Colton Kaplan

Headline

Venture Scout

Stealth

Founder

Founder Social Club

Coyax

COO and Advisor

Walmart

• Selected by senior leadership to provide network strategy, improving process prioritization through 5s warehouse layout yielding $539k cost savings and decrease in safety incidents by 30%
• Created inventory tracker for 1P and 3P freight to be systematically visible in receiving process improving on-time delivery by 10%, increasing efficiency, and exceeding customer expectations
• Utilized domain expertise identifying bottlenecks, internal stakeholders implementing process increasing 3rd party vendor service level agreement compliance, saving $500k in rework labor across network
• Mentored and coached 20+ associates fostering professional growth by conducting interviews, hiring, and training associates resulting in 90% reduction in problem pallets and best department across supply chain 
• Partnered with 5 product teams suggesting feature enhancements and bug fixes for 6 different software platforms through JIRA dashboards resulting in reduced waste, optimized efficiency, and 50k in savings

Next-Gen Inbound Manager

MastersCV

• Developed UI/UX interface and integrated software automating and optimizing efficiency for the customer
• Created process flow and built product roadmap launching 5 products in six months increasing revenue by 50%
• Identified pain points of target market, conducted market research and launched MVP going from 0 to 1
• Implemented agile and scrum methodologies executing sprints resulting in 30% response rate for outreach
• Prioritizing tasks of managing CRM, sales cycle, product marketing, and product and business development
• Executed data-driven analysis of competitor landscape resulting in iterating pricing models and monetization strategies

Founder and Product Manager

Net Impact Purdue

President

• Learned SQL, VBA, Teradata, and macros creating tools identifying item setup issues improving vendor compliance, and reducing net loss for an estimated savings of 2.5 million dollars network-wide
• Identified root causes working with software, QA, product, continuous improvement managers, inbound department leaders, and senior leadership increasing quality for customers reducing DPM in inbound freight
• Created feedback loop developing supply chain visibility for 95 departments in Fortune 1 company to merchandising teams identifying item set up issues for vendors and specific UPC information decreasing shrink
• Implemented feature requests for cycle count, general adjustments, and gross inventory adjustment reasons resulting in aided visibility regarding associates adjusting out inventory improving quality metrics

Supply Chain MBA Intern

Reef Kitchens

•	Monitored daily, weekly, and monthly inventories accurately forecasting supplies needed for upcoming shifts based on sales from previous days
•	Trained line cooks, assistant managers, and general managers on all policies, procedures, and brands executed resulting in personal and professional career growth
•	Scheduled staff to optimize peak times and reduce labor during slow periods; delegated responsibilities to hold each other accountable creating a team-oriented environment

General Manager

•	Developed par sheets to maximize profitability, reduce waste, and minimize excess ordering of products; available for all employee use, increased morale
•	Recruited more business by distributing marketing materials to local establishments resulting in more sales

Assistant Manager

Host of Change with Colton🎙 Podcast | Operations | Strategy | Lean Six Sigma | Supply Chain | Eliminating loneliness on the founder journey | Growing Founder Social Club Community

I am an accomplished supply chain professional and entrepreneur with a passion for growth and improvement.

Host the “Change with Colton” podcast, where my mission is to inspire founders to overcome adversity, gain confidence, and reach their unlimited potential.

Recently launched KindLabz which is the all-in-one supply chain for creators. We help build social impact brands that are sustainable. We are taking on all 17 sustainable development goals and giving back to the communities in need.

I helped Walmart eCommerce successfully launch the first two next-gen automated fulfillment centers. I am SME in inbound operations. I mentor leaders to help them grow in their careers professionally.

I focus on Supply Chain Management, Product Development, Data Analysis, Business Analysis, Engineering, Product Marketing, Software Development, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Sales Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), E-Commerce, Finance, Digital Marketing, Agile Methodologies, and Scrum.

With a goal-oriented mindset and a knack for problem-solving, I implement lean strategies to increase efficiency and reduce waste. 

