B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success

Customer onboarding is often where good intentions often end up with less-than-stellar execution. Delays, confusion, and misalignment derail even the most promising new relationships. Why is onboarding still broken in so many organizations, and how is AI finally changing that? Today I'm joined by Srikrishnan Ganesan, Co-Founder and CEO of Rocketlane, a platform that's redefining customer onboarding and project delivery. From AI-driven tools to cross-functional collaboration, Rocketlane is helping teams implement faster, operate smarter, and retain customers better. Srikrishnan's here to talk about the future of onboarding, operations, and the role of technology in scaling both customer satisfaction and internal success. Resources Rocketlane: https://www.rocketlane.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

We aired this episode a little while ago, but thought it had some amazing insights we thought were worth sharing again. Today we're going to talk about building a change maker culture and how you can help your teams to thrive among change, instead of being disrupted by it. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Steve Blum, Chief Operating Officer of Autodesk. About Steve Blum As Autodesk's Chief Operating Officer, Steve oversees the teams responsible for sales, marketing, customer success, digital platforms, and customer experience. Together, these teams create and provide high-impact experiences for customers. Their aim is to help people achieve their business outcomes using design and make technologies. Steve believes in having an "expect to win" attitude. It's a mindset built around confidence, determination, focus and perseverance. Steve guides his teams to have a vision of the customer's success, a game plan to achieve it, and the drive to make it happen. He also believes no one accomplishes great things by working alone. It takes a great team. He has experienced this firsthand in his 30-year career in technology. Since joining Autodesk in 2003, Steve has led the field organization through the company's business model transition, introduced Named Account programs worldwide, implemented a new partner channel framework, and established the company's first Customer Success organization. Prior to Autodesk, Steve held leadership positions with Parago, Inc, Mentor Graphics, Advanced Micro Devices and NCR Corporation. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida, and he started his professional life as an engineer. He earned a patent for developing a testing technique to evaluate undershoot and overshoot resistances in programmable logic devices. Steve is usually on the road more than in his office and home in Texas. But he always makes time for family, even if it means getting on another plane with his wife to see his kids. His two adult children have started their careers and now seek out dad for advice. Steve loves hearing about their experiences, getting their insights as young professionals, and seeing them learn and grow. Resources Autodesk website: https://www.autodesk.com The B2B Agility podcast website: https://agilebrandguide.com/latest-podcasts/b2bagility/ Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

When your site is technically "up" but takes too long to load, customers don't care—it might as well be down. Why is "slow" the new "down", and how is that reshaping the way organizations think about digital experience? Today I'm joined by Gerardo Dada, Chief Marketing Officer at Catchpoint, a leader in digital experience monitoring. Gerardo recently helped launch the 2025 SRE Report, which delivers some surprising insights—most notably, that 53% of organizations now view poor performance as just as damaging as actual downtime. Catchpoint is also leading innovation in observability with tools like their new AI-powered Internet Outage Map, and Gerardo's here to talk about what it all means for digital-first organizations. Resources Catchpoint: https://www.catchpoint.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

Most brands invest heavily in content creation, but how much of that content actually reaches global audiences in a way that feels authentic? With 94% of B2B buyers saying they are more likely to engage with leadership and conference videos in their local language, companies are missing a massive opportunity. How can AI-powered video localization remove barriers, preserve cultural nuance, and make video content truly global? Joining me today is Guy Piekarz, CEO of Panjaya, a company revolutionizing video localization with AI-driven deep-real technology that provides seamless lip-syncing and natural dubbing across multiple languages. Panjaya is already working with global leaders like TED and JFrog, helping brands expand their international reach. Guy's journey includes time at Apple and founding Matcha, where he saw firsthand the inefficiencies in traditional video dubbing and closed captioning—processes that are often slow, expensive, and produce subpar results. RESOURCES Panjaya: https://www.panjaya.ai/ Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

