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Most consumers are excited after they buy, so they check their tracking number according to UPS, 2.42 times after they have ordered an item. And if you're shipping 1,000 packages, that's 2,420 brand impressions. Some, if not most of the well-known brands, will always send that type of traffic to a shipping company like FedEx or UPS or any third-party company. Which entirely disrupts the customer's entire branded experience. It has never been more challenging to get and retain customer attention, so every touchpoint with the customer must be hit. But what if there was a company that was offering this kind of experience?

That’s why in today’s pitch episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, you’ll hear from Yaw Aning, Co-founder and CEO of Malomo, a platform that turns shipment tracking into a powerful marketing channel for eCommerce brands.

Yaw had only 5 minutes on the Powderkeg stage to pitch his company Malomo to a live panel of investors and industry experts from our CX & Customer Journey pitch night we hosted last year featuring some of the most innovative companies scaling in the United States. The four experts you’ll hear from in this episode include:

-Darcy Lee | Director of Sales at AIS

-Alex Shortle | Vice President, Periculum Capital

-Cathy Langlois | Executive Vice President at Peoplocity

-Tiffany Sauder | President & CEO at Element Three

Today’s Presenter, Yaw Aning, found himself bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at a young age. Yaw joined an entrepreneurial program called the Orr Fellowship, where he grew his entrepreneurial skills and led him on his entrepreneurial journey of growing and founding his company. Yaw has had a number of entrepreneurial successes but, currently, he’s killing it with Malomo, a platform that turns Shipment Tracking into a Powerful Marketing Channel for eCommerce Brands. Tune in for more!

Figuring out your next career move doesn't have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this pitch with Yaw Aning of Malomo!

No one wants to hear a sales pitch on LinkedIn. But sales teams that use LinkedIn wish to create valuable connections, which can eventually lead to sales opportunities. By making a few minor tweaks, you can turn your LinkedIn profile into a remarkable lead generator and sales tool, but first, you have to focus on creating a positive impression. What are some key ways to accomplishing this?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear an interview, and LIVE Q&A, we recently hosted with some of the leading influencers who are using LinkedIn that are using the platform to build incredible sales strategies. Our first guest will be Morgan J. Ingram, the Director of Sales Execution and Evolution at Jbarrows sales training, where he focuses on delivering to sales development teams to enhance their skill sets and performance. Morgan is also a motivational speaker that has been nominated for TEDxSBY and TEDxUGA.

Joining him is Jake Dunlap, founder, CEO, and B2B Sales Leader at Skaled Consulting. As a C-level sales leader and entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience, Jake has been able to develop and lead high-performing sales and operational teams, who have specialized in building out repeatable, sustainable methods.

Receive invaluable advice from some of Linkedin’s top influencers as they give thoughts on some of the best sale strategies, generate a list of valuable relationships, open new doors for opportunities, and help you reach your full potential with Linkedin. Tune in to hear more!

In this episode with Morgan J. Ingram and Jake Dunlap, you’ll learn:

--- How the LinkedIn Algorithm Works And How to Make it Work for You

--- Best strategies to generate and connect with potential sales prospects

--- How to build a list of potential clients on LinkedIn wanting to learn more about you

--- Keyways to manage your Linkedin profile and build a sales platform

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this conversation with Morgan J. Ingram and Jake Dunlap!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.

Power is shifting in Silicon Valley. And the stories in today's edition of The Spark give you more context to the trends and opportunities that are worth keeping an eye on.

Here are some of the top stories we'll be featuring that happened in tech beyond Silicon Valley on this week's edition of The Spark:

🏢Mighty Middle Tops Best-Cities Lists—Again

🦄+1 Midwest Unicorn Exit

🤓Calling all Entrepre-NERDs

💥And much more!

Plus, in today's episode, we feature special guest Ruben Harris, founder & CEO at Career Karma and co-host of the Breaking Into Startups Podcast who has a huge announcement for the tech community on Juneteenth, called Reskilling America—a collective effort to help millions of Americans acquire new skills in tech and prepare for the Great Rehiring.

We also featured one of the organizations helping support the Reskilling America Campaign. Based out of Indianapolis, Indiana, health tech startup HC1!

During this Livestream recording, we had Talent Acquisition Manager, Keegan Jiles, from Indianapolis based health startup HC1 join the show to talk about what they see in their company and tech community pledge for support of the Reskilling America campaign. Tune in for more!

Please enjoy this conversation with Ruben Harris and Keegan Jiles!

And if you're interested in joining and helping Ruben's campaign for Reskilling America, be sure to go and check out this incredible initiative that he has helped put together. The goal is to give away 5,000+ laptops to communities who need them most to help them reskill and provide a blueprint to land a career in tech. Be sure to go check it out a https://careerkarma.com/reskill-america, and help donate what you can.

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we'll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast.

Can't always make the good news, Livestreams? No worries! Sign up for our hand-curated newsletter, The Spark, and have it delivered straight to your inbox each week with the tech news happening between the coasts. Sign up at powderkeg.com/.