I have a strong track record of working with cross-functional teams and leveraging data analytics to drive insightful decisions. I positively impact the world through entrepreneurship and product management.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts, spending time with my wife, and playing with my Shih Tzu Mila.

Welcome to another Founder Social Minute.

Today we are joined by Sneh Dhruv, Founder and CEO of Trillboards.

TrillBoards helps people turn idle screens into a new source of income.

Through Founder Social Minute, I share stories of founders in the community who are collaborating, creating value, and helping each other move forward.

Excited to continue featuring more founders who are shaping the future of entrepreneurship.

Founder Social Club

#FSC #community #FounderSocialMinute #Trillboards

Podcast Host 🎙️| Founder Social Club | Eliminating loneliness for founders

Today I released the first episode of the Founder Social Club Podcast.

I started this to create a space where founders can learn from each other. Real stories, real challenges, and the decisions that shape the journey. 

Conversations about product, growth, hiring, fundraising, failures, and what it actually takes to build something meaningful.

Episode 1 is with Saurabh Misra, the founder of Codeflash. We talk about the future of coding, building from zero, founder market fit, and how AI is changing engineering.

This is day one. More conversations are coming soon.

You can listen here:

🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gN-jrNDX

 ▶️ YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gnn-Ycdc

Thank you for being part of this community.

#FounderSocialClub #Podcast

Welcome to another Founder Social Minute.

Today we are joined by Maureen Lepatan, Founder & CEO of Strathwell Inc

Strathwell Inc turns untapped spaces & services into unforgettable events.

Founder Social Club

#FSC #community #FounderSocialMinute #events

Hosted the second edition of the AI Startup Job Fair a few weeks ago with manny duenas!

It was a strong turnout with many talented people in the room.

Meet Daniel Elfving

Daniel has experience in customer success and a strong passion for blockchain, crypto, AI, and cybersecurity. He is now looking for his next role in these industries and is exploring where he can make the strongest impact.

We recorded a short Founder Social Club Spotlight to highlight his background and his experience at the event.

Sharing it here. If your team is hiring in these fields and would like an introduction, please feel free to reach out to Daniel or to me.

📸 Video Credit: Emanuel Francis

#FounderSocialSpotlight #FSC #startups #jobs

"In the early days of a startup, hiring slow and strategically is key. 

Focus on understanding your product and market first, then bring in specialized talent when it's time to scale." - Aquibur Rahman, Founder Mailmodo

Aquibur Rahman dropped a lot of knowledge on this one. 

Founder Social Club podcast.  👀 

#StartupGrowth #HiringStrategy #Entrepreneurship #FSC #podcast

Jordan Wilson

Everyday AI

- Everyday AI is a fast-growing media and consulting company helping professionals grow their companies with Generative AI.
- Everyday AI fills the AI knowledge gap between the demand for GenAI skills and the lack of business trainings.
- Jordan Wilson is a seasoned digital strategist, a 'Top AI Voice' on LinkedIn, a top-rated Generative AI Instructor on Coursera and AI keynote speaker.

- Provided strategic AI consultancy, translating complex AI capabilities into actionable business strategies for top-tier clients.
- Crafted tailored AI adoption frameworks, aligning with corporate strategies to leverage generative AI for competitive advantage.
- Implemented organization-wide AI governance protocols, ensuring ethical and compliant use of AI technologies.
- Advocated for responsible AI integration, establishing best practices for minimizing risks while fostering innovation.
- Spearheaded initiatives to prepare organizations for impending AI regulations, ensuring proactive compliance and informed policy development.

Chief AI Officer

- Conducted personalized GenAI Strategy Sessions to demystify AI adoption for over 2,400 business leaders.
- Crafted bespoke AI integration and strategy plans, streamlining decision-making processes and operational efficiency.
- Guided top-tier companies through the AI landscape, establishing industry-standard best practices for competitive edge.
- Served as a trusted AI expert for corporate clients, providing clarity and actionable insights on complex AI initiatives.
- Pioneered methodologies for harnessing AI to reclaim valuable time and resources across business operations.

