Inspired Insider With Dr. Jeremy Weisz | Ecommerce Interviews | Entrepreneurship | Inspirational Stories | Business Lessons

Zack Dugow is the Founder and CEO of Insticator, a leading global publisher engagement platform. Considered one of the most rapidly expanding companies in North America, Insticator’s products reach over 2 billion users annually. Nearly 2000 publishers utilize its content engagement units, commenting, and monetization solutions. In addition to heading Insticator, Zack is a mentor and invests in startups. He is a member of YPO, the IAB, and a contributor to the Forbes Tech Council. He has also been recognized on the DMN Top 40 Under 40 list and named to Crain's New York’s 40 Under 40 list. In this episode… Are you trying to find ways to maximize the revenue generated by site visitors beyond standard ad placements? As a publisher, how can you do so effectively? Many publishers need a one-stop shop where they can test their readers’ smarts with trivia, gauge their opinions with polls, or provide a platform for healthy dialogue through comments to maximize ad revenue. Zack Dugow shares his journey of creating a co

Corinne Milien is the Founder and CEO of WRK, a trusted talent acquisition and management partner for employers in sports and entertainment. She is a passionate and innovative leader with over 10 years of experience in sports and entertainment, specializing in optimizing human capital for organizations.  Corinne is an engaged civic leader and Co-founder of The Winning Edge Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization which empowers and elevates minority student-athletes and young professionals in sports, media, and entertainment. She is also an Advisory Board Member at BREAKTHRU Brands and a Certified ConvoX Facilitator and Design Board Member at Design Convo LLC. In this episode… Are you looking to increase diversity and inclusion in your workforce? How can you overcome bias and barriers for individuals historically excluded from traditional hiring practices? According to Corinne Milien, simplifying HR operations is fundamental to achieving these goals. But how can this be done without additional costs? By

Arian Radmand is the CEO and President of IgnitePOST, a firm specializing in creating memorable customer experiences by sending personalized handwritten notes. These notes stand out amidst the digital clutter and leave a lasting impression on customers throughout their shopping journey. Arian is the driving force behind the company's vision and product development. Before his role at IgnitePOST, Arian served as CEO and President at TurnGram, a concierge service that delivers personal photos and artwork to your doorstep without a hassle. As an engineer passionate about entrepreneurship and new technology, he has a diverse skill set and a keen eye for innovation. He is also a board member at CoachUp. In this episode… Are you trying to build a big, successful brand? How can you make it stand out in a crowded, highly competitive industry?  According to Arian Radmand, entrepreneurs must build and maintain relationships to establish customer loyalty. He believes they can do so by communicating with their prospects

Jim Jacobs is the Founder and CEO of Focus Insite, a leading market research firm specializing in qualitative recruitment services for various industries. The company takes on projects of diverse complexities and offers invaluable insights that help shape its clients’ business strategies.  With a strong background in sports, particularly hockey, Jim has leveraged his leadership skills on the ice and in the boardroom. Before founding Focus Insite, he worked in sales and management roles across multiple sectors. His blend of entrepreneurship and coaching has uniquely equipped him to build effective teams and nurture talent, consistently driving his company toward success. Jim’s dynamic approach to business and development led him to make significant contributions to the field of market research, establishing him as a respected figure in the industry. In this episode… Building a business is like building a championship sports team — you need vision, strategy, and continuous development for success. But how can y

Nathan Imperiale is the CEO of NJI Media, an award-winning creative agency solving complex public affairs challenges with fully orchestrated, elegantly crafted content. He uses his insider knowledge from Capitol Hill and the White House as an asset when planning campaigns and the associated digital assets. Nathan also acts as a partner at FamousDC and FDC Media. Josh Shultz is the Founder and CEO of NJI Media. He is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of managing creative and digital media professionals. As a seasoned executive and communications professional, Josh has a unique blend of public affairs experience, business savviness, and digital marketing expertise that has helped shape the creative concepts, architectures, and strategies instrumental in helping clients to succeed online. He is also the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of FamousDC, one of the most widely-read and talked-about blogs in the Beltway. In this episode… Are you struggling with digital content and audience engageme