How do you take a business from a basement office in Queens to a $25 million company—without losing the personal touch that made it special in the first place? Joining us today is Fred Meyers, President and Founder of Queensboro, a company that has revolutionized the custom logo apparel industry. Fred spotted a market gap while doing laundry in his college dorm room, long before e-commerce, fax machines, or even 1-800 numbers were mainstream. What started as a small side project in the late 1970s has grown into a thriving business with over 125 employees, helping small businesses across America build their brands through high-quality custom apparel. About Fred Meyers Fred Meyers is the founder of Queensboro, a company he started in the late 1970s that revolutionized the custom logo apparel industry. Before the existence of fax machines or 800 numbers, Fred identified a market gap in the premium polo shirt space dominated by brands like Lacoste and Ralph Lauren. Through determination and innovation, he built a supply chain from scratch, transforming a college dorm room operation into a multi-million dollar company that has sustained growth for over 45 years. Today, Queensboro serves major clients like Costco, Burger King, and Pepsi, while maintaining its commitment to helping small businesses build their brands through custom apparel. Resources Queensboro website: https://www.queensboro.com The B2B Agility podcast website: https://www.b2bagility.com Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

Payroll isn't exactly what you'd call exciting—so how do you take a - let's face it - rather boring topic like that and make it relatable, engaging, and even funny enough to capture an audience's attention? Joining us today is Jason Ing, Chief Marketing Officer at Gusto, a leading platform that provides small and medium-sized businesses with payroll, health insurance, HR tools, and more to empower their teams both locally and internationally. Jason has spearheaded innovative campaigns like the recent "Choose Gusto" campaign, proving that even the most unexpected topics can connect deeply with audiences. RESOURCES Gusto: https://www.gusto.com Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Is your brand's story building trust—or are you leaving credibility to chance? Our guest today is Karla Jo Helms, Founder and CEO of JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla is an expert in transforming B2B brands through innovative public relations strategies. With a career dedicated to building trust, managing crises, and leveraging data-driven storytelling, she has helped countless businesses scale and thrive. She's here to share her insights on harnessing the power of PR to elevate B2B brands, even in the most challenging environments. Karla Jo Helms, Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line—and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumni of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators and the media to help restore companies of goodwill back into the good graces of public opinion—Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Karla Jo has patterned her agency on the perfect balance of crisis management, entrepreneurial insight and proven public relations experience. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of PR to drive markets and impact market perception. Resources Joto PR Disruptors™ website: https://jotopr.com/ The B2B Agility podcast website: https://www.b2bagility.com Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

As small and medium-sized businesses navigate economic uncertainty, here's a question to consider: Are your payment systems an asset that drives growth, or are they just another expense? Today, we're joined by Brian Goudie, CEO of Aurora Payments. With nearly 30 years in the payments industry, Brian has guided Aurora to serve over 27,000 merchants, equipping small and medium-sized businesses with the tools they need to thrive in changing economic climates. Known for his community-centric approach to fintech, Brian is here to share insights into how the right payment systems can support business resilience and growth. Resources Aurora Payments website: https://risewithaurora.com/ The B2B Agility podcast website: https://www.b2bagility.com Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

