Politely Pushy with Eric Chemi

Today we welcome Sarah Spence to the podcast. Sarah is the CEO of Toronto-based Tadiem, the parent company of three agencies. Tadiem stands for Talent and Decency in Equal Measure and this mantra has helped Sarah see The Great Resignation through a different lens, providing her with an understanding of employees and their thought processes, as well as why her company was not hard hit by this worldwide phenomenon.

Today’s guest is Rob Enderle, owner of the Enderle Group. He is a tech and business analyst, thought leader, and journalist who was once ranked number 1 for his influence in the U.S. and Europe and named to the top 10 in Asia. Today, analyst rankings are not a thing, which could be the way crypto is headed in the future (Rob has mixed thoughts on the subject and that of NFTs - which you’ll have to tune in to find out!). He discusses the breadth of work and effort required to remain a top-notch tech and business analyst, why he would never want to be a CEO (and the challenges CEOs face), and the roadblocks for smaller companies approaching larger analyst firms. Rob reveals how defying the advice to choose a specialty was the best move for his career and how being a generalist - having focused on personal tech, servers, security storage, e-commerce, etc. - helped him keep up with topical and relevant sectors. He also discusses how important it is for businesses to find the proper analysts and gain and maintain their trust, and cops to the “reality show” he’s watching with both amusement and horror: Elon Musk Gone Wild.    

When you see Steve Carell use a Blackberry as his character Michael Scott on The Office, do you assume Blackberry was an advertiser? Very often, when we see brands on TV, we figure they paid for play, but here’s a surprising fact: 60% of companies don’t actually pay production companies to appear on a show. There’s often a partnership and process benefitting both parties. Today’s guest, Stacy Jones, who specializes in marketing and branding with her pulse on pop culture, explains how these types of collaborations work, how influencers are an asset to promoting a company and the different types of influencers brands work with and how they’re chosen. She details how partnerships between brands and companies develop and how influencers are instrumental in marketing. As CEO of Hollywood Branded Inc., Stacy has 25 years of experience in the industry and a background in theater, so she understands firsthand why production companies need brands, and why it’s so important to have someone facilitate these relationships. Her work has enabled companies to place products in the center of storylines as props that get mentioned by major stars. Stacy is also the host of the podcast Marketing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them). 

Did you watch the Black Mirror episode “Smithereens” starring Topher Grace? In the Netflix special, Topher’s Jack Dorsey-like character is so focused on meditation and seeking life purpose that he’s fled his tech company for the wilderness, neglecting the chaos wrought by technology and social media.Well, today’s guest isn’t Topher and no, it’s not Jack, but it’s someone we find to be interesting and much more reliable (than what Netflix led us to believe about the former Twitter head). Our guest found a way to blend tech with life purpose, making a positive impact across industries. Peter Capuciati, CEO and founder of Bluon, is bringing sexy back to the world of HVAC.He’s one of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet and worthy of his own Black Mirror doppelganger. The trained physicist went on to become a real estate success, thriving in that industry by his late 20s!  Then? Well, just like Topher in the wilderness, he decided to meditate. And instead of passing on the torch of industry success to the likes of an eccentric Tesla inventor, he took his scientific knowledge and applied it to a solution that now helps countless businesses after developing a refrigerant suited for $2 trillion of equipment.From science guy to real estate hotshot to…”HVAC Hero”, Peter ensures that Bluon offers tools, training, and support to technicians in the field and cuts out obstacles businesses would otherwise face. You’ll be enthralled by his eclectic and unexpected journey, how he made a necessity feel like a luxury, and how his company easily connects HVAC technicians with parts, resources and local distributors. Tune in to hear more from this fascinating entrepreneur who is so focused on impacting positive change in the world that he didn’t stay on that freaking mountain! (No shade, Topher - er, Jack. But come on; after you meditate, you must activate!)

Americans Trust Local News Over Social Media and 67% Trust Local over National News. Politics may be dividing the nation, but if there’s one thing that unites Democrats and Republicans it’s the local TV news. This medium now ushers in more viewers than national news and is appealing to a surprisingly younger demographic. In fact, local TV news has a bigger audience than either national or cable news combined and most shockingly, 18-34 is the fastest-growing demographic. Eric Chemi’s newest podcast guest, Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media discusses this and so much more.

