March 12, 2025 • 30 mins
What can the world of acting teach us about running a business? Keith Scandone, co-founder and CEO of O3 World, never expected that his background in acting would shape his approach to entrepreneurship. In this episode, Keith shares how vulnerability, creativity, and resilience—skills honed in the performing arts—became the foundation for his success in the competitive digital consultancy space.
We explore the challenges of standing out in a saturated market, the evolving role of AI in business strategy, and the importance of strong partnerships. Keith also discusses how company culture is shifting in a hybrid work environment and why fostering collaboration between businesses and clients is more critical than ever.
Key Takeaways:
- The unexpected ways acting prepares you for leadership and business success
- How to differentiate your company in a highly competitive industry
- The impact of AI on business strategy and decision-making
- Why the right business partnerships can make or break your success
- Strategies for adapting company culture to a hybrid workforce
Keith’s journey offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating growth, change, and the future of business. Whether you’re scaling your company, exploring AI innovations, or redefining your leadership approach, this conversation is packed with actionable advice.
About Keith Scandone:
Keith is the Co Founder and CEO of O3 World, a digital experience consultancy. O3 provides AI strategy + digital consulting, experience design and software development for enterprise organizations. In addition to overseeing O3's vision and strategy for the last 20 years, Keith also plays an active role in the community. He and his team have hosted several industry leading events, most notably, the 1682 Conference, which is an AI and Innovation Conference going on it's 3rd year this Fall in Philadelphia. Keith also serves as mentor for several owners and sits on the Compass Pro Bono non profit board in DC.
Connect:
Website o3world.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/keith-scandone
Instagram instagram.com/o3world
This episode is brought to you by Join Talent; elevate your hiring capability. Go to jointalent.net to learn more.
📅 New episodes every Wednesday—hit “Subscribe” now!
💬 Love the show? Let us know! Leave a quick rating & review here—your feedback helps us grow!
📲 Stay connected with Marc Bernstein:
➡️ Follow on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
🎤 Got a success story worth sharing?
We’re always looking for visionary founders to feature! Apply here to be a guest on the Founders' Forum Radio Show & Podcast.
📩 Join our email list here so you never miss an episode.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:01):
Entrepreneur, founder , author and financial advisor,
Marc Bernstein helpshigh-performing business owners
turn their visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
(00:24):
the stories behind their success.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights and a little fun.
Now let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:33):
Good morning America.
How are you?
We're here this morning onFounders Forum.
It's a lovely day in SouthwestFlorida.
Hello to our friends inPhiladelphia and around the
country and around the world.
I have in the studio with methis morning Keith I'll
introduce Keith formally in aminute and I was thinking, keith
, about well, we have our 100thanniversary, 100th show coming
(00:56):
up, 100th podcast in a few weeks.
So we were planning that thismorning and I was thinking about
how the show started and it wasreally about interviewing
entrepreneurs about theirchallenges, their successes, of
course, but when I think aboutit, it's really about their
journeys, because the journey isalways ongoing.
(01:18):
And the quote that I've alwaysthought about and most people
have heard is success is not adestination, it's a journey.
And how does that apply to you,keith, and what do you think
about that?
Keith Scandone (01:30):
quote.
I think it's spot on.
You're right.
I think being an entrepreneurfor sure is a journey,
particularly these days and overthe course of the past 20 years
of me having the business.
I think that's what makes itinteresting.
I think that's what makes itinteresting.
I think that's what makes itexciting.
That's what makes itchallenging.
It also, I think, separatesentrepreneurs from not
(01:51):
entrepreneurs.
It's really not for everyone,because it is a roller coaster
constantly.
Marc Bernstein (01:57):
And yeah, I like what you said.
It's kind of almost thelifeblood of an entrepreneur.
You have to want that in youFor me, what for me?
It keeps me going.
I don't usually talk about it,but I'm turning 70 soon.
Most people think I'm not thatold, but I think part of that is
because I have, you know, Ihave a lot of goals for a long
period in time that I'm lookingforward.
(02:18):
I'm not.
I was talking to someone theother day and they and this is
not a slant on anybody, butpeople that work for a
corporation for a long time, asan example.
Or I knew an accountant thatwas working for somebody that
apparently was like a slavedriver and he said I can't wait
to retire.
Keith Scandone (02:34):
And he's very happy.
Marc Bernstein (02:35):
People like like could be very happy, but if
you're an entrepreneur, it'shard to imagine that you're not
doing this anymore.
