Deon Nicholas, CEO and Co-Founder of Forethought, joins the show to discuss the details of AI’s application in the B2B realm. His journey from solving complex problems through coding in the initial days to the current challenges in go-to-market strategies provides him with vital experience in the tech domain.

Deon explores the evolution from automation to autonomy. While the world previously saw AI as a tool for streamlining processes and automating redundant tasks, Deon discusses the near future, where AI plays a proactive role. Think of it as an AI sidekick that can perform tasks like booking appointments without human intervention. 

He also sheds light on the significance of understanding and addressing the primary constraints businesses face. Every few months, these constraints change, and identifying them becomes pivotal to achieving exponential growth. Deon emphasizes the CEO’s role in understanding these constraints, investing time in assembling the best team and consistently interacting with customers.

He also provides a sneak peek into the offerings of Forethought, such as SupportGPT, which aims to redefine the customer service arena. 

Key Takeaways :

[06:20] Deon emphasizes Forethought's core principle of using AI to help individuals to become more productive, especially in areas like customer support. 

[23:40] How initially focusing on automating repetitive queries and tasks allows businesses to gradually harness more advanced AI capabilities and solve complex problems. 

[27:55] Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, Deon underscores the importance of resilience. 

[37:56] Previously, AI focused on automation tasks, but the future, according to Deon, is AI taking actions on one's behalf, introducing more autonomous functionalities. 

[36:45] Forethought has an eye on the future, and they've open-sourced a library to help others build autonomous agents. 

[37:24] Amidst technological advancements, CEOs and leaders should never lose sight of their customers. Spending quality time understanding and engaging with them is crucial for success. 

[39:45] Deon foresees a transition from systems of record to systems of intelligence or systems of autonomy, predicting this will be as transformative as the cloud was for businesses. 

Resources Mentioned:

Deon Nicholas -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deon-nicholas/

Forethought | LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/forethought-ai/

Forethought’s Official Website -

https://www.forethought.ai/

SupportGPT by Forethought  -

https://www.forethought.ai/supportgpt

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#B2B #BusinessLeaders #Leadership

On this episode, Sombit Mishra, Founder and CEO at QMedic, shares his experiences and lessons learned on gaining and maintaining credibility in the market that #B2B #businessleaders can learn from.

Initially exploring wearable technology applications in healthcare, Sombit and his team transitioned to focus on the senior care market. This shift led to the development of QMedic’s core product — an agnostic medical alert system — which has served around 20,000 members through partnerships with managed care insurance plans over 13 years.

They take a customer-centric approach, involving home visits and collaborations with skilled nursing facilities to align their offerings with both user needs and insurers’ financial incentives. 

By positioning QMedic as a solution that supports home care and underpinning its services with Medicaid expansion opportunities, the company established its credibility in the healthcare landscape. 

Trust-building and innovative integration into healthcare remain central to QMedic’s ongoing expansion.

Resources mentioned:

Sombit Mishra -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sombitmishra/

QMedic | LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/qmedic/

QMedic | Website -

https://www.qmedichealth.com/

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com 

#B2B #BusinessLeaders #Leadership

On this episode, Alice Heiman, Founder & Chief Sales Energizer, shares fantastic lessons for #B2B #businessleaders, particularly CEOs.

CEOs are vital both in sales and understanding the customer journey. This allows the business to emphasize its value proposition and differentiator, along with the fiscal stability of gaining revenue. She discusses the Entrepreneurial Operating System as a vital tool for business #leadership.

Understanding the customer journey entails the CEO having to listen to sales calls and read emails. Other than this, the CEO should not be tactical on other fronts. They should be comfortable delegating those tasks and holding team members accountable for delivery on those fronts.

This allows the CEO to continue evolving and iterating on the value message as they stay in their “genius zone.” 

Resources mentioned:

• Alice Heiman | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/
• Sales Energizer | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/alice-heiman-llc/
• Podcast - https://aliceheiman.com/podcast
• Email - [email protected]
• Website - https://aliceheiman.com/

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com 

On this episode, Jack Foster, CMO at WorkRamp, shares her insights as a #B2B marketing #businessleader. Jack talks about how companies should consider balancing efficiency during growth rather than going all-in. This mindset can help #leadership make the right decisions as they scale.

Jack also talks about the importance of sales enablement. She thinks having micro-learning sessions for the sales team will allow them to be more effective at selling. She also extols the importance of hiring the right people — balancing multiple strengths spreads out the work and also covers vulnerabilities.

She rounds up the discussion by sharing that companies should focus on demand creation. She says 95% of the market isn’t ready to buy yet, so having brand presence as early as now will transform them into future customers.

Resources:

• Jack Foster | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinewfoster/
• WorkRamp | Website - https://www.workramp.com/

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

On this episode, Deanna Shimota, CEO at GrowthMode Marketing, provides valuable insight that #B2B #businessleaders can apply toward hacking marketing and growth.

