Cool Companies You Should Know - Aki Technologies

Join Bob Goodwin, Founder of Career Club and Risa Crandall, SVP - CPG Strategy at Aki Technologies. Aki empowers brands and retailers to reach people by targeting pivotal moments in the consumer journey with personalized advertising. Acquired by Inmar Intelligence in September 2021, Aki is in high growth mode and adding to its team across a number of functional areas. Learn more about their unique value proposition, the culture at Aki, and the kind of talent they are hiring right now.

Transcript

 Bob Goodwin: (00:13)
Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of cool companies you should know, brought to you by career club. My name is Bob Goodwin and I'm the founder of career club. At career club, we are using proven sales methods and tools to help people like you find a career that matters. So today we're doing this live of course. And so we would encourage you to comment if you have a question for our guest or from me as we're going, you're welcome to do that. I also wanna say thank you to my colleague, Heather, who is the magic behind making these events work. If for some reason you need to leave the event early, you can either replay it on LinkedIn, or we've also made these available now as podcasts. So to us look up career club, cool companies you should know, and it's on apple and iHeart, Spotify, all your favorite streaming platforms, you can get this broadcast on as well. So with that, I would like to welcome our guest today. Risa Crandall Risa is senior vice president of CPG sales and strategy at Aki technologies. Hello, welcome.

Risa Crandall: (01:28)
Hello. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here today.

Bob Goodwin: (01:31)
Well, I'm excited to have you, we've known each other for a few years now and you are consummate pro at what you're doing. I know that we're looking forward to learning more about what makes Aki tip a little bit about the company itself, and then of course, some things that you guys might be looking for in talent as you guys continue to grow. But with that welcome,

Risa Crandall: (01:52)
Thank you so much. It's great to be here and it's always great to talk to you, Bob.

Bob Goodwin: (01:55)
Yeah. Thank you. So just a, a quick little ice breaker, if we could maybe get a couple things going here. So were you born and raised

Risa Crandall: (02:04)
Reset? So I was born in New Jersey and was raised there for the first part of growing up and then we moved to Rockland county. So we went even quieter and a little bit more sleepy. My parents really enjoyed kind of having that relaxation time as a family. So it was a great place to grow up and just really good values. So I really appreciate all that.

Bob Goodwin: (02:21)
Yeah, that's awesome. And then where'd you go to school?

Risa Crandall: (02:24)
So I went to school I went after I graduated high school, I went to school in New York. I went to the university of Albany. Got a great education, got to learn so many different areas and I explored communication, psychology and sociology, which really plays in very nicely with what I do every single day.

Bob Goodwin: (02:40)
No, that's awesome. And then and we can see a picture in the background. Looks like you're at high home. There. There you go. So just a little bit about your family.

Risa Crandall: (02:48)
Yeah, you got it. So I'm married and my husband, Matthew is also somewhat in our industry in marketing. I have three children, Harrison, Ella, and Sienna, and a big dog who's sleeping right next to me over here named Luna. And it's just, it's a great, it's a great group of people. That's all I could say.

Bob Goodwin: (03:02)
Oh, that's very sweet. Love the children's names too, by the way. That's cool. And then just very quickly just a little bit about your career arc recent. Well,

Risa Crandall: (03:11)
Yeah, so when I start, when I came outta school, just like so many other, , people coming outta college didn't really know what in communications would be of interest me. I think the most important thing was that I was open minded. So took the first job that was provided over my way on the advertising agency side and with my thought processes that I'll learn from that experience kind of what avenue makes most sense for me. Mm-Hmm  and I, and from being there, I knew right away that wasn't quite the, the path for me being agency side, but I got to meet all these fantastic people that explained their different careers. To me, everything from television to radio, there was no digital at that time to print and newspapers. And so they gave me just a great education in, in the real world of what else is out there in the, on the media and communication side. And then I got my start. Really, my really foundation was at the New York times, which was a fantastic training ground and worked for an unbelievable mentor who really just inspired everyone on the team to learn, be absorb information, be themselves. She was a big proponent of being who you are, which , is, is a, a common theme in 2022. It was not a

