Disruptive CEO Nation

Latest Episodes:

EP 114 David Fink, CEO and Co-Founder, Postie Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

There’s a wealth of information in this episode for start-up entrepreneurs building consumer brands, and those who value using automation and quantitative analysis in marketing tools. David Fink gives insights to both worlds, first from being a founding partner at Science Inc. and working with over 75 consumer internet companies, including the Dollar Shave Club, Jessica Simpson and other top brands.

Today he is CEO and Co-Founder of Postie, where his team uses direct mail to transform brands including Lyft, Casper, Warby Parker and more.

The conversation starts with David giving a great perspective in explaining the difference between a new business being opportunistic versus a disruptor or problem solver, and which has a better chance of succeeding.

We also cover other topics, including:

· The elements that predict a successful startup: Solution, TAMS (Total Addressable Market Size) Clear business model, Team players.

· The rise of social media as a transformative place and the Dollar Shave Club example.

· Postie delivers direct mail solutions for data conscious digital marketers.

· Marketers need to control engaging brand storytelling in impactful ways.

· Brands are investing in budgets to use storytelling on social channels.

· Platforms like Tech Crunch keeps his thinking sharp. So does his library of 2-thousand books!

Enjoy the show!

Connect with David:

Website: https://postie.com/index.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlfink/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 113 Nora Herting, International Visual Strategist, CEO, Co-Founder of ImageThink Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Nora Herting, CEO and Co-founder of ImageThink, is a pioneer in using visual imagery as a method to create personal and organizational change. Nora and her entrepreneurial team work primarily with Fortune 100 companies, using a design thinking method as a catalyst to help unlock human potential.

In our conversation, Nora gives examples of how the process works and how it leads to easier facilitation of ideas and moving a company’s vision forward.

Nora is an international thought leader and has presented at Cannes Lions, SXSW Interactive, WBENC, and is often featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and MSNBC.

Highlights include:

· The neuroscience of how the brain is wired to process visual thinking.

· How imagery can expedite forward movement and change.

· How visual thinking can move teams from different realities to shared understanding.

· How the ImageThink Method™ is a great diagnostic and storytelling tool for leaders to engage internal and external stakeholders.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nora:

Website: https://www.imagethink.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-herting-imagethink/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 112 Dan McGaw, CEO, McGaw.io Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

Dan McGaw, CEO of McGaw.io, is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in marketing technology and marketing analytics. Dan was formerly the head of marketing at Kissmetrics and was head of growth at CodeSchool.com which was acquired by Pluralsight. He’s also a 500 Startups Mentor.

Dan has been called one of the original growth hackers and godfathers of marketing technology. He has helped thousands of companies over his career, and in today’s episode he helps to demystify marketing tech. His company helps customers choose their tools, integrate and operate them, and then leverage their tech stack to grow their business.

Check out the notes below as Dan is giving listeners a free download of his latest book, Build Cool Sh*t. Think of it as a short executive guide on how to use your tech stack to grow your business.

Highlights of our conversation include:

· Being an entrepreneur is tough, but you get to Build Cool Sh*t.

· An entrepreneurial ecosystem requires building a culture that allows for failure.

· Your brand value must be clear on the customer journey. Make things easy for the customer.

· Design marketing systems and funnels to measure and track.

· Dan’s practice of being an avid reader and how that can help you grow.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dan:

Free Book Offer: Build Cool Sh*t. Text Martech to 1.415.915.9011

Website: https://mcgaw.io/

Website: https://web.utm.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmcgaw/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielmcgaw

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 111 Benjamin Talin, CEO and Founder, More Than Digital, Switzerland Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Benjamin Talin is truly a technology disruptor and digital futurist. Based in Switzerland, Benjamin is the founder and CEO of More Than Digital.info, which helps companies survive the tech future by providing access to knowledge about technology trends.

Benjamin and his team have over 1.7 million people in 100 countries sharing expertise about the digital world. His team is also working on highly scalable solutions to help companies and individuals with new technologies and services. Their goal is to be sure that no company is left behind and that every individual has access to education and knowledge sharing.

Benjamin promotes the topics of digitization, digital transformation and innovation internationally. He is an Advisory Board Member for the University of Digital Science in Berlin and a member of the Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich. As a Member of the Global Panel of Massachusetts Technology Review and the Harvard Business Review, he works with leading executives around the world to share knowledge on technology trends and the impact on businesses.

