisa likes the idea of adding in different people based on the problems she is trying to solve.
• [11:02] They also treat clients like partners and try to get the best results for them as possible. It's like being part of a big collaborative kitchen.
• [12:49] The biggest challenge is always prioritizing whether it's in the corporate world or your own company. There is added pressure, knowing that you are responsible for other people's livelihoods.
• [15:24] When an employee doesn't work out, it's important to know why.
• [17:12] Leadership skills include knowing your own personality and your appetite for risk and reward. For women, having a family plays into the decision making process.
• [19:41] Marisa is driven and results oriented. To run a business you have to have a heart and skin for volatility.
• [24:17] Some of the things that motivate Marisa today include her family, her team, and her mortgage. She wants to be successful and contribute to her family.
• [25:11] Motivation is different than passion. Showing up and seeing results is what drives her.
• [26:08] The two qualities that Marisa looks for most in team members and herself is independence and integrity and being accountable.
• [29:19] Clients won't trust you if you're not being accountable and if you're not delivering results.
• [30:44] Trust is earned and it is about delivering and seeing results. It's a combination of earned and showing results.
• [34:17] Making the choice between showing up and being present. Marisa practices radical presence whether she is at home or at work.
• [35:59] It's not easy to compartmentalize, but it is something that has to be contumaciously worked at.
• [39:30] Running a business is hard. Being a woman and a mother running a business is more difficult, because there are so many demands on your time. Prioritize the things that are important.  

Links and Resources:

• The Ricciardi Group
• @TheRicciardiG on Twitter
• The Ricciardi Group on LinkedIn

Our current economy is growing. Some would even say it is booming. Are you feeling the financial effects and saving more? My guest today, not only wants to solve the problem of people not saving enough but has found a way to do it that makes it fun. Lindsay Holden is the CEO and co-founder of Long Game an app that combines savings with gamification.

With Long Game you get a personalized savings system that includes an FDIC insured account. This account is also interest bearing and is linked with winning prizes and getting free crypto rewards. It also educates users. Lindsay graduated from college with dual engineering degrees, but was interested in entrepreneurship.

This is her second company. She has helped Long Game raise $6.6 Million from Thrive Capital and Collaborative Fund. In this interview, Lindsay shares her enthusiasm for the app, the purpose behind the app, and her inspiration. This is a great interview where a young entrepreneur shares how innovation can change our futures.

