Who First

Understanding your customer is the most important thing you can do.

To serve a prospect or customer, you HAVE to understand them.
To improve your outcomes, you HAVE to measure the people behind the KPI.
To work effectively, your team MUST be able to communicate and collaborate on audience understanding.

The Who First toolset equips companies and organizations to:
* Develop a practical and measurable understanding of their audiences
* Serve their audiences better, doing more with less
* Measure their outcomes better, learning why things work
* Create audience focused teams, so everyone is rowing in the same direction

Principal and Creator

JoshOakes.com - Advisor on Customer Acquisition & Product Development

Understanding your customer is always the most important thing.

I help you understand, build for, and acquire customers. So you can serve your customers better.

Through fractional leadership, training, and advising I help organizations define and understand their audiences, build products and experiences for them, and acquire customers.

I've worked with app, SaaS, social network, education, media, agency, healthcare, and entertainment companies.

Advisor to Investors, Executives, and Entrepreneurs

duckscore / OwnIt

People should know exactly what it takes to realize the dream of homeownership.

OwnIt Holdings is bridging the gap between consumer fin-tech and prop-tech. We are building tools to enable consumers to view themselves more like a lender sees them.

Co-Founder, Chief Product Officer

Measurable Advantage: Eliminate bottlenecks in your customer acquisition

I help organizations improve marketing performance with a structured approach to developing more sophisticated and effective marketing operations. This brings focus to marketing activities, clarity to marketing priorities, and visibility to marketing performance.

I work typically with organizations that have: 
— Multiple digital touchpoints or channels
— A high touch or multitouch acquisition process
— Longer term relationships with customers
— Mission-orientation

Principal

[meta]marketer

Responsible for leading department staff, overseeing all client work and development of all processes, frameworks, and templates.
Client work consisted of researching and analyzing digital marketing efforts including web analytics data, paid search, organic search, social media, content marketing, CRM and marketing automation data to deliver strategic and tactical insight for the improvement of efficiency and efficacy of digital marketing efforts.
Served as the primary interface with client stakeholders across multiple teams–including Marketing, Product Development, Technology, and Management–and at various levels. This included auditing, troubleshooting, and implementation assistance at the tactical level up to strategy, reporting, and feedback to the C-Suite.
Developed propriety training offerings and all materials and content. Conducted in depth training workshops and seminars garnering universally positive feedback from clients in small to medium sized companies across numerous industries.

Director of Optimization (Director of Client Services)

NoiseTrade

Worked alongside founding partners, providing User Experience, Analytics, and Product Development  consulting. Also assisted with customer support issues to collect “voice of customer” data from customers (artists) and users (fans/visitors).

Product Development and Support

MacAuthority

Promoted from Technical Sales for local and regional corporate accounts to Service Manager. Responsible for ensuring that the service department provides an ideal customer experience through the consistent, timely, accurate completion of all service requests; also responsible for ensuring compliance with company and partner policies in addition to overseeing the training and certification of department staff, maintenance of department resources and conditions and ensuring that department utilization, profitability, and customer satisfaction metrics meet or exceed company goals.

Service Manager

The MacSuperstore

Responsible for ensuring that the service department provides an ideal customer experience through the consistent, timely, accurate completion of all service requests; also responsible for ensuring compliance with company and partner policies in addition to overseeing the training and certification of department staff, maintenance of department resources and conditions and ensuring that department utilization, profitability, and customer satisfaction metrics meet or exceed company goals.

Alpha Digital Solutions, LLC

Responsible as VP of Product Development for developing and documenting product requirements, prototyping user interfaces, and identifying product opportunities. Served as primary liaison and project manager to outsourced development team.

VP Product Development

Bay Leaning, Inc.

Front End and User Interface development and Engineering Management for a SaaS startup targeting higher-education institutional customers.

Engineering Manager, UI Engineer

Understanding your customer is always the most important thing. They're the ones with the money.