Bob Goodwin: (04:22)
Ahead of her time,

Risa Crandall: (04:23)
Really ahead of her time. And she would just always encourage us to stay the course with again, who we are and what we, what we learned. But very quickly after that experience really looked for innovation. It was really always important for me to take that learning from Barbara and learn with my clients, learn with my organizations. And so as early on, as I could moved into the digital world, found it fascinating, loved the technology and with different companies always learned. I do find some of the best learning experience though, is having conversations with clients. I learned so much about their needs, their businesses, their curiosities, how we could solve problems together. And then I came to Aki two and a half years ago and really was fascinated by what the technology is. And again, the solutions that we could bring to clients and again, how I continue to learn the different facets of the digital world in the current position, and really just kind of build and grow from there.

Bob Goodwin: (05:16)
And then that's fascinating. I know we're gonna get into Aki here in much more detail on the second and then just very quickly, where do we find Risa when you're not at work in, , building Aki's business?

Risa Crandall: (05:29)
Yeah, so you're seeing me in my kitchen, which is the room that I love the most in my house, cuz I love to cook and I love to bake. So if I'm not at Aki, I am in this kitchen doing non zooms, non , different ways to spring myself, but I love to a cook and bake. I also love to run. I love yoga. And when we could all travel a little bit more, that was always a passion for my husband and I and our kids to get out there and explore the world. That's to me, the best way to learn about things is to be in it rather than to either read about it or watch it on, , a, a streaming service I wanna be in it. And I think that that is more meaningful. So I look forward to those days again. But I love the kitchen. But I just love spending time with my family. And as much as I can do of that, I will.

Bob Goodwin: (06:09)
That's cool. So, so thank you. And I think that just sort of is, is always helpful for people to like, can we get come who we talking to here, but also I think it also kind of introduces just the human element that we're gonna talk technology and stuff like that, but these are real people with real lives and , it's always fun to kinda get to know folks. So , kind of go with this, how you want REA, but , maybe kind of explain for folks who aren't familiar, , what does Aki do? What's sort of the problem that Aki saw, , maybe a gap in the marketplace from a MarTech perspective and , what makes Aki different than, , maybe other people who purport to do the same thing. So blank canvas for you to kind of describe Aki in the value problem.

Risa Crandall: (06:56)
Absolutely. So our founders really listen to the industry and the marketing community to see what that unlock would be and what they were hearing at that time seven years ago is, is there a way to know that consumers are really seeing our digital ads? How do we know that people are seeing them? How do we know if they're engaging with them? Is there a better way to be more sure and be more relevant to the consumer? So Aki was really founded from that wish and that desire for marketers to better understand how digital advertising could make sure that it connects with consumers and then takes an action forward mm-hmm . So our founders looked into the different technologies that are out there, especially using the mobile device, devote mobile device and saw that we could detect people's moments. And that would give us the unlock to know, for example, that I'm leaning back and watching a movie at night and I'm watching video and that's a recline moment.

Risa Crandall: (07:46)
So that's an opportunity for a marketer where we would play a video to that consumer and they have more time. They have more bandwidth to watch a video and then maybe add to their shopping list or shopping cart differently than when someone has just walked across the parking lot into a target. And they're in that motion to be able to go into the store. We know that that's an opportunity for a quick reminder message to pick up that product when they go into their target store or differently when they just finished a jog. Right. I, I was just on the call or right before our, our share today with someone who has an ice cream product and was talking about it, they just finished their work. Is that an opportunity to message them, not only for the water to replenish, but later on today, maybe for that ice cream cuz you've earned it and we're all about, okay, let's moderate, right?

