Instrumentum

Changing the surgical landscape by offering reliable and efficient offsite instrument sterilization to Ambulatory Surgery Centers and Hospitals.

Chief Operating/Growth Officer

Cruxible Partners

Finding talent is a full-time job.  The best candidates aren't looking, they're performing somewhere else.  We'll find them. We've never failed to fill a role.  Period.

Chief Executive Officer

www.eatingcrowpodcast.com

If you are a leader or an entrepreneur this podcast will speak to you (well, I guess that's the point). These are stories of amazing people with the courage to lead and often admit they were wrong and challenge long-held beliefs to make change. Many of these everyday heroes have evolved into leaders and entrepreneurs, and most of their stories have never been heard, until now. Pete Durand interviews people from all walks of life - the military, finance, business, sports, government and education. We learn from their challenges, pitfalls, lessons and how, by eating crow, they used an open mind to adjust their way of thinking and lead others, including their families.

Host of the Eating Crow Podcast

Saebo, Inc.

Saebo, Inc. is a medical device company primarily engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of affordable and novel clinical solutions designed to improve mobility and function in individuals suffering from neurological and orthopedic conditions. With a vast network of Saebo-trained clinicians spanning six continents, Saebo has helped over 100,000 clients around the globe achieve a new level of independence.

Board Advisor

Netsertive

Chief Revenue Officer

RivalHealth

SaaS enterprise exercise and nutrition app.  Merged with gBehaivor to form www.gopivotsolutions.com

Integrian

Digital video solutions for public safety and transportation.  Sold to Catalyst Manufacturing

Entivity, Inc.

PC-based automation and control platform.  Sold to www. phoenixcontact.com

President and COO

Director of E-Business

ObjectAutomation

Director of Marketing

I'm fortunate to lead two great organizations.

After helping many companies scale with great talent, I've joined Instrumentum as their Chief Operating and Growth Officer, it was just too good to pass up.  My task?  Help the company scale profitably.  How?  People, Process, and Culture.  Fortunately, Cruxible Partners has provided the experience to do just that.

Instrumentum is doing great things - and Cruxible Partners is in the hands of an amazing team, so both are thriving.  Stay tuned as I share how Instrumentum is growing and changing the surgical landscape and how the leadership and talent lessons I've observed and shared over the last seven years at Cruxible are being applied.

Remember:

The average cost of hiring the wrong employee can go as high as $240,000, according to 2021 research from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Ouch.  Been there.

On the flip side, McKinsey & Co. states that hiring a ‘top performer’ over an ‘average performer’ yields up to 67% more productivity and profit.  

Been here too.  Much better place to be.

I've spent 30+ years in corporate America, worked at three startups, and founded two companies myself.  Building teams was and is the most challenging part of the job.

For the past five years I've been working with companies in the following areas:

-Product/market fit
-Marketing strategy and content
-Board advisory and consulting
-Attracting and retaining talent

If you'd like to learn more about how we can work together, please DM me or send me an email at

pdurand@cruxiblepartners.com

Pete Durand

Haven't posted in a while.  

Got me thinking:  "What am I doing here?"

I know many talented people who've used LinkedIn to build a brand or a business.  It didn't happen overnight.  They put in YEARs of work and tweaked their approach along the way.

To name a few:

Alex B Sheridan
Ravi Rajani
Darren McKee
Tom Simmons

I don't "do" business on LinkedIn, but I use it - to network, learn and when appropriate, offer insight into my POV and background, for those who care.

So why did I come back today?

The people I mentioned above keep putting out content I enjoy, learn from and find inspiring.  That simple.

I should do more here, and share what makes #Instrumentum such a great place to work.  I'm blessed - our team is incredible and we've built something special.  

Mishaps along the way, but that's the good stuff.  Mistakes, bad assumptions, pleasant surprises and lessons that help us steer the ship.

Hopefully your feed is full of smart people sharing their knowledge (and scars).

Check out Alex, Ravi, Darren and Tom; you will learn from them every day.

