Episodios

  • #42: Maintaining authenticity as you scale with Fred Meyers, Queensboro

    #42: Maintaining authenticity as you scale with Fred Meyers, Queensboro
    Apr 8 2025

    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
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    23 m
  • #41: Connecting deeply with B2B audiences with Jason Ing, Gusto

    #41: Connecting deeply with B2B audiences with Jason Ing, Gusto
    Apr 1 2025

    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
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    30 m
  • #40: Harnessing the Power of PR to Scale B2B with Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR Disruptors™

    #40: Harnessing the Power of PR to Scale B2B with Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR Disruptors™
    Mar 25 2025

    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
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    27 m
  • #39: Payment innovation for SMBs with Brian Goudie, Aurora Payments

    #39: Payment innovation for SMBs with Brian Goudie, Aurora Payments
    Mar 11 2025

    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
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    28 m
  • #38: The layer cake approach to branding with Allison Capaldi and Robert Wolfe, Zeck

    #38: The layer cake approach to branding with Allison Capaldi and Robert Wolfe, Zeck
    Feb 18 2025
    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 ...
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    24 m
  • #37: Marketing operations as a driver of growth with Mike Rizzo, MarketingOps.com

    #37: Marketing operations as a driver of growth with Mike Rizzo, MarketingOps.com
    Feb 4 2025

    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
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    32 m
  • #36: Knowing when and how to automate your sales processes with Joshua Garrison, Apollo

    #36: Knowing when and how to automate your sales processes with Joshua Garrison, Apollo
    Jan 21 2025

    In a world where sales cycles are getting longer, what’s holding your business back from reaching the right person at the right time?

    Today, we’re joined by Joshua Garrison, Vice President of Content Marketing and Product Education at Apollo.io, a leading go-to-market platform used by millions of sales professionals and SMBs globally. Josh is not only a sales leader but also the author of the Amazon bestseller Outbound Sales, which shares the exact strategies, templates, and frameworks that helped Apollo.io achieve unicorn status and $100M ARR. With over 2.5K purchases in its first month, Josh’s book has become a must-read in the B2B sales community.

    About Joshua Garrison

    Joshua Garrison leads the content marketing and customer education teams at Apollo, the leading go-to-market (GTM) solution for sales and marketing teams.

    A two-time founder, he has built and sold one company. He has led sales and marketing teams everywhere from tiny businesses to multi-billion dollar publicly traded companies. From that experience, Josh developed his “full-cycle selling” framework, a data-backed perspective on what works and what doesn’t.

    As a third generation entrepreneur and career salesperson, he is passionate about helping people achieve their goals and master the art of sales. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, baby, and cats.


    Resources

    Apollo website: https://www.apollo.io


    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
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    28 m
  • #35: Aligning organizations for success, with Robert Chatwani, President, Docusign

    #35: Aligning organizations for success, with Robert Chatwani, President, Docusign
    Jan 7 2025

    How aligned is your organization when it comes to driving growth—are internal silos or misaligned goals or expectations holding you back from reaching your full potential?

    Today, we’re joined by Robert Chatwani, President and General Manager of Growth at Docusign.

    Before joining DocuSign in 2023, Robert was the Chief Marketing Officer at Atlassian, where he helped scale the business to nearly $3 billion in revenue. He also held leadership roles at eBay, where his teams supported $35 billion in annual trading volume.


    About Robert Chatwani

    Robert Chatwani leads Docusign's Marketing & Growth organization to scale its digital strategy across marketing, product, technology and sales and is responsible for Docusign's product-led growth and execution. He also leads all CMO functions, including product marketing, field marketing, communications and public relations, content, creative and brand strategy.


    Before joining Docusign in 2023, Robert served as Chief Marketing Officer at Atlassian, where he oversaw teams across marketing, brand, communications and data science, and worked with the product organization to help scale Atlassian's business to nearly $3B in revenue. Prior to Atlassian, Robert served as Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer for social e-commerce platform Spring. He also spent more than a decade at eBay, ending his tenure as CMO of North America where his teams supported $35 billion in annual trading volume.


    Resources

    Docusign website: https://www.docusign.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
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    32 m
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