The Inflection Podcast Anebi

Anthony Sarandrea is recognized as one of the top customer generators in the world, specializing in the insurance & financial services space. He recently went through an acquisition by a public strategic company MediaAlpha (NYSE: MAX). He is currently serving on the advisory board of Arizona’s largest VC fund as well as the Colangelo College of Business advisory board for Grand Canyon University (the 3rd largest online University in the US & largest christian University in the US).



Check out this episode if you want to learn:


The value of persistence in achieving your goals
How over-delivering to clients can maximize your business growth
Why you shouldn't sacrifice your personal well-being for the sake of work



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 

Links:

Anthony Sarandrea, Guest

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-sarandrea/

Website - ⁠https://anthonysarandrea.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anthonysarandrea/

 

Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o

 

Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:00 - Introduction and Anthony's Background00:00:30 - Anthony's Origin Story and Motivation00:03:01 - The Role of Pain in Motivation00:03:12 - Feature on the Ellen DeGeneres Show00:04:44 - The Competitive Nature of Anthony's Market00:05:24 - The Acquisition by MediaAlpha00:08:39 - Productizing a Service-Based Business00:11:43 - Key Challenges and Learning Lessons00:14:39 - Anthony's Philanthropy and Final Thoughts


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Alan Stein is the Founder, CEO & Chief Accelerator at Kadima Careers. With over 30 years of leadership experience at Google, Meta, Salesforce, and American Express, Alan knows how to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the job market. He's uniquely skilled at empowering ambitious professionals to land better jobs quickly, confidently and with lots more money.



Check out this episode to learn:


Industry hiring trends and how to navigate being laid off
How underrepresented groups can earn higher paying jobs
The importance of negotiation tactics when accepting a new role



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.



Links:

Alan Stein, Guest

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/alanjstein/

Kadima - https://kadimacareers.com/



Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o



Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Inflection Podcast00:00:10 - Alan's Introduction and Kadima Careers00:00:20 - Origin Story of Kadima Careers00:00:37 - Alan's Career Background00:01:10 - Passion for Hiring and Talent Development00:01:21 - Transition from Corporate to Entrepreneurship00:01:53 - Meaning of "Kadima" and Company Mission00:02:04 - Personal Resonance with Career Advancement00:02:15 - Personalized Approach to Career Services00:02:42 - Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives00:04:06 - Success Stories from Kadima Careers00:04:29 - Marissa's Career Transformation00:06:09 - Kadima Careers' Suite of Services00:08:17 - Negotiation and Salary Increases00:08:28 - Mindset Challenges for Job Seekers00:09:05 - Strategies for Entering the Job Market00:10:12 - Interview Success Rates00:10:22 - Hiring Trends and Diversity00:11:54 - Service Provider Selection and Financial Lessons00:12:06 - Industry Trends and Layoffs00:13:10 - Employee Loyalty and Job Security00:13:42 - Fear and Proactivity in Job Searching00:14:14 - AI and Its Impact on Jobs00:14:48 - Fractional Work and Side Hustles00:15:06 - Pragmatic Optimism in Career Planning00:15:59 - Stability of Traditional Employment00:17:08 - The Concept of Pragmatic Optimism00:17:58 - Reflections on Kadima Careers' Growth00:18:02 - Learning from Past Business Decisions00:20:24 - Future Plans for Kadima Careers00:20:49 - Scaling and Client Onboarding00:21:33 - Global Accessibility and Pricing00:22:52 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information


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Sarah Hart is the Founder and Chief Brand Designer at Hart & Co. Sarah has built a successful agency over the past 14 years. Starting as a freelancer, Sarah's entrepreneurial spirit led her to experiment with various projects and despite some failures, she persisted and eventually grew her agency by bringing on a team.



Listen to this episode if you want to learn:


The importance of seeking help and collaboration in business to better serve clients.
How resiliency is key to maintain in the competitive business world.
How business owners can trust their teams without using micromanagement.



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 

Links:

Sarah Hart, Guest

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhartcreative/

Hart & Co - http://hartcocreative.com

 

Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o

 

Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:01 - Introduction to Sarah

00:00:46 - Agency Longevity

00:01:02 - Starting Hart & Co.

00:01:39 - Transitioning from Freelancer to Agency

00:02:09 - Scaling the Agency

00:03:01 - First Team Expansion

00:04:17 - Trust and Management

00:05:30 - Company Location and Scaling Internationally

00:07:01 - Agency Evolution

00:08:06 - Building SOPs and Knowledge Transfer

00:10:20 - Personal Growth and Business Evolution

00:13:21 - LinkedIn Strategy and Personal Branding

00:16:03 - Advice for Aspiring Agency Owners

00:17:48 - Team Structure and Hiring Philosophy

00:19:33 - Closing


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Enoch Weng is the CEO & Co-Founder of Rise Above Finance. Enoch is a highly sought after speaker, consultant, and board member for his work in the non-profit and business world. With his unique background blend of entrepreneurship, finance, and the creative arts, Enoch has been pioneering interdisciplinary innovation throughout his career.



