Evolving Your Workplace

At age 27, Richard Blank made the bold decision to pack up and move to Costa Rica to work at a call center for a few months. Fast forward eight years – he opened his own call center with one essential component: pinball machines.

Richard, founder and CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center, began his business out of his home with just a website and now operates a 300-seat call center.

In this episode, he walks us through the unique culture that differentiates his call center from his competitors, one of those aspects being gamification. Richard proudly compares the workplace environment he’s created to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As the owner of one of the largest collections of restored pinball machines and jukeboxes, Richard strategically placed the games in-house for employees to blow off steam and socialize.

“I just want to help them out on a rainy Wednesday if they’re not feeling very well,” he says, “I’ve seen the difference when people have been in the arcade.”

He talks about the importance of genuinely celebrating his employees’ wins, and giving them a pep talk when they experience a low. It comes down to caring about them, he says, and showing vulnerability as a leader.

Listen to hear more about Richard’s philosophies and how he’s tackled one of his greatest challenges yet: COVID and a work-from-home environment.

Learn more about Richard Blank and Costa Rica's Call Center

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

James Laws, CEO and founder of Saturday Drive, puts it very succinctly, “Our number one value is people – over profits, process or products.” Starting his company in 2014 while working full time as a web administrator required family support, sweat equity and late nights. Making a deal with his wife to bootstrap the startup by banking two years of salary, Laws worked to solve the problem of reproducible and reusable contact forms and Saturday Drive was born.

From the get-go, it was vital to distinguish the company by not doing what everyone else was. That became a mantra of staying five years ahead of the competition and establishing a culture of solving problems, feedback, and the necessary alignment vital for continued growth. As you’ll hear, Laws is adamant about work-life balance so much so that he terms Saturday Drive as a lifestyle company. For instance, while side hustles are encouraged, staff must care about the company’s work first.

Of course, there were misfires and mishires where the culture ended up just happening. Laws now knows that it’s vital to lead culture intentionally to achieve alignment. And that alignment in goals, mission and values is vital for growth.

Working under the philosophy that no business deserves employees, he believes that those who want to work with you must be earned. To that end, Laws focuses his efforts on developing his leadership team around strategic initiatives and key hires. He keeps learning and growing by running his own podcast, Leading to Fulfillment, where he interviews other CEOs and industry leaders about their experience.

This podcast features a leader who always puts people and culture first. And it’s paid off.

Learn more about James Laws and Saturday Drive Incorporated

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

Two offices. Two countries. Two cultures. Charles Brecque, founder and CEO of Legislate, is leading the movement for small businesses and doing it across Europe. Legislate is a legal technology company that provides lawyer-approved contracts for small businesses that don’t have big legal budgets.

It’s based on a knowledge graph technology (sporting a new US patent) that makes the contract data usable and searchable. And Charles maintains knowledge graph technology is the benefit that makes the difference.

Most innovative technology starts with a problem that needs to be solved. Brecque felt that pain while working at Mind Foundry (artificial intelligence and automated data science) where the company was losing valuable contracts due to logjams at the legal review stage. Determining that a contract is really just a tangled set of relationships, Legislate was born out of the idea that contracts are knowledge graphs. The resulting templates are approved by lawyers and completely enforceable.

How Brecque obtained initial angel funding in 2020 as a first-time founder during a pandemic is a fascinating story of determination, steadfast belief and ingenuity that will inspire and impress. As a founder with little leadership experience, Brecque quickly recognized the value of mentors, investors and fellow CEOs in learning by doing. His growing confidence has helped to create credibility that resulted in raising one million dollars in funding for building a proper team that now includes a development team in Spain, a chief legal officer, and an ambitious growth plan.

Under Brecque’s calm leadership, the only path for Legislate and its straightforward focus on small business is up. Learn more about Charles Brecque and Legislate

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

In this podcast, you’ll hear how a history student ended up founding not one, but two tech companies. Dipanwita Das, CEO and co-founder of Sorcero, comes from a long line of accomplished female scientists who endowed her with a legacy of service, problem solving and system sustainability. And as a leader, she doesn’t take that legacy lightly.

Founding Sorcero, an artificial intelligence and insights software platform that enables medical affairs teams to explore medically relevant content libraries, in 2018, Das was on a mission to bridge the gap between humans and acquiring the necessary data to make medically relevant decisions quickly. She was adamant about helping medical personnel find information that they normally wouldn’t have found. And Sorcero’s investors couldn’t be more pleased. They appreciate Das’s leadership in overseeing a “scrappy” team that keeps building on the fit-to-purpose platform while exercising diligent capital efficiency. Or as Das puts it, an effective marriage of purpose and profit.