President, Instrumentum | Host of the Eating Crow Podcast | Chairman, Cruxible Partners

Karen Grill

Strategies to Help Your Emails Land in the Inbox | Speaker | Email & Funnel Strategist for Coaches, Creators and Service Providers | Business Coach | WI Native

Helping Coaches, Consultants, and Service Providers Master Email Marketing Strategy and Deliverability

Whether you’re setting up your first email list or struggling with an existing one, the key to success is ensuring it’s built and maintained the right way.

I’m Karen, a Business Coach and Funnel Strategist with over 15 years of experience helping businesses unlock the power of email marketing. 

I specialize in setting up email lists with strategy and precision—and auditing existing lists to fix what’s not working.

If your emails are landing in spam, your open rates are down, or you’re just not sure where to start, I’ll help you build or refine a reliable email marketing system.


Here’s How I Help:
➡️ Email List Strategy & Setup:
I’ll help you build or refine your email list the right way, with a focus on audience alignment, segmentation, and proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to ensure your emails land in inboxes.

➡️ Email List Audit & Troubleshooting:
I’ll audit your existing list to uncover gaps in deliverability, engagement, and segmentation. From checking blocklists to fixing technical issues like authentication, I’ll make sure your email infrastructure is optimized for maximum results.

Imagine This:

Your emails consistently land in your subscribers’ inboxes, not spam.
Your open and click-through rates improve with each campaign.
Your email list is aligned with your audience, and every email you send has a purpose.
Whether you’re starting fresh or optimizing what you already have, I’ll help you turn your email list into a powerful tool for connection, engagement, and growth.

DM me today to get started.

📌 WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
"My email list is a money maker.  I depend on it heavily to do a bunch of things.  And when the deliverability and bounce rates just climbed up I was alarmed.  I tried to fix the problem myself, which ended up making things a bit worse.  I had to shelf my list for almost a month.  Karen swooped in and was able to correctly diagnose the problem, which turned out to be a bit more complicated (Go Daddy, Gmail suite, old email ownership).  She gave me a great plans to fix, restore and get it back.  And BOOM.  I'm back online making cash with the list.  Thanks Karen!"  ~Doug Lawson

Let’s make your email list work for you.

DM me today to get started.

Founding Member

A business and social community centered around growing your brand, building your network, scaling your business, and establishing trust

December 2023 forced me to be honest with myself.

What I was doing wasn't sustainable anymore.

Here is the truth I don't talk about often:
My business was performing incredibly well.

My programs were successful.
Revenue was strong.
Clients were happy.
On the outside, everything looked like it was working.

But behind the scenes?

Some of those programs were draining me.

They brought in great profit, but they cost me something just as important -
my time, my energy, and the space I needed to actually lead my business instead of just powering through it.

I was doing everything:
Posting
Emailing
Serving clients
Building offers
Delivering results

Keeping pace with what the online world said I "should" do.

And I hit December knowing the truth:
I couldn't keep this pace and still be the CEO I wanted to be.

I was busy - very busy - but I wasn't spacious.

I didn't have thinking time.
I didn't have room to innovate.
 I barely had time for myself, let alone the strategic work that moves a business forward.

So December 2023 became a turning point.

I rebuilt my systems.
Cut the offers that no longer aligned.
Streamlined the way I worked.
Created real CEO time - not leftover scraps.
Got support where I needed it.
And intentionally chose a path that was profitable and sustainable.

The result?
More clarity.
More margin.
More leverage.
More energy.
More alignment.
And the ability to maintain (and later grow) revenue without adding more hours.

If you're heading into December feeling stretched thin - even if you're successful - that's a sign.

It's telling you that something needs to shift before you step into the new year.

You don't need to work more. 
You need a business that supports you, too.
Sometimes the smallest shift unlocks the biggest relief.

Have you ever had this experience?

I had a bodyguard growing up.

And he happened to be a giant black cat.

His name was Squeaky.

My parents got him before my brother and I were born, and from that moment on, he chose my dad as “his human.”

He would curl up on my dad’s chest, sleep on him whenever he sat on the couch, and follow him everywhere.

So when two noisy little kids suddenly arrived…
Squeaky was not thrilled.

He was big, aloof, independent, and politely indifferent to us most of the time.
He’d leave the room the second we entered.

But whenever one of us got hurt or started crying…
everything changed.

Squeaky would sprint across the house
plant himself between us and our parents
and refuse to let them near.