Generative AI Business Optimization Specialist

- Developed and executed ChatGPT strategies, enabling businesses to scale operations and enhance customer experiences.
- Leveraged generative AI to refine software engineering practices, overseeing teams where one engineer supports the productivity of hundreds.
- Instituted AI governance measures, controlling AI usage within the workplace and mitigating risks associated with personal AI applications.
- Drove the implementation of autonomous agents, reducing the need for user prompting and enabling higher-level problem-solving capabilities.
- Championed the integration of open-source and multimodal AI models, paving the way for more sophisticated, application-centric AI solutions.

ChatGPT Strategist

- Trained more than 2,400 business leaders live on core competencies of prompt engineering and large language model basics. Students of course included leaders from dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and others. 
- Recognized as a leader in prompt engineering, earning a perfect 5.0 review from hundreds of prompt engineering students, optimizing GPT-4 models for contextually relevant outputs.
- Mastered enhanced contextual understanding in LLMs, delivering nuanced responses for complex business scenarios.
- Innovated in multimodal prompt engineering, integrating text, images, and audio inputs to revolutionize user interaction across platforms.
- Developed domain-specific prompt strategies, tailoring AI responses for specialized fields such as finance, healthcare, and legal industries.
- Conducted immersive workshops on the art and science of crafting prompts, elevating the standard of AI interaction in high-stakes environments.

Prompt Engineer Trainer

Accelerant Agency

Accelerant Agency scales small businesses by developing and executing their digital strategy. After a decade of partnering with Fortune 500s, Accelerant’s CEO wanted to those bring enterprise-level strategies to small businesses. 

Accelerant Agency takes the guess work out of growing online. We take a different approach: selectively seeking out ideal small business partners with enormous growth potential. We meticulously pair your online blind spots with the right digital strategy to explode your potential.

How we’re different

1. We don’t work with everyone — We tirelessly search for ideal small business partners that meet our criteria. We vet hundreds of businesses with our Accelerant Growth Formula to find highly combustible opportunities in your digital strategy.

2. We guarantee growth — Unlike marketing companies, as a Digital Strategy company, we won't just sell you a high-priced services.  Not only do we turn down clients, but we only offer select strategies to our current partners. That's how we guarantee growth.

3. Or, we'll fire ourselves — That's not a misprint. How confident are we that we'll grow your revenue potential? 100%. Because of our selectiveness, we know our partners will scale. And if we don't grow your business, we'll fire ourselves.

Founder | CEO

Triple Threat Mentoring

•	Led all strategy, marketing and branding efforts with Nike and Jordan Brand, including national activations and yearlong campaigns
•	Helped create and lead highly visible community and marketing projects with Nike and Jordan Brand, both nationally and locally, including Jordan Brand Wings, Nike Equality, Nike Learn Your Game, Nike Future Varsity, the Nike Zoom League and others. 
•	Created marketing program and event materials for Jordan Brand and Nike, as well as other partners
•	Re-branded entire look, feel and language of org, with emphasis on creating a consistent brand strategy that equally appealed to at-risk youth and affluent adults who could volunteer and partner with 3T
•	Helped grow our reach from impacting a few hundred kids a year to more than 5,000 by through strategic partnerships with Nike, Jordan Brand, BET, Powerbar and others
•	Created web applications to fully automate our volunteer processes, saving the organization more than 1,000 hours a year
•	Created print and digital materials that helped grow volunteer base, youth involvement and strengthen national partnerships with sponsors such as Nike, Jordan Brand and Powerbar among others.
•	Increased online conversion rate by 40% through split-testing inquiry forms, layout and language
•	Led Marketing team across multiple locations and up to 10 people, leading projects in print, digital, analytics, PPC advertising, paid social and organic social media marketing
•	Created strategic marketing initiatives to leverage high-value partnerships with Jordan Brand, Nike, Powerbar and BET to attract other partners, volunteers, interns and donors 
•	Increased website users by 300% through strategic SEO/SEM, content strategy, Google Ads optimization, targeted PR placement, CRO, link-sharing and cross-promotion with partners

