Q&A with Sangram Vajre, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus

MEDIA 7 | December 5, 2019

Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Marketing Officer at LeadMD is an experienced Marketing and Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Business Process, Marketo, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and IT Service Management, Andrea is also a strong business development professional and a storyteller. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? ANDREA LECHNER: Frankly, not having better options. I originally attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse thinking I’d major in Archaeology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones! But, after visiting the archaeology building – i.e. the cold, dark basement of the science building – where a girl sat to piece together pieces of an old Native American vase, I knew archaeology was not going to be the right path for me. And so, without being good at science and a major in art or art history was unlikely to pay my bills, I decided to go into “business”. I originally registered as a management major, but took my first marketing class and thought it was more interesting and switched my sophomore year. That was pretty much it. I’d never been involved in business classes or DECA in high school – I didn’t really know what to do or what jobs in marketing were even possible. I dumb lucked myself into it really. M7: As a storyteller, do you relate the brand to a story or story to the brand? AL: Both? Neither? I think there are stories in every brand, because there are people working on the brand and people engaging with the brand and people using what the brand creates. People, most often a single person, are at the heart of great stories. You can start with the “point” of the story you’re trying to tell. Say you have a software that help accountants better create reports for board meetings. It’s likely you’ll want to tell a success story about an accountant getting promoted to CFO in part because your software helped better communicate their work product to the board. You could have the idea for that and go looking for that story in your customers. OR, you could hear that story, and say, “That’s amazing!” and share it with customers, partners and internal people. Stories are all around us – the most important thing is to keep your ears and eyes open for finding them.

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Media 7 | May 28, 2020

Andy Brown, Chief Executive Officer at ENGAGE has worked in the research and consulting industry for 25 years. He was previously a Partner at Mercer Consulting, a Global Practice Leader at The Empower Group (the strategic consulting division of Manpower), Managing Director of YouGov Consulting and Head of Research at The Gallup Organization. Andy co-founded ENGAGE and has worked for the company since 2008 and, in 2013, co-led an MBO of the firm. He works with CEOs, boards and executive teams in FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 firms, as well as with a range of fast-growing entrepreneurial start-ups. MEDIA 7: What are you most passionate about? ANDY BROWN: I’m passionate about four key things: helping organisations improve their performance; helping leaders to be as effective as possible; helping employees to feel a sense of purpose in their work; and, of course, my family!

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Media 7 | April 22, 2020

Cameron Worth, CEO & Founder of SharpEnd leads the company’s mission to help brands move closer than ever to consumers by connecting packaging, retail and experiential activity. He is a regular speaker and writer on how to build brands in a connected world. He has spoken at Cannes, the Festival of Marketing, LuxePack Monaco and New York, Ad:Week Europe and New York, DMA, the Connected Consumer Conference, Mobile World Congress and the IoT World Forum. MEDIA 7: How did the idea of “the agency of things” come to your mind? CAMERON WORTH: SharpEnd was created in 2015 as the world’s first Internet of Things focused agency, so there is a slight play on words when we say we’re the Agency of Things. I think the idea of giving things their own agency is an interesting concept, and the strapline fits our capabilities on multiple levels. M7: In what way does technology drive the association of SharpEnd with global brands? What approaches are followed to enable sustainability? CW: Our simple proposition is to help build brands in a connected world, and to do that you must always start with identified consumer needs or pain points and look at technology as just an enabler to deliver an appropriate solution (when appropriate).  Take the issue of sustainability, which is often a pain point for brands that grapple with issues such as how we can reward sustainable behaviour change. One of our approaches to this could be to look at communicating the recycling credentials of the different products. Whilst the consumer can engage with a product as part of a wider consumer experience, the same technology could also house content that could tell you whether the product is recyclable, which type of bin it goes in etc. SharpEnd’s work with Unilever is a case in point. We built a digital product that incentivised recycling through gamification but also served to educate through informing people how and where to recycle in a clear fashion. All users had to do was simply scan their packaging to have all this information at their disposal.

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MANAGEMENT

Act! | March 10, 2023

On March 9, 2023, Act!, a renowned customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation solutions provider for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), joined the Small Business Digital Alliance (SBDA) as a local ally. The SBDA is a public-private co-sponsorship between the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Business Forward, Inc., focused on connecting small business leaders with the resources and tools needed to start, expand, and scale businesses to success. As a member of the SBDA, Act! aligns with the alliance's mission of empowering small businesses to sell more, market better and create customers for life. The SBDA connects influencers, significant players, and companies in e-commerce, benefits, tech and other industries to conjoin small businesses with training resources, digital tools and expanded opportunities to scale their digital networks and reach potential customers. Act! will be able to interact with corporate executives, small business leaders, and ecosystem partners as a local ally to help small companies and contribute its own resources to Act! 's networks. Act!'s CEO Steve Oriola commented, "By joining the SBDA as a local ally, we are creating meaningful connections and providing resources, tools, and best practices to help small businesses be successful." He further emphasized, "We are proud to align ourselves with an organization that is meeting small businesses where they are and providing them with the tools they need to improve business outcomes, broaden their networks, and drive economic development." (Source – Business Wire) About Act! Act! is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation solutions provider for small to medium-sized businesses, with over 30 years of experience and serving over 4 million customers worldwide. The platform offers a range of features and tools to manage customer relationships, sales, and marketing activities. It is mobile-friendly and customizable to meet the specific needs of its users. In addition to its product offerings, the company is committed to supporting small businesses through partnerships and alliances, which connect small businesses with training resources, digital tools and expanded opportunities to grow their networks and reach new customers.

