iSmart Podcast

Ujj got his MBA in Finance and Information Systems at the University of Austin Texas. He joined Wall Street after college but didn't like the atmosphere. He went on to work for a technology consulting firm called Snap-On Business Solutions. He became the Regional VP in 4 years before starting his own consulting firm called Kaarya.

Ujj was working hard at Kaarya until he had a horrible experience with a car repair service. He was supposed to have a 1-hour repair, and it ended up taking 5 hours due to horrible communications from the store.

With his background in Information Systems and technology, Ujj started myKaarma in April 2012. His company has built out a Cloud Platform that smooths out the communication process between the auto shop and its customers.

The current platform he has is able to store all customer information including texts and calls, update videos sent to the customer from the dealership during repairs, and is able to contact the customer down the road when it estimates they may need a repair.

Ujj now works with almost all of the big-name brands in the auto industry, and his tool has worked so well, that he has received multiple requests to use his software in other industries. He is currently working on building out a platform that anyone can use to streamline their communications with their customers. Almost like wordpress for a super high-level CRM in which anyone can build out exactly what they need!

Chris started his journey by studying sociology at UC Santa Barbara. After college, he went into door to door sales before starting his first company which he says failed miserably.

Because of his previous experience, he got back into sales and began learning about website development during his free time. After being laid off from his sales job, Chris had the jumpstart he needed to start his next company - Website in 5 days where he learned about building websites and generating traffic.

Chris wasn't done yet. He eventually used his knowledge in the website development space along with the lessons he learned from his failures to create DUDE (Design and Unlimited Development) - A company that provides Unlimited Web Design and Development for Digital Marketers, Funnel Consultants, and Digital Agencies.

Zac is the CEO and founder of ZRich Media - a full-service E-Commerce Agency for Direct to Consumer Marketing that he started during his sophomore year in college.

While achieving his Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Zac started his business without fully knowing exactly how to perform the services he was being paid for. He started by hiring experts in the Marketing space and learned from them how to perform certain services and build his business.

ZRich Media mainly focuses on building sales funnels as well as social media management and their dream customer is someone already spending money on ads, but wishing they could convert better.

Greg started out in the entrepreneur world by studying Marketing at Rutgers University. After graduating, he got involved in the print side of marketing.

He worked for other companies in the space and quickly realized he had a different vision when he was fired from 3 jobs within 18 months. He then started his own company where he felt he wasn't boxed in to any specific agenda, and he has been running his own company ever since.

Greg started GRT2 Studios in 2010 and has since merged with his brother's company in order for them to both work together in solving problems within companies instead of trying to revamp everything.

Tiffanie Fine was working for a company in the auto-loan industry that acted as the middle man between dealerships and customers of credit unions. While working there, she observed the company's relationships with its customers and knew that she could do a better job on her own. Talk about being a Rebel Entrepreneur!

She started Auto Quest Advisors in 2016 and has been running the same model in a more efficient way. Her company works directly with Credit Unions to supply auto-loans for individual customers. She was able to sustain the business by utilizing the power Credit Unions had at their disposal. She has been able to eliminate large overhead because the Credit Unions do mostly all of the marketing and branding for them. They wholesale cars from dealerships and Tiffanie says the root of their success is built from the close relationships she has built and maintained with the Credit Unions as they prefer a more personal approach due to their smaller sizes.

Andy Killion has been the CEO at Southwest Processing and Point of Sale for 7 years. They mainly specialize in the hospitality industry to connect people with 'Point of Sale' Platforms in order to help guide them in the right direction for success.

During his time with Southwest Processing and Point of Sale, he began noticing trends that many of his customer's were having. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he founded Enterprise Networks On-Call - A one-stop-shop for all companies as he offers networking, surveillance, security, point of sale systems, and video and audio solutions!

R.J. Kelly is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Wealth Legacy Group where he and his team help people with consulting, insurance, and investments and mainly focus on helping people retire.

R.J. is also a Resource Speaker at Vistage, and a Lifetime Member and Speaker for Million Dollar Round Table which helps people get harmony in their life not only with finances but with health and family as well.

Not only is R.J. an experienced businessman, but he has also run 8 marathons to give back to charities, and is striving for the goal of donating 1 Billion Dollars to Philanthropy!

Jody DeVere works with automotive retail locations to become Certified Female Friendly®, learning how to create a culture and experience that attracts and retains loyal women customers. The AskPatty.com Certified Female Friendly® program includes marketing and advertising programs that resonate with women.

She is a social media marketing to women expert, automotive journalist, car care and safety spokesperson who has worked with many automotive brands; Michelin, J.D. Power and Associates, National Automobile Dealer Association, Automotive Service Association, Mercedes, Benz, Motor Oil Matters, Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Mobil1 and Turtle Wax to name a few, to improve the experience of women at automotive retail locations and reach women through innovative marketing to women initiatives.

Jody is a sought after speaker and often quoted automotive industry pundit on marketing to women, educating women on automotive topics and social media strategy.