National Marketing Director

•	Served as lead for multi-state, large-scale partnerships with Jordan Brand and Nike
•	Created and lead US-based Jordan Brand WINGS community program, the Michael Jordan-backed international community initiative 
•	Ran local WINGS program development, R&D, training, recruiting, executing, marketing and logistics – for 300 students at 6 schools on the south and west sides of Chicago
• Helped create national partnership programs with Nike and Jordan Brand, including marketing, communication, development and strategy
• Executed large-scale events, national activations, and bolster ongoing programs with Nike and Jordan Brand 
•	Helped grow organizational support and capacity from 5 full-time employees in one location to more than 30 full-time staff in four locations. 
• Helped position the organization for long-term success, national partnerships and financial support
•	Collaborate with national marketing and logistics agencies for major partnership events 
•	 Help grow Triple Threat‘s young leaders, creating teamwork experiences and personal development opportunities to help retain staff and increase positive culture
•	Helped create, pitch and secure multi-year, large-scale partnerships that created opportunities to impact thousands of at-risk youth each year

Executive Director Of Operations

Lightswitch, Inc

- Helped Chicago video startup grow in its first major market
- Worked with CEO to build best processes for independent contractors
- Helped create marketing and promotional content

Freelance Marketing Consultant

Las Vegas Review-Journal

•	Wrote 5-8 in-depth stories a month, interviewing national experts on variety of health topics including preventative health, infectious diseases, fertility and cancer, among many others. 
•	Summarized all the latest health studies for men’s health, general health, and senior health
•	Regularly created more than 10,000 words of unique, thoroughly researched medical content each month

Content Writer

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

•	Selected as one of the first Pulitzer Fellows for Crisis Reporting 
•	Produced photo, video and feature stories on-location in Kenya detailing the plight of internally displaced persons

Pulitzer Fellow

Chicago Sun-Times

- Won Capitol Beat "Best of Statehouse Reporting" award
- Broke Sun-Times record for most viewers in a live blog
- Produced and reported on international stories around the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich and his appointment of then-President Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat
- Became only reporter at the time to produce written content, live blogs on the Sun-Times website, and photo contributions for print and web
- Wrote 2-4 stories a week covering statewide and national politics

Multimedia Reporter

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

•	Wrote 2-5 feature and breaking news stories a week as a reporting intern; took photos and produced video for online and print editions
•	Became only reporter at the time to produce and publish written content, video content, multimedia content and photography

Daily Egyptian

• Won Associated Collegiate Press Story of the Year, the highest national award for a journalist
• Paper won Best in Show award from the Associated Collegiate Press
• Lead paper to become one of the first 5 college papers in the nation to use social media in 2006

Editor In Chief

Peoria Journal Star

•	Wrote 7-12 deadline stories a week as a reporting intern ranging from breaking news to board meetings and features

'Everyday AI' Show host | AI Strategist and Consultant | Startup scaler and investor | Digital Agency Owner | Strategy > Marketing

Accelerant Agency scales small businesses by developing and executing their digital strategy. After a decade of partnering with Fortune 500s, Accelerant’s CEO wanted to bring those bring enterprise-level strategies to small businesses. 

Accelerant Agency takes the guess work out of growing online. We take a different approach: selectively seeking out ideal small business partners with enormous growth potential. We meticulously pair your online blind spots with the right digital strategy to explode your potential.

taplio

The Battle

Colton Kaplan

Jordan Wilson

Followers

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Performance ScoreColton Kaplan's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Colton Kaplan

Jordan Wilson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Colton Kaplan's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreColton Kaplan's LinkedIn Performance