In a world of fleeting attention spans and oversaturated markets, how can brands truly stand out and build loyalty that lasts—even when it comes to something as overlooked as board meetings? Today, we're joined by Allison Capaldi, Senior Content Manager at Zeck, and Robert Wolfe, Founder of Zeck. Together, they've built not one but three successful brands, including Moosejaw, which sold to Walmart, and CrowdRise, which sold to GoFundMe. Now, they're revolutionizing the way companies approach board meetings with Zeck, while continuing to push the boundaries of what it means to build a memorable and lasting brand. Allison will share her innovative "Layer Cake Approach" to branding, and we'll hear from both Allison and Robert about their unique partnership and insights on building iconic brands. About Allison Capaldi Allison Capaldi started her passion for brand and brand building in 2002 when she was one of the first employees at Moosejaw Mountaineering, founded by Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe. From that moment on, the world of brand building was in her blood. From a small back office carved out of a retail store where they'd put customers on hold to say 'hold on let us check in our warehouse' (spoiler, there was no warehouse), to being acquired by Walmart and more recently, by Dick's Sporting Goods, it was the maniacal pressing of the brand that made it all work.An irreverent sense of humor, a fanatical approach to customer service and a cult following around the globe helped to create a brand full of authenticity well before that was a buzzword. Following the Wolfe brother's next endeavor (along with award-winning actor Edward Norton), Allison landed at CrowdRise, which eventually became the largest fundraising platform for non-profits in the United States. Kind of cool. Making giving back notable, cool and fun was the goal and it worked. CrowdRise was eventually acquired by GoFundMe. Fast-forward to business number three of Robert, Jeffrey and Edward and Zeck was born. Out of real life experience of now having sat on multiple boards and dealing with multiple boards, everyone realized there was a real problem. First of all, board meetings were miserable - we're solving that. The brand is right back to taking center stage on a problem that is extremely corporate and lackluster. And, it's working again. Allison calls her branding approach the Layer Cake Approach and can talk about it until she's blue in the face. It's not about creating a brand that looks good and says the right thing - it's about the layers. The details. The miniscule fine print on the receipt that actually is engaging - and for the 2% of people who read it, they're yours forever. A graduate from the University of Michigan, Go Blue, she's devoted her working life to these brands. She's also a decent singer, brings her own hot sauce to her sister-in-law's house and can't go to bed unless the kitchen is clean. That's all. About Robert Wolfe Robert Wolfe is the founder and former CEO of Moosejaw and CrowdRise. More recently, Robert started Zeck. Zeck is entirely reimagining the miserable board meeting process Robert started Moosejaw in a tiny shop when he had really big hair. Moosejaw's aim was to make retail and e-commerce fun and engaging and they also pressed their own Moosejaw brand, which became pretty cultish, in a good way. Despite being incredibly foolish, Moosejaw was acquired by Walmart. No one can believe it but it's true. Robert wanted to make sure he had some sort of decent impact, so along with his smarter brother, Jeffrey, and actor and philanthropist, Edward Norton, he launched CrowdRise. CrowdRise focused on making giving back notable, cool and social. CrowdRise eventually became the largest fundraising platform four non-profits in the US and was acquired by GoFundMe. After spending time as an operator running board meetings and, on the other side of the table, as a board member, Robert launched Zeck to change the process entirely. Zeck transforms the dynamic between the leadership team and the board, making board meetings strategic and forward thinking. Never again will you get into a board meeting to have a deck that you already read, read back to you. Such a waste of time. Robert has no interests or hobbies and is a terrible sleeper. He has been an advisor to several companies and is faster than Usain Bolt at replying to any message. But, publicly Robert only boasts about his Honorable Mention for 'Best Breakdancer Using an Old School Cardboard Mat'. Also, 'for' is spelled incorrectly above on purpose. Resources Zeck website: https://www.zeck.com The B2B Agility podcast website: https://www.b2bagility.com Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

Is your marketing operations team set up to be a strategic driver of growth, or are they stuck managing tools and putting out fires? Today, we're joined by Mike Rizzo, Founder of MarketingOps.com. Mike is here to discuss the 2024 State of the Marketing Operations Professional Report, which is based on insights from over 600 MOps professionals. This report sheds light on the evolving role of marketing ops, the challenges they face, and the opportunities for B2B leaders to elevate the function as a strategic driver of growth. About Mike Rizzo Mike Rizzo, is the Community-led Founder of MO Pros and MarketingOps.com. With his extensive background in marketing Mike helped build, launch, manage and optimize Mavenlink's first-ever user community and Client Advisory Board programs. He is the founder of MO Pros - The Community for Marketing Operations Pros that is growing with an average of 110 new members every month. He is also the co-host of the podcast called Ops Cast by MO Pros. As the founder of MarketingOps.com, Mike is taking a community-led approach to building resources that are purpose-built for MO Pros. Resources MarketingOps website: https://www.marketingops.com The B2B Agility podcast website: https://www.b2bagility.com Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/b2b-agility/ Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com