Whether you’re planning a full-scale job hunt in 2020 or simply thinking about your future steps, career-wise, you may have to do some prep work to reach your full potential on your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is one of the first places prospective employers scope you out. So what are some of the ways you can make the most out of your profile?

For these reasons, our two special on today’s episode of the Powderkeg Podcast are experts when it comes to helping job seekers use the power of LinkedIn. Our first guest is Ashley Watkins, a Job Search Coach, and Nationally Certified Resume Writer. Ashley has experience in recruiting top talent for nonprofits such as the American Cancer Society and Gateway and multimillion-dollar companies in the banking and manufacturing industries. Joining her is Ana Lokotkova, a personal brand & career advisor, resume writer, and job interview coach at CV Labs in Calgary, Canada. Ana focuses on telling career stories to showcase job seekers’ unique qualities to gain an employer’s attention.

With Ashley and Ana’s help, you’ll learn how to effectively network, build key relationships, and how to better design and better utilize your LinkedIn profile. This interview will prepare for your next big opportunity to bring your LinkedIn profile to its full potential. Tune in for more!

In this episode with Ashley Watkins and Ana Lokotkova, you’ll learn:

-The Most In-Demand Hard and Soft Skills in the Current Job Market

-What Job Recruiters look for in a Great Candidate

-Who’s Hiring Right Now (and How to Reach Them on LinkedIn)

-How to grow your personal brand and attract an audience of fans

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast with Ashley Watkins and Ana Lokotkova!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.

How have you been responding to some of the big shifts in tech that have been happening over the past week?

Well in this very special mini-episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, we will be sharing some of the latest and greatest news stories that happened in tech between the coasts this past week.

Here are some of the top stories happening in tech beyond Silicon Valley in this week’s edition of The Spark:

💥VCs Take Action

🚂Leaving Salaries in SF

💸10+ New Fundings & IPOs

P.S. Make sure you check out our new section, Exploding with Opportunity, it has some of this week’s most notable startup fundings, acquisitions, and IPOs between the coasts.

Can’t always make the good news Livestreams? No worries! Sign up for our hand-curated newsletter, The Spark, and have it delivered straight to your inbox each week with the tech news happening between the coasts. Sign up at powderkeg.com/.

The tech industry is growing rapidly. But there’s a shortage of skilled talent to match all the new positions being created. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that by 2026, careers in software development will increase by 24%. Which translates to a lot of open career opportunities in tech.

Fortunately, there are many ways for people to learn these skills such as following the traditional path of a college. But for some, going to college isn’t an option – it’s expensive, it takes years and it can be difficult to get a career after graduation. Being self-taught is great, but can sometimes result in a learning plateau and lacks relevant networking and coding portfolios.

On today’s episode of Igniting Startups, our guest is a major advocate of one popular alternative: coding schools and boot camps. Ruben Harris is the co-host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, he is also the CEO of Career Karma, an organization that matches people who want to learn to code with the right support circle and coding boot camp for their needs.

Throughout this episode, Ruben will explain how learning certain skills in tech can ignite your career. He will also discuss the importance of making and building connections through networking, and choosing the right boot camp for your needs. Tune in for more!

In this episode with Ruben Harris, you’ll learn:

- What people should know about work in startups and how it’s different from a large company

- Ruben’s thoughts on who the best companies are to work for

- Ruben’s advice for people who want to break into tech

- How to approach your tech job search after graduating from a bootcamp

- Why networking is important for your career

- How Career Karma finds the best boot camps

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast with Ruben Harris!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.

As Advisors and VCs urge funded tech companies to cut costs and freeze spending. New forecasts and models are urgently needed to be created for the new world we live in (which is still changing day to day). CFOs will have to ultimately take charge of more significant strategic planning, budget distribution, and forecasting across their organization to help ensure essential changes are implemented successfully. But how do you go about prioritizing what may come next?

In today’s episode, we’ll be sharing a recent interview and LIVE Q&A we hosted with special guests Patrick Smith, Managing Principal of Professional Search. Patrick has over 20+ years of experience working in various industry segments, including manufacturing/distribution, technology, and software/SaaS. The companies he serves range from closely held business to start-ups to multinational organizations with varying structures, including corporations, partnerships, and S-Corporations.

Joining Patrick from CLA is Brandon Martin. As a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, Brandon now serves as a principal within CLA’s Technology Industry Group, providing advisory and assurance services to software developers/SaaS, technology, high growth businesses, and other privately-held entities. Brandon has more than 13 years of public accounting experience working with entrepreneurs and leadership teams to drive enterprise value and manage business execution risk to build more reliable and more successful businesses.

And joining them is Glenn Dunlap, CEO and Founder of Peerview Data, a SaaS firm that specializes in benchmarking and comparative analytics solutions for CPA firms. Peerview turns the company data accountants use for audits and taxes into competitive insights they can use to improve their clients and to improve their practices. Peerview works with firms across the country, including several Top 100 firms.

