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In this compelling episode of Navigating the Customer Experience Podcast, we speak with Jay Sapovits, a dynamic and resilient entrepreneur with a flair for reinvention. Jay’s journey began with a bold move across the country at age 18, setting the tone for a life rich in unconventional choices and high-profile experiences. With a knack for spotting opportunity in adversity, Jay has built a career rooted in innovation, grit, and human connection.

From Retail to Revolutionary: The Ink Stores Story

Jay is currently leading Ink Stores, a full-service promotional company specializing in on-demand webstores. Originally a traditional storefront business, the pandemic forced a dramatic pivot. In response, Jay transformed the company into an online powerhouse that builds, hosts, and fulfills custom merchandise stores for businesses—with no inventory, minimums, or upfront costs. This reinvention not only helped Ink Stores survive but thrive in a competitive, post-COVID market.

Real-World Impact: Swag Without the Hassle

Jay shares a powerful client use case involving a holiday employee gift initiative. Rather than requiring HR to manage sizing, style, and distribution of branded jackets, Ink Stores created a custom online portal. Employees could independently select sizes, styles, and colors, and orders were shipped directly to them—eliminating friction, protecting employee dignity, and freeing HR from uncomfortable sizing conversations. It's a prime example of how Ink’s model prioritizes autonomy, convenience, and a seamless experience.

Jay’s Must-Have Business Tools & Books

When asked about a tool he can’t live without, Jay simply answers: Email. He's responsive to a fault—often replying within seconds—and views this real-time communication style as a core operational strength.

Two books stand out in shaping Jay’s business philosophy:

• Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty by Harvey Mackay – A classic on proactive networking.
• How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox – Jay's all-time favorite sales book, packed with short, punchy insights on winning and keeping clients. He frequently recommends it to job candidates and young professionals.

Strategic Priorities in Uncertain Times

As 2025 unfolds amid economic pressure and political shifts, Jay remains grounded. His three focus areas:

1. Stay connected with customers
2. Follow industry trends
3. Prioritize team culture and employee well-being

Notably, Jay refuses to raise prices despite rising supplier costs. He views opportunistic pricing as short-sighted and is committed to rewarding loyal customers with price stability—or even reductions. His values stand in contrast to what he calls “price gouging” across many industries.

What’s Next? A Leap Into Tech

Jay is currently expanding his capabilities through tech and AI by interviewing candidates for data science and development roles—areas outside his comfort zone but essential for scaling customer experience. His willingness to push into unfamiliar territory speaks volumes about his growth mindset.

Words to Live By

Jay shares a simple but profound quote taped to his computer:
“If you promise someone something, keep it.”

He explains that success is a series of doing simple things right—choosing the next right action, over and over again. In Jay’s eyes, life isn’t about making mistakes unknowingly; it’s about consciously choosing right versus wrong. Stacking up the right choices, he believes, leads to a meaningful, impactful life.

Connect with Jay Sapovits:
🌐 Website: www.inkdstores.com
💼 LinkedIn: Jay Sap

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In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we sit down with Fran Brzyski, CEO and Co-Founder of Hark, the leader in video and audio-driven customer feedback. With over a decade of experience in CX and Voice of Customer roles spanning startups to Fortune 50s, Fran brings a wealth of insight into transforming how brands listen and respond to customers in the modern age.

Fran’s journey to entrepreneurship wasn’t linear. He began in finance at a major bank but quickly realized the corporate world wasn’t for him. Driven by a desire to innovate and execute quickly, he pivoted into the startup world, embracing the highs and lows along the way. After working across sectors including biotech, risk and compliance, and e-commerce, he found his calling in software — drawn by the rapid feedback loops and opportunity for fast-paced innovation. Inspired by his supportive wife and parents, Fran took a leap of faith, second-mortgaged his home, and founded Hark.

So, what is Hark? Fran explains that Hark was born from a realization that customer communication was evolving rapidly. While people freely share stories on social media, brand interactions remained stuck in outdated forms and text-based surveys. Hark changes that by enabling customers to share feedback via audio, video, screen share, and text — creating a multimodal, emotionally rich experience that makes people feel truly heard.

Hark not only captures more meaningful customer stories, but also analyzes them to extract trends and insights across departments. The platform facilitates faster feedback loops and deeper cross-functional collaboration — turning traditional customer feedback into an engaging, action-driven experience that transforms how teams operate.