Hannah Smolinski is the Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group, a virtual CFO agency providing small businesses with financial clarity and profit maximization strategies. As a CPA, Hannah's professional experience with one of the world's largest accounting firms shaped her vision of bringing high-level financial expertise to the small business community. She founded Clara CFO Group as a trusted resource for small businesses as they navigate key financial decisions, work toward sustainable revenue, and plan for scale. In addition to her work with Clara CFO Group, Hannah hosts a YouTube channel with over 50,000 subscribers, where she continues her mission of empowering small businesses. Through this platform, she shares financial strategies, best practices, and educational resources that assist companies in understanding their financial statements and achieving financial success. In this episode… Finance for small businesses calls for a specialized combination of expertise, communication skills, and adaptability. H

Jeffrey Ryznar is the Founder and President of 898 Marketing, a strategic integrated marketing consultancy empowering brands through accountable business solutions. In addition to ranking among the top 10 places to work in Ohio, 898 Marketing was recognized by Adweek and Inc. magazines as one of the fastest-growing companies in Ohio and 23rd in America. For over 20 years, Jeffrey has delivered results for brands like the Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before 898 Marketing, Jeffrey was the Vice President at Phizzle, an engagement automation software. In this episode… Marketing agencies are critical in establishing brand messaging and driving profits. However, the industry is plagued with client and agency trust issues. According to research, 56% of marketing executives say their agencies are more interested in selling them services than solving their problems. How do you align your work and assets with each client's voice, brand, and vision to build a culture that embraces a c

Marina Byezhanova is the Co-founder of Brand of a Leader, a personal branding agency for entrepreneurs and executives. As an entrepreneur, global speaker, show host, and personal branding expert, she has been quoted and referenced in various publications, including Inc.com, Forbes.com, Yahoo News, Financial Post, Fast Company, and Success Magazine. Marina's mission is to inspire entrepreneurs to speak up, stand out, and be radically authentic through the power of building their personal brands. She's a tenured member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and has served in local, regional, and global roles.  In this episode… Being a successful entrepreneur involves more than just opening up shop. It requires vision, resilience, adaptability, and the ability to embrace the journey with its highs and lows. It's these traits that have sustained  Marina Byezhanova through her journey. Marina works at the intersection of personal branding and leadership development. Through innovative strategies and a people-centere

Kara Brown is the Founder and CEO of LeadCoverage, a B2B marketing firm specializing in lead generation in the supply chain space. She has an impressive marketing background and was one of the early employees at Echo Global Logistics. Under her contribution, Echo exhibited rapid growth, leading to its successful public listing in 2009. Beyond her work at LeadCoverage, Kara continues to make career strides, demonstrating her communications prowess while managing a significant crisis at a Nashville-based supply chain management company. In her move to Atlanta in 2016, she fostered business growth and played an instrumental role in cultivating the city's female entrepreneurs. She also co-founded CloseHer, an initiative aimed at establishing a supportive community for women in sales. In this episode… Navigating the world of B2B marketing and lead generation in the supply chain market requires a deep understanding of client needs, innovative strategies, and effective follow-up techniques. Kara Brown, a seasoned ma

John Li is the Co-founder of PickFu, a do-it-yourself consumer research platform that instantly connects you to real people with relevant opinions. He helps businesses apply consumer insights to accelerate success. Before PickFu, John held different executive roles at Microsoft. He has a BS in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the Co-founder of Menuism, an online dining community and the web's largest aggregator of online restaurant menus.   In this episode… Do you have a business idea but are scared of investing your time, money, and resources in launching it because of the fear of failure? What can you do to prevent this from happening?  If you’re a business founder, there is nothing more devastating than poor reception and market response. John Li recommends doing split testing and consumer research to get actionable pre-launch feedback and know what sells before producing and selling it. He shares how he helps people get reliable consumer r