Listen to this episode if you want to learn:


The importance of understanding the 'why' behind starting a business.
The power of faith and purpose in business.
How to find meaningful work as an entrepreneur.



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 

Links:

Enoch Weng, Guest

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/enochweng/

Rise Above Finance - ⁠http://www.riseabovefinance.com

 

Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o

 

Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:01 - Introduction to Enoch Weng00:00:33 - Enoch's Journey from Musician to Business Owner00:02:35 - Period of Silence and Reflection00:03:53 - Rise Above Finance's Beginnings00:04:59 - Testing the Business Model and Faith Integration00:06:05 - Scaling Beyond Canada00:07:19 - Leadership and Faith00:08:46 - Staying Grounded Amidst Growth00:10:57 - Exciting Developments in Finance and Rise Above Finance00:14:01 - Advice for Aspiring Business Owners00:16:00 - Rapid Fire Round


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Josh Colter is the CEO of CardBoard. With over 15 years of experience building comprehensive and strategic marketing programs in competitive markets, Josh is motivated to lead teams with a solid strategic narrative. Josh is skilled in areas such as Strategic Product Analysis, Business Operations Analysis and C-Suite Level Consulting.



Listen to this episode if you want to learn:


How conducting surveys and analyzing user feedback can lead to more effectively serving customers
How to lead a tech company through various stages of growth and the strategic decisions
How to identify a product's most engaged and loyal users



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.



Links:

Josh Colter, Guest

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/joshcolter/

CardBoard - https://cardboardit.com/

To email Josh your feedback on CardBoard, contact him at: josh.colter@cardboardit.com



Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o



Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:00 - Introduction and Guest Background00:00:21 - Origin Story of CardBoard00:01:05 - Venture Funded Companies and Acquisition Growth00:01:27 - Introduction to SEP and CardBoard Acquisition00:02:07 - Challenges and Lost Momentum at CardBoard00:03:06 - Strategic Missteps and Market Focus00:03:48 - Regaining Momentum and Surfing Analogy00:04:15 - User Stickiness and Platform Loyalty00:05:18 - Revitalizing CardBoard and Customer Engagement00:06:01 - Customer-Centric Product Development00:07:26 - Engineering Focus and Customer Outcomes00:08:09 - Growth and User Feedback00:09:11 - CEO's Multifaceted Role and Empathy00:10:04 - Customer Centricity and Product Challenges00:11:08 - Empathy for Product Teams and Engineers00:12:39 - AI and Tech Innovations at CardBoard00:13:59 - AI Integration and Product Development00:15:09 - Advice on Acquiring and Scaling a Company00:17:42 - Expectations After Acquisition00:18:26 - Rapid Fire Word Association00:18:44 - Engaging with CardBoard and User Feedback00:19:20 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information


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Yana Welinder is the CEO of Kraftful. Her background as a product leader at various tech companies has provided her with firsthand experience of the challenges faced by product teams. Throughout her journey, she's identified several pain points that product managers and team members encounter while developing products. These insights led her to create Kraftful as a solution for product teams to overcome these challenges and build better products.



Listen to this episode if you want to learn:


How the strategic use of AI can benefit a product
How to deliver innovative solutions tailored to the needs of product teams
How to do things that don't scale



This show is brought to you by Eikon Labs. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.eikonlabs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 

Links:

Yana Welinder, Guest

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/ywelinder/

Kraftful - https://www.kraftful.com/

Resource - https://www.ycombinator.com/library/96-do-things-that-don-t-scale

 

Anebi Agbo, Host

LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter - @A15o_o

 

Timestamps for Episode:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Yana and Kraftful00:00:21 - Inflection Points Leading to Kraftful's Birth00:00:42 - Constant Focus on Product Teams00:01:03 - Yana's Journey as a Product Manager00:01:36 - Kraftful's Early Iterations00:02:17 - Pivots and Product Hunt Launches00:03:30 - AI Integration and Partnership with OpenAI00:05:27 - Decision to Focus on a Single Feature00:06:08 - Communicating Product Changes to Users00:07:07 - User Base as Early Adopters and Community00:08:50 - Y Combinator Experience and Benefits00:09:27 - Doing Things That Don't Scale00:10:02 - Launching MVP and Handling Growth00:11:05 - Reflecting on Past Decisions00:12:00 - Looking Forward and Upcoming Features00:13:02 - Building User Connection with the Product00:14:02 - Excitement for Kraftful's Future Developments00:15:14 - Closing Remarks and Show Notes


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inflectionpodcast/message