Omar Akhtar - Run Towards the Vegetables

07/29/24 • 35 min

1 Listener

Rising - Conversations with Leaders On Their Way Up

Omar is the Founder and Principal Analyst of Benchmarker, where he has spent the last decade publishing research and advising companies on marketing excellence. Previously, he was the head of research at Altimeter, a Prophet Company, and an Associate Partner at Prophet, advising Fortune 500 companies on improving their marketing and content strategies. He is also the co-author of the best-selling book Winning Through Platforms - How To Succeed When Everyone Has One. In this episode, our guests and hosts talk about A.I. benefits and costs, moving from brand-name to start-up, rising through expertise, and more.

7:30 - Moving from name-brand to startup
9:00 - Factoring in risks
10:20 - Journalist to Analyst
14:40 - Talking to the software
16:30 - Rising through expertise
19:25 - A.I. benefits—and costs
20:35 - Becoming a consultant
23:20 - What good looks like quantitatively
25:30 - Deciding to be an entrepreneur
29:55 - Josh’s advice
30:25 - Thank you notes: Mina Kimes
31:17 - Top Pick

Links Mentioned

Writing Without Bullshit by Josh Burnoff
Canva
AccuWeather
Remarkable

Find us on LinkedIn

⁠⁠Josh Boaz⁠⁠⁠ (host)

⁠⁠⁠Mat Zucker⁠⁠⁠ (host)

Omar Akhtar (guest)

Links Mentioned

Writing Without Bullshit by Josh Burnoff
Canva
AccuWeather
Remarkable

Find us on LinkedIn

⁠⁠Josh Boaz⁠⁠⁠ (host)

⁠⁠⁠Mat Zucker⁠⁠⁠ (host)

Omar Akhtar (guest)

Previous Episode

Tom Berry - Climb Across

Tom Berry is CMO at the CFA Institute where he leads a global team responsible for brand strategy, new learner acquisition, and engagement with over 200,000 members across the world. Prior to CFA Institute, Tom was Global Product Director at the Red Flag Group and previously worked in marketing at Euromoney Institutional Investor. In this episode of Rising, Tom speaks with our hosts about his dynamic professional journey, what he learned across direct response and brand, international moves including moving to Hong Kong, the shift to the CMO role, and how he has stayed curious throughout his career.

In this Episode

0:00 - About Tom & Career

1:30 - First Job in a Call Center
2:28 - Wanting to Be in Marketing & Early Learning
7:37 - Global Moves
11:03 - The Shift to CMO
13:39 - Finding Peer Support
27:54 - MBA or no MBA?
19:42 - Lateral vs. Vertical Moves
23:26 - Tenure vs. Switching
26:58 - Thank You Notes
28:04 - Top Picks

Links Mentioned

Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride
Forced (app)

Find us on LinkedIn

⁠Josh Boaz⁠⁠ (host)

⁠⁠Mat Zucker⁠⁠ (host)

Tom Berry (guest)

Subscribe to never miss a show! Hosted by Josh Boaz and Mat Zucker, Rising is produced by Direct Agents and Prophet. For more information or to nominate a guest, please visit rising-podcast.com or email us at [email protected]. Original theme music created by Movers + Shakers.

Next Episode

Kenny Smithnanic - The Direct Response Marketer

Kenny Smithnanic is an experienced marketing leader with a strong background in driving growth through digital strategy, content marketing, and customer engagement. Currently serving as a key figure at Mint Mobile, Kenny has led successful initiatives that enhance brand presence and deliver measurable results. With previous roles emphasizing data-driven marketing and creative storytelling, Kenny brings a wealth of expertise to his work. In this episode of Rising, Kenny shares insights on his career journey, lessons learned from developing impactful marketing strategies, his experience navigating leadership roles, and how his commitment to innovation has shaped his success.