Show Notes

• [03:17] Lindsay's dad was a huge influence in her life. He ran a pet hospital in San Francisco.
• [03:38] Being an entrepreneur for Lindsay is a combination of being a die-hard optimist and having a sincere interest in solving problems.
• [03:58] She started her career caring about problems with the environment. She then became more involved in tech and financial services.
• [04:29] Most people are extremely bad with their finances.
• [04:41] This is a huge macro problem. It is taboo to talk about financial stress. You can feel like you are failing when you are failing at your finances.
• [05:24] Lindsay was watching a John Oliver sketch on the lottery and realized how huge it was.
• [06:20] This inspired her to take a mechanism that people love and use it to inspire them to save.
• [06:30] Long Game is a mobile app that is an FDIC insured savings account. When you save money in the account, you get opportunities to win up to a million dollars.
• [06:49] This is a no risk way to engage in risky lottery type behaviors without risk.
• [07:07] The app solves the problem of savings and getting finances under control.
• [07:28] Half of Americans can't come up with $500 to cover an emergency. Most are walking a tightrope without a net.
• [08:25] A lot of people cope with financial problems by ignoring them. Many people don't budget.
• [11:08] Why gamification? How we feel really matters. The goal is to bring joy and fun into finances. The strategy to achieve that is to use games.
• [11:53] there are a lot of sparkles, graphics, characters, and you get to play a game of chance. This makes savings exciting and it feels different.
• [12:34] There was a lot of resistance at first especially from investors.
• [13:32] The purpose of the app is to help people make meaningful change by playing games as opposed to grinding through it.
• [13:57] They had to have a banking partner and convince them that came of was the way to go.
• [14:25] The first design of Long Game felt like a bank. Then they realized it didn't have to look and feel that way.
• [15:12] Crypto currency and how it plays a part in the platform.
• [15:25] Blockchain is a new way of storing and distributing information. People have built currencies on top of this platform.
• [15:42] It's an exciting time with crypto, but it is still a very volatile market.
• [16:12] Crypto isn't the most responsible place to put your $500 that you are saving for a rainy day.
• [16:16] Crypto was added as a reward in the app. You can win ethereum and bitcoin and other crypto currencies. This is an opportunity to encourage savings and to educate consumers about crypto.
• [16:55] Ethereum is a distributed computing network. It is on blockchain, transparent, and managed by a community of developers. They are building an infrastructure for other platforms to launch on. One of those is ethereum.
• [18:08] The purpose of Long Game is to attract people to save by enjoying rewards. The average Long Game consumer is under 26 years old and already aware or interested in crypto. This is just a way for them to be rewarded with more in a safe way.
• [23:29] Working in startups you learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses. Early on in Lindsay's career she thought she had to be good at everything. She had her team take personality assessments and they all learned about their own strengths and weaknesses.
• [24:41] For Lindsay the test confirmed her traits like being a number seven an enthusiast.
• [26:05] Lindsay is willing to give up things that she doesn't do well at.
• [26:27] Lindsay's biggest accomplishment is Long Game. She is super proud of creating something completely new that is helping a lot of people.
• [27:18] Mistakes are how we learn. Maybe Lindsay's biggest mistake is not making more mistakes earlier.
• [29:11] At long game you earn .1% interest. They do plan to move into other financial services.
• [30:59] Everybody's Long Game account is personalized. And they are all different.
• [32:00] Lindsay likes to focus on the energy and intention of how she is showing up. She is building a product she truly believes in and is excited about it, and her team feels the same way.
• [32:45] An important entrepreneurial skill is truth telling. It's important to build trust with your team and deal with situations head on.
• [34:55] In Lindsay's spare time she hangs out with friends and family. She loves to cook and is going camping this weekend.
• [36:28] There is actually more to do once the app is launched.
• [36:51] Be the change that you hope to be.

Links and Resources:

• Lindsay Holden on LinkedIn
• Long Game
• The Lottery: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
• The Enneagram Institute

Do you remember how you first learned about leadership? Today’s show will make you take a step back and reflect on that. Maybe it was in school, an internship, or at your first corporate job. Maybe you're an entrepreneur, and it was when you launched your first company. My guest today has a really interesting career journey. She is going to be sharing how she learned about leadership in an unexpected place.

Helen Rothberg, PhD, was a bartender in New York City throughout her academic career. She has also consulted with Fortune 500 companies, small technology start-ups, and nonprofit organizations. She speaks regularly at associations, alumni, and student gatherings about leadership and bartending.

She is the author of The Perfect Mix: Everything I Know About Leadership I Learned as a Bartender. She has dual degrees in business and behavioral science. She is a professor of strategy at the School of Management at Marist College, senior faculty at the Academy of Competitive Intelligence, and president of consulting firm HNR Associates.  

Show Notes

• [02:49] Helen originally planned on becoming a doctor.
• [03:30] Having summers off was a big motivation for Helen to go into an academic career.
• [03:54] She also realized that there was something special about helping young people find something magnificent in themselves.
• [04:11] She became addicted to helping young people have an impact on the future.
• [04:28] She also helps companies build a future.
• [05:49] Helen's book is a fantastic book, and Deirdre thanks her for writing it.
• [06:25] Helen realized all of the skills, about management, being successful, and leadership were learned when she was behind the bar.
• [07:20] She thought the book would be meaningful.
• [07:46] Deirdre was also a bartender, and that is one the reasons the book resonates. It's also interesting how these bartending stories relate to corporate stories.
• [09:03] A friend recommended that Helen match the stories to corporate life.
• [09:45] ADVICE is Helen's recipe for leading yourself.
• [10:14] The A is about taking action and the lesson is doing more and saying less.
• [10:18] D is about determination and finding a way to get things done with civility and ingenuity.
• [10:35] V is about vision which drives everything. A leader turns on the light and shares the vision.
• [11:02] The I is for integrity. Tell the truth all the time, don't create drama, and if you do own what's yours.
• [11:35] C is for communication which is one of the hardest things to do well.
• [12:00] E is for empathy dare to care, because everyone has a story.
• [12:23] Stand in your own shoes and don't be afraid to be your authentic self.
• [13:02] Shape shifting and having the courage to change. Have the courage to leap.
• [14:15] Helen's favorite story is the story about Eduardo in the empathy chapter.
• [17:55] Helen shares the story where Eduardo regained his humanity.
• [18:45] A story about communication and five guys in a bar. Communication is more than just words.
• [21:17] Actions speak louder than words, and there are other ways to handle situations rather than being violent.
• [27:30] Deirdre shares a story about how she had a similar moment, but decided to leave the job. Once we feel threatened it's hard to move forward.
• [29:55] Helen's biggest lesson learned is that bartending, just like life, is about relationships.
• [31:03] Helen also learned how to build a community around herself.
• [33:34] Letting people shine and do what they do best makes great things possible.
• [35:16] Helen shares how Frank McCourt who wrote Angela's Ashes was her English teacher in 10th grade. He was her first influencer.
• [37:50] He made her believe that at a young age she could do it and be a writer.
• [39:59] When we are young, we don't realize that we are stressed. Walking and dance class always made Helen feel better.
• [42:16] She learned lessons from living life and wasn't afraid to say so. It's important not to get lost in life. Keep something that is yours. This will help manage stress.
• [43:53] Trust yourself and ask yourself what really matters to you and what you can do to support it.

Links and Resources:

• The Perfect Mix: Everything I Know About Leadership I Learned as a Bartender
• Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
• Helen Rothberg
• About Helen
• @HelenRothberg on Twitter
• Helen Rothberg on Facebook
• Helen Rothberg on LinkedIn

Without change business owners will become irrelevant. Change is all around us, but it’s never easy whether in your personal life or business life. Entrepreneurs who are able to embrace change and integrated thinking are the ones who create opportunity. I have the perfect guest today, to talk about change and her journey going through change.

Gini Dietrich is a Women Worldwide alum and the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. She is the author of Spin Sucks, co-author of Marketing in the Round, and co-host of Inside PR. She also is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro. She is a speaker, award winning blogger, and we are fortunate to have her here today to share her story.

You can find Gini Dietrich here:

Gini on Google+
Spin Sucks
Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age
Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era
Inside PR Podcast
Spin Sucks Pro
@ginidietrich on Twitter
@spinsucks on Twitter
Spin Sucks on Facebook

Show Notes

• [03:19] Gini is a PR and digital marketing pro.
• [03:30] AI and machine learning are some of the biggest changes out there right now. We need to think about how this will change what we do with our jobs.
• [03:49] We are even seeing these changes with animation and computer software making our lives a little more efficient.
• [04:07] Most of what we do can be replicated by robots, so we really need to think about what we can do to generate income.
• [04:17] We need to focus on things that AI can't replace like creativity.
• [04:59] Women and millennials have fears of their jobs being taken over by A.I.
• [05:36] With all of the technology changes we have to change as professionals and in business.
• [06:09] The fear of change may be in part to humans getting busy and not learning anymore.
• [07:23] Calculated risk when we aren't under pressure is best. If we don't take risk we can't reach our goals.
• [08:28] The importance of getting into the habit of learning and the habit of professional development.
• [09:18] A habit is rewiring something to become muscle memory.
• [10:24] Change can be stressful. Any entrepreneur is somebody who sells an idea and then figures out how to deliver it.
• [11:44] When Gini's team launches something new she creates the course and gets the process in place. Then roles adjust or new people are added to the team.
• [13:29] This year Gini's business was about $40,000 away from laying everybody off. They then discovered that their messaging and marketing weren't correct. They took a step back and figured out what was going on.
• [16:03] A pivot is where you think you are going to go down one path then you pivot until you find what works.
• [17:23] Using data to handle the pivot and correct course. If something isn't working use data to find out why.
• [19:11] There is a math fear that revolves around data, but it is really about reading the numbers.
• [21:49] When it comes to professional development Gini has been working on her writing and working on becoming a better communicator.
• [25:35]  Feedback is a gift to help us grow and learn things.
• [26:15] Being a virtual organization has challenges, but Gini thinks being a good leader comes down to listening and motivating people according to their strengths.
• [27:38] Going from a manager to a leader is a challenge.
• [29:02] Throughout Gini's career she has had mentors that took her under their wings, but now there is mentoring through communities.
• [33:58] A significant improvement for Gini has been hiring a nanny. You have to know when to ask for help.
• [36:23] What success feels like. For Gini, it is having her daughter say that the best part of the day is hanging out with her. From a business standpoint, it is giving back to the industry.
• [38:07] Conversations and creativity cannot be replaced.
• [38:54] Gini would tell her younger self to build a thicker skin and not take things personally.