Risa Crandall: (08:29)
So unlocking whether the consumer is receptive, so only serving messages when they are, and then thinking about the format based on that receptivity, a quick reminder, video, audio, different formats. And then what are we personalizing to? So are you a loyal customer, a lapsed customer, someone who's buying a competitive brand? Are you someone that it's now morning time and we're messaging about wake up with or afternoon and slump and you need a, a rockstar energy example from PepsiCo. So thinking about the different elements of triggers that we can communicate in the message that's personalizing to you, that's relevant, but respectful and always privacy compliant, but then taking that action forward. So not only we messaging to you, but we're asking you take a step forward and either to your shopping list, add to your cart or buy it in that physical store. So always thinking through that Omni, commerce and consumers really are in the driver's seat, right. They get to decide, they always have the gotten to decide how they wanna transact. Mm-Hmm  personalized to that is highly effective and is a better efficient way to market.

Bob Goodwin: (09:34)
So, so I definitely heard your kind of context, where am I, what am I doing? There's also the personalization. Who am I? Right, right. Are these data sources or I guess maybe I'll stop. What, what are the data sources that informs all this?

Risa Crandall: (09:54)
Yeah. So it's a few different type actually over 40 different signals. So one is our moments AI. So now that we are seven years in the making at Aki, that moments, AI is a very well conditioned machine to understand consumer's behaviors and their moments, and then have all that, the understanding from a probabilistic point of view to know that next step for you. But then we also include data, everything from the weather data, knowing it's raining here in New York and using that real time feed, looking at the inventory availability of products. So we're only messaging people when the product is in stock, looking at your app to your apps on your device, to see that you got the someone just asked earlier today that you have the ship app, for example, that might be the way that you transact and get your product sent to you. So we look at multiple different signals and now that we're part of Inmar intelligence as well, having transaction level data, to understand your first party data, to understand your purchase base in addition to other signals on transactions. So it's a very well signaled, which gives it more precision to be able to drive that all forward, meaning sales.

Bob Goodwin: (10:59)
So very quickly, could you kind of describe because Inmar acquired Aki back in September of last year, I wanna say, well, what, what's the context? Where does Aki fit into, , the assets and the solutions that Inmar saw you guys?

Risa Crandall: (11:14)
Yeah. So what Inmar really saw for us is using technology in a way that again, would give us the ability to use moments and personalization. Those are our two main pillars. CPG and Deval are two of our core core categories though. We are also in other markets as well, whether it be travel, whether it be healthcare, whether it be consumer electronics, but a big part of our, our success has been on the beverage alcohol and the CPG traditional categories. Mm-Hmm . So what they saw is a great compliment Tomar solutions, which are very vast and they go well beyond CPG, as well into FinTech and MarTech and health tech and many different verticals that I have yet even to explore it in Mar. But there's a really great compliment in the fact that brands are looking more and more to both have brand awareness and that pull through through the funnel all the way to, to transaction that, having an upper funnel and a lower funnel, if they've really come together, there is a path right. And the consumer is on that journey. So they saw in us that that technology is very unique and that personalization suite is a really great compliment. And so we've been working very closely with our Inmar colleagues. We started off on the  vertical first. And so bringing together what we do at Aki, as well as the social piece of Inmar, two chat bots and conversational commerce. And it's been very collaborative and just a very positive experience.

Bob Goodwin: (12:30)
Yeah. Well there certainly is a highly dynamic element to this. Yes. , and to really kind of catch people as you say, in these moments and then to be able to personalize. So kind of moving onto, , you've been there, what'd you say two and a half years now. REA yeah, that's right. And, , describe for folks who are listening because this is really important. It's one thing to have technology. It's one thing to have, , solid financial footing. Mm-Hmm,  both of which are really, really important, but , culture, leadership, values, those kinds of things. Now your senior vice president over what I have to believe is one of the largest verticals for Aki. How would you describe, , your leadership style and then maybe one click up the, the ELTS leadership style?

Risa Crandall: (13:21)
Yeah. So my leadership style has always been a partnership, right. I'm here. And I want all the folks on the team to collaborate together, but with that attitude of positivity and can do right. We were creating a presentation for, we had earlier today and we decided to call the presentation. I'm a believer, right? So that's the tone that I set is that we're in digital marketing, we can achieve right. We know what we've done already. So if there's a certain client we have yet to work with, that's only because the timing and the opportunity, and maybe the people haven't all synced up in the right the right moment there or the right. And aha. So it's very much, my leadership style is very much being collaborative, being really positive, having that ability to just kind of charge forward and know that you can find a solution it's like being a problem solver and being a puzzle creator all at once.