Deanna’s #leadership in marketing is centered on demand generation. This focuses on higher quality and longer-term growth. Companies that plan their marketing strategy over a longer period can tap into the 95% of high-potential customers who aren’t in the market yet. When they are ready to buy, they will have already made the decision, making the sales cycle more effective.

Deanna talks extensively about the importance of a digital footprint, emphasizing strategy, content and distribution as vital pillars. She also reiterates that in tough times, marketing spend shouldn’t be cut because it will be key to growth when economic conditions improve. 

Resources:

• The Demand Gen Fix Podcast | Website - https://growthmodemarketing.com/podcast/
• Deanna Shimota | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannashimota/
• GrowthMode Marketing | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmode-marketing/

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

On this episode of Leaders of B2B, Oz Rashid, CEO and Founder of MSH, talks about how #B2B #businessleaders can significantly scale their business by transforming their approach to hiring.

Oz believes that hiring is a key element that #leadership rushes into. He shares that the impact and investment of the right talent can exponentially lift a business and revenue. He thinks that companies should make better use of technology to help with hiring. He also thinks that empathy needs to be used more liberally. Businesses need to move away from treating hiring as a transaction.

Oz also explains the importance of investing in your employees and treating them right. They will reciprocate by treating your customers phenomenally. Knowing them and their motivations and providing them with purpose can lead to a vast improvement in your business. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Oz Rashid’s LinkedIn
• MSH LinkedIn
• Oz Rashid’s Email

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

#leadership

On this episode, James Layfield, Founder of Clearfind and Awesomage, shares how he is helping #B2B companies save on software, while also making a difference in the lives of orphans.

Software costs are always at top of mind for #businessleaders. Many companies accumulate a large amount of technical debt as they subscribe to systems that were imperative in their time. The downside is that #leadership, especially in large corporations, can lose sight of the software’s value or whether its features are now redundant.

James solves this problem with his AI-based system. He uses a performance-based model that takes a percentage of the money saved. And the profits are used to help orphans in developing countries. James and his team are driven by this greater purpose and the desire to make a difference.

Resources mentioned:

Awesomage website - https://awesomage.org/

Awesomage YouTube videos - https://www.youtube.com/@awesomage/featured

Clearfield website - https://www.clearfind.com/

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations. We handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

#leadership

On this episode, Saira Gangji, Principal and Workplace Investigator at hrology, discusses the benefits of a positive workplace culture. Saira urges #B2B #businessleaders to take a proactive approach to building such a culture as a priority.

Saira’s journey began within a toxic work environment, and she describes how such an environment drains people of their motivation and their interdependence. The result is that they are afraid to share and their creativity is stifled. Poor productivity ensues, together with spiraling costs as performance tanks and attrition spikes. Furthermore, toxic companies can suffer from bad marketing that affects their customer-facing brand. 

#Leadership should rush to create a positive culture built on a foundation of respect from day one. This will lead to long-term gains and a healthy company.

Saira Gangji - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sairagangji/?originalSubdomain=ca

hrology - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hrology/?originalSubdomain=ca

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com

Scott Megill, President and CEO at Coriell Life Sciences, shares the exciting #leadership journey that brought him to the helm of one of the most innovative #B2B health-tech companies. Coriell Life Sciences helps healthcare providers find the most efficient and beneficial medical treatment for patients using existing knowledge of genetic technology. 

Scott shares how he taps into his love for technology and innovation and combines it with the greater purpose of making an impact on people’s lives. This combination fuels his passion and, through it, he draws inspiration and enjoyment from his work. He urges #businessleaders to combine their passion with a purpose to find the way forward and upward.

Scott also shares how it’s important to be patient in healthcare innovations. It’s essential to hedge towards that longer-term goal or you will find yourself falling short.

Scott Megill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmegill/

Coriell Life Sciences - https://www.linkedin.com/company/corielllife/

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com 

On this episode, Jeff Dudan, Franchise Executive at Dudan Group and Chairman and CEO at Homefront Brands, shares how #B2B #businessleaders can up their game in #leadership by developing themselves.

Jeff establishes a strong link between your capability as a leader and how your company performs. He emphasizes the importance of reflection and self-awareness to know your strengths and your opportunities. Once you’ve established a baseline, you can proceed to more effective ways to develop your full potential. 

Jeff recommends looking at your previous experiences to develop yourself as a leader — consider what you can replicate and what you can improve on. He also thinks it’s a great idea to network with like-minded people to gain valuable insights. And he says you should never limit yourself to one field because it’s possible to learn anything.

Jeff Dudan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffdudan/

Dudan Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/dudan-group/

Homefront Brands - https://www.linkedin.com/company/homefront-brands/

This episode is brought to you by Content Allies.

Content Allies helps B2B tech companies launch revenue-generating podcasts. Build relationships that drive revenue through podcast networking. 

We schedule interviews with your ideal prospects and strategic partners so that you can build relationships and grow your business. 

You show up and have conversations, we handle everything else. Learn more at ContentAllies.com