You're just.
You know, you're just going tofade away and go to your medical
visits I'm being a littlesarcastic, but you know but just
talk about your health all thetime and the weather and not
have much else to talk about.
And I was with a group ofentrepreneurs the other day and
(02:55):
they said, yeah, I just can'timagine that life.
And these are all people thatare in their sixties and
seventies and beyond that arethriving.
I mentioned that we had a guy wejust played in part two of Ed
Satell of the Satell Institute,who had a part.
One was his tremendous businesscareer.
Part two was what he's donesince then.
He still has his business,still runs his business at 88
(03:17):
years old.
But he also is, and he might be89 actually now.
I think about it and heprobably doesn't like me saying
his age on the air either, butbut he's um.
So he's created the SatellInstitute, which is a
collaboration between for-profitbusinesses and non-profits and
collaboration and how they canwork together.
(03:37):
And to be a member you don'tpay dues because he's completely
endowed it, but you, you needto commit to a hundred100,000
contribution to the charity ofyour choice.
They don't care what it is overa four-year period, and they
have many companies that aredoing like 10 of these now where
they're giving a milliondollars over four years, that
kind of thing.
And so far they've raised over$200 million of contributions in
(04:02):
Philadelphia but they'vestarted in a few other cities
and his vision is, during hislifetime, of contributions in
Philadelphia but they've startedin a few other cities and his
vision is during his lifetime tohave $2.2 trillion in 50 cities
and that's his vision.
So you know, guy's got a lot ofenergy and a lot of juice still
at that age and that's who Iwant to be, you know, because it
keeps the blood going.
Keith Scandone (04:22):
You know that's ambitious goals by him.
I appreciate that and I'mfamiliar with the Satell
Institute as well.
Marc Bernstein (04:26):
Oh, are you Cool ?
Have you ever?
Maybe we should talk about that.
Maybe you should join.
Keith Scandone (04:30):
Sure, I mean, I have a hundred grand sitting
around to throw at a nonprofit,why not Happy to?
Marc Bernstein (04:37):
Come as my guest for the next CEO conference in
May.
We can talk about that, anyway.
So my guest today and thanksfor your insights on the journey
, keith.
Keith Scandone is theco-founder and CEO of O3 World,
a digital experience consultancy.
O3 provides AI strategy anddigital consulting experience,
(05:02):
design and software developmentfor enterprise organizations.
In addition to overseeing O3'svision and strategy for the last
20 years, keith also plays anactive role in the community.
He and his team have hostedseveral industry-leading events,
most notably the 1682Conference, which is an AI and
innovation conference going onits third year this fall in
(05:25):
Philadelphia.
So I get to say Philadelphiaagain.
Also, fall in Philadelphia isan old Hall Oates song I don't
know if you know this like whenthey first started, but anyway.
Keith also serves as mentor forseveral owners and sits on the
Compass Pro Bono nonprofit boardin DC there you go.
So welcome, keith.
Thanks for being here today.
Thanks for having me.
Marc and Keith isMaryland-based but he's in
(05:47):
Florida for, among other things,this podcast, and you know so
glad to have you here so tell usabout your humble beginnings,
which I know started outside ofPhiladelphia and you know, and
how your journey began.
Keith Scandone (06:02):
Sure, it's certainly been an interesting
one Unorthodox, I would say so.
After graduating college I wentto Loyola College in Maryland,
now actually known as LoyolaUniversity.
I had majored in economics andI minored in theater and I went
out for my first and only playin my life, oedipus.
(06:24):
And I went out for the leadrole of Oedipus and I remember
the director asked me he saidwhat if you don't get this role?
I said I don't want any otherrole and I ended up getting the
role of Oedipus and I reallyfell in love with acting and so
decided to actually move to LosAngeles to pursue acting and so
spent about six and a half yearsout there and I did a lot of
(06:46):
pursuing of acting.
I did some as well, but it was afascinating, life-changing
experience in so many ways and Iexperienced so many things
while pursuing that dreamcreatively and I really really
actually enjoyed Los Angeles andthe industry had its quirks,
but also was really interesting.
So so, but recognize it reallywasn't ultimately for me and
(07:08):
moved back to the Philadelphiaarea.
Excuse me one second.
Marc Bernstein (07:11):
Do you act for fun anymore?
Community theater.
