Michael Kalman is the Chief Strategy Officer for PersonalRX, Advisory Board Member for iCleanse, and was previously the founder and CEO of MediaCrossing, a digital marketing agency which sold to Kubient in 2021.
Kalman is a media and digital marketing expert who has been in the industry since 1990. On this episode of Forward Obsessed, learn about how a group of people started a trading desk to offer programmatic digital media to middle-market clients, and how their focus on good governance and hiring the right professionals led to a successful sale of the company. Hear about the importance of having a core team that believes in the vision of the business, finding personal relationships that can help improve oneself, as well as the importance of balancing work and personal life. Build better teams with Michael’s tips for identifying individuals with passion and integrating them into an established group. Interested in selling your business? Learn about Michael’s top tips for setting your acquisition up for success.
Key Topics:
- Importance of work ethic and giving back
- Creating a successful trading desk
- Importance of having a core team with shared empathy and goals
- The importance of finding personal relationships as an entrepreneur
- Balancing work and personal life
- Learning from mistakes and negative feedback
- The importance of passion and creating a healthy company culture
- Strategies for a successful sale of a business
OUTLINE:
- (00:00) - Intro
- (1:30) - Early years at a small agency
- (7:53) - The first time I got my “teeth kicked in” by a client
- (12:00) - Your client wants you to succeed
- (14:43) - The root of every personal and professional problem
- (17:27) - The hardest challenge that agencies face
- (20:30) - The problem with unspoken expectations
- (24:14) - Reliance on social media can be a disservice for brands
- (27:41) - Finding a way to grow through a niche
- (33:15) - What made MediaCrossing different from other agencies
- (39:45) - How NOT to structure your company
- (45:21) - Learning to let people down as a leader
- (50:40) - Strategies when you become overwhelmed
- (54:27) - Taking mental health days are key to growth
- (59:14) - Learning to take care of yourself and your family
- (1:02:24) - Teaching work ethic to your children
- (1:08:30) - How to cultivate passion in your team
- (1:16:00) - Managing (and firing) underperformers
- (1:21:15) - Selling a private company to a public company
- (1:29:03) - There are no shortcuts to selling your business
- (1:35:20) - How the pandemic restrictions killed our industry
- (1:39:11) - What’s next for the American economy
- (1:42:30) - How to build a company in a “remote work first” generation
EPISODE LINKS:
PODCAST INFO:
- Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05
- YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z
- YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql
SUPPORT & CONNECT:
- Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