I won’t stop saying it: Understanding your customer is always the most important thing. They're the ones with the money.

Want to talk? https://whofirst.link/schedule

When you're using the Who First Framework you will:
• Create products & experiences that make your customers say "Oh sh!t!"
• Create Create content that hits your customer’s bullseye.  

What that means:
• How to capture real insights from your actual customers 👉 not rest on your collective biases and assumptions.
• How to DOCUMENT and VALIDATE Audience Profiles 👉 instead of made-up personas and bullsh!rt ICPs.
• How to make your customer understanding ACTIONABLE 👉 instead of just dumping it on your shared drive and never looking at it again.
• How to MEASURE your outcomes with the tools and systems you use  so you can actually 👉 move the needle.

How:
• Done With You and Done For You services
• Advising execs
• Self-service tools and templates

More about Who First: who-first.co
More about me: joshoakes.com

Joshua Oakes

"Can we customize the main navigation in HubSpot for the user/team?"

"Hold on, let me update the count of times I've been asked that."

HubSpot + AI for Franchises & Understanding your customer is always the most important thing. I grew a 43 pound watermelon 🍉 and then ate it in 1 day. 🤘

You know what sucks? Configuring a view (Deal, Company, Contact) for your users, having them tell you it isn’t what they want and you have to ask them to share their screen so you can see what they see.

With all the configuration controls we have now—conditional cards on in all the columns, conditional tabs—we can really tailor views for the teams we support.

There is SO much power in the new capabilities. A separate Sales view for Deals that are open Closed Won and Closed Lost. A customer record view for Execs and another for Finance.

But there are a lot of moving pieces and testing and previewing those configurations is WAY WAY to challenging.

Right now the options are:
1. Change your Team as an Admin and then change it back (which can disrupt a LOT of things)
2. Login as another user (”masquerade”). Which alerts them that you were logging in as them and is WAY overkill.

I want Admins to be able to view a record using a view assigned to another team, ideally toggling between the configure screen and record preview so we can text the views we’re putting together.

We want to WOW our users with the views we build them, not annoy them.

What's on your #hubspotholidaywishlist?

Grind Startup Ventures

Building a startup (or an innovation arm of your business) is nearly impossible. There are countless challenges headed your way, and believe it or not, only a handful of factors can lead to success, while hundreds can cause you to fail.

We collaborate with seed stage - to series A founders and medium to enterprise-sized companies to accelerate innovation and drive critical initiatives forward. By empowering corporations to swiftly implement cutting-edge mobile products and advanced AI solutions, we mitigate risks and enhance agility. Our expertise enables businesses to navigate the ever-evolving tech landscape, ensuring they stay ahead of the curve and achieve their strategic objectives with unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness.

What We Offer:

Your Problem, Right Solution Fixes: We identify your most pressing issues and craft the right solutions to address them effectively.

Your Talent Requirements, Right Small Team Working on the Challenges: We provide the precise team with the expertise needed to tackle your specific challenges.

Your Headache, Guaranteed Relief: We guarantee measurable improvements, offering you peace of mind and concrete results.

Our projects start at $250,000 USD.

Principal Consultant

SeeSnap

SeeSnap: AI is Revolutionizing Project Management from Planning to Payment

About Us
SeeSnap is a pioneering SaaS platform transforming construction, property management, and contractor workflows. We provide seamless visual documentation and workflow automation to enhance efficiency from planning through payment.

Key Features
1. Smart Photo Workflow

Metadata Enrichment: Captures user, image, location, and timestamp data for accountability and compliance.
Real-Time Verification: Provides proof of work done, reducing disputes.
AI-Driven Insights: Flags issues and validates progress.
2. Automated Workflows:
Customizable processes for punch lists, change orders, and approvals streamline project efficiency.

3. Integrated Payment Solutions:
Connects payments to verified milestones, minimizing late payments and fraud.

4. Collaborative Communication:
Facilitates task assignment, issue resolution, and punch list management within a unified platform.