Keith Scandone (07:13):
I don't know, uh , I don't act at all anymore, um
and uh, I try to find otherways for kind of creative outlet
outlets, but but, but notanymore now.
Um, uh, so, yes, I moved backto philadelphia and really
started from scratch, uh, when Iwas uh, 28, uh, not sure
exactly what I wanted to do.
So I had a decent amount ofground, a decent amount of
(07:34):
experience and differentelements of of marketing.
I I I wrote for severalpublications out in los angeles,
I wrote a play that wasproduced out in Los Angeles and
just had a pretty good kind ofcreative mindset and background.
So I actually had a connectionat the Philadelphia Convention
Center and I pitched them on amarketing concept idea which
(07:55):
they bought and they hired me asa consultant, which was great
to kind of get my feet wet.
And then I started at a smallweb design and development
company, an online entertainmentcity guide it was called
AroundPhillycom and really kindof came in to take over their
sort of editorial team in manyways and work with the writers
(08:18):
but helped with the marketingand the positioning and the kind
of promotion of the city guideitself and on the side they
would sell as kind of part oftheir business, they would sell
website design and developmentprojects.
And so I was there for roughlya year or so and I thought that
it was a good concept,particularly this is 22 years or
(08:40):
so ago, so really, you know,before the rise of some of the
more modern, you know, webtechnologies that exist today,
and thought that they should goa more enterprise route and they
felt comfortable staying kindof like dealing with small
retail shops, bars, restaurants,salons, that sort of thing.
So I decided to sort of do that, not exclusively on my own, but
(09:05):
two other guys that I metthrough the company.
They were freelancers there,and one was a designer and one
was an engineer, and then I waskind of the marketing, sales and
accounts.
And so there you have O3.
Three parts, you know, ozone,three parts oxygen.
So three departments, threeowners.
Marc Bernstein (09:23):
When we started, Love that I didn't realize.
That's where the in came from.
So you know.
We talked about success andbusiness success is not a smooth
ride, so tell us about some ofthe challenges that you had,
keith, along the way.
Keith Scandone (09:41):
Oh, so many and continue to have.
Really, it's just, you know,running a business there's so
many you know when you start abusiness, typically speaking.
So for the reason we startedthis business I mean I told you
that the general genesis of itand the opportunity that I saw
out there.
But really it was because myone business partner and I, the
designer, we worked very welltogether creatively.
(10:05):
We would do some kind of likead concept type things.
We would concept thingstogether.
I would handle a lot of thedirection and the content and he
would handle the design, and sothat was kind of again the
reason we started the businessbecause we thought that we
worked so well creativelytogether.
When, then, we started thebusiness, we recognized that
(10:25):
someone needed to be out thereselling what we did.
So I became the de facto salesguy basically day one, and I
never really had the opportunityto turn back.
Announcer (10:33):
And so.
Keith Scandone (10:34):
I did certainly some creative.
When we started, we were abrand communications company and
so we did some, you know.
So there were some brandingconcepts that helped with some
taglines.
Marc Bernstein (10:42):
By the way, we have a lot in common, so you're
like vision strategy and therainmaker more or less?
Keith Scandone (10:47):
Yes.
Marc Bernstein (10:47):
Yes, what my role in our business?
Yeah, exactly.
Keith Scandone (10:50):
Which, again, somebody typically has to be
when you're an entrepreneur oryou know, inside of um, uh,
inside of a business, so um, so,from from day one.
But you, you're, you'refocusing on things that you're
not sort of um, uh, experiencedin um, and and you have to deal
with things that you, you're,you weren't anticipating.
So you know, they say all thetime I mean uh, whether it's
(11:13):
whether it's insurance orwhether it's dealing with
lawyers or whether it's dealingwith in employees, which is
really, I'd say, probably one ofthe most challenging elements,
because there's a lot ofdifferent layers to obviously
dealing with employees and thenclients.
So it's just been kind of a youknow, while you have a vision,
you have to take things sort ofone day at a time, one step at a
(11:34):
time.
But in the services market it'sa very saturated, very
competitive marketplace and, asyou and I were discussing
earlier off air about theone-person consultancies, I mean
it's easier than ever to starta company out there and that
doesn't mean, maybe, that allobviously are created equal, but
it just creates a lot morenoise in the marketplace and a
(11:57):
lot more complexity to navigatethrough for a client to actually
find you.
So I think that that'ssomething that's probably the
most challenging just navigatingover time where you fit and
differentiate in the marketplace, and that never changes.