Das is articulate and elegant in relating her mistakes as a CEO, her team’s success as a whole and her delight in working in a field now staffed with many female leaders and workers. She is committed to setting her team up for success through continuous improvement which means if one loses, they all lose. Working shoulder to shoulder, says Das, brings about the change necessary to keep Sorcero innovating and moving forward.

Learn more about Dipanwita Das and Sorcero

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

This interview, with Mark Towler, chief executive officer of Phase 2, is a refreshing view of common sense leadership and authentic team management. Building a business with family also adds a challenging element that Towler has achieved with a certain amount of style.

It all started when Towler’s brother asked him to partner in a company back in the 90s focusing on wide area networks (remember those?), website development and data storage. That spinoff became Phase 2, now building world class software created by an elite team of top tier software engineers headquartered in Oklahoma City. While Oklahoma isn’t exactly a tech mecca, Towler and Phase 2 have found it a very good place to do business.

Hearing how Towler and his team have built the business through practical decision-making, or as he puts it, saying no to the right things that makes it easier to say yes to the right things, is a good refresher course on doing business for the right reasons. That, says Towler, requires relentless focus on the business’s core DNA – in this case, heavy software engineering. What that means for Phase 2 is a smaller client base with larger spend.

Staying true to Phase 2’s identity and focus while keeping his team challenged by solving new problems has been a key element in building Towler’s role as the CEO. Because his background is in sales, marketing, and finance he realized that chasing dollars to grow revenue doesn’t make for retaining the best and the brightest in a highly specialized niche.

Towler and Phase 2 are on a successful path because they know who they want to be and they are authentic in staying in their lane. It’s a good lesson and a good listen.

Learn more about Mark Towler and Phase 2

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

Katelyn Sorensen, President of B2B Social at Traject, CEO of Loomly and Sendible, found her calling as a leader very early in her career. Recruited to work at Traject, a social media company in the greater Seattle area providing a suite of tools for digital agencies and marketing, Sorenson volunteered to move to the United Kingdom where she now oversees multiple divisions and staff spanning the world.

After graduating from Whitman College in 2012, Katelyn blossomed as an intern at Devtest, learning and growing and working her way up to a directorship at Fierce, Inc. where she was among the youngest executive team members.

Of course, there were challenges – youth and lack of professional maturity chief among them. Sorenson credits amazing mentors, partner presidents and her executive coach with turning those challenges into problems solved. Those elements formed her as a leader who understands that incredible teams play a key role in her success.

Working in the dynamic world of social media means change is the biggest constant and Sorenson has learned to jump immediately and pivot when necessary in managing an international staff across multiple time zones. Post-Covid employment landscapes represent a brave new world for leaders like Sorenson and she's up for the task.

Sorenson’s refreshing perspective and gratitude for the lessons learned will continue to carry her far into the future. You’ll delight in Katelyn’s passion for people and her absolute authenticity throughout this energetic podcast.

Learn more about Katelyn Sorensen and Traject

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

Small business owners everywhere are faced with soul-sucking challenges: staffing, supply chain, inflation, and marketing. In this podcast, Amanda Hoffman, chief operations officer of Madwire, a platform providing “360 degree” umbrella of business management products and marketing services for SMBs and franchises, discusses how Madwire’s unique umbrella marketing approach takes marketing technology off the business owner’s plate. Over the last thirteen years, Madwire has garnered accolades and $28 million in funding providing customized marketing solutions that result in delighted customers across diverse industries. Started in 2009 by a father-and-son duo who recognized a need that resulted in making a niche for a one-stop marketing shop helping small businesses grow and their local communities glow, Madwire’s business model represents a throwback trend in business today – making an impact by putting the customer first.

Like many of Madwire’s employees, Hoffman, recently promoted to COO, has found a home at a company that follows its own lead in doing everything they sell, or “eating its own dog food,” as she related how the owner described it. You’ll hear how Hoffman did it backwards – starting first at a big corporation and then transitioning to an award-winning small business acknowledged for its culture of making an impact, contributing to the solution, and providing the most value possible. Hoffman’s promotion caused some anxiety around making an immediate impact. What she’s learned about why every idea shouldn’t always be executed will surprise you.