5. Vendor Management:
Effectively manage relationships with trades, contractors, and subcontractors for improved collaboration.

Core Solutions
Vendor Management:
Maintain vendor profiles and performance metrics with a centralized communication hub.

Property Maintenance & Punch Lists:
Track maintenance needs and create punch lists in real time.

Claims & Dispute Management:
Compile visual evidence to mitigate disputes and generate compliance-ready documentation.

Payment Milestone Automation:
Set payment milestones backed by visual proof to ensure accountability.

Why Choose SeeSnap?

SeeSnap reduces risk and increases transparency, streamlines vendor management, and ensures smooth cash flow from project completion to payment. Empower your teams to work more efficiently and drive success in every project.

Founder and CEO at SeeSnap

sxipped

Are you a Logistics Partner looking to Enhance your Cash Flow? Are you an innovator and early adopter?

We are developing an advanced A to B delivery engine powered by AI, set to revolutionize how goods are transported. Our solution modernizes the pickup, delivery, and safety processes, transforming the logistics landscape.

Our proprietary algorithm is designed to maximize financial rewards, ensuring fair compensation for every effort. By evaluating factors such as distance, time, and demand, the algorithm provides competitive rewards for each delivery.

Drivers can effortlessly track their earnings and performance through our intuitive interface, which highlights the direct impact of their work. Additionally, we offer ongoing support and training to help drivers optimize their earnings and excel on our platform.

Partner with us to boost your cash flow and ensure you and your drivers are rewarded for quality, service, and outcomes.

Founder - building an A to B delivery engine platform that rewards costs, times and outcomes. 

CoachCRM

We help customers track the Coaching Plans, Activities, and Results that drive sales rep performance. I'm a Closed Loop (CoachCRM) Triangle selling Certified. I use the S.C.A.L.E and P.L.A.N methodologies and connect smart business owners and founders to the CEO Cory Bray for review of sales team and possible induction of triangle selling courses as a first step.  

I highly recommend anyone with a sales team under 200 people take the Triangle Selling courses at Clozeloop University you can sign up at clozeloopuniversity.com

Advisory Board Member

Compliance PT

In under 12 months as Senior Advisor and acting Chief Revenue Officer & COO, I spearheaded the turnaround of multiple startup initiatives, including adding three multi-billion-dollar enterprise healthcare pilots, closing a co-marketing agreement for 5,000 locations, and securing major new logo pilot accounts. I built sales and marketing processes from the ground up, including CRM implementation, and provided strategic guidance for a new product build.

Our AI SaaS solution monitored insurance payer policies to ensure compliance with medical record requirements and reduce the noise-to-signal ratio. By combining algorithmic monitoring with human analysis, we deliver unparalleled accuracy, providing plain-English policy change notifications. Our solution makes important updates immediately actionable and trackable, aligning seamlessly with revenue cycle management needs.

Chief Revenue Officer (offered CEO role and equity) 

ANKR

Founder, CEO, and lead investor. 

ANKR was a napkin idea turned into a full-fledged IOT app-enabled hardware startup. 

I built the engineering team, set up the manufacturing partner in Asia, and lead the company to market.  I personally signed 2 nationwide retail distribution partnerships. This plan paved the way to me to add major eCommerce and retail partners, Including Walmart, HomeDepot and one hundred e-commerce partners in less than 90-days. 

The company was turned over to a new CEO in late 2015. (then crickets) nothing... sad.

 www.ANKR.com - Watch QVC video below.

Mark Russell Filaroski - Founder, CEO & Investor

Ncontracts

Ncontracts.com is a web-based contract management solution you can use to manage vendor contracts, client contracts, employment agreements, leases, and virtually any type of business contract.