Highlights of our conversation include:

· The journey of building the More Than Digital community.

· The truth of platform building-99% of businesses fail and it takes five years to see revenue.

· Starting as a young entrepreneur, the “f*ck ups” along the way, including fighting the status quo, bouncing back and listening to criticism.

· Why CEOs and C-suite executives need to network with other industries.

· Future vision–to change the education system.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Benjamin:

Website: https://morethandigital.info

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 110 Achal Patel, CEO and Co-Founder Cabinet Health Care Brand Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Achal Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Cabinet Health Brand, has a vision to provide high-quality medicine with environmentally sustainable packaging that makes people feel cared for. Along with his co-founder, they started with two over-the-counter products on Amazon, and within a year became an eight-figure healthcare digital brand.

Achal attributes part of the company’s early success to listening and communicating directly with customers. Cabinet Health is committed to showing transparency that every medicine sold is free of carcinogens, toxic metals and allergens such as gluten and soy.

Both partners have previous experience in the supply chain process, which gives Cabinet the advantage to oversee quality control, purity and traceability of ingredients.

In our conversation, we discuss:

· Growing and serving customers with a product first mentality.

· Communicating to consumers that Cabinet’s products have extra quality controls, including third party testing.

· The responsibility of a B corp to its team, partners, and customers.

· Creating packaging to combat the estimated 150 billion bottles of waste from medications.

· The three-part vision for the company.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Achal:

Website: https://cabinethealth.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achalapatel/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cabinet-health/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearecabinet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearecabinet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/achal_patel1

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 109 Galiano Tiramani, Co-Founder Boxabl, Las Vegas, NV Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

Everything about the Boxabl story is disruptive and unconventional. It answers the problem of the major housing shortage in America. It is being funded by investors sourced from social media. It has multiple patents because of how it’s constructed and shipped, developed and launched with team members found on freelance Internet sites, and that’s just part of the story!

Galiano Tiramani is the co-founder of Boxabl, a patented system that delivers factory-built rooms, all fabricated and ready to open on-site in just hours. Boxabl is the world’s most advance modular house that provides versatile residential and commercial solutions, with floor plans and architectural styles chosen by the customer at extremely competitive prices.

Galiano started Boxabl with just ideas on paper, doing Internet research and is now ready to open the manufacturing facility in Las Vegas.

Galiano shares his incredible story, including:

· How Boxabl solves a major problem in the US.

· How the California market immediately responded with open arms.

· Designing with shipping concerns immediately addressed.

· This is not a tiny house. It’s a building block process.

· The investment strategy and scaling up.

· The patent process.

· 40-thousand people are already on the waitlist.

Look at the great videos listed below to spark your imagination. Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show!

BOXABL IS CONSIDERING UNDERTAKING AN OFFERING OF SECURITIES UNDER TIER 2 OF REGULATION A. NO MONEY OR OTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING SOLICITED, AND IF SENT IN RESPONSE, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. NO OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES CAN BE ACCEPTED AND NO PART OF THE PURCHASE PRICE CAN BE RECEIVED UNTIL THE OFFERING STATEMENT FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC HAS BEEN QUALIFIED BY THE SEC. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN OR REVOKED, WITHOUT OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND, AT ANY TIME BEFORE NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE GIVEN AFTER THE DATE OF QUALIFICATION. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST INVOLVES NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND. A COPY OF OUR PRELIMINARY OFFERING CIRCULAR MAY BE OBTAINED HERE, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1816937/000109690621000494/box_1aa.htm

Connect with Galiano:

Website: https://www.boxabl.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boxabl/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_boxabl

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_boxabl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boxabl/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/boxabl

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 108 Tess Cosad, CEO and Co-founder Bea Fertility, UK Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

The advancements of healthcare technology are changing the way people have accessibility and affordability to healthcare. Tess Cosad has tremendous insights into the disruptive health tech space. She is a FemTech founder based in the UK, the CEO and co-founder of Bea Fertility, a venture-backed startup which brings fertility treatment that’s affordable, safe and administered at home.

Tess previously founded Emberson Ventures, a B2B marketing agency specializing in tech sectors. She also created Hers By Design, a female-led, female-focused FemTech brand, and in 2018 was the first woman to lead a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Growth Velocity Academy.