Growling.
Hissing.
Doing the full bodyguard routine.

We learned fast that if we wanted comfort from our parents,
we had to stop crying quickly
or the black-cat-security-team would activate.

Looking back, it makes me smile.
The cat who barely tolerated us
was the one who protected us the fiercest.

Love shows up in unexpected ways.

Sometimes the quietest ones watch over you the most.

Did you ever have a childhood pet with a huge personality like this?

(Instead of Black Friday - I decided to do Black Cat Friday 🐈‍⬛)

Two clients came to me recently with totally different email problems.

One didn't have an email list - too overwhelmed to start.

The other had been emailing… but his open rates tanked and he couldn’t figure out why.

Different situations.

Same root problem:
The foundation wasn’t strong enough.

Because in 2025, email is no longer “just create an email list, send and see what happens.”

You need the right setup.
The right strategy.
A sending rhythm.
Clean segmentation.
Warm domain.
Clear purpose behind every email.

Otherwise your list quietly stops performing… long before you ever realize it.

That’s why I released two Email Strategy Kits today.

One for getting your email list set up correctly…
and one for optimizing the list you already have so you can land in more inboxes.

So if your plans are to use an email list in 2026 - make sure to get the foundations correct (so you don't need to hire me later).

If you want the details, DM me “KITS” and I’ll send you the link.

My inbox has been flooded this month.

"Our emails are suddenly landing in spam." 
"Someone is spoofing our domain." 
"Our open rates dropped 40% overnight."

Here's what's happening:
Gmail is cracking down harder than ever. 

I'm seeing more spam placement in the past 30 days than the previous six months combined.

And it's not just poor setup anymore - it's businesses with authentication that used to work fine suddenly getting flagged.

Why now?

Gmail tightened enforcement. 
Probably before Black Friday.
SPF and DKIM that were "good enough" last quarter aren't anymore. 
DMARC at p=none? 
You're essentially inviting spoofers to impersonate you.

The businesses reaching out thought they had a "content problem" or that "engagement dropped a little."

No. Gmail never let your emails through.

If you're seeing this:
- Check your DMARC policy (p=none won't save you)
- Review your SPF and DKIM records NOW
- Monitor your deliverability weekly, not monthly
- Look at your DMARC reports 

This isn't a trend. 
It's the new baseline.
Your emails are either authenticated properly, or they're invisible.

What are you seeing in your inbox placement lately?

Every minute, hundreds of millions of emails fly across the internet.

And Black Friday pushed that into overdrive. 
Cyber Monday does it again.

If your inbox felt impossible this weekend, you weren’t imagining it.

Across the industry, sending volume spikes so fast that filters tighten, inboxes overflow, and even great emails get buried.

This isn’t a content problem.
It’s a visibility problem.

When billions of emails hit inboxes in a 48-hour window, everything shifts.
Engagement looks different.
Deliverability behaves differently.
Authentication issues that were quiet last week suddenly show up.
And small sender reputation dips turn into bigger ones.

Most business owners don’t realize how much holiday sending impacts their list.

They look at open rates or clicks and assume something went wrong with the message.

But often, it’s the environment around the message that changed.

If your numbers look strange today, or if your emails felt quieter than usual, it doesn’t mean your list is broken.

It means it’s recovering.

What surprised you about your inbox this weekend?

P.S. Stay tuned - I have something coming to help you understand exactly what to look for once this Black Friday and Cyber Monday surge settles.

When someone unsubscribes…

It feels personal.
It feels like a loss.
But it’s not.

An unsubscribe is almost always a win for your email list.

Why?
Because people who never open your emails don’t help your deliverability.
They hurt it.

Email providers judge you based on engagement.

If you keep sending to subscribers who haven’t opened anything in months, inbox providers assume your emails aren’t wanted - and you get pushed closer to spam or promotions.

So when someone unsubscribes?
Your list gets healthier.
Your engagement goes up.
Your deliverability improves.

And a healthier list → more visibility → more revenue.

Unsubscribes aren’t rejection.
They’re maintenance.
They help you reach the people who actually want what you send.

A smaller, more engaged list always outperforms a large, disengaged one.

Treat every unsubscribe as someone clearing space so your business can grow.

