Focus on Talent Podcast

In this episode (part 1 of 2):

• Brian shares the story of his career progression and entrepreneurial success:
  • from his start in the the call center at Quicken Loans to his current role leading the 5th largest pet insurer in the United States
  • his experiences with key mentors, their impact on his professional development, and the effects of a career catapult
  • the core values and cultural identity of his team at Embrace Pet Insurance

In this episode:

• In our continuation of our chat with Matthew, he shares suggestions for experienced candidates evaluating their next move.
  • Focus on measurement of success
  • The importance of impact vs hours and effort
  • Interview the company! Evaluate the culture and core values of a company vs only the role description
  • Once the candidate is in the door, both the company and the candidate should throw the resume out the door…focus on expectations and the business fundamentals / alignment

In this episode:

• Matthew shares the story of his career progression and entrepreneurial success:
  • Matthew started in Finance and was planning on a career on Wall Street.
  • He quickly learned that companies with better brand strategies had higher valuations and he became fascinated by story telling and brand development.
  • Curiosity and Data are his keys developing a meaningful career with non-stop learning.
• For those beginning their careers, it’s imperative to develop: critical thinking, problem solving, writing, and curiosity.
• Lastly, Matthew shares a favorite case study from his rebranding project with Warner Brothers.

In this episode:

• Tara shares the story of her career progression and success as a Marketer:
  • Tara’s career spans product marketing in Consumer Products with American Greetings, to Financial Service with Cardinal Commerce (Visa)
  • She talks about and give specific references about how the power of CURIOSITY can lead to great marketing as well as impact your career aspirations.
  • Tara discusses the importance of putting yourself into a position to take calculated risks in order to grow.
• Why experimentation with projects is so important.
• For those beginning their careers, it’s critical to demonstrate your self-driven ability to learn.
• Lastly, Tara shares the concept of leveraging a Brand Plan for supporting your job search.

In this episode:

• Jacob shares the story of how and why he started mGenio:
  • With a career focused in professional services, Jacob’s technology and business acumen led him to building his own firm
  • mGenio is focused on custom software development including enterprise and mobile applications, IoT (Internet of Things) integrations, and Salesforce implementations.
  • What is IoT and how do you become an Internet of Things developer?
• Why experimentation with projects is so important.
• Jacob provides insights into the importance of attitude and aptitude for his talent evaluation process.
• Lastly, Jacob shares his top three Vietnamese restaurants in Cleveland to get Pho!

In this episode:

• Arnold shares the story of how and why he started Yalo:
  • With a degree in Chemical Engineering, a decade implementing ERP solutions at Accenture, and then driving Sales & Marketing in a SaaS business, Arnold started his own marketing agency…and built a successful distributed workforce years before it has become more widely the norm.
  • Yalo is a FIJI word for “soul” – and Arnold uses film, art, and music to drive inspiration for his clients’ projects.
  • Extracurriculars matter…especially leadership positions.   Become a Greek Heritage Dancer!
• He provides advice on positioning yourself for interview success.  Think beyond your resume…create a presentation that tells a story about you and your capabilities.
• Lastly, Arnold offers some excellent advice about the importance of being “nimble” in your interview and trying to break the mold of sticking to a script.

In this episode:

• Michelle shares the story of how and why she started Hello, LLC:
  • Being fired can be a good thing!  It’s a catalyst for change…especially for entrepreneurs.
  • When building a company, it’s critical to create Core Values, and then truly follow them!
  • Creating an environment for working moms and women to thrive!
• She provides advice on the right college major to choose to be successful in Social / PR…and also why analytics is the key to driving value with Social Media.
• Lastly, Michelle offers some excellent advice for both recent college grads and experienced pros, on how to differentiate yourself in a job search

In this episode:

• Megan share’s the story of her career progression evolving from:
  • Food photographer at Ponderosa Steakhouse, through her MBNA call center experience 
  • To her Digital Marketing exposure at one of the earliest Job Sites – the regional player: CareerBoard
  • And ultimately through a few agencies before landing as the CEO and Co-Owner of Point to Point
• She provides specific examples how to properly implement the holistic strategy of Marketing Automation and how to create accountability via marketing programs. 
• Lastly, Megan offers some excellent advice for both recent college grads and experienced pros, on how to differentiate yourself in a job search.

In this episode:

• Felicia share’s the story of her career progression evolving from:
  • Managing customer experience for all online consumer acquisition at America Online. 
  • Through her progression at American Express, where she was part of one of the first Programmatic Ad-buys focused on customer acquisition.
  • And ultimately into Director of Marketing at First Energy Home – implementing eCommerce for products and services for First Energy Consumers.
• She provides specific examples of the importance of user research and content development to support the customer journey.
• Lastly, Felicia offers some excellent advice for both recent college grads and experienced pros, on how to differentiate yourself in a job search.

In this episode:

• Sally share’s the story of her career progression evolving from:
  • Her first exposure to customer segmentation and customer service in first job with Dairy Queen!
  • Through her progression at Merrill Lynch; with a private business that went public, a public business that went private…
  • And ultimately into operating her own fractional CMO focused consulting firm
• She provides specific examples of the importance of diving into the details of lead generation and measurement to calculate ROI
• Lastly, Sally offers some excellent advice for both recent college grads and experienced pros, on how to differentiate yourself in a job search

In this episode:

• Heather shares the story of her career progression, evolving from:
  • Her first exposure to startups at Lucent Technologies, New Ventures Group
  • Through the progression of her exposure to MarTech and Data as a Service (DaaS)
  • And then onto her Entrepreneur in Residence role at JumpStart, Inc.
• She presents a case study of a successful Cleveland, OH based SaaS/DaaS company called Thrivable
• Heather offers some excellent advice for both recent college grads and experienced pros, on how to differentiate yourself in a job search
• Last, more observations on the critical role that data plays in enhancing career development and success in the MarTech industry.

In this episode:

• Paul share’s the story of his career progression evolving from:
  • A role in retail commerce to starting his own Search Marketing agency
  • Through the progression of 3+ mergers and acquisitions into SaaS Product Development in the Local Advertising space
  • And then onto his CEO role at Tiger Pistol
• Paul presents specific case studies on Tiger Pistol’s differentiators in the marketing as a SaaS based “collaborative advertising” product
• Paul offers his perspective on how to differentiate yourself in a job search, and provides insights into the impact of Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning in MarTech

In this episode:

• Jason share’s the story of his career progression evolving from :
  • A Licensed Insurance agent at Progressive Insurance to a Paid Search expert
  • and now to CEO of a eCommerce product and Digital Marketing agency
• Jason offers his perspective on how to differentiate yourself in a job search as well as the critical importance of your personal & professional network.
• Add some new music knowledge to your repertoire too!