Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of PowerInbox – A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Jeff Kupietzky is the CEO of PowerInbox. The DotCom Magazine editorial team has awarded PowerInbox as an Impact Company of 2019, and we are delighted to have Jeff join us for our Leader Round Table Interview. The PowerInbox story is very interesting, and we are very excited to not only interview Jeff, but also put Jeff through our popular speed round as well!

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Personalized ads in their email newsletters

Jeff, thank so much for taking the time out of your busy day for this interview, and answering some questions about leadership, your vision, and your passion.

1. Can you describe what the “elevator pitch” for PowerInbox is?

We help publishers take control of their audience engagement and content monetization by serving up personalized ads in their email newsletters, on their websites, in push notifications and via other emerging messaging channels. For advertisers, we provide a conduit for getting their brand in front of the right audience by matching them with publishers whose subscriber profile matches their target audience.

2. Many of our readers are just starting to build a company. What advice can you give CEO’s just starting out regarding keeping a company moving forward, and please tell us the key to your company’s success?

First, don’t get hung up on the trappings of a fancy corporate headquarters. It just costs money and resources that you could be putting toward more important things, like product development and customer acquisition and service. We run our entire company with 95% of our workforce working remotely. Not only does it save us a lot of money, but makes for an attractive work environment and work/life balance, which helps us recruit top talent much easier.

Second, focus on product first. Invest the majority of your time, money and effort into developing the product that meets your customers needs. Don’t build something that you think they need. Ask them. Find out exactly what their pain points are and build to that. Nice-to-have features can come later. Too many young companies get caught up in trying to offer “the most comprehensive” product. But if it’s not what your customers need, who cares about all of those extra features.

3. For other entrepreneurs seeking to build a business as successful as PowerInbox, what advice can you give them when times get a little challenging?

Turn to your team for help. At PowerInbox, we made the conscious decision to not invest in a high-priced sales team. We tapped our own developers and product team to sell our product. They’re the best salespeople for our product. They built it, they know its capabilities and customization options inside and out and are the best advocates we could ask for. This has saved us a lot of money and overhead, and it’s put our customers in direct contact with the folks building the product. It’s the best customer research model available. We know what they want us to build because we talk to them directly.

4. How important is the commitment to client satisfaction at PowerInbox, and how do you make sure your customers will become raving fans of your company?

Commitment to client satisfaction is everything for us. We work in partnership with our clients to make sure their campaigns are performing the way they need them to and help them to make adjustments on the fly as needed. We hear

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routinely from our customers that our hands-on approach and being so accessible is one of the things they love about us, and what sets us apart from other similar providers. We don’t force them into a one-size-fits-all program. We work with them to satisfy their needs.

5. What is the one thing PowerInbox does to have great communication with their customers?

I think that hands-on approach and one-on-one assistance is it. We are accessible and willing to make changes and adjustments to our service for them, and they know this. We follow-up to make sure things are working well. We’re like a part of their internal team.

6. In today’s fast changing business environment, what do you do to keep up with the changes? What do you read to stay abreast of things?

Lots and lots of email. I like to see what’s out there, what other people are doing and how the medium is evolving.

7. What is your “Why”? Why do you get up in the morning, and how do you keep yourself at peak performance to lead PowerInbox?

I love my job and that’s what motivates me to get up every day. I also like to run, which helps to keep me focused on the long-term perspective.

8. Can you recommend a book that has had an influence in your career? How did it influence you?

Good to Great by Jim Collins. It demonstrates how to approach making decisions that lead to lasting business success.

9. When communicating with your staff at PowerInbox, can you tell us the most important thing you do so that they are able to carry out the objectives that you set forth at as the leader?

I think the most important thing to communicate is that you trust them to do their best work. You’ve hired them for their talent and potential and you’re counting on them to bring it to the table. When everyone is doing their best work, we work better as a team. We might be dispersed all around the world, but we still work very closely together. It’s vital that they know their input is valuable, even beyond their specific area or job role, but as it pertains to the whole company, our products, etc. We want you to speak up, to be engaged, to feel like you can flourish here. If there’s something in the way of that, we need to know so that we can clear that hurdle.

10. In one sentence, can you give some advice to fellow entrepreneurs wishing to build a company as exciting as PowerInbox?

Find a customer problem, solve it well, and even if the going gets tough, stick with it and don’t quit.

PowerInbox
PowerInbox

We would like to have some fun and do a “First Reaction” round with you! We will ask you ten more questions that we want you to answer in just one to three words only. Here you go!

1. In three words or less, what makes a successful CEO?
Never give up

2. Describe PowerInbox in one word?
Relentless

3. Describe PowerInbox customers in one word?
Awesome

4. What one attribute do you look for when hiring an employee for PowerInbox?
Problem-solving

5. What is the one word you want your customers to say about PowerInbox?
Awesome

6. In three words or less, describe your passion?
Making clients successful

7. In three words or less, describe what it takes to be successful?
Never giving up

8. In three words or less, describe your first year in business at PowerInbox?
Difficult, but inspiring

9. In three words or less, describe how running a successful company has changed you?
I’m so grateful

10. What is the one word that you believe has the most power in the English Language?
Sorry

Jeff Kupietzky, Thank you so much for sitting down with us at our DotCom Magazine Impact Player Round Table. We very much appreciate the time you spent helping others to learn more about what it takes to be a leader. We Jeff your interview helps our readers, and we wish you, your family, and of course PowerInbox, nothing but the best.

Thanks again!