Author, Social Technology Expert, and Founder of Alkami Technology
Scott Koslosky talks to Bill Ringle on My Quest for the Best about changing marketplace technology and how to know when you’re ready to expand your business.
>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today’s top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.
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Interview Insights
Listen to this interview to learn:
- How a dyslexic boss showed how to find a willing market and build a business from the ground up
- What it took to sell to larger companies as a startup
- Mistakes made and lessons learned from overly ambitious business expansion
- What CEOs need to know now about leadership skills in the age of digital marketing and social media
Read the Show Notes from this Episode
- 1:05 Scott discusses how he got his start in business with a start-up that he joined at 18.
- 2:13 Scott describes how he worked his way up this company straight out of high school, then began his own business.
- 6:19 “The first things I learned right off the bat were how much accountability there was when you’re the one who now owns [the company]. There’s no one really that’s going to come to your rescue. You have to make all the decisions.”
- 7:08 It took four months to get his company to stability.
- 8:04 Scott realized he was no longer in “start-up mode” when his company picked up big orders from large companies, as well as when they opened new stores.
- 9:03 However, he does admit that his naivety caused his company to grow too fast, and later had to file for bankruptcy.
- 9:54 Scott talks about the problems faced by young entrepreneurs.
- 11:50 “You have to be good at looking forward into the future.”
- 13:15 Scott always recommends that a company gets a two-year lead on the competition with how they use technology.
- 13:41 There are two areas to think about when trying to grow one’s technology use in the business: the back of the house and digital marketing.
- 18:12 Scott wrote his book “The Velocity Manifesto” because he was working with so many leaders who didn’t understand the difference that technology makes in the marketplace, and they needed to cultivate new skills regarding technology strategies.
- 23:01 Every company should be able to access all customer information on one platform.
- 23:30 Digital marketing engines are also a necessary technology to keep up with their competitors.
- 24:35 Some indicators of sustainability that Scott always looks out for in his company are profitability and profit growth, as well as how well the company is helping clients succeed.
- 29:00 The customization of how people market to specific businesses and demographics will continue to change.
- 30:43 Every day, Scott digests as much information as he can so that he can be more valuable in the marketplace and a more effective leader.
- 32:06 “The marketplace is changing, and technology is driving that change.”
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Expert Bio
Scott Klososky, a former CEO of three successful startup companies, currently serves as founder and Chairman of the Board of Alkami Technology, which focuses on providing online account management solutions to the financial services industry. Scott also works with senior executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to universities and nonprofits, including Cisco, eBay, Volvo, and the American Payroll Association. He helps his clients integrate social technologies into their strategic direction as well as improve their utilization of technology as a tool.
Scott is the author of three books: The Velocity Manifesto: Harnessing Technology, Vision and Culture to Future Proof Your Organization, Enterprise Social Technologies: Helping Organizations Harness the Power of Social Media, Social Networking, Social Relevancy, and Managing with Social Technology, a McGraw Hill Brief Case Series Book that is targeted specifically at giving managers a roadmap for implementing and using social tools in order to improve productivity and results.
Contact Info and Social Media for Scott Klososky
- Business Phone: 405-359-3910
- Primary Website
- Travels From: Detroit, MI
- Connect on LinkedIn | YouTube | Twitter