Liftoff with Keith Newman

Such a treat to virtually grab trend spotter, master of pithy prose and my first editor @CRN Bob Evans for a sit-down on The Look Back. We review that windy path that included his run as head of Computer Reseller News then, Information Week, and now Cloud Wars, along with a deep dive into his latest and perhaps best suited role (Grandpa).

Before the age of digital downloads, SaaS and streaming there were these huge boxes filled with disks and these boxes were sold at retail stores and via mail order shops - lol - no, really they were. Then it all changed and we used email and other web-based forms of communication to drive sales. The sage veteran of these marketing battles for the customer's attention were forged by the likes of my old friend Richard Miles. Richard was not only a leading marketing consultant in this era but also an innovator and builder of astute marketing practices. And then his next journey began and then his next and next. We cover several of the key steps in the latest edition of The Look Back. 

The Look Back sits down with old friend Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies, a research firm he has led for more than 40 years!!! And from the catbird seat that allowed him to review products and game plans with the top executives of Apple, IBM, Intel, Toshiba and many more. Tim shares the good, bad and ugly over the last few decades and takes a peek into emerging offerings from the worlds of mobile and virtual reality. As much fun as we had over the last few decades, Tim and I agree, the Future is going to be fun too!

The Look Back sits down to discuss Past, Present and Future Proofing with multi-industry entrepreneur Jay Samit. Jay is an old friend of ours and former music, tech and software executive. He is also stoked about his new best-seller(“FutreProofing” and his prior killer read “Disrupt You”). In our chat, Jay shares a slew of stories about the his time in the music industry, from the Beatles to Napster, along with the rise of music downloads, NFT, Crypto and what it takes to become successful in your own business. So many great tips and insights for budding entrepreneurs.

Before he bought the Dallas Mavericks and took them to a championship and before he was tapped lead shark on top rated tv show Shark Tank Mark Cuban was a networking reseller, coding and connecting companies to networks and we gave him a column at CRN, the tech newspaper I was working on at the time. We cover the round trip and more on The Look Back. come along for a fun ride with America’s #1 Entrepreneur.

About The Look Back podcast. Candid conversations with movers and shakers. Nostalgic sprinkled with insights and maybe a laugh or two. Hope you will listen, share, and most of all -- enjoy.

A catch up convo with Bobby Napiltonia as he shares his view from the cockpit of Salesforce Twilio Creative Labs and more. Talk about ‘built for speed’. That’s Bobby. Glad he could slow down for our podcast!

He transformed the industry once - coaching retailers how to sell tech while teaching tech how to sell to traditional retail (former exec with Merisel, Kenfil, HP and many other places). And he continues to transform businesses by advising, consulting and helping others find truth through trust. The passion to find a better path still burns inside this amazing innovator. Check us out - you won’t be sorry.

The most suspenseful roller coaster ride of tech has been the evolution of the smartphone and Ed had a huge role in the formation of this amazing industry segment. In the beginning, there was Palm (among others) with amazing tech and UI, and then Handspring, both places where Ed played a major role in directing product, sales and marketing. Come go on a fun ride with us as Ed shares historical perspective to one of the greatest innovations in tech, along with other insights that are compelling and instructive. Press Play.

Heidi was the head of T-Maker software - remember them back in the '80s, baby? It was a great word processing program for the Mac - back in the daze when there weren’t many women CEO’s in software or tech. Heidi offers a nostalgic look back to those times with a mix of fun stories and lessons in building teams, tech and a maniacal focus, as a company, on user satisfaction. She readily admits to using many of those criteria as she advises startups in her role as a VC. Press here for more!