Fran shares powerful use cases where Hark has driven real change. In one example, a beauty brand identified a pump issue that was initially thought to be a product defect. Through Hark’s insights, they discovered it was actually a fulfillment problem — saving time, money, and improving the customer experience. Another eyewear company revamped its NPS strategy, using Hark to elevate promoters into champions, fostering brand loyalty in ways they’d never seen before.

When asked about tools he can't live without, Fran points to ChatGPT, noting its versatility in helping him brainstorm, optimize operations, and make strategic decisions — effectively serving as his go-to AI business partner.

Books that have influenced him? "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz stands out for helping him tune into what truly drives personal happiness and freedom, a mindset he carries into both life and leadership.

What’s Fran excited about right now? Both professionally and personally, a lot. He’s energized by the accelerating pace of AI innovation, especially how it’s reshaping product development and testing. Personally, raising three young kids under six keeps him grounded and present, giving him fresh perspective every day.

On staying motivated, Fran emphasizes self-awareness, structure, and support. He prioritizes sleep, exercise, and quality time with his family. He also works with a coach and practices meditation to stay mentally clear and present — knowing that founder life is a marathon, not a sprint.

His favorite quote? One from his mom: “This isn’t a dress rehearsal, this life.” It’s a reminder to be bold, stay grounded, and live intentionally — a philosophy he carries with him into every business decision.

Connect with Fran:

• Fran Brzyski on LinkedIn
• Hark on LinkedIn

Tune in to learn how Fran is disrupting customer feedback

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In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we’re joined by Eric Karofsky, an award-winning expert in customer experience (CX), user experience (UX), and employee engagement, and the founder of VectorHX, a human experience agency. Eric shares his professional journey—from decades in agency and consultancy work with major brands like Michelin and Royal Caribbean, to leading UX at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and now building his own company focused on creating seamless customer interactions across digital and physical touchpoints.

Eric discusses how AI is rapidly reshaping the customer experience landscape, emphasizing that it’s a powerful tool—not a solution on its own. He shares both the promise and the current limitations of AI, particularly in customer support scenarios, likening poorly designed chatbots to frustrating call center loops from the 1980s.

A major theme in the episode is understanding customer behavior through cultural, situational, and demographic lenses. Eric cautions against forcing users into preferred communication channels and instead advises companies to map the ideal journey for different personas and optimize each channel for a frictionless experience.

He offers a powerful case study from the pharmaceutical industry, where AI is being used to transform labor-intensive literature reviews—cutting timelines from six months to potentially two weeks. This not only boosts business efficiency but also accelerates drug development, delivering life-saving treatments to patients faster.

Eric also touches on:

• AI leadership and how it should drive business strategy by identifying areas for efficiency and innovation.
• Tools he can't live without, like Claude AI and Notion, which he uses to manage his business and ideas.
• His excitement about no-code tools like Bolt.new and Lovable, which allow rapid prototyping of full-stack apps without technical skills.
• The enduring value of classic books like Getting to Yes and The Design of Everyday Things, which shaped his thinking around negotiation and customer-centric design.
• The importance of motivation and resilience, fueled by the exciting pace of innovation and meaningful human connections with clients and team members.

He closes with a favorite quote by Benjamin Franklin:

You’ll leave this episode with fresh insights on CX, AI strategy, and how to build human-centered experiences in a rapidly evolving digital world.

🔗 Connect with Eric Karofsky:
🌐 Website: www.vectorhx.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Eric Karofsky

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In this powerful episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we sit down with Dave Garrison, leadership strategist, former CEO, and author of The Buy-In Advantage: Why Employees Don’t Care – and What Great Leaders Do to Inspire Them to Give Their All. With over 25 years of experience leading and advising public and private companies—including Ameritrade—Dave shares his journey from CEO to co-founder of Garrison Growth, where he helps leaders transform workplace culture and team engagement.

Dave’s Journey from CEO to Culture Champion

Dave opens up about his personal transformation—from leading multinational corporations to discovering his passion for helping people reach their full potential. Encouraged by close friends who questioned whether being a high-profile CEO was truly bringing him joy, Dave embarked on a path that led to founding Garrison Growth. Today, his mission is to help leaders create workplace environments where employees thrive—and where customers feel that impact.

