Evolving Your Workplace

“I want to hear people acknowledge that they have failed,” Chuck Frydenborg says, “What I ask of my people is to make new mistakes. Don’t make the same ones over and over again. Then we got a problem. Make new ones. Learn from them.” 

MarketMuse, an AI platform for content creation and strategy, began as a personal science project. The original founder, Aki Balogh, was researching the space when he met the second founder, Jeff Coyle, and they joined forces to create MarketMuse 10 years ago.  

Where does Chuck come in? After a long career in sales, you’ll hear what made him join the organization and what led him to become CEO, replacing Aki.  He also tells us his initial concern with the company and why he chose to work there despite it. 

In this episode, Carol and Chuck discuss all things content, from how to generate topics effectively to analyzing the “why” behind the content. You’ll also hear about Chuck’s views on introspection and why he believes it’s significant in success. 

Learn more about Chuck Frydenborg and MarketMuse.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

“I think we’ve learned pretty quickly that we can do work remote. (But) It is difficult to lead and it is difficult to be the leader you need to be without being around the leaders you’re going to replace,” Rick West says, “I think you’ll have a whole wave of people upset that they’re not the next partner…because they were in California on a beach doing amazing work but someone else was there around and available and they’re going to get those opportunities.”

Rick co-founded Field Agent, a marketplace that provides B2B retail solutions through mobile research and retail data collection. Rick dives into how his company functions and talks about their most recent creation of “Plum Marketplace” to speed up and transform the process of purchasing services. 

Field Agent was originally created as a tool for the larger product and eventually, they decided to focus in and scale it. You’ll hear how the economy at the time inspired people to start using their product.

In this episode, Carol and Rick discuss the swiftly changing technology in the industry and how Field Agent works to keep up with it. Rick discusses areas in his company’s growth that he would have approached differently in hindsight.

Learn more about Rick West and Field Agent.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

“You take care of your people and your people take care of your company every day— on personal levels, professional levels. I know without a doubt that they have my back.” - Melissa Hurrington 

As CFO of Premier Claims, a public adjustment firm that advocates on behalf of the customer, Melissa leads with a people-first approach. 

Melissa says her company turns away about 50% of work because the policyholder may have been paid out appropriately or may not have had the right coverage in the first place. 

In this episode, Carol and Melissa discuss the inside workings and issues in the property insurance industry. They also delve into Melissa’s recruiting strategy and her unique way of hiring people based on skills- even if a title isn’t there. 

You’ll also hear about Melissa’s career journey including her time as an auditor, working concerts, and eventually the path that led her to Premier.

Learn more about Melissa Hurrington and Premier Claims.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

“What we’ve done is we’ve really tried to take peoples’ skill sets and use them so that they’re not only doing what they’ve been hired to do but they’re doing what they love to do.” - Cynthia Adams

Cynthia and two others started GrantStation in a one-room cabin in the woods of Alaska. The organization was created to connect nonprofits with grantmakers nationally and internationally in order to get the funding they need. Years later, it has now grown to 20 employees as a membership-based model. 

At just 14, Cynthia had her first encounter with fundraising-- for a horseback-riding club she was a part of. She discovered she had a special ability to get funding for projects and eventually began her career working for nonprofits. 

In this episode, Cynthia and Carol discuss a challenge in the philanthropy industry right now: new funding sources throwing off the traditional funding landscape. Cynthia also reflects on an issue that faces small nonprofits trying to get grants and how it is a “numbers game”.

They also discuss the future of her company as she is planning to fully retire in the coming years. 

Learn more about Cynthia Adams and GrantStation.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jagadish Gattu (Jag) came to the US from India to get his master's and stayed here ever since. After working at many companies, he realized that many customer needs could be better fulfilled through AI. 

In 2019 he founded UptimeAI, an artificial intelligence-based predictive maintenance software provider for companies in heavy industries. Since its start, the company has grown to 24 employees.

UptimeAI is different because it bridges the gap in knowledge in fields where this knowledge usually takes decades of experience to access. It uses human-like cognitive skills to problem-solve and self-learn, which distinguishes it from other tools, he says.