We call ourselves, as you said,a digital experience
consultancy today, not sodifferent from our roots when we
(12:19):
started.
We've just kind of tried to bea little bit more specialized
over the years again, while wekind of navigate the opportunity
and the competitive you knowlandscape.
Marc Bernstein (12:29):
You know, you hit on an interesting point, I
think.
You know, I think what's goingto save America ultimately is
entrepreneurialism, becausethere are so many people, you
know, people are with AI, peopleare going to be downsized,
people are going to not be inthe careers they thought they
were going to be in and, as yousaid, with the advantage of all
the technology we have is thatit's very easy to start a
(12:50):
business today.
It's not easy necessarily to besuccessful, but it's easy to
start one, so I think that's areally good point that you
mentioned.
There's two things I wanted toask you about.
We only have a minute until ourcommercial break, so I'm going
to ask you this.
First, I wanted to back up toacting a little bit Sure,
because you told me before, whenwe've talked offline, a couple
(13:10):
of lessons you learned from theacting experience.
I think that would be helpful.
And then, when we come back, Iwant to talk to you about the
strengths you've developed in in03 as a result of your um uh
challenges.
Keith Scandone (13:21):
That you had.
Sure Well, number number one ona very high level.
I mean, when you do somethinglike acting or anything of
creative pursuit like that,you're really making yourself
extraordinarily vulnerable, um,and putting yourself out there,
and I think you'll learn a lotabout yourself in doing so.
You have to really really digdeep, um, and I think that's
that that was a very, veryhelpful lesson.
(13:42):
Uh, I think that was a very,very helpful lesson.
Beyond that, in the pursuit ofacting, again, it's an
extraordinarily competitivespace.
There's no formula to success.
It's not like typicalbusinesses.
Well, I started thiscorporation and I put in my 10
years and now I've got thisgreat title.
It just doesn't work in thatway.
I've seen some extraordinarilysuccessful people that can't get
work.
I've seen some very untalentedpeople get tons of work, and so
(14:02):
just kind of understanding thatnumber one.
But two, I think, a couple ofthings that really were great
takeaways from my experience out.
There is when you get called infor a casting opportunity, you
walk into an extraordinarilycold room.
So typically the people thatare casting directors are former
actors or actors that weren'tsuccessful, so already they're a
(14:22):
little bitter that they're inthat chair.
You also might be the hundredthperson they've seen that day.
So they're fatigued and theyoften are the ones that read
opposite you.
So imagine if you're readingfor a role and you're supposed
to play a character and theperson on the other side gives
you absolutely zero to work with.
That's essentially what zero towork with, that's essentially
what you're dealing with.
So you learn that if you can besort of comfortable or you can
(14:46):
thrive in that environment Now Imean, if I get invited into,
you know it could be the biggestcompany by the biggest CEO.
It just it's not really dauntingto me because it's.
I've at least been invitedthere.
I'm one of maybe a few peopleor a few companies versus 100.
So that really helped me a lot.
And then, beyond that, I did alot of celebrity interviews on
(15:07):
the red carpet and at JunketsNice, and that really helped me
also, especially on the redcarpet, like I did the Matrix
premiere, the first and secondone and so I worked for some
no-name little onlineentertainment spot.
And so they're not stopping atyou.
The publicist isn't stopping atyou.
You've got to find ways to gettheir attention and you know,
(15:30):
get them to spend some time withyou and provide an interesting
question that there's engagement, so you have to be on your toes
at all times.
Marc Bernstein (15:38):
Listen, another thing we share in common.
My beginnings were in the musicbusiness, as a musician and as
a lawyer promoter and many ofthe same things as you're
talking I'm thinking about.
I visualize myself in some ofthe rooms I'm in hawking the
music and some of the ridiculousthings that happened as a
result.
And one of the things I foundout is the people I was talking
(16:01):
to who were like known A&R guysartists and repertoire in the
music business were basicallylike doorstops, you know, to
keep you out of the president'soffice unless they really
discovered something special,which happened.
Some of them never actuallyeven did that, which is
interesting.
They're paid just to just totend the gate there, kind of.
So so I get it.
(16:21):
So it's a cold experience but alot to be learned from, and I
did also.
I also had to dig deep.
So thanks for sharing that andlet's take a quick break and
we'll be right back.
Announcer (16:30):
Are you looking to scale your business and drive
exceptional growth?