Risa Crandall: (14:09)
But it's also about just really rolling up your sleeves and being in it, being in it with the sales team. And we've all been on zooms and Google meets and things that just something falls down, right. Something doesn't work. And so if we all can be there to kind of prop each other up, we're all gonna be more successful and we're also gonna enjoy what we do more. Right. Mm-hmm . So I like to approach every work day and other days with a smile, right. It's really about knowing that we can achieve something. So that's always been my leadership style and really just encouraging folks that we can get it done. Right. We can, we just sometimes have to think about it maybe a little bit differently. The, the exec team here at Aki is very much the same way and that's why we really, , mesh together.

Risa Crandall: (14:49)
So well, very positive, very collaborative with a smile, with a attitude of collaboration and just listening to each other. So the culture here is very nourishing. You feel every day when you start off and since we're all working from our kitchens in different places, that when you put your hands on keyboard, if you reach out, when you reach out to somebody else in the team, you're gonna get a quick response, something that's gonna be helpful, or they're gonna share, get you over to somebody who might be or they're gonna just send you over a slide. That's gonna really hit on what you're looking to achieve. So the tone is very much of working together, , being efficient, mm-hmm,  being positive, having grit and determination, but really have integrity. And we are an organization that really does have integrity and treats people with a lot of respect.

Bob Goodwin: (15:37)
Yeah. So, so maybe we can, we can go in that area here in just a second, , tying a couple of ideas together that I just heard you say, , the positivity, , they can do, but also we're working from a, our kitchen. So it's different and we're doing zoom a lot and we're doing using slack and probably texting and whatever, which is only different than being able to lean over my cubicle with a smile and say, Hey, can you help me with something please? Or, , whatever you that you've got the ability to make more, , read people's body line language and, and kind of see that she's smiling when she's asking me this question and sometimes slack, , Hey Risa, can you help me? Sure. I could be like, sure, like, okay, whatever  or sure. Happy to help.

Bob Goodwin: (16:25)
Right. And so, , it's just really important when there's this foundation of assume good intent. Yeah. , a helpful, responsive, positive, , kind of an attitude, , and when that's being modeled by leaders, , not just mouth but modeled and you see it consistently, you see it when , things aren't always going great because things don't always go great, but we'll figure it out, ? Could, could you, this is a, this is a little bit of a random question, but how do you react when somebody's made a mistake? It's like, mm, not really our best moment here.

Risa Crandall: (17:05)
Yep. Now, and it does happen. And I will say, , with our leadership too, and Todd Benedict is my manager. And again is very, just very positive, supportive. Anything we discuss or ask is taken very seriously. And, and or if something gets, , to a point where I might be thinking like, I can't solve this problem, he's always great about just saying like address it tomorrow. Like, it's, it's not gonna go away unless you want it to, but , just think about sleep on it. And he's got a really great attitude that we can all get there, but we might not always have the answer right. In this very second. So I think when, when there is a mistake made it my approach and, and most of the folks here are Aki too. It's about just bringing it to someone's attention in a, in a respectful way, like I saw, and this didn't even happen just yesterday where I saw something and I thought, well, this presentation could have some improvements.

Risa Crandall: (18:00)
So what I generally would do will say to that person, , I see what you've got here. It it's a good start, but what I would really recommend is we include these things here into the program because it will make it even more on point for this client. And, or I heard, I always take notes in every meeting we have with a client. So sometimes I catch something that maybe the seller didn't or somebody else on the team. So I'll bring up the fact that, oh, I think I heard, I'm pretty sure I wrote down in my notes that I heard this what I would, and I'm always asking, putting it out there as a suggestion or a recommendation. There's not a mandate. Right. So I would recommend that we include these tactics or we include video in this program. I know that the client would really spark to that.