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TECHNOLOGY, IDEAS

Analytix | March 17, 2023

Analytix Solutions has recently launched Business Transformation Services for small to mid-market sized companies. The new Business Transformation Services division will focus on offering Strategic Business Consulting, Operational Consulting, and Automation Services. Each of these services is meticulously designed to help SMBs create a scalable business model, boost profits, drive innovation and stay ahead of the competition. Led by Alok Bhatt – Senior Vice President of Analytix, Business Transformation division will help clients with their strategic objectives, optimize processes and automate systems to achieve operational excellence. Alok has 17+ years of experience being a trusted transformation partner to both SMB and Fortune 500 clients. He holds a Six Sigma Black Belt, an MBA and has an engineering degree. "Our clients have expressed an interest in optimizing their cost of operations and modernizing their business through digital transformation. Analytix now offers our SMB clients Business Transformation services, which were previously only available to large companies. A strong team of consultants and automation experts will be set up to provide this high value and high impact service to our clients." Alok said. Analytix Business Transformation division is poised to help SMBs scale their businesses by providing access to affordable consulting and automation services. The Business Transformation team possesses extensive experience in business consulting along with a deep understanding of industry specific processes and relevant technology offerings. Our Strategic Business Consulting Services offer solutions to specific business problems and initiatives. We specialize in Business Process Management, where we help our clients define and document their processes along with building the right controls to drive performance and compliance. We also review the technology landscape of our clients to create a roadmap for digital transformation. We help our clients reduce their customer churn by improving their customer experience. Our risk advisory services help with compliance to industry process standards like ISO, data privacy, SOC2, HIPAA, and management of financial, operational, information security, and regulatory risks. Our Business Transformation Team also offers Operational Consulting Services that focus on cost optimization by improving operational efficiencies. We implement a three-pronged solution: restructuring the organizational design based on capability vs capacity including leveraging of offshoring solutions, streamlining processes with LEAN and Six Sigma, and automating manual, and repetitive tasks. This helps clients achieve cost optimization while driving higher innovation. Third and the most interesting part of our services is the Automation. Analytix provides a unique approach by offering Automation-As-A-Service, where clients pay a minimal upfront fee for process assessment and then the benefits of automation are shared between the client and Analytix. This "gain-share" model is a win-win for both parties as the client pays only a share of the total effort saving benefits that Analytix has delivered. Our automation team has developed various tools and integrations that deliver quick results for clients. We offer process-based and dataflow based automations through the latest platforms available today. Our cloud-based automation tools require zero-code change in the client tech-eco system and provide web-based orchestrator controls to start, stop or schedule automations. John Matthew, COO of Analytix explains, "Transforming business processes to make operations more efficient can help businesses realize exponential results to both productivity and profitability. Mid-market sized businesses can often benefit the most from business transformation. Adding Business Transformation to our offerings as a single-source solutions provider is a natural progression in our business strategy, as we identify ways to support our clients' business growth. This is an area where we can really, positively impact our clients and partners, implementing innovative measures to increase their business's profitability while reducing overall costs." About Analytix Analytix Solutions is a single source solutions provider, dedicated to providing core business services to clients across a range of industries since more than 15 years. Our experienced team of professionals deliver services and solutions that empower small and midsize companies to make informed business decisions that lead to long-term growth and profitability. We provide finance, accounting, IT, data management, virtual assistant, healthcare, and audiovisual (AV) solutions to a range of industries. Deep, cross disciplinary expertise, coupled with our ability to integrate technology and automation into our solutions uniquely position us to help our clients thrive and grow in a competitive market.

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FINANCE

Eastern Bank | March 14, 2023

Eastern Bank announced the introduction of the Equity Alliance for Businesses to further accelerate the growth of underrepresented entrepreneurs and business owners as part of its longstanding and profound commitment to promote greater economic inclusion and mobility. Equality Alliance for Business is a unique credit program geared to meet the requirements of diverse business owners who are people of color or women and all their intersectionality, such as the LGBTQIA+, veteran, and disabled communities. It also provides access to additional banking and community services, as well as entrepreneurial thoughts and tools, supplied by a team of diverse bankers with input from leading business support organizations. Eastern Bank is the top SBA lender to Massachusetts's small business community, and as a community bank, it is deeply devoted to assisting small businesses and their vital role in ensuring a thriving local economy. The bank's efforts to address racial inequities and the wealth gap include community development and small business lending, supporting the growth of minority business owners, offering accessible banking services, and strengthening public-private partnerships. Quincy Miller, Vice Chair & President of Eastern Bank, said, "Eastern has a deep and long-held commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for all, and Equity Alliance for Business is yet another step in advancing our commitment to economic inclusion and strengthening our communities." He added, "We understand resources such as specialized credit programs designed to address systemic inequities, specially trained bankers, and financial tools and community partnerships are game-changing in opening up much-needed opportunities of support for entrepreneurs and business owners." (Source – Business Wire) Equity Alliance for Business aims to meet the requirements of business owners with at least 51% ownership by people of color or women or all their intersectionality, including the LGBTQIA+, disabled communities, and veterans, who may not qualify for access to capital under conventional underwriting standards. The ecosystem provides: • Local 1:1 Relationships • Credit Solutions, with a Special Purpose Credit Program • Supplementary Financial Products & Services • Access to Other Tools & Resources About Eastern Bank Eastern Bank, founded in 1818 and headquartered in Boston, has more than 120 branches in Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, and southern and coastal New Hampshire. Eastern Bank had almost $23 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2022. Through its Eastern Insurance Group LLC subsidiary and Eastern Wealth Management division, Eastern provides banking, investing, and insurance products and services to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Eastern is proud of its outspoken advocacy and community support, which includes charity contributions of $240 million since 1994. Eastern is an inclusive business that employs around 2,100 individuals that respect their relationships with customers, colleagues, and communities.

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