In this episode, he and Carol discuss the effect Covid had on the company and the culture he has proudly created at UptimeAI, along with the inner workings of his organization.

Learn more about Jagadish Gattu and UptimeAI.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

“I’m sorry– there is no balance. Some people can separate the two, you know, but overall it’s integrating and how do you bring it all together and make it work harmoniously together,” Dan LaBroad says. 

Dan’s company, Ovation Health and Life Services, is an employee benefits firm aimed at helping employers create better health plans. 

Dan began his career in the restaurant industry, completely unrelated, and eventually got into insurance when he needed a license for one of his jobs. He later quit and since he had the license, he figured, why not find a job in the insurance industry? That’s where it all began. 

In this episode, Carol and Dan discuss diversity and how it affects communication in modern-day companies. Dan dives into a major lesson for him: how to adjust spending based on client numbers. He also talks about the concept of “self-funding” which is transforming health care benefits.

Learn more about Dan LaBroad and Ovation.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

“We made a big mistake. We configured the platform where—luckily it never saw production because it was caught in testing– but we had where we pointed the system to the wrong logo,” Brent Williams tells Carol, “We owned it. We said ‘This is us, we did this.’” 

Brent founded Benekiva, a SaaS technology platform that aims to transform the end-to-end insurance claims and servicing experience. Four years ago the startup employed only three people, and today it employs almost 60 people.

After noticing the issue of an archaic claims and servicing system and then taking three years to research further, Brent began the journey of designing a platform to innovate it.

In this episode, Brent recounts the process he and his co-founders took to get the startup going, prioritizing product development over immediate sales. And they discuss a key part of their growth: speaking at conferences. 

Carol and Brent discuss his talent strategy, especially with such a high growth rate. And you’ll hear about his number one hobby-- golf.

Learn more about Brent Williams and Benekiva.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

“You get this feeling of happiness when you do this,” Jitesh Shetty tells founders, “If that’s not happening, it’s almost like your system internally telling you: change something! Maybe that’s not the right idea for you, the right problem space…I think if that is not happening it will be very hard to succeed.” 

Jitesh, a three-time founder, most recently co-founded Credible, a SaaS company that helps businesses discover their environmental, social, and governance impact through data. 

His time growing up in India shaped his desire to become a business owner, he says. It also played a role in his current venture, Credible, which was initially formed after researching the state of manufacturing in India. 

In this episode, Jitesh recounts his experience founding previous startups, including one that captured the interest of both Google and Amazon. They discuss his company culture and the component he sees as key to having ambitious employees. 

You’ll also hear about a technique he uses once a week to stay present: silence.

Learn more about Jitesh Shetty and Credible.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

“You’ve got to cast a long shadow,” Eric Miller tells Carol. “We look a lot bigger than we are to our clients. They are always a little surprised that we are less than 100 people because we pack a bigger punch than these 4,5,600-person companies that we compete with.” 

Eric is a co-owner and Principal at PADT, a provider of tools and services that help companies design and manufacture their products. The origins of PADT trace back to the 90s when Eric and some fellow engineers at a large turbine engine company decided to create a startup based on three new technologies they had at the time.

In this episode, Eric describes his relationship with his clients–mechanical engineers–and how important it is to build informational content outside of transactions to establish trust with them. He also recounts the effects of COVID on his culture and the steps he’s taken to ensure his culture stays intact in the remote world.

They also discuss why he and his co-owners haven’t sold the company despite many offers and what it would take for them to sell.

Learn more about Eric Miller and PADT.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Calvin Goforth founded VIC Tech in order to help commercialize new technologies invented by university researchers. 

VIC Tech began as a consulting firm for tech startups. After noticing that many professors with new technologies didn’t want to quit their roles to develop them, Calvin decided to shift. 

The company screens new technologies brought to them from various universities and analyzes the risks in moving forward and commercializing them. Few companies have made it to the funding stage where the startup is founded and functioning.

In this episode, Carol and Calvin delve into his first startup and the journey to eventually selling it. Calvin walks us through how his current business model works and why professors are willing to give up equity. 

Calvin also talks about the talent pipeline and startup pipeline he’s formed alongside VIC Tech.

Learn more about Calvin Goforth and VIC Tech.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.