In this episode of Tea with Rich, we welcome Dylan Runne to share his journey from starting a Business Analyst (ish) at Sapient and Accenture to founding Fenom Digital and eventually selling it to WPP.

He discusses the challenges and successes he faced in the commerce industry, his transition into venture capital with Bambu Ventures, and his current role as CEO of Billfold.

Dylan also opens up about his personal passions, including powerboat racing and cooking, and emphasizes the importance of health and wellness in maintaining a successful career.

In this engaging conversation, the speakers delve into the profound impact of leadership presence on team dynamics, the importance of networking and relationship building in business (even at those late late events), and the critical role of mentorship in personal growth.

They share personal anecdotes about their experiences in leadership roles, the lessons learned from mistakes, and the significance of being aware and empathetic in professional settings.

The discussion emphasizes the value of surrounding oneself with capable individuals and the necessity of being real and authentic in interactions, especially in the age of social media.

Chapters

00:00 - Introductions
02:35 -  The Decision to Start an Agency
08:45 - Landing That First Major Client
09:49 - The Birth of Fenom Digital
11:56 - Sometimes You Have to Live On-site
13:06 - When Global Agencies Doubled Down on Commerce
17:39 - New Beginnings in Venture Capital and Investing
21:02 - Being The New Guy In a New Venture
25:17 - Innovations in Customer Engagement with BambuMeta
30:50 - Staying in Shape with Personal Passions
36:56 - Knowing When to Slow Down and Reset
45:20 - Late Nights as Strategic Networking for High Performers
49:57 - Controlled Chaos at 200MPH
52:19 - Advice for New Entrepreneurs: Surround Yourself with Talent
54:36 - Advice for that Next Big Talent Looking for a Break
59:58 - Get Someone to Believe in You and Start Saying Yes
01:06 - Rich on the Reason He Started Teaching and Mentoring
01:11 - Paying it Forward and Always Being There for Others
01:13 - Closing Comments and Some Shooting the Sh!t

About Dylan Runne:

Dylan is the Founder and former CEO of Fenom Digital, an agency focused on creating and managing enterprise class Commerce sites on the Demandware platform, also formerly known as Salesforce Commerce Cloud. 

Fenom Digital was purchased by WPP in 2023, where Dylan eventually took over all North American Commerce operations for their VML group.

Dylan also founded Fenom Ventures, a privately held investment group, and is currently a general partner at BambuVentures, an investor and board member at BambuMeta, and the acting CEO at Billfold, a POS company based in Brooklyn, NY.

Prior to this he was just a regular dude with a dream to be an entrepreneur, with stints at MediaHive and Accenture as a Solution Strategist, and a BA at Sapient Razorfish. Ish.

You can find him on LinkedIn of course. For the full CV.

Peace. -t

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