In our conversation, Tess shares her passion for being able to solve anything that doesn’t strike her as fair, the behind-the-scenes work required in a startup, marketing insights and more. We discuss:

· The co-founder’s responsibility to sell and keep the vision.

· Being a medical device company going direct to consumers.

· Putting a spotlight on FemTech is necessary, but someday the focus should just be on healthcare.

· Funding the pre-seed round and now ready to start the seed round.

· Product positioning and strategic marketing based on market segmentation.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Tess:

Website: www.beafertility.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beafertility/

Twitter: @beafertility

Instagram: @beafertility

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-isabelle-cosad/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 107 Marina Tran-Vu, Founder & CEO EQUO, Ho Chi Minh City Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

Marina Tran-Vu is an environmental super hero based in Viet Nam. She is the founder of EQUO, a company that creates better solutions for plastic and paper products. Marina has an incredible story of being a female founder, a Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank contestant, and a marketing expert who understands what it takes to innovate and bring eco-friendly products to market.

For over 10 years, Marina worked in brand management, including Unilever, Bacardi, LG Electronics and Spin Master. She is a recipient of the SME100 Fast Moving Companies Award, featured on FORBES, admitted as the first Vietnam-based company backed by TechStars, named to Vegpreneur’s 25 Vegan Companies You Need to Know, and is one of Flik’s 21 Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2021.

Our conversation covers a range of topics from Marina’s initial product idea to global execution, including:

· The path to innovation, starting EQUO, and manufacturing opportunities in Viet Nam.

· The Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank experiences.

· Branding sustainable, eco-friendly products to be fun and attractive.

· The responsibility of being a sole female founder and encouraging investors to support women.

· Working in both the B2B and consumer markets.

· Using experts in a variety of distribution channels to scale responsibly.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Marina:

Website: https://equointl.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.tranvu

Twitter: @marinatv_

Instagram: @marinatv_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinatranvu/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 106 Blake Sherwood, Strategic Partner Nix Covid Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

American Blake Sherwood was 17 years old and living in Shanghai as part of the National Security Language program sponsored by the US State Department. After graduating and back in the States, Blake checked in with his Chinese host family and heard about COVID-19 months before it was on the radar of North Americans.

When he saw nurses stapling masks together, he knew there was a better way to do things. His friends in China sent him 500 masks, and he began his PPE journey. Blake immersed himself in learning supply chains, shipping logistics, government relations, quality control, and fraud in the industry.

His first major client was the State of Illinois and thorough networking, he became a Strategic Partner with Nix Covid, a leading medical equipment provider. Now, at age 22, Blake continues his consulting and working with the team to introduce a Covid detection technology using AI.

Blake’s story as a young entrepreneur is remarkable and inspirational. In our conversation, we cover a wide range of topics, from how he executed this project to insights on what it takes to be a successful businessperson.

We discuss:

· The study and process of supply chains and logistics.

· Essential entrepreneurial fundamentals.

· The unique partnership and how Nix Covid operates.

· Overcoming PPE industry fraud.

· The next Covid detection technology using AI.

· Giving back to the community by donating PPE.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Blake:

Website: www.nixcovid.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixcovid

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-sherwood/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 105 Nevsah Fidan Karamehment, President, International Breath Coach Federation Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

I’ve interviewed entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the world, and the successful ones are those who keep to their core values, find that inner wisdom to keep focused, and remain calm under pressure. My guest, Nevsah Fidan Karamehmet, helps everyone from leaders, business owners, corporate employees, and celebrities tap into self-mastery through her courses and breathing techniques.

Based in the UK, Nevsah is the President of International Breath Coaching Federation and meditation expert who launched a unique meditation with breath app during the lock down called Breath Hub.

She is a faculty member at The Breathing Sciences Faculty - Graduate School of Behavioral Health Sciences, the Vice President responsible for UK and European Operations of the Graduate School of Behavioral Health Sciences, and the national representative of the International Breathwork Foundation. Nevsah is also the author of best-selling book, Awakening is Not What You Think.

In our conversation, we discuss:

· Living and working wisely.

· The shortcut to self-mastery.

· Lessons learned from Ted Baker.

· Launching the app with celebrities, influencers and raving fans.

· The importance of having a personal connection to the brand.

· A breathing exercise to practice any time of day.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nevsah:

Website: https://nevsah.co.uk/

App: www.breathhub.app

Connect with Allison: