B2B Tech Leaders Lounge

Your host, Liudmila Kiseleva, talks with the CEO of Funnelytics, Mikael Dia. Mikael Dia is not just a tech founder, but a seasoned digital marketer with over a decade of experience in converting strangers into customers. He started his journey in 2015 with a marketing agency where he built marketing funnels for clients. However, he faced a significant challenge in visualizing his strategies to clients and understanding the data from tools like Google Analytics. This challenge led him to the idea of Funneytics, a digital whiteboard where users can visually map customer journeys and overlay data to understand how people flow through the steps.

Mikael launched the first version of Funnelytics in 2018, marking the beginning of a six-year journey. When asked about the old tech stack (version 10), he revealed that they had recently transitioned to a new tech stack (version 20) and shut down the old version. This transition was not without its challenges. They had to figure out what to build in the new version and how to address the churn in the old version. They used the jobs-to-be-done framework to determine the key features to focus on in version 20.

One of the key topics discussed was how Mikael shaped the vision for his ideal customers and determined the focus of the platform. They wanted to be data-driven but found it challenging without proper data analysis tools. They decided to create a command center for planning, measuring, and optimizing customer journeys. However, they initially made the mistake of trying to cover all these aspects without mastering any of them. In version 20, they decided to focus on measurement first before moving on to planning and optimization.

To learn more about Mikael's work, click HERE and HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

Want to learn more about Liudmila's work? Check out her website HERE.

Your host, Liudmila Kiseleva, talks with the Founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls, Paige Arnof-Fenn. Paige's journey began in the corporate world, working with two of the best consumer products companies globally, Procter and Gamble and Coca-Cola. These experiences provided her with a strong foundation in marketing and branding. She learned the basics of marketing really well, especially from Procter and Gamble, which invented the concept of brand management. This experience taught her how to run a business and build recognizable brands.

However, the dot-com era beckoned, and Paige decided to leave her corporate job to join a startup in the music and entertainment space on the West Coast. This startup, which had both B2B and B2C components, went public in 1999 before being sold to Yahoo. Paige then moved to the East Coast and joined another startup, which was later sold to Bertelsmann, the largest privately held media company in the world. Her journey continued with Zipcar, a startup that eventually became a global brand and was sold to Avis.

One of the key insights Paige shared during the conversation was the importance of consistency in building and living your brand. She emphasized that even though her company is not named after her, people still associate her with the brand. This led to her advice for CEOs to be consistent with their brand image in all aspects of their lives, whether it's at the grocery store, on the soccer field, or at a holiday party.

Paige believes that if you don't look consistent with your brand in person, it's hard to maintain a professional image online. She also highlighted the need for consistency across all platforms and touchpoints. Whether it's Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other platform, your brand should be consistent, and the core messages should align.

To learn more about Paige's work, click HERE and HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

Want to learn more about Liudmila's work? Check out her website HERE.

Your host, Liudmila Kiseleva, talks with the CEO, Co-Founder, and Chief Design Officer of LunarLab, Elizabeth Anderson, and Kelli Lucas. Elizabeth's path to UX was serendipitous. With a background in graphic design, she found herself in a role that required her to take on UX and UI responsibilities after her company laid off their specialized team. This twist of fate led her to discover her passion for creating intuitive user experiences, a field she didn't even realize existed until she stumbled upon it through a Google search.

Kelli's tech career began in project management, a role she adored for its ability to turn ideas into tangible products. An unexpected company decision thrust her into the world of product management, a challenge she embraced wholeheartedly. This experience deepened her connection with the projects and the products, eventually leading her to product strategy and her fruitful collaboration with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth and Kelli's shared experiences and complementary skills in product roles and UX design laid the foundation for their partnership. They recognized the potential to combine their expertise to create superior products that meet market demands and prioritize inclusivity and ethical considerations.

LunarLab caters to a diverse clientele, from startups with a dream to established enterprises. They specialize in a range of software products, including mobile apps, web apps, SaaS products, AI, and IoT devices. Their services encompass UX design, product strategy, user research, and project management. They also offer workshops to help companies crystallize their visions, a service that has proven invaluable for those at the starting line of product development.

To learn more about Elizabeth and Kelli's work, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

Want to learn more about Liudmila's work? Check out her website HERE.

Your host, Liudmila Kiseleva, talks with the Founder of Blue Goat Cyber, Christian Espinosa. Christian's path to becoming a cybersecurity expert was anything but ordinary. His chaotic upbringing instilled in him a yearning for stability and safety, a pursuit that initially led him to the military. However, it was this very desire for security that eventually propelled him to take the ultimate risk—stepping into the world of entrepreneurship.

Transitioning from a stable military job to starting his own company was fraught with challenges. Christian candidly shared the hurdles he faced, from refining his sales process to carving out a niche in the competitive cybersecurity landscape. His first venture into the business world was a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of learning from each setback.

To learn more about Christian's work, click HERE and HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

Want to learn more about Liudmila's work? Check out her website HERE.

In this inaugural episode of B2B Tech Founders Lounge, Josh Elledge of UpMyInfluence speaks with Liudmila Kiseleva, the creator of the show and Founder and CEO of Rampiq. The Rampiq team is made up of over 20 uber-talented digital marketing consultants specializing in PPC, SEO, content marketing, and analytics. Rampiq's award-winning SEO department lives and breathes higher rankings and more organic traffic. Their vast expertise in implementing successful search engine optimization campaigns across a variety of industries makes them a must-have asset for your digital properties.

Liudmila is a dynamic online marketing professional with over 15 years of experience, hungry for knowledge and challenges in online marketing in B2B SaaS and IT niches. On this podcast, Liudmila aims to bring to light the unique stories and experiences of tech founders, particularly those in IT and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. These are the individuals who are pushing boundaries, challenging norms, and creating innovative solutions that are transforming the business landscape.

To connect with Liudmila on LinkedIn, click HERE.

Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.

Want to learn more about Liudmila's work? Check out her website HERE.