We recorded this conversation back in April of 2020 during the pandemic, where we get into some important topics regarding financials and preparing for the worst. Our guests discuss how to establish clear goals, recognize employee efforts, and create a positive culture. Along with answering some great questions from the Powderkeg community on the focused topic of “Better Finance and Forecasting”. Tune in for more!

In this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, you’ll learn:

- The most effective cash management and sash modeling techniques

- Economic Injury Disaster Loans

- The new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

- More info on Tax Changes and Credits

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast with Patrick, Brandon, and Glenn!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.

As more and more employees continue to shift to working remotely, our “new normal” of remote work has become demanding and a quick adjustment in how we continue to stay connected, stay productive and engaged. The critical factor is that productivity will always remain, especially during a time like these. So how are you managing your time and productivity?

In today’s pitch episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, you’ll hear from John Rampton, CEO and Founder of Calendar.com, a mobile application that allows event attendees to mix, meet and collaborate together through an online platform.

John had just 5 minutes on the Powderkeg stage to pitch his company Calendar.com to a live panel of investors and industry experts recently at our first-ever all virtual pitch event featuring some of the most innovative companies scaling in the United States. The three experts you’ll hear from in this episode include:

- Mandy Hasket, Leadership Consultant at ADVISA

- Phil Powell, Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University

- J. Kelly Hoey, Angel Investor, Author, Speaker, and Podcast Host of BUILD YOUR DREAM NETWORK

John Rampton is a serial entrepreneur that has helped people bring amazing products and services to scale. John was just recently named #2 on Top 50 Online Influencers in the World by Entrepreneur Magazine as well as a blogging expert by Forbes. Time Magazine also recognized John as a motivational speaker that helps people find a “Sense of Meaning” in their lives. He currently advises several companies in the bay area. Tune in to hear John’s pitch!

Please enjoy this pitch with John Rampton of Calendar.com!

Since the beginning of global coronavirus pandemic, companies have been asking employees to work from home while others are getting furloughed or laid off as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread around the globe. For those searching for employment opportunities, this has been a cause for concern, with large group gatherings, daily activities, and even dining in restaurants being put on hold or banned for the foreseeable future, the chances to network and discover the opportunities we all once knew have entirely disappeared.

On today’s episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, we’ll be sharing a recent interview and LIVE Q&A where we learned and gained invaluable advice from networking expert and author of the “Build Your Dream Network,” Kelly Hoey. Who has been lauded by Forbes as a Woman who is Changing the World of VC and Entrepreneurship, by Fast Company as one of the 25 Smartest Women On Twitter”) and by Inc. as 1 of the 10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City’s Startup Scene.

She is a frequent speaker at leadership conferences, Hoey helps businesses and professionals leverage their formal and informal social networks.

Kelly has a whole new approach to the old topic of networking. And her fresh process for upping your social game does not require circulating in stale rooms or forcing awkward conversations. Instead, this conversation shows how small changes in your daily routine, simple generosity and your goal-focused efforts are all it can take to set you apart and lead to your next big opportunity. Tune in for more!

In this episode with Kelly Hoey, you’ll learn:

- The best ways you can continue to connect

- How to establish and re-establish key relationships

- Finding and setting the right directional goals

- Ways to stay on-brand through remote connections

Please enjoy this episode of the Powderkeg Podcast with Kelly Hoey!

Life in lockdown has not been easy, with a large majority of the country still facing an increase of financial pressures and many families are under severe stress of canceled trips, separation from friends, and the large abundance of time being cooped up at home has been putting stress and restful sleep on everyone. Luckily, there are some positive practices to help us relieve this large amount of stress and restore our restful sleep cycles.

On today’s episode of the Powderkeg Podcast, we’ll be sharing a recent interview and LIVE Q&A we hosted with a special guest, my dad, John Hunckler. Hypnotist and Guided Meditation Instructor, he’s the owner of Bloomington Hypnosis, where he has helped many, many people reduce stress, quit smoking, get better sleep, lose weight, and all-around live healthier lives.

John Hunckler was introduced to transcendental meditation, zen, and hypnosis in the 1970s, but did not become a certified hypnotist until 2011. He holds master’s degrees from the Universities of North Dakota and Notre Dame in education and business. And worked for eighteen months in a busy practice in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he conducted almost two thousand sessions before opening his full-time practice — Bloomington Hypnosis.

In this episode, I talk with my dad John Hunckler about how to optimize your greatest asset, your mindset, to help reduce stress and live a better life. It’s a particularly relevant topic right now at the time of releasing, because of all the uncertainty surrounding the economy and the coronavirus pandemic which continues to spread around the globe. Tune in for more!

In this episode with John Hunckler, you’ll learn:

- Best practices in reducing fears and anxieties.

- How to be mindful of language and change habits

- Ways to gain deep, restorative sleep

- How to become refreshed and energized.

- And finding your key power pose

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this conversation with John Hunckler!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.