Do you review your list regularly - or are you still hanging on to every address “just in case”?

When Someone Unsubscribes...

I’ve had more people reach out about being spoofed this month than in the last four years.

And most don’t realize their domain is sitting at the lowest level of protection.

Here’s the part no one explains:

p=none passes the DMARC test
but it doesn’t protect you.

No enforcement.
No action taken.
Nothing stops someone from pretending to be you.

And spammers know it.

They look for domains set to p=none
because those are the easiest to spoof.

And once someone spoofs your domain, Gmail can’t tell who’s legitimate.

So your real emails start getting filtered or pushed to spam.

That’s why so many business owners are suddenly seeing:

“I never got your email.”
“My open rates dropped.”
“Why is Gmail filtering everything?”

It’s not random.
It’s your domain’s reputation slipping.

p=none isn’t wrong - it’s just the lowest level of protection.

Your emails can’t be trusted if your domain isn’t protected.

Do you know what your DMARC setting is right now?

I subscribed to 25 random email lists last week.

Over 80% were set up wrong.

Not "a little off." 
Not "needs improvement." 

I mean -  incomplete authentication, broken SPF records, missing DKIM, DMARC stuck at p=none, and zero deliverability monitoring.

Most of these businesses have no idea their emails are disappearing before they reach the inbox.

Here's what nobody tells you...
Email authentication isn't a one-and-done setup. 
It's ongoing maintenance.

New tool? Update your SPF. 
New sending platform? Reconfigure DKIM. 
New domain? Restart warmup. 
DMARC reports? Review them weekly.

And p=none doesn't protect you - it just lets anyone spoof your domain while you "pass" DMARC tests and Gmail watches.

Your email performance isn't a content problem. 
It's a setup problem.
If you don't maintain it, you lose it.

Is your email setup one of the 80%?

Most people think Black Friday is why their open rates drop.

But that is only the surface of what is really happening.

The inbox is crowded.
Yes, engagement dips this time of year.
Yes, subscribers are overwhelmed.
All of that is true.

But the deeper truth is that Black Friday doesn’t just cause lower numbers.
It exposes the issues that were already there.

Authentication that slipped.
Reputation that dipped.
Filtering that started weeks ago.
A list that hasn’t been cleaned in too long.
Or a warmup that never happened.

And now let’s add the part no one talks about.

Sending without a strategy.
Not monitoring your metrics month by month.
Not reading your DMARC or deliverability reports.
Not noticing the early signs that something is drifting out of alignment.

All of these small issues stack up.

Black Friday didn’t create the problems.
It simply revealed them.

Instead of ignoring it, treat Black Friday as a stress test.
A moment when your domain shows you exactly what needs attention before the new year.

It is like walking uphill with a backpack full of small problems you have been ignoring.

The incline didn’t create the weight.
It just made it impossible to ignore.

If your numbers dropped last week, it’s not a reason to panic.
It is your data telling you exactly where a reset will make the biggest difference.

Comment RESET to join my Post–Black Friday Email Reset workshop and learn how to refresh, repair, and reset your list before the new year.

Most email lists don’t plummet overnight.

They fade quietly.

Here’s what I mean:

People think deliverability issues happen suddenly.
They don't.

What actually happens is much slower and far more subtle:
You miss a week.
Then you miss two.
Then you send something random to “catch up.”
It feels off.
Your audience feels it too.
Open rates dip.
Your ESP notices.
Your domain reputation softens, inch by inch.
Suddenly you’re in promo.
Then spam.
And you don’t even know when it happened.

Every list has a rhythm.
When you break it, the list breaks with it.

This isn’t about “sending more.”
And it’s definitely not about sending “better content.”

It’s about:
- sending with intention
- understanding your sending patterns
- keeping your domain warm
- maintaining predictable list health
- building trust through consistency
- and having a clear purpose behind every email you send

The lists that grow are the lists that follow a rhythm.
Not a schedule - a rhythm.

P.S. If you’re not sure where your own rhythm broke, I still have a couple of Email List Gameplan spots open. Happy to send details.

taplio

The Battle

Pete Durand

Karen Grill

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taplio

The Battle

Pete Durand

Karen Grill

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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);}Pete Durand's LinkedIn Performance

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