Risa Crandall: (18:42)
Yep. It's always from a sense of we're in this together. Sometimes people don't catch things or sometimes people don't realize that , , how we put the proposal together also matters just from a visual standpoint too, to make it easy for the client when they get that deck in their inbox, how they can remember what we all talked about and that it really is translating. So I always do it from a suggestion standpoint, from a positive standpoint. And I always say to anybody that I'm working with in that way,  tell me what you think, what do you think?

Bob Goodwin: (19:13)
Yeah. Well, one, one of the values of, if I remember correctly is around partnerships mm-hmm  and right. And it's one thing, and I think we would generally agree with this with, with our clients. Mm-Hmm , you, you definitely bring that mindset and mentality, but, but it's also in internally, right? That we're a team, , it's funny what you said about like, , being in a sales call and the seller may or may not have heard something. And a younger version of me would be like, well, I don't need to have my manager on this call with me. I can do this by myself. Mm-Hmm  right. And then when, when my ego started to, , kind of at more right sized , and, and bringing somebody else with me and, and one, it gives me a chance to kind of catch my mental breath. Right. , while they're asking a question or building on a point or whatever, and then two is your exact point. They're hearing things that I'm not hearing. Cuz my mind's, , churning trying to figure out the next or whatever. And so partnerships.

Risa Crandall: (20:15)
Yes. Yes. And when I do, when I join meetings with the sales team, whether I set them up with them or they're setting up, it's what additional value I can bring. It might be that I talk to a client in a similar category and I know they have a pain point and maybe we wanna suggest that or, or address that it might be too. That just, I number a certain visual that I could say, let me share my screen. And then the seller does get that break can take some notes and I could show something, but just, it's a different point of view. I've been doing this for a little bit of time. And there, there, and I touch so many different things throughout the country that I have more access. So if I can bring up one suggestion or one visual or one kind of point into a discussion, that's gonna move us along a little bit more quickly or robustly, then, then that's gonna get us where we need to.

Bob Goodwin: (20:57)
Now you're, you're probably more of an expert in this than, than me for sure. But I remember in the challenger sale, one of the things that they talk about that sales people value them most in their leadership is somebody who's coming along and helping. Right. And they're bringing creative solutions. Right. And rather than, , kind of judging or pointing the finger or whatever, it's like, well, , here's to your earlier point, here's the suggestion, Hey, I actually saw this. You would have no visibility into this cuz this was a client on the way west coast and you're on the east coast, but , what Clorox said was, or what we saw there, it might be helpful for you at PepsiCo. Right. And so you, you can bring that perspective that not everybody's gonna have just the visibility to that's right. It, sales people love that.

Risa Crandall: (21:43)
Yeah. Well, and

Risa Crandall: (21:46)
It elevates the conversation. Right. And it can get it a little bit more on point that again, no one seller could have all those touch points. So it, it, my goal is always to bring that value and bring a different either point of view or a different idea into the conversation that again, could kind of, sometimes they laugh at me. Sometimes I say the land, the plane, like let's land the plane. So I think of it at the different hats that I can wear in one meeting. And a lot of times it's happening on fly. Right. I don't know, going into any discussion which way it's gonna navigate sometimes none of us do, but I'm very astute at being able to pick up where we're going and kind of go with the course, right. Clients, they will tell you a lot in a conversation about where they look to go. So they're kind of guiding you in the discussion. Yes. And then you have to really pick up on that and, and again, bring it home to the finish line.

Bob Goodwin: (22:29)
And then just the last thing on values and, and things that Aki believes, , is around being, , efficient, but gritty. Yep. Could you talk about that? Cuz I love that word gritty. You don't see that a lot.

Risa Crandall: (22:42)
Yeah. We are, , we, we do gritty with professionalism, but it is sometimes just being a little bit more nimble, ? So when we're in a discussion, for example, maybe pivoting from the PowerPoint that you had prepared for that client to something else, because that in that other PowerPoint, there's something there that's really gonna again, connect with that client. So not being afraid to kind of say, hold on one second, let me just switch over to something else. I think that is more professional than kind of staying the course and maybe missing the point. So we, we try to be very nimble and I think that's where the gritty comes in. , even when a client will say, just give me kind of a rough outline of what a program could look like. I think we should always do that.

Risa Crandall: (23:24)
If they're asking us for that and then we can fill in the gaps once we have the conversation. So, , just being a little bit more agile is really benefited here at Aki. I've always been that kind of entrepreneurial person. So yes, I really appreciate being part of an organization that can be that way. It is more efficient, right? Because if every single time a client had an idea, we went into a formal process in the organization to build out a proposal. We probably miss a few things and we'd probably exhaust a few people. So sometimes it just makes sense to roll up the sleeves and kind of give an outline ourselves. And then when we are closer, bring in all the, , all the respective parties. So that's why efficiency comes in.

Bob Goodwin: (24:01)
So just quickly as we, cuz I wanna be mindful of, of the time here a little bit too thinking about people who work at the company and, and people who are getting promoted, people who are being recognized, what are the things? And we're, I know we're talking a lot here about sales because that's your functional area, but, but kind of just opening up the lens a little bit. What are the kinds of things that get people promoted and recognized?

Risa Crandall: (24:31)
Yeah. It it's about being a smart worker, being collaborative, being a team player, certainly. And then also being comfortable speaking up. Right. So we just hired somebody who I, I met on the agency side. So this was his first role outside of that agency experience. So I could totally relate to him because I did the same thing many years ago. And what I, so app appreciated about Jeff is he reached out to me after he saw posting that there was an opening. I connected him with all the right parties. So it's just about again, being a team player he interviewed, got the position and then three weeks in reached out to me and said, could I get some time on your calendar? And I'd like to just talk. And we did that this week and it was just him trying to understand or asking questions about my journey.

Risa Crandall: (25:13)
So he could open up his mind to different things in the world. And so having those kind of conversations and really just being really efficient with your work and then speaking up and saying, I'm interested in a role in the, this department, , not being shy, just putting your hand in there and saying, this is what I'd like to explore. We've had folks cross divisional and make those pivots and move. I think it's important for leadership too. If they see that somebody can do it or should do it or open up their minds to it is just again, speak up. So it's really about kind of opening up your mind, but also opening up your voice to say I'm interested in exploring something and not being concerned that a department is gonna feel in any way slighted, because you might wanna make a, a pivot and try something else out. So we're just very open minded about those things.

Bob Goodwin: (26:00)
Hey, , so my friend ,Tripp Braden's got a comment. So he's, he's liking what you're talking about, being agile and gritty, how you get other people to better understand where they're going and how you're helping them get there.

Risa Crandall: (26:12)
Yeah. It's really important. So we really, we do really encourage folks to, to speak up and to talk and it, because it's such a comfortable environment, you can do that even as somebody who's right outta college.

Bob Goodwin: (26:24)
Yeah. So, , it, it you're right because, , kind of being younger mm-hmm,  sometimes it is difficult.

Risa Crandall: (26:31)
Sure.

Bob Goodwin: (26:31)
There's a little bit of an intimidation factor or if I really earned the right to speak and, and I will say, , coming out of my experience with info scout slash enumerator, there were so many smart young people. Mm-Hmm  that like if I looked at myself at age 26, 27, 28, I was nowhere near mm-hmm.  like there with how they were able to contribute. And so it's great seeing, , talent come in and just pretty seamlessly with the right level support. Mm-Hmm,  step into roles of responsibility and then grow and, , continue to grow in their careers as the company continues to grow. It's another reason I love doing this particular series on cool companies is because if, if a a person can get in the right organization where they believe in the value pro they believe in leadership, they believe in the culture and the company's growing.

Bob Goodwin: (27:29)
You can get so much more responsibility, right. And grow so much more quickly in your career and not having to hop, skip around all over, , seven different companies to get those experience. You even talked earlier about the cross polymerization and kind of switching lanes, which, which is cool. So maybe using that as a bit of a bridge I know people are interested in you because if I was listening to this conversation for the first time in learning about Aki and hearing you reset, I'd be like, oh my goodness. That's like the kind of company I would love to work for. Right. What, what are some of the, the talent functionally, maybe we could start first. What's some of the functional areas that you guys are looking for today and maybe thinking through 2022.

Risa Crandall: (28:13)
Yeah. So we're growing quite a bit and that's really exciting. And we are always looking for top talent in different areas. We are currently, we have open roles in the operations side. We have roles in the product market side and product management side. We have on the creative services side designers that help us build these amazing, thoughtful, beautiful ads that do drive action forward. We have open roles on sales planning and account management. So sales planning, being pre-sale account management, being post-sale, which is both critically important. And then sales, we do have open roles in sales and as well. So we really have different departments and, and are very open to having those conversations with, with folks that are interested in the art culture really believe in art technology. And then wanna just have that discussion and see if there's a, a fit there.

Bob Goodwin: (29:00)
Yep. And then when, when you're interviewing people RESA and, and maybe even thinking again more broadly about as a, as a team, as, , interviewing for filling certain roles, what are the things that like, you're looking for that like really catch your eye that like, I can see her working here. She's gonna be great here.

Risa Crandall: (29:19)
Yeah. I think some of the things that I always look for is high energy, right? People who are excited, enthusiastic, energetic, , again, have that positive spirit to them on people who wanna learn people who wanna grow. And , people who are comfortable in, in lots of different situations. Obviously I think in a way zoom has helped a lot of people too, just be more comfortable than they might be sitting down in an office together that could be intimidating for some. So I think there are some positives to zoom but people who just feel comfortable just putting time on your calendar, like that example I gave and even just somebody else did that earlier this week as well, just put the time down and if it's available, take it right. And just having that that determination to do it or that willingness and then just making it happen. So people like that are gonna always succeed here at Aki. And I think in, in life actually, but but certainly thinking about Aki people who just take the, the moment to really get that conversation going and and do it with a lot of energy, I think that's just really important.

Bob Goodwin: (30:18)
Well, one of the things that, , I've become a bit more of a student of the talent marketplace here in the past couple years. And, , there's seems to be different schools of thought on basically, no, I need somebody that's worked at an agency for, , five to eight years. That's got a lot of technical and or industry experience. The other side of that would be, I can teach you that stuff. I can't teach you being positive. I can't teach you being gritty. I, those kinds of things I'm gonna guess, I might know where you net out on this, but, but how do you at least sort of dimensionalize if that's even a fair way of dimensionalizing it?

Risa Crandall: (30:58)
Yeah. When I talk to sales people, I've always been a big believer that you don't need to be in a sort and track. I really don't. And I've had that happen in my career too, where people have said earlier on, well, you don't know this vertical, you don't know these people. We don't know this market. And I remember actually, this is a funny story. I remember  kinda early to mid in my careers, a woman this said to me you're too packaged goodsy. That's what she said, packaged goodsy as if that's a word. And I remember thinking that's a positive because packaged goods quite frankly, is what pays the bills and keeps the lights on. So you could be in this luxury category, which is where she was, and kind of get a little fool that that's the real world, but that's not the real, the, the typical consumer and, and ways that things happen are not buying those expensive products.

Risa Crandall: (31:42)
I always thought that it was funny and I, and that kind of repeats in my head a few different times. So I've always been a believer that it's really about kind of who you are at the center and you're right. Teaching people , be when people get here to Aki, it's it, you can learn what, what our value proposition is by having a few different conversations and then getting out there in the market. So to me, it's always important, just kind of who you, you are as a, a human being and what kind of Work ethic you have and the rest will come. Now I do understand if you have context, you're gonna be able to accelerate things forward. Of course. So I think on the sales side, there's a good balance of those in the other areas, too. You're gonna need to learn the organization. So if you have some product marketing experience and you go into a product marketing role that might have some benefits, but at the same time, if you're newer to it, you might have a whole different outlook. Right. And that could bring some value to the organization. So I'm a big believer in, in looking at the person and what they can bring and having that real conversation and then making that determination together, whether it's a right fit.

