21st Century Entrepreneurship Martin Piskoric

Jeff Tarran is the COO of Gunderson Direct, America's largest independent direct mail marketing agency, and in this episode, she shares her extensive knowledge on the efficacy and strategic use of direct mail in modern marketing. She discusses why direct mail continues to offer unparalleled return on investment, claiming, "Direct mail has the highest ROI of any marketing channel."
One of the compelling points Jeff makes is the inherent trust and tactile engagement that direct mail commands: "Direct mail is physical. You have to touch it. You have to interact with it." This physicality enhances comprehension and recall, a benefit digital channels often struggle to match. She further emphasizes trust, noting, "Very few scams happen in direct mail, so it's the most trusted channel out there."
Targeting is another critical topic Jeff addresses. She highlights the importance of precise audience targeting and the costs of misdirected efforts with a personal anecdote: "I have a golf club 810 miles from my house... They send me tremendous offers... I don't like golf. So the value of those mailings to me is absolutely zero." This underscores the necessity of understanding and accurately identifying the audience for direct mail campaigns.
Innovation in direct mail, particularly through technology, is a key area of our conversation. Jeff describes advances such as variable data printing and AI integration, which enable highly personalized and effective campaigns. "We are all... becoming accustomed to digital communication. So designing and format trends, even in print, are becoming increasingly visually oriented."
Finally, Jeff stresses the importance of testing and learning from each campaign to continually improve and adapt strategies: "One of the most important things you can do in direct mail is learn from everything that you mail."
Listeners will gain deep insights into how direct mail can be strategically integrated into their marketing efforts, learn about the latest innovations enhancing its effectiveness, and understand why, despite the digital age, direct mail remains a critical tool for marketers aiming for high engagement and conversion.

Christy Pretzinger is the CEO of WG Content, and our conversation centered around her passion for creating an environment where employees thrive and feel valued. Christy shared her experiences and strategies for fostering a workplace culture that directly contributes to the bottom line by nurturing human connections and valuing kindness.
Christy emphasized the importance of recognizing individual contributions, stating, "people really need to know that they matter." She detailed how her business has succeeded by focusing not just on profit, but on creating a culture where "the special magic" each person brings is acknowledged and missed when absent. This approach is encapsulated in her company’s core values: empowered, curious, kind, and fun, which are not merely posted on walls but are integrated into the company's operations and recognized in meaningful ways, such as during their monthly all hands meetings.
Another key takeaway from our discussion was the concept of a "cultural balance sheet," a topic Christy explores in her upcoming book. She reflects on the evolution of her business philosophy, noting that "kindness is one of our core values that we live with, that it's a thread that runs through our organization and upon which all decisions can hang."
Christy also shared actionable advice for other leaders, such as the significance of values in an organization. She suggests that if an organization hasn’t defined its values, it should "crowdsource them with your people" to ensure they truly reflect the team. This practice not only aligns team members but also embeds a deeper sense of community and purpose within the workplace.
Moreover, she highlighted the importance of self-awareness and empathy in leadership. Christy described her personal growth journey, which includes a daily practice of meditation and reading, contributing to her effective leadership. She shared how the Enneagram personality system is utilized within her company to foster understanding and empathy among team members.
In conclusion, Christy’s narrative is a compelling reminder that the core of successful business lies in genuine relationships and a compassionate culture. She asserts, "Our values are... a thread that runs through our organization and upon which all decisions can hang," showcasing how deeply embedded these principles are in her company’s ethos. This episode offers profound insights for anyone looking to enhance their organizational culture and ensure their employees not only succeed but feel truly valued.

Glenn Akramoff is the visionary founder and CEO of Akramoff, a company dedicated to transforming workplace environments. In our discussion, we explored the crucial elements of creating happy, healthy, and productive workplaces. Glenn shared insightful stories and strategies that have successfully realigned employees with their organizational roles, enhancing both personal satisfaction and corporate efficiency.
A standout moment in the conversation was Glenn's example of a workplace adjustment that significantly improved an employee's job satisfaction: "She was the administrative person... And what we realized after having a conversation with her is that she was a hostess. She loved welcoming people." This shift not only fulfilled her personal aspirations but also benefited the organization, illustrating Glenn's core belief in tailoring roles to individual strengths and passions.
Glenn also emphasized the importance of aligning individual purposes with corporate goals to foster engagement and reduce turnover, stating, "So you want to be able to align your purpose as an individual with that of the company or organization you're working with." He believes in the transformative power of understanding and harnessing what he calls the "flow of performance," noting that, "each of us as human beings have a flow of our performance where we perform really well and where we don't."
The discussion also covered Glenn’s "eight keys" to building what he refers to as a "championship team." These include creating a visionary yet attainable organizational vision, defining what winning looks like, and planning for both immediate and long-term futures, emphasizing that "celebrating the past" is crucial for a motivated and connected team.
Listeners will find valuable takeaways in Glenn's approach to leadership and organizational development, particularly his focus on creating a culture of effective communication and continuous improvement. He remarks on the essential nature of debriefing: "You have to debrief every time you want it to become part of your culture."