Imagine having an expert teamon demand that combines
world-class recruitment expertsand industry-leading next-gen AI
to help you hire top candidatesfaster.
Introducing JoinTalentseamlessly augmenting your
in-house talent function withexpertise tailored to your
unique business needs.
(16:51):
Our team are experts in hiringthe best talent for your sector,
regardless of your position onthe growth journey.
Jointalent's proprietary AIaccelerates delivery by
instantly searching and indexingbillions of data points to find
and engage the best talent.
Whether you're a startup withlimited in-house talent
resources or a head of talentfor a global enterprise looking
(17:12):
to ramp up and down yourexisting team, we've got you
covered.
Our solutions are designed tofuel your growth, ensuring you
have the right talent at theright time.
Join Talent, driving businessperformance and scaling growth
with the perfect blend of people, ai and innovation, ready to
elevate your hiring capability.
Visit jointalentnet today.
Marc Bernstein (17:35):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, keith Scandone.
Keith, so we're talking aboutyou know, back to 03, the
challenges that you had, and Iknow one of the strengths that
you had is that it's almost likea unique ability kind of thing.
You figured out what you weregood at, what your partner was
good at.
Speak a little more about thestrengths that you discovered in
(17:59):
meeting the challenges of thebusiness, for one and we
discussed a little before.
Keith Scandone (18:02):
So we started, as I said, with three partners
and a few years in went down tojust two of us, and you know the
entrepreneurs.
It can be a very challengingjourney and it can be a very
lonely one as well.
So it's great having a partneror partners, but finding the
right partner or partners isextraordinarily crucial and,
(18:24):
frankly, extraordinarilydifficult.
I mean because it becomesreally a business marriage.
And so you know, I'm veryfortunate that my business
partner, mike Gatsby.
We share philosophically thesame things, we look at business
the same way and outcomes thesame way.
We just have also our own lanesin which we focus on, which I
(18:49):
think is really really critical.
If we both had the exact samestrengths and weaknesses and I
know a lot of owners thatsometimes are challenged by this
it becomes much more difficult.
So we've complemented eachother very, very well over the
last 20 years.
Marc Bernstein (19:00):
I just want to mention one thing about that.
It's a marriage, as you said.
It's a business marriage andsomething I thought a lot about
when I got married.
I got married a little bitlater.
My wife and I are verydifferent people, but the reason
we were able to make it work isbecause we share the same
values we look at we.
You know we look at life thesame way, in many different ways
(19:21):
, but that doesn't make us thesame people, and that sometimes
can work really well because youhave complimentary skills and
talents.
Keith Scandone (19:27):
It really is and also it just helps.
I mean, it's running a businessis it could be exhausting.
I mean it could be mentallyexhausting, physically
exhausting, et cetera.
So finding the right partner aswell.
Some of you can kind of lean onthat.
You need to kind of step awayfrom a little bit, or you know
you need some.
You need some time just torecharge your battery, uh, or
someone might be dealing withone particular issue or one
(19:48):
particular client over and overagain, and sometimes just to be
able to hand over the reins,like can you just a different
set of eyes?
Maybe can you approach this,can you have that conversation?
Um, it is really reallyvaluable.
So I think that's beenextraordinarily helpful and just
kind of leaning into what ourstrengths are individually and
then collectively and allowingthe other person to kind of have
(20:10):
some free reign, to beautonomous.
So having that support has beenextraordinarily valuable to our
business success.
Marc Bernstein (20:20):
You know, this show is very forward-focused.
Our brand is the forward focusforum, so we always like to talk
about what do you see ahead?
You know I knew you want totalk about your one year vision.
I mean, what does that looklike for you and for the
business?
Keith Scandone (20:35):
You know it's interesting.
I mean, as I said, we'resteeped in kind of technology.
We do a lot of digitaltransformation work, as you
mentioned in the introduction.
We do a lot in AI strategy anddigital strategy in general.
You know, we like to say thatwe're, you know, on the sort of
on the bleeding edge of what'shappening in technology and have
been on 20 years and that'sbeen very, very helpful,
(20:55):
although the rise of AI isexciting but is dizzying.
I mean, it really is moving atan unbelievably fast pace.
So it's an opportunity.
I think, and I think we'reoften hired for that.
It's not even just like it usedto be.
I need help with thisparticular technology platform
(21:16):
Now.
It's just I need help withunderstanding and navigating.
What is AI?