Elia Wallen, CEO and founder of Hotel Engine, discusses revolutionizing corporate travel. He shares insights on how his platform simplifies hotel bookings for businesses, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Elia highlights adapting to market trends, like the increased demand for refundable rates, and the challenges of scaling in a competitive landscape. He elaborates on the importance of data in maximizing revenue and emphasizes the value of in-person collaboration in a remote-working world. Elia’s journey is a testament to innovation during adversity.

This week we are joined by Jered Martin, the CEO of OnePitch, a company our host wishes was around when he was a reporter. OnePitch helps PR professionals match their pitches with the ideal media list so they’re only contacting suitable journalists. AI technology is instrumental in this careful matching process with the service designed to carefully look analyze pitches and press releases, scan text to extract specific data points and compare those to the company’s database of articles written by journalists. Longtime PR professionals will marvel at this technology. It would have saved them time and spared them frustration had it been around decades ago. Jered discusses how his marketing background lends itself to this venture and why he’s fortunate to have found a mentor in his co-founder Beck Bamberger, a PR agency owner of over a decade. In addition to the importance of connecting to the proper journalist, Jered discusses how OnePitch gets feedback from journalists on how they prefer to be pitched, helping professionals and their agencies avoid being blasted on Twitter for a #PRFail.  

This week’s guest is Tom Carpenter, a principal at the public relations firm Bospar who has more than 20 years of business, marketing and tech PR experience. Tom is known as “the crisis communications expert” and is skilled at advising tech companies in highly sensitive situations. But he began his career conducting PR for one of the world’s leading law firms, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Tom brought lessons he learned and skills he honed to the tech world from a buttoned-up corporate environment where knowing when to keep mum and being prepared about how and when to respond was vital. He discusses the importance of transparency, when to be reactive, when to craft a “holding response” instead of issuing an immediate announcement, and when to lie low. This episode was recorded at the start of the war in Ukraine, so Tom also touches on companies being tactful about their messages during global crises, his agency’s COVID-related work, how Bospar responded to the Texas abortion ban, and the importance of addressing other social justice concerns. He explains how companies can prepare themselves for the worst-case scenario and how PR professionals can keep the media from blowing something up and making it out to be worse than it is. 

Toric co-founder and CEO Thiago da Costa joins the show this week. Brazilian tech entrepreneur Thiago shares how his initial attempt to develop a 12-unit building was the impetus for him to start Toric, a tech startup that's already cracking the construction industry's data insight conundrum.Thiago is a lifelong entrepreneur, and he explores the lessons learned from his previous startups, including Lagoa, which he sold to Autodesk. His current venture offers a low-code, no-code platform that allows contractors, architects, engineering firms, and project owners to combine data from numerous platforms used in the field. And with the potential for construction miscalculations to cost billions, there's no doubt that in this industry, details are critical, and mistakes are costly. We get into everything at the intersection of construction in the face of forces like the pandemic, the supply chain, skyrocketing prices, remote work, and the challenge of hiring tech talent right now. Change is nothing if not constant! Thiago and I even chat about the Bay Area's Brazilian tech mafia—the influences, the players, and the community, and what's leading these enterprising leaders to the city by the bay.

Author of Make It, Don’t Fake It and tech industry veteran Sabrina Horn felt confident when she started her own communications agency at age 29. However, she learned the hard way about how authentic one needs to be about what they know and truly understand, and the importance of setting realistic expectations with oneself and one’s clients.She explores the concept of “faking it” and how that can only withstand for so long before the facade crumbles. She recounts agonizing struggles related to client services, acquiring new businesses, and even convincing her parents that being a PR pro is NOT like being a call girl! Yes, true story. This is an episode you won’t want to miss about how a young entrepreneur acquired wisdom following blood, sweat, tears, challenges, and humility on the road to becoming a seasoned professional, expert, and author.