Why Engagement is Dropping (And How to Reverse It)

Dave discusses startling insights from Gallup’s latest data showing that global employee engagement has dropped again. He explains that no leader wants a disengaged workforce, and no employee chooses to disengage—but without intentional focus, engagement simply won’t happen. Because it's not commonly reinforced by investors or executive dashboards, many leaders unknowingly neglect it.

The “Gas Factor” and What Really Drives Engagement

Leaders often default to surface-level perks like bonuses, free food, or ping-pong tables to boost morale. While appreciated, these don’t move the needle. Dave reveals that employees today—especially Gen Z—are more motivated by meaningful impact, alignment with purpose, and strong team relationships. When employees feel heard, valued, and connected to a bigger mission, that’s when true engagement happens.

From Micromanaging to Empowerment

Micromanaging often comes from good intentions but can stifle team growth. Dave challenges leaders to identify the one or two areas where their close involvement truly adds value and let go of control in other areas. Referencing Steve Jobs’ hyper-focus on design, he urges leaders to trust the “collective genius” of their teams and foster an environment of trust and autonomy.

The Three Pillars: Inspired People, Smart Outcomes, Empowered Teams

In The Buy-In Advantage, Dave outlines three key pillars of high-performing organizations. The biggest challenge he sees? Prioritization. Many leaders overwhelm teams with long lists of goals. He stresses the importance of narrowing focus to just three core priorities and engaging the team in bringing them to life. The secret? Creating alignment through conversations, not commands—what Dave calls a “done with” not “done to” mindset.

Making Values Stick Through Storytelling

Company values can’t just live on a poster. Dave champions storytelling as a powerful way to reinforce culture. He shares practical examples like executives spending time in customer service centers or calling clients directly—not to promote products, but to deeply understand their needs. These experiences yield stories that inspire teams and reinforce the company’s purpose in meaningful, memorable ways.

AI as a Game-Changer

When asked about a tool he can’t live without, Dave points to AI—specifically tools like Claude and ChatGPT. He emphasizes the importance of input quality, recommending leaders use detailed, emotionally contextual prompts (about 400 words) to get the most powerful results from AI, especially for brainstorming and problem-solving.

Books That Shaped Dave’s Thinking

Two books had a significant influence on Dave’s approach to

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In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we talk with Justin Baer, an entrepreneur passionate about blending comfort and style into professional wear. Justin shares his journey from a tech-focused entrepreneur to founding Collars & Co., known for their innovative Dress Collar Polo — the perfect hybrid of dress shirt style with polo shirt comfort.

Originally a side project launched during the pandemic, Justin’s brand has grown exponentially, boasting over 300 SKUs, a 20,000 sq ft warehouse, and 20+ employees. Featured on Shark Tank, The Wall Street Journal, and Men’s Health, Collars & Co. is more than just apparel — it’s a community dedicated to excellence, integrity, and creativity.

Highlights Include:

• Entrepreneurial Journey: Justin always had a knack for business, growing up in a family where Wall Street Journals replaced Sports Illustrated. After years in tech and software, the discomfort of daily dress shirts in NYC inspired him to create a new kind of apparel.
• The Launch Story: Using a Shopify store, DIY photoshoots, and a TikTok video filmed by his daughter, Justin’s first shirts sold out almost immediately — proof of demand for stylish comfort.
• Customer Experience Focus: Transitioning from B2B to direct-to-consumer, Justin emphasizes constant learning, using data-driven A/B testing to refine online shopping experiences. They prioritize customer support, treating every customer "like a celebrity."
• Key Skills Sharpened:
  • Video editing and social media marketing (vital for brand building),
  • Accounting and financial acumen (essential for growth),
  • Customer service excellence (building a brand voice and culture internally and externally).
• Essential Tools: Shopify and Triple Whale (for e-commerce attribution) are vital to their daily operations.
• Book Recommendations: The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes, highlighting the power of letting data sell for you.
• Customer Perspective: As a shopper himself, Justin values social proof, return policies, and responsive support — factors Collars & Co. strives to excel at.
• Expanding the Line: While Collars & Co. began with menswear, a women’s collection is underway, recognizing the significant demand and opportunity in women's fashion.
• What’s Next: Justin is excited about launching a performance dress shirt line in partnership with Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, offering high-tech, cool-to-the-touch fabrics for modern professionals.
• Mindset on Challenges: Justin embraces adversity, viewing problems as opportunities to improve — a philosophy that has fueled Collars & Co.’s rapid success.

Find Justin Online:

• Website: www.collarsandco.com
• LinkedIn: Justin Baer
• Instagram/TikTok: @collarsandcoclothing

Closing Thought:
Justin’s story is a reminder that true innovation often comes from solving personal problems — with grit, creativity, and a commitment to excellence. Whether you’re looking for entrepreneurial insights, fashion industry tips, or inspiration to chase your own ideas, this conversation offers invaluable lessons.

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In today’s episode of Navigating the Customer Experience with Eitan Koter. Eitan Koter, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi, has a rich background in the tech sector, particularly in video commerce, digital marketing, and social commerce. With over two decades of experience, including managing a public company and leading startups, Koter has established himself as a thought leader in the industry. His company, Vimmi, is a video commerce SaaS platform that has been operational for 11 years, focusing on immersive shopping experiences through video.

Eitan's Journey

Koter's career began in the tech sector, specifically in video compression technology. His extensive experience spans various sectors like eCommerce and media. He emphasizes the evolution of video marketing and commerce, noting the significant shift towards immersive experiences that enhance online shopping. Vimmi's unique approach integrates video and augmented reality to create interactive purchasing experiences, moving beyond traditional static product pages.

About Vimmi

Vimmi initially catered to large content providers and enterprises looking to launch video services similar to Netflix. The company serves a B2B2C model, where they provide solutions for enterprises that ultimately serve consumers. Koter highlights the growing trend of live shopping, inspired by practices in China, where brands engage audiences through live streams that incorporate direct purchasing options. This interactive format fosters emotional connections with consumers and enhances brand loyalty.

Recommended Skills and Tools for Video Commerce

Koter advises newcomers to focus on short-form videos (around 30 seconds), starting with a compelling hook rather than a sales pitch. He suggests creating content that addresses customer pain points and building personal connections through storytelling. The structure of these videos should include:

1. Hook: Capture attention with a question or intriguing statement.
2. Connection: Share personal stories or experiences related to the topic.
3. Showcase: Provide visual evidence of success or transformation.
4. Insight: End with a powerful takeaway for viewers.

Koter emphasizes authenticity and consistency in content creation, recommending that brands post regularly to build community engagement.

Importance of Social Commerce

Koter asserts that social commerce is crucial for future brand success. It enables brands to connect directly with consumers through engaging content across multiple platforms. The integration of shoppable videos allows for seamless transactions during live events or short-form content, enhancing the shopping experience.

Conclusion

Eitan Koter's insights into video commerce highlight its transformative potential in eCommerce. By leveraging immersive experiences and social engagement, brands can foster deeper connections with their audiences while driving sales. His expertise serves as a guide for businesses seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of digital marketing and commerce effectively.

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In today's episode of Navigating the Customer Experience with Josh Seiden. Josh’s insights emphasize that customer-centricity is a journey requiring both leadership and employees to adopt new ways of thinking and working. By focusing on customer needs and empowering teams through OKRs, organizations can create greater value and drive meaningful change.

Josh’s Journey

Josh began his career in Silicon Valley during the pre-internet days, working in technology. Fascinated by what makes great products and services, he spent many years as a designer and later a product manager. Today, he helps teams collaborate more effectively, fostering customer-centric approaches to deliver exceptional value to the world.

About Josh’s New Book: Who Does What By How Much? A Practical Guide to Customer-Centric OKRs

Josh’s book is inspired by his passion for integrating a customer-focused perspective into product and service development. He emphasizes that while creating good products is challenging, it’s essential to keep the customer at the core of decision-making. His book introduces OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), a goal-setting framework that helps organizations align their objectives with customer needs.

OKRs prompt teams to define clear objectives—what they want to achieve—and measurable key results based on customer outcomes. For example, the Cleveland Clinic uses OKRs with objectives like "Be the best place in the world to receive healthcare" and key results such as reducing serious safety events. This approach ensures customer-centric thinking while empowering teams to solve problems creatively.

Overcoming Challenges with OKRs

A common pain point in organizations is micromanagement, where leaders dictate tasks rather than allowing teams to leverage their expertise. OKRs address this by shifting leadership’s focus from controlling tasks to setting strategic goals and creating an environment where employees can solve problems independently. This requires mutual trust and encourages employees to think critically about delivering customer value.

However, resistance to change is a hurdle. Employees may feel overwhelmed by new processes. Josh emphasizes the importance of leadership in clearly articulating why OKRs are being adopted, addressing organizational pain points, and explaining how OKRs will benefit both the company and individual employees. This alignment fosters motivation and helps overcome resistance.

Aligning OKRs with Employee Needs

Josh highlights the need to connect OKRs to the employees’ sense of purpose. Everyone within an organization has customers—whether they’re external consumers or internal stakeholders. For example, an HR professional’s customers might be employees seeking benefits or managers hiring talent. By adopting a customer-centric mindset, employees at all levels can see how their roles contribute to organizational success, making them more engaged and motivated.

Key Behaviors for Customer-Centric Organizations

To become truly customer-centric, organizations must:

1. Understand Customers Deeply: Organizations should invest in customer discovery, understanding who their customers are, their motivations, and what challenges they face.
2. Prioritize Value Creation Over Sales: Beyond generating revenue, focus on how customers use products and whether those products are delivering real value.
3. Foster a Problem-Solving Culture: Empower employees to solve problems rather than prescribing solutions.
4. Enhance Communication and Transparency: Ensure alignment and clarity in how OKRs connect to customer and employee goals.

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In this episode, we dive deep into the insights of Laura Richard, a Principal at Level5 Strategy and a leader committed to enhancing customer experiences. With a background in health sciences, Laura transitioned into management consulting, driven by her curiosity and passion for problem-solving. Over her 15-plus-year career, she has worked across various sectors, including public, private, and not-for-profit, focusing on building effective strategies that yield tangible results for her clients.

Laura emphasizes the importance of understanding customer motivations, which she identifies as a mix of rational benefits and emotional responses. She believes that successful businesses must grasp these motivators to craft compelling customer promises and enhance their customer journeys. By identifying critical touchpoints—moments of truth in customer interactions—she helps organizations differentiate themselves and create impactful experiences.

Navigating Customer Experiences

When asked about navigating customer experiences, Laura discusses the necessity of addressing both rational and emotional aspects of customer interactions. She points out that different customer segments require unique approaches, and emphasizes active listening as a universal skill for frontline teams. Demonstrating empathy and understanding is crucial in resolving customer pain points effectively.

The Role of Personalization

Personalization is another key topic. Laura highlights its growing importance in creating customer-centric organizations, where customers feel valued and understood. However, she warns against overextending resources in an attempt to personalize too much, advocating for a balanced approach that aligns with an organization's maturity and capabilities.

Future Trends to Watch

Looking ahead, Laura identifies two critical trends for organizations to focus on in the next 6 to 12 months. First, she stresses the need for businesses to deeply understand customer journeys, pinpointing pain points and identifying suitable solutions before adopting new technologies. Second, she emphasizes the importance of connecting customer experience improvements to business outcomes, urging customer experience professionals to work closely with finance teams to demonstrate the value of their initiatives.

Essential Tools and Resources

When it comes to tools, Laura shares her reliance on TheyDo, a journey mapping and management tool that enables her team to visualize customer interactions and prioritize improvements effectively.

Influential Reads

Laura also reflects on the impact of Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why, which underscores the significance of purpose in driving engagement and motivation within organizations. This concept has influenced how she advises clients on articulating their core missions.

Current Excitement

Currently, Laura is excited about the repositioning of Level5 Strategy. The firm aims to communicate its focus on creating data-driven strategies that stick, aligning closely with client feedback and needs.

Connecting with Laura

Listeners can connect with Laura on LinkedIn and through the Level5 Strategy website, where they can explore more about their customer experience offerings.

Inspiration During Challenges

To wrap up the episode, Laura shares her mantra during tough times: “Just keep moving forward.” This simple yet powerful reminder encourages incremental progress and continuous value creation.

This conversation with Laura Richard offers valuable insights into enhancing customer experiences, the importance of personalization, and strategies for organizational growth. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of how to drive impactful change in your busin