Episode 44 – Services, Agencies, & Exits with Karim Marucchi

Karim Marucchi (of Crowd Favorite) joins Jean to guest host, as they touch on a myriad of topics, from exits, to mergers, acquisitions, and much more. Karim exudes charisma; being a service focused individual, he provides a unique perspective away from the usual product focused interviews Mastermind.FM has had in the past. Topics Include: How Karim's upbringing, heritage, and travels played a role in shaping his business philosophies. His history with architecture and studies in Rome. How a curious phone call, while working for an ISP,  lead Karim into helping build a website for Nissan. Selling METNET to USWeb. How USWeb turned Karim's life upside-down. Website Production vs Strategy Bridging the gap between American, European, and Asian culture. How Karim's architecture roots fortified his need to build things that last. His small business experience. "If you are going to fail, fail fast." - Karim Testing the waters of agency work. Services: Cultural vs Institutional Cultivating a small agency. How running a lifestyle business allowed Karim to step away from his company for the year leading up to his father's death. Mourning and moving on. The dynamics of exiting & acquisition. Adapting/transitioning client culture. On closing Veloware. Which lead to Karim finding his business partner. "Finding the right companies that aren't exiting for the wrong reasons." The value of partnering with a company you have no intention of acquiring. Structure & having the right team. Be an icebreaker; striking up a conversation with those you don't know, be it in your business or personal life. A philosophy that lead to Karim having a pleasant random conversation with the lead guitarist of Los Lobos. Attending conferences outside of the WordPress community. "Have fun!" & "Partner and hire for your weaknesses." - Karim Looking forward, and the intent to return for a round 2 interview with Mastermind.FM!   Featured on the Show: Karim's website Crowd Favorite The Bureau of Digital