Links and Resources:

Shift Ahead
Sex, Lies and A.I.
Master Class
The Power of Habit
Educated: A Memoir

Life is all about passion, change, and growth, and business should be the same! So, I am thrilled to have another passionate woman entrepreneur for you this week! My guest today has a story to share. Her story is about some big changes she had to make, and what those changes meant for her professional journey, her entrepreneurial venture, and the overall growth of her business.

Priscilla McKinney is the CEO and “Resident Mama Bird” leading her team of creative “Peeps” at Little Bird Marketing. Little Bird is a boutique marketing agency specialized in branding, design, campaign, and content strategies. She is also the host of “Ponderings from the Perch,” a podcast about entrepreneurship, marketing best practices, managing creatives, company culture, and much more!

Stay tuned with the fabulously cool Priscilla McKinney and learn more about her journey, her process, and how her passion and humility made all the difference in the world!

In This Episode

• Priscilla’s Story
• Dreaming a Different Dream
• Overcoming Disaster and “Stunning Discomfort”
• Tough Love and Tough Decisions
• People, Process, and Ponderings from the Perch

Quotes in This Episode

“Some people stumble, some people are forced. Rare are those birds who go, ‘I know what I was made for.’” —Priscilla McKinney

“I think it's about staring down this difficult situations and seeing them as opportunities.” —Priscilla McKinney

“It takes a long time to become the business owner and the entrepreneur and the leader that you want to be. It's a long time. But, once you get that voice, you are not going to walk away from it, you're not going to stop talking. ” —Priscilla McKinney

“I believe in process. I believe in creating a system that teaches your clients how to work with you, really develops a relationship model with your clients, and that is really geared towards partnership. How are we going to do this together?” —Priscilla McKinney

“Who are you sharing that bold idea with? Are they really the right person? By that, I mean sometimes we share this bold, crazy idea with someone who is not qualified to give us sound advice. I'd say, slow it down, think it through for a minute, because I do believe in process.” —Priscilla McKinney

Resources

Priscilla’s Twitter and LinkedIn

Little Bird Marketing Website

Ponderings from the Perch Podcast

While the work of the pioneering and hardworking women who came before us has done so much for the women in business today, there is still a great deal of work to be done. It is incumbent upon us all to speak up and continue to make a difference in our own places of work and advance the cause of all women in the workplace. That is why today we are focusing on investment and gender equality in the workplace. Helping us tackle the cause for women’s equality in the workplace is the unshakeable Martine Liautaud.

Martine is one of the first ever female investment bankers in France. She is the Founder and President of the Women Initiative Foundation (WIF), and an international Financial Executive and Entrepreneur. Martine has been incredibly active advocating for and mentoring women in the business world, and her book, Breaking Through: Stories and Best Practices From Companies That Help Women Succeed, has reached an even wider audience of women around the world who have benefited from her mentorship.

Learn just how Martine is helping women find courage and confidence in the workplace. Stay tuned as Martine explains the importance of everyone getting involved in the fight, men, women, and even your CEO! Martine shares her own journey as a pioneer of women in investment banking in France and how her foundation (WIF) is doing work across the globe today.

In This Episode

• Martine’s Career
• Inequality in the Workplace
• Martine’s Book
• Martine’s Studies on Gender Equality
• Dealing With Discrimination in the Workplace

Quotes in This Episode

“From the beginning of my career, I wanted to be an investment banker.” —Martine Liautaud

“I became a commercial banker, and because I was a woman no one gave me customers.” —Martine Liautaud

“It’s really important that men and women are mentors.” —Martine Liautaud

“Women are 50% of the population and 50% of the customers, so we cannot stay only with men at the top level. I think diversity is a richness.” —Martine Liautaud

“I don’t expect that you will have U.S. regulation on [family policy] I think it will be in fact the responsibility of the companies to develop that, to help women to have more flexibility in their work...” —Martine Liautaud

“For the companies, it is important to include men in the gender equality policies and the mentoring programs. But for that, we need to have strong support from the CEO.” —Martine Liautaud

Resources

Martine’s Twitter

WIF’s Twitter

The WIF Website

Martine’s Book

Today we are focusing on shifting ahead in business. Trying to stay ahead of your clients’ needs can seem like a never-ending feat. We are constantly watching, shifting, moving, and trying to remain relevant in the worlds of our customers. But, there are so many changes in technology and media, that we are seeing wide shifts in consumer behavior. So we have to be flexible and adaptable. Helping us tackle this issue so you don’t get stuck is Allen Adamson.