Bob Goodwin: (32:44)
Yeah. Well, I'm, I'm very glad to hear you say that. I, I believe that companies like Aki that embrace, that philosophy are going to massively win the talent war. And I, I believe it's pretty old school to, , your two package goodie ,

Risa Crandall: (33:00)
Which is funny now. But , at that time she definitely meant it as a knock. And I didn't take it as a knock. So no,

Bob Goodwin: (33:06)
No. Well, well, one of the other things that, , that you were talking about, it's like what you guys do, like people can learn it. Yes. And even in the beginning, but in our little icebreaker section, mm-hmm  you probably said the word learn five. Right. Right. So if somebody's curious, has a demonstrated history of being interested and the, has the ability to kind of quickly learn, , and is generally, , smart. And oftentimes what we do, isn't that hard to pick up. It might be different mm-hmm , but it's not hard. Right. And like you say, a few conversations, , swing the bat a few times, like I'm gonna do this. Okay. , I've I got it. I'll, I'll learn more as we go, but I've, I've at least got the 60% already. Yeah. And I'll kind of fill in the blanks as we go. And so that's a great question. I'll have to get back to you kind of stuff. And now, , the answer to that question and you're further along than you were five minutes ago. Exactly. is there anything else recent that we haven't talked about with Aki that you'd really, , want folks to know about the company?

Risa Crandall: (34:15)
I think it's just important to know that, , companies that are at our size, , kind of still in the, at seven year and we're, we're moving and grouping forward have a lot to offer, , some, there are times where clients and agencies just kind of have that philosophy as bigger as better. And I, I really disagree with that. I think that you need to go with your core partners that are big and you're gonna do your JBP with them. And there's a lot of value in that, but to also consider kind of the companies that are entrepreneurial and are leaning into tech and are differentiated and are also going to be really customer service and appreciative oriented. Yes. Cause they're gonna do a great job for your business and continue to, , so it's not like get the win and then walk away. That is just not our approach. So I think it's just really important, , when sometimes hear Google and Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. That's great. But think about the other companies and where they can play a value to compliment those, those big players out there, because they've most likely lost some of that agility that we could keep as, as the root in the basis of our organization.

Bob Goodwin: (35:19)
Yeah. And, and, and I do think that that, that appeal to a lot of people because they want to be able to express themselves more at work and be their, you, you said earlier hiring, you're interested in the human being. Yep. And when you can bring more of yourself to work yeah. That, that tends to be more fulfilling work.

Risa Crandall: (35:38)
It is, it is you feel good about it because it is you. And I do think even this, this kind of life too, has allowed people to even be more comfortable with that and express themselves and, , wear the colors and, , show their family in the background. I think those are all really positive steps forward that if people get a little peek into the window of who you are as a person, I think there's more trust there. Right? Yeah. And there's more connection that sometimes doesn't have to be said with words, because the photo of my, where is it over there? The photo of my three children says it all versus necessarily having to have a formal lunch or a coffee with somebody and, and have that Chi chat. So it really is it's a way to have people connect to you, but also connect to your business.

Bob Goodwin: (36:15)
And if people wanted to learn more about Aki, maybe reach out to you, what's the best way to do that. Risa

Risa Crandall: (36:20)
Yeah. So they can find me on LinkedIn, Risa Crandall, or they can always email me at RC@a.ki. we have the shortest email exchange and our website is a also super simple. So we're here to, , to hear, to answer any questions and it connect with people and just keep the conversations moving, moving forward.

Bob Goodwin: (36:39)
Well, Risa, this has been so much fun. I'm so appreciative that we were able to take the time today. You exude energy and positivity passion for what you do. And, , I know that anybody that's looking for those kinds of qualities, and I can't think who wouldn't be, would be really, really happy at Aki, you great job of representing a cool company for sure. And of course, you're my friends. It's always great to see you. And I wish you all the best and thank you again for being our guest today.

Risa Crandall: (37:07)
Thank you so much. Thank you to anybody who's been out there listening and thank you, Bob. And it's just, and Heather, it's been a pleasure.

Bob Goodwin: (37:13)
Okay. Thanks so much

Risa Crandall: (37:15)
Be well,

Bob Goodwin: (37:15)
Okay. Byebye.