Laura Bergheim is the Founder and CEO of Wordsmithie, a content marketing agency providing content development and strategy services. She is a writer, editor, content strategist, and entrepreneur with extensive experience with all media formats. Laura has written for global technology, retail, healthcare, travel, and financial industry brands.  Before Wordsmithie, Laura was the Senior Program Manager for Content Strategy at Google, responsible for creating and managing site and customer support content for Google Ads and other monetized products. She founded two agencies, served as Creative Director at Resource Interactive (now part of IBM), and managed a 20+ person feature-writing team at Lycos. She is also the author/co-author of eight non-fiction books and two novels. In this episode… Are you trying to get the attention of your target audience and convert them into customers? The secret to success lies in how you tell your brand's story. So how can you craft the messages that accomplish your brand goals an

Susan MacNicol is the Managing Director of Strategic & Creative Marketing Inc., a marketing firm dedicated to assisting businesses in achieving their optimal sales. The firm helps its clients by clearly defining their target market, identifying competitive advantages, and creating powerful marketing messages and tactics that reach the right audience. She is a results-driven leader with a progressive record of developing and implementing marketing, recruiting, market research, and sales strategies for commercial organizations, government agencies, and nonprofits.  Susan has served on National Advisory Panels for LinkedIn and Facebook corporate for four years, providing feedback, ideas, and beta testing to these global leaders in social media. She has a BA in marketing communications from Columbia College Chicago and an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. In this episode… Marketing is fundamental to the success of any business. So how can you come up with effective marketing campaigns that drive

Adam Viener is the Founder and Chairman of Imwave, a performance search engine marketing agency focused on driving performance-based sales to companies through pay-per-click search engine advertising. He is the Founder of Yazing, an influencer monetization and cashback shopping platform, where they get a commission on every sale they make and influence online. He also co-founded Cyberia, one of the first Internet access companies, in 1993, which he sold in 1998. Adam is a recognized leader in the internet marketing world who has been on the publisher advisory boards of The Google Affiliate Network and Commission Junction. He is a Performance Marketing Association and Forbes Business Council member who has written for Forbes, ReveNews.com, and Search Engine Land. In this episode… Are you struggling with making your affiliate program a success? How can you drive the right type of traffic to your site?  Driving performance-based sales through pay-per-click search engine advertising is challenging. Adam Viener re

Gil Allouche is the Co-founder and CEO of Metadata, a company with patented technology that combines predictive scoring and programmatic advertising to deliver a predictable pipeline of opt-in lead-qualified leads for B2B enterprises. Metadata's customers include Cisco, UserVoice, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Infoblox, and Aerospike. Gil is a software engineer turned data-driven growth marketer who founded the company to make demand generation easy for non-technical marketers.  In this episode… As a B2B marketer, are you trying to free yourself from mundane tasks so you can focus on doing the work that matters the most? How can you do so and spend more time on the big things like strategy, creativity, and driving revenue? After doing marketing for three B2B companies, Gil Allouche discovered he was dealing with too many manual and repetitive tasks. As a software engineer turned data-driven growth marketer, he started looking for ways to drive more revenue without getting bogged down by all the manual work. He shares

Todd Porch is the President of Strategus, the leading Connected TV/Over-the-Top managed service provider recognized on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US for five consecutive years. As an innovation leader in data-driven CTV advertising, Strategus provides a full suite of managed services, including attribution, targeting, optimization, reporting, and analysis. Todd is a senior executive with proven results in leading businesses at all levels of growth. He has worked at well-known organizations, including Effectv, Comcast Technology Solutions, Yahoo!, and Sprint. Currently, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver in the Executive MBA Program, teaching strategy and leadership. In this episode… Do you need help with the ROI of your advertisements? What's the best channel to leverage, and where can you get the support you need to reach the right audience?  Almost every household has a TV. According to digital media executive Todd Porch, marketers should lev