Allen is a brand strategist and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Metaforce, a firm dedicated to helping businesses diagnose growth strategies and nimbly execute programs in the face of change and market evolution. Allen is also a co-author of the book Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant In a Fast-Changing World, which we will be discussing here today!

Stay tuned to learn more about the landscape of successfully shifting ahead, and hear some helpful case studies and some cautionary tales from Allen’s book!

In This Episode

• About Allen
• Case Studies
• Competition and Disruption
• Shifting Isn’t a No-Brainer
• Diversifying Thought
• Challenges in Business

Quotes in This Episode

“Stop being totally fixated on the competitors right in front of your nose, and zoom out, and see what's going on a little bit more to the left and right, and behind you, because typically categories get disruption, not from within, but from outside.” —Allen Adamson

“[Kodak] were so addicted to the phenomenal profitability of film, there would be no other business they could even invent that would come close to it. They were stuck, as well as many other companies, by the Golden Handcuffs.” —Allen Adamson

“There are many ways you can fall behind, there are not a lot of ways you can stay ahead, but you can start to eliminate some of the culprits.” —Allen Adamson

“Analysis paralysis is the other big one that in fact impacts most organizations because figuring out where to shift is never easy.” —Allen Adamson

“You need a leader that is comfortable with risk.” —Allen Adamson

Resources

Allen’s Twitter

Find out about Allen’s book HERE

Metaforce Website

Today we are focusing on advertising, digital marketing, and content. In this day and age–more than ever before–content is king! Social media and digital marketing have raised the bar on quality content creation, and the future of advertising now lives on an ever-growing online ecosystem. To help us better understand where the future of content creation and digital marketing lies, we’re speaking with Analisa Goodin.

Analisa Goodin is the CEO & Founder of Catch&Release, a technology-driven platform for sourcing and safely licensing authentic content found on the Internet. After a decade working with global brands in the advertising agency world, Analisa identified a specific pain point: the ability to find relevant, compelling content that could be quickly and safely licensed for commercial projects. Fueled by the ubiquity of the internet and social media, user-generated content (UGC) was something advertisers and brands began considering as viable creative content. That is why she founded Catch&Release in 2014.

Analisa will be sharing her journey from ideation, through pitching VCs, all the way to changing the advertising industry as we’ve known it. Stay tuned to learn more about the future of UGC and how Catch&Release is paving the way!

In This Episode

• Analisa and Catch&Release
• User-Generated Content
• A Shifting Model
• Mentorship is Key
• Some Good Advice

Quotes in This Episode

“One of our thesis as a company is that this problem is best solved without a library, and it's kind of a radical idea because most other business models around licensing imagery up to now have all been around a library.” —Analisa Goodin

“We want to leave ourselves open and agnostic to any platform that has the right content for our client's briefs and needs. Today, Instagram is a massive part of our supply and we curate a lot from Instagram, but we're not limited there. In a year when other photo platforms and video platforms come out, we follow where those are.” —Analisa Goodin

“The technology that we're building is allowing us to identify licensable content and is allowing us to transact as quickly as possible–turning the internet into a stock house.” —Analisa Goodin

“We recognize that the industry is going to be increasingly reliant on technology to scale. There is not enough original production to service the size of the market. What's happening with the rise of digital is it's putting a lot of pressure on the production industry to create more content, but production is a very manual process.” —Analisa Goodin

”We recognize that what we're bringing to the table is new. There's never been anything like it before. But we believe that it's an inevitability. And that it's solving an inevitable need.” —Analisa Goodin

Resources

Analisa’s LinkedIn

Analisa and Catch&Release onInstagram

Catch&Release Official Website