B2B Tech Founders Lounge

Your host, Liudmila Kiseleva, talks with the COO and Vice President of SD Tech, Shane Mishler. Shane's interest in the Internet of Things (IoT) space was sparked by his passion for video gaming. He started gaming at a young age and eventually became involved in competitive gaming. As he got older, he began learning about computers and how they worked. This led him to start piecing together computers and eventually start SD Tech.

SD Tech initially provided break-fix support, where they would reactively assist clients when something went wrong with their technology. However, over the past 10 years, they have shifted their focus to managed services. They now position themselves as strategic partners to their clients, taking a proactive approach to assisting and managing their technology. The goal is to give clients the time and freedom to focus on their core business and make money, while SD Tech handles their technology needs.

Shane discusses the importance of relationships and communication in their business. He emphasizes that just like in personal relationships, successful partnerships require strong communication as a core pillar. They prioritize taking care of their current clients and supporting them, which has led to organic growth over the past 20 years.

When asked about preventive measures, Shane emphasizes the importance of creating a stable network for clients to manage their daily operations. While cybersecurity is crucial, a stable network is the first step in ensuring a business can function smoothly.

To learn more about Shane'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 and Co-Founder of Gaggle Social, Jared Tang. Jared's journey into the tech space is an interesting one. He began his career studying advertising promotions in New York, where he developed a passion for business and entrepreneurship. His career path led him to technology recruitment, a field he found both challenging and rewarding. However, he soon identified several pitfalls in the industry, such as high costs and limited access to talent. These challenges inspired him to create Gaggle Social, a platform designed to eliminate bottlenecks in tech hiring and save businesses both time and money.

Gaggle Social is not just another recruitment platform. It's a solution to the challenges Jared identified in the tech recruitment industry. The platform focuses on transparency and uses a unique tool called a skills matrix to quickly evaluate candidates' skills and experience. This tool creates a curated shortlist of qualified applicants, saving time and ensuring a better match for the role. It provides a snapshot of a candidate's capabilities, making the hiring process more efficient. Jared explained that the skills matrix adds credibility, saves time in evaluating skills, and allows for a more focused assessment of soft skills and cultural fit.

To learn more about Jared'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 Principal Technical Advisor, Software Architect, and Fractional CTO, Brian Childress. Brian's journey into technology is a fascinating one, starting in graduate school and spanning over 12 years of developing skills in software development. His experience spans various industries, including healthcare, finance, and consumer products. Today, Brian uses his expertise to help startups and small to medium businesses develop custom software and implement processes for scalability.

One of the key topics discussed was the typical challenges that people bring to Brian and how he helps them. Brian's role as a fractional CTO involves turning around struggling software projects. He works closely with teams and individual developers to align technology decisions with business objectives. His approach involves simplifying software systems, re-architecting them, and implementing good software engineering practices to enable scalability.

What sets Brian apart is his unique perspective as someone who didn't come from a technical background. He often works with non-technical stakeholders and acts as a bridge between the technical team and the business. Brian emphasizes the importance of understanding the audience and their concerns. He uses analogies to explain technical concepts and delivers messages in different formats to accommodate different learning styles.

To learn more about Brian'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 and President of PayProundly, Jeff Maine. Jeff's journey in the payments business started in the late 90s after finishing school with a finance degree. Encouraged by his father, he followed his entrepreneurial spirit and started his first payment processing company. Over the years, he has had different businesses and experiences in the payments world. They were at a crossroads about three years ago and decided to build a company focused on relationships and bringing clarity to businesses in the payments space.

Pay Proudly is built around two key principles: clarity and charity. They aim to provide clarity to business owners by thoroughly examining their payment processing and offering the best solutions. They assist with installing the right equipment, integrating systems, and ensuring compliance. Their ultimate goal is to make business owners feel proud of their payments.

The charity aspect of their business has become a significant part of their organization. They have been able to give back over $100,000 to local nonprofits through their business owners who process payments on their platform. They support causes that are important to their business owners and give credit back to them through social media and other means. This has even attracted employees who want to be a part of their mission.

To learn more about Jeff'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.