The learning curve brought some valuable insight into empowering teams to do what’s right for the customer above all else. That awesomeness has led to winning awards and gaining recognition for innovation, culture, and an ever-growing customer base. Not to mention very pleased investors. Maintaining Madwire’s brand and execution excellence standards is what gets Hoffman out of bed every day. And you can hear that excitement and positive energy throughout this great conversation. Learn more about Amanda Hoffman and Madwire

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

We could have been calling Tom Coburn, Dr. Coburn because he only wanted to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps as a biology student at Boston College. Instead, in 2011 while still students, Tom and his buddies entered a business plan competition in hopes of winning ten thousand dollars. On their second try, they won by presenting a version of what became Jebbit based on an “aha” moment Tom had while ignoring an ad during a television show on Hulu. That led to distinctions, awards, recognition such as being named one CNBC’s Top 25 Most Promising Companies, Best Tech Culture in Boston in 2016. Coburn was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Oh, and Jebbit succeeded in gathering $92 million in funding. Not bad for a bunch of college kids.

What does Jebbit do? Its mission is to make digital experiences fun, engaging, and value driven by capturing the consumer’s data, intentions, motivations, and preferences with consent. First came the enterprise clients who needed to get in touch with their customers across all genders and demographics. Eventually, a free version was released to help non-enterprise businesses capture consumer engagement. Because privacy laws are changing, gathering usable and effective data has become a matter of consent. Coburn’s team at Jebbit has found an interactive way to get that consent that translates into real-time information companies can leverage into making marketing better now and into the future.

Coburn’s story of learning CEO-manship as a “ten-year overnight success” is fascinating. He admits he made all the cliché startup mistakes but maintains that the foundation of Jebbit’s culture starts with a very basic mantra – what you put in is what you get out. Coburn relates that he’s had eight jobs over the past ten years because his role as a CEO is always changing and he’s determined to keep learning and doing better.

Tom Coburn is proud of Jebbit’s position in the industry – the right side of history in helping brands engage customers directly with their permission.

Learn more about Tom Coburn and Jebbit

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

Fun and passionate aren’t typical words used to describe a technology company founder. But it’s what Daniel Liebeskind, CEO and founder of Topia, is – passionate about people connecting in a safe space and a bona fide experience junkie. Topia, the company he founded that features a customizable, immersive digital space where the unique spatial video platform delivers an authentic in-person experience, is what drives Dan’s passion as a leader and entrepreneur.  

The CEO-to-be was trading, buying and selling baseball cards at 8 years old. That led to starting an investment club in college that earned him a prestigious internship at Lehman Brothers . . . in 2009 . . . during the crash. Surviving the transition to Barclays Bank, Dan dove into the world of investment banking, identifying and connecting with entrepreneurs. Along the way, he discovered that most entrepreneurs are ordinary people with an intense passion for making their ideas come alive.

Rediscovering his own passion for coding led to learning how to wear different hats, acquire more skills and bring like-minded people together. Fast forward to 2020 and the birth of Topia when he hired smarter people with passions that matched his to build a multi-million dollar company operating on three very powerful passions: being a defender of authentic human connections, a defender of accessibility and a defender of consent in safer spaces.

In this podcast, you’ll enjoying hearing about Daniel’s passion for connecting people, his sense of fun and love of community that define Topia’s culture. By leveraging technology that brings people together safely in the metaverse in real time, Daniel and Topia have set in motion the next big evolution.

Learn more about Daniel Liebeskind and Topia.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.

Watch out, Silicon Valley! San Diego is making a bid to become the new center of technology through innovation, creation, and disruption. David Tal and Verse.io are leading the charge! Raising $17 million over three rounds, Verse.io is well placed to create, innovate, and disrupt traditional B2C platforms.

Similar to many tech leaders, David was just looking for a solution to a problem. After graduating from college, he tried the movies and ultimately made his way to San Diego where the real estate business beckoned through an uncle. Then came a recession. He built a team, bought leads, sent his team to training, and still couldn’t figure out why his agents weren’t getting return calls. When text messaging yielded an almost 100% response, David realized he was onto something.

Starting a company called Agentology with his brother who specialized in marketing, they focused on how to better communicate with and engage clients through engagement and qualification at the client’s pace.

Agentology rebranded itself to Verse.io (helping businesses converse with prospects) and implemented chat to deepen the customer’s engagement and qualification process while providing for immediate human contact. Verse.io is now tackling new industries such as mortgage companies, solar, insurance, and education to bring tech efficiencies that convert prospects to customers.

While this may sound mainstream, Verse.io’s differentiator is conversation automation campaigns where a two-way conversation can start immediately with a click and the conversation can be customized for each client’s prospect engagement.

If customer engagement is your focus and your challenge, you’ll appreciate what David Tal has to say about the future of automated contact and conversation.

Learn more about David Tal and Verse.io

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/.