What is gen ai?
What is a machine learning?
So, uh, and what are thedifferent tools?
What are the different?
Marc Bernstein (21:27):
options.
Interesting because thisstuff's been around for a long
time.
Keith Scandone (21:30):
It has been around for a very, very long
time.
Um, it's just actually, but youknow the the proliferation of
it now is just it's.
It's growing it against it's anunbelievably right, a dizzying
rate.
So that makes things again very,very interesting.
And this is also just broaderforget about, you know, o3 for a
second just more broadly, in AI, as we all talk about it, it's
great for the opportunities andit's scary because of the
(21:52):
opportunities, I mean reallyabout how much we give over, you
know, to our phones, totechnology and now AI, which is
basically recreating in manyways kind of our own images and
our own personas, which is, youknow, can be awesome and can
also be very, very scary.
So it's exciting to kind of tryto stay ahead of how do we kind
(22:14):
of serve up these solutions andopportunities for clients, how
we navigate, because I really dofeel more than ever that
consulting is necessary insideorganizations.
I've seen we work with a lot ofenterprise organizations, so
from maybe a hundred milliondollars up to a hundred million
annual revenues up to publiclytraded companies quite often and
(22:36):
I've actually never seen such alevel of kind of paralysis
inside of organizations that'shappened over the last few years
or so, and AI is a big reasonfor that just because they are
afraid about how much money toinvest and how big of a step
they might take.
Obviously they know what theyhave to make AI a part of their
(22:57):
business, but to what degree?
Particularly as you talk aboutregulated industries finance,
insurance, healthcare, a lot ofindustries that we work in I
mean it's very, very challenging.
So I'm excited about theopportunity, about how we can
leverage it more inside of ourbusiness, which we already do,
about creating operationalefficiencies, how we can lean
into it more for clients and,frankly, kind of where it's
(23:18):
taking not just us as a company,but also kind of just where
it's taking the world.
Marc Bernstein (23:23):
So O3's place in this is how do you manage and
navigate, how you will manageand navigate the dizzying rate
of change and how you'll beopportunistic about it, and I
know you mentioned to me thatmaybe development of your own
product might be part of thatpicture.
Keith Scandone (23:41):
It would be ideal.
You know, we started severalyears ago O3 Ventures, which was
really kind of an investmentarm, and the idea at that time,
Marc, was that we would investsome money and some sweat equity
into digital products that then, hopefully, would be able to
expand.
And we've done three of them sofar and none of them have
worked out.
We've done three of them so farand none of them have worked
(24:03):
out.
So the concept is still there,but the success rate has not
exactly been where we want it tobe.
But yes, I think that you know,any service company likes to
have some kind of product or IP.
Obviously, it creates morevalue opportunity in the short
term and long term, and I thinkif we had our product as well, I
(24:23):
think we could serve that up.
If we have the right product, Ithink we could serve that up to
our clients as well and thenprovide the service layer on top
of it.
So definitely have ambitions todo so.
We've kicked around a lot ofideas.
We've spoken to a lot ofcompanies about potentially
investing or acquiring them.
We just have not landed on thatspot quite yet but that's still
the goal, Marc.
Marc Bernstein (24:44):
We'd still love to Gotcha Keith.
One question.
I didn't ask you that I'd liketo ask you because, as you move
forward, the culture of yourcompany is important today, I'm
sure, and it becomes even moreimportant.
I want to speak to that alittle bit your culture and how
that can benefit what your aimis over the next few years.
Keith Scandone (25:00):
Yeah, sure, you know, it's incredibly important,
I think, and I think it'schanged pretty dramatically
post-pandemic.
So you know, if you look at apre-pandemic, we were a
full-time in-house company inPhiladelphia.
Our offices are based inFishtown, right on Frankfurt
Avenue, and that was a big partof our culture.
(25:23):
I mean, we're a consultingcompany.
We're very collaborative, notonly collectively, but with
clients as well.
We tried to build strongrelationships, again internally
with our teams, then again withour clients.
So the fact that we're a morehybrid or even remote in a
hybrid or remote world right nowhas changed quite a bit on how
(25:44):
you adapt, and in some ways it'sgood, I mean.
So now we have obviously lesspeople coming into the office
regularly.
We have people around thecountry and we even have three
offshore companies that we workwith.
We have some consultants andcontractors that we kind of flex
up and down.
So the mode of communicationand the cultural model has
(26:05):
changed quite a bit.