Acquired. https://www.gryphon-inv.com/news-article/gryphon-investors-acquires-ncontracts-a-leader-in-integrated-risk-management-software-for-the-financial-industry/

Mark Russell Filaroski -  Investor

CompNation - Nashville Future 50 - Value added reseller for HP, Cisco, and 100's of OEMs (Exited) 

Bootstrapped to 13.1 million in revenue (from $0) 
Inc500 - List of America’s Fastest-Growing Companies 3x (2009, 2010, 2011)
Honored as an Internet Etailer - #538 (2010)
Nashville Area Chamber announces 2010 Future 50 Award winners

Hardware/Software VAR / 150 + million sold.

Solo Founder & CEO -Multiple time INC 500 - #538 Internet retailer -Exited - Protected under NDA

Continental Computer Corp (On prem server software and equipment) 

In my initial role post-college, I started as a Sales Representative and, within just over a year, advanced to the position of National Sales Manager. During this period, I played a crucial role in driving the company’s revenue growth from several hundred thousand dollars to over $10 million.

This role required navigating significant challenges, including a comprehensive reorganization and a complete overhaul of sales processes and hiring practices. I was responsible for revamping sales territories, scripting, and operations, and for developing the company’s entire go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

I managed the daily cold calling operations, leading a team that averaged over 4,000 calls per day. In this capacity, I served as a trainer, sales manager, and closer, ensuring high performance and adherence to best practices.

My leadership extended to coordinating the company’s sales and marketing functions, where I developed and executed comprehensive strategies across both areas. I closely monitored and analyzed sales and marketing activities to ensure alignment with goals, making necessary adjustments to drive continuous improvement.

Additionally, I strengthened partner relations with over 100 OEMs, negotiating and managing product agreements, and overseeing the integration of hardware and software solutions. Through these efforts, I ensured that sales and marketing initiatives were aligned with the company’s strategic goals, leading to substantial growth and enhanced operational efficiency.

From graduating college to National Sales Manager in less than 2 years - EXIT - Protected Under NDA

SeeSnap is focused on helping those in construction/proptech have fast, efficient, and error-free operations

Board Chairman | Founder & CEO, SeeSnapINC | Startup Mentor | 3X Inc. 500 Alumnus | Nashville Future 50

As the Founder and CEO of SeeSnapINC, I lead the company’s strategy, vision, mission, and funding efforts, always with a customer-centric approach. I'm a results-driven startup leader with a proven track record of taking companies from inception to multi-million-dollar success. My relentless commitment to winning the hearts and minds of our customers drives me daily. I'm an ENTJ personality type—assertive, strategic, and focused on achieving excellence.

Professional Expertise:

Self-starter with a talent for implementing and driving transformative change.
Strategic and analytical thinker, adept at planning, motivating, organizing, and achieving specific outcomes.
Skilled at swiftly building relationships, maintaining credibility, and fostering teamwork to achieve 100% of key objectives.
Goal-oriented, with a natural drive to lead and influence others to act.

100% Guided by Faith: I believe God gives us the ideas, courage, smarts and abilities to deliver his will.  God first—upholding faith-based values in all aspects of my life and work. I strive to exemplify professionalism, unquestionable integrity, and the highest moral and ethical standards in everything I do. Because of this, I recognize that challenges often arise, including encounters with bad actors who must be dealt with firmly.


Accomplishments:

Bootstrapped multiple startups to over $10 million in revenue each ($11.6M, $13.1M, and $15.8M).
3X Inc. 500 honoree as a solo bootstrapped founder.
Mentored, helped, or invested in over 200 startups, with 16 achieving successful exits and 30+ reaching Inc. 500 status.
Nashville Future 50 
Named Internet Retailer of the Year (#538).
Past member of the Young Presidents Organization.


Philanthropy:Actively supports initiatives led by people of integrity.

Local Catholic Church and affiliated groups.
Tucker's House (Talk to Graham Honeycutt about sponsoring a special needs project today).

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The Battle

Joshua Oakes

Mr. Mark Russell Filaroski 🤳

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The Battle

Joshua Oakes

Mr. Mark Russell Filaroski 🤳

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);}Joshua Oakes's LinkedIn Performance

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