Courtney Meyers is a pioneer in leveraging the gig economy, and we spoke about the transformative impact of this economic model on modern work. Courtney passionately describes the gig economy as "the next phase" of employment freedom, highlighting its capacity to empower individuals: "It gives people the freedom to choose how they want to work, when they want to work, where they want to work." Her insights are rooted in personal experience, from her early career as a medic in the army to becoming a key player in remote work environments.
Through her narrative, Courtney shares her journey of transition from military discipline to entrepreneurial resilience. She notes, "Building a business takes so much grit, just the ability to overcome hardship, push through." This foundation of resilience has been crucial as she navigated the challenges of establishing and growing Omni, a platform that embodies the principles of flexible, remote work through gig opportunities.
Courtney also discusses the importance of automation and cultural values in scaling her business. She explains how Omni harnesses automation to align gig workers with client needs efficiently: "We've invested heavily in a platform that basically allows people... to come and say, hey, this opportunity looks great for me." Moreover, she emphasizes the significance of maintaining a people-focused culture within a remote company, ensuring that Omni's ethos remains grounded in "delivering great things for our clients."
Listeners will find inspiration in Courtney's commitment to providing work opportunities that respect individual lifestyles, including military spouses and people with disabilities, who benefit from the flexibility and inclusivity of gig work. As Courtney reflects on the success of Omni and its positive impact, she shares a powerful takeaway: "What was really neat for me... was learning a lot, obviously, in the army, and this whole background in discipline, resilience, grit."
This episode is not only a deep dive into the mechanics of the gig economy but also a testament to the personal growth and strategic innovation that drive successful entrepreneurship in today's dynamic work landscape.

Andy Apple, founder and CEO of We Are Giant, discussed the evolving dynamics between artists and their fans facilitated by technological innovation. From his roots as a music blogger to his strategic pivot into venture capitalism, Andy has always been driven by a passion for music and a desire to impact the industry profoundly. His venture, We Are Giant, is designed to tackle the inefficiencies he observed in artist-fan interactions: "Today, they're cobbling together dozens of fragmented tools, none of which are aligned with each other."
Throughout our conversation, Andy emphasized the necessity of building sustainable communities around music artists, rather than relying on sporadic interactions. By creating a platform where "audio only listening parties, video only live streams, and text only chat rooms" coexist, We Are Giant seeks to foster a continuous engagement loop among fans, which Andy describes as integral to both artist growth and fan satisfaction.
A compelling aspect of We Are Giant’s approach is its focus on full-spectrum artist empowerment. Andy expressed this intention clearly: "We're taking a really unique approach at harnessing this opportunity for artists by creating healthy and sustainable communities of their fans to support them." This approach not only enhances the artists' ability to monetize their relationships but also aligns with the larger shifts in the music industry toward more direct and impactful artist-fan engagements.
Another critical element discussed was the monetization model that We Are Giant employs, which Andy describes as "event-driven monetization." He elaborates on the transformative potential of this model, noting, "With our listening parties, we create really unique opportunities for artists to generate more revenue from both their commercial and non-commercial music." This strategy reflects a broader vision of providing artists with the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Our discussion with Andy Apple provides deep insights into the intersection of technology and music, offering a visionary outlook on how artists can navigate and succeed in this new era. His dedication to reshaping the music industry through community and technology paints an exciting future for artists and fans alike.

Bryan Farris is the founder and president of Goldfish Code, a firm dedicated to transforming the software development agency space through strategic, impactful, and technology-driven solutions. In our engaging conversation, we explored the nuances of integrating strategy with software development to solve real-world problems. Farris emphasized the significance of starting with a strategic approach rather than jumping straight into development, stating, "People are not doing it properly because they don't really start with the strategy side of it."
Diving deep into the ethos behind Goldfish Code, Farris shared his journey from being a tech enthusiast to becoming a seasoned entrepreneur with a penchant for social impact. His philosophy is rooted in understanding and solving the strategic problems businesses face, with software potentially being a part of the solution. "It's more about what problem you need solved and what outcomes you need," Farris highlighted, underscoring the importance of identifying core issues before considering technological interventions.
A standout aspect of our discussion was the introduction of Goldfish Code's 360-degree consulting approach. This systematic method prioritizes understanding clients' strategic and financial goals, followed by a motivation-driven design process, and culminates in the deployment of tailor-made solutions. Farris's experience with Impact Wave exemplifies this approach's efficacy, showcasing how a deep dive into the client's mission can lead to innovative, revenue-generating solutions.
Beyond his professional achievements, Farris shared insights from his extensive travels to 134 countries, revealing how these experiences have profoundly influenced his work, especially in motivation-driven design. "It's really important to look at everyone...as actually a human," he noted, highlighting the importance of considering user motivation in design processes.
Listeners can expect to gain invaluable insights into the intersection of strategy, technology, and human-centered design from this episode. Farris's journey is a testament to the power of strategic thinking in the tech world and serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs and businesses aiming to make a meaningful impact through software.