Dr. Blair Feldman is the Co-founder of Retainer Club and Mouthguard Club. Before founding these club stores, he was a practicing orthodontics specialist for over 20 years. He’s also a former Adjunct Professor of Orthodontics at AT Still University. Dr. Feldman completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and went on to receive his DMD at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2017, he partnered with his friend and former CEO of a company that he helped scale up to over a billion-dollar valuation, Craig Weiss, to set up Retainer Club and Mouthguard Club. Now, they help orthodontists grow their practices through partnerships. In this episode… Have you or a family member ever broken or lost a retainer? Did you have to miss a day of school or work for an orthodontist appointment as a result? Did you wish there was an easier way to replace it? Through the brainchildren of Dr. Blair Feldman and his business partner, Craig Weiss, they’ve created a dental concept with you in mind. The Retainer Club i

Nikita Vakhrushev is the Founder, CEO, and CMO of ASPEKT, an agency that helps e-commerce brands increase their monthly revenue by 30% with performance-driven email and SMS marketing. He has helped brands achieve their e-commerce goals through Facebook ads, email marketing, website design, branding, and influencer marketing. Before ASPEKT, Nikita was the Founder and CEO of RPMmedia.com, where he helped businesses in all industries increase their profit through digital marketing strategies like social media, SEO, and Google Ads. In this episode… Are you an e-commerce brand struggling with your SMS and email marketing? Where can you get the external resources and support you need to help you achieve your goals?  Acquiring new customers and retaining the existing customer base are the top priorities of e-commerce brands. According to Nikita Vakhrushev, brands can achieve it through email and SMS marketing. The only problem is that most marketing teams are too busy to do it or lack the expertise. Nikita recommend

Alex Porter is the CEO of Location3, a Denver-based digital marketing agency. Location3 was founded in 1999 to provide clients with global direct response marketing services by leveraging search engine marketing and display media advertising. During his 15-year tenure with Location3, Alex has also served as Vice President, President, and Chief Strategy Officer. His insights as an influential thought leader have been featured in publications such as BizReport, MediaPost, and Adotas. In this episode… Do you wish to drive tons of sales across all your franchise locations? The secret is in your marketing. So, what digital marketing tricks can you apply to scale your profits?  According to Alex Porter, many franchise businesses have limited digital marketing presence that hinder their success. He recommends hiring digital marketing agencies who understand the nuances of marketing franchise businesses to help create digital marketing strategies to drive revenue growth.  In this inspiring episode of the Inspired Ins

Rob Buffington is the Founder of Gordian Staffing and Gordian Financial. Gordian Staffing is a recruiting company with a mission to find elite talent across the globe. Gordian Financial is a third-party accounting firm that provides affordable bookkeeping solutions so business owners can focus on growing their businesses. As a veteran in the HOA management space, Rob loves to share his knowledge and experience with large and mid-size businesses that struggle with staffing, bookkeeping, vendor services, and general management issues.  In this episode… The life of an entrepreneur can be challenging and overwhelming. In the early stages of entrepreneurship, founders find themselves having to do everything on their own. However, as the business grows, this strategy quickly becomes counterproductive. So, what are effective strategies for operating a company as you scale? The solution, according to Rob Buffington, is proper staffing and hiring tactics. As a business owner, you need to hire experts for positions whe

Stacie Porter Bilger is the Founder and President of Proof Digital, a business growth-marketing agency that blends modern marketing tools with traditional sales funnel processes. She spent the first 20 years of her career working with businesses to strategize development and connect them to investors. Before founding Proof Digital, Stacie worked for several Chambers of Commerce and startups like the Indiana Venture Center. In this episode… Do you have a product or service that you want to share with the right audience? Have you figured out the marketing tactics you'd need to capture the attention of your audience? If you still need to figure out these and many other related questions, you need to work with an agency run by experts like Stacie Porter Bilger. These agencies bring in years of expertise in product positioning and marketing. Partnering with these agencies gives you the right start and the boost you need to break through the competition and get ahead in the market. In this inspiring episode of the