I think at our core, though, itreally hasn't changed.
I mean, our North Star isexactly the same about how we
treat each other, how we treatour clients and, honestly, how
we kind of try to create apartnership with our clients.
What I mean by that is that-.
Marc Bernstein (26:23):
That's what I wanted to get get to, because I
know that's how you we try toposition ourselves as this we
look at it in any way.
Keith Scandone (26:27):
Is this 51 49 partnership?
I mean, they're 51 becausethey're they're paying us,
obviously, so they have theupper hand but really don't like
to be looked at or treated likea vendor.
We're people, they're peopleand we and we both sort of need
each other and I think thatcomes with a level of respect
that we expect out of ourclients, and it's not uncommon
(26:49):
that we are very direct with ourclients when that is not given
to any of us on the team.
And so I think that thosevalues, those core values, are
frankly the most important thingNow.
You work with these big clients.
You have a lot of differenttouch points and a lot of
different people.
It's not a perfect science,it's not an exact science.
You obviously come across somechallenging individuals at times
(27:10):
, but overall you really kind oflook out for your team and you
look out for what's right and Ithink ultimately that has really
kind of driven our culture anddriven our success.
And even though we're remotelywe're not always getting
together, you know, in person Um, I think there's a connective
tissue and fiber, um, in thatway of looking at, uh, running a
business.
Marc Bernstein (27:30):
Uh, that's a common theme here with a lot of
companies, including my own,because we look at, as financial
planners, as ourentrepreneurial clients that we
want to be their partner alongon their journey.
So we're like living their,whatever their, their, their
vision is.
We're living that vision itsounds like you're doing the
same thing.
Um so, and I've heard that themeand I think that's
collaboration is really becoming, you know, it seems like an
(27:53):
obvious thing, but it's becomingin vogue, for whatever reasons,
because you know it's kind ofhigh tech, high touch.
You know you really need tohave those kind of relationships
, I think, to move forward today.
Two quick questions becausewe're almost out of time.
But what are your thoughtsabout your legacy?
What would you like to leavebehind as a result of the work
you're?
Keith Scandone (28:12):
doing.
You know it's funny.
My business partner said hegoes.
I want you know when I passaway on my gravestone just to
say he gave a s**t and Iappreciate it.
It's simple but honestly, youknow I don't have kids.
I have a wife and certainlyBill.
(28:33):
I'm fortunate with the friendsand family around me as well,
and I'm sure you have a lot ofpeople you've impacted.
I think so, and I don't knowthat I focus so much on legacy
Marc.
I mean, I really try every dayto just do better work and be a
better person individually andimpact as many people as I
possibly can.
So, as you mentioned, I'm onthe board at Compass Pro Bono,
(28:57):
which is fantastic becauseCompass, which is in actually
four cities right now.
Basically what they do is theyrepresent several nonprofits in
these different cities and theymatch them with consultants.
I mean hundreds of thousands ofdollars of work they get for
them for free, I mean.
So the reason I wanted to jointhat board is that I'd have
potentially a much greaterimpact being on that board to
(29:20):
the greater DC area and to allthese potential nonprofits and
volunteers as well.
Um, and then, as you mentioned,mentoring as well, which I've
done, you know, dozens anddozens of times.
I'm part of mentor connect,which is a group out of
Philadelphia through pact Um,but beyond that, I mean just
individually, organically.
I just really, uh, I just havethis level of kind of one
curiosity.
(29:41):
I want to meet new people, Iwant to try new things, I want
to experience new environments,um and uh, I want to learn from
people, uh, and I want, if, ifit, if it helps them, I want to
be able to have them learn fromme and my journey and my
experience and my connectionsand any opportunities I can
provide to them.
So I think it's more of aday-to-day thing I look at it
(30:02):
versus looking at what mylong-term legacy is.
Marc Bernstein (30:06):
It's wonderful we're out of time.
You've said a lot.
It's really a great story.
Great to have you here, keith,and we'll stay in touch.
We'll follow you on yourjourney as you go along.
Great Thanks.
So much, Marc, my pleasure.
Announcer (30:28):
Thanks to everybody for listening and we'll see you
next week on Founders Forum.
Entrepreneur, founder , author and financial advisor,
Marc Bernstein helpshigh-performing business owners
turn their visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
(00:24):
the stories behind their success.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights and a little fun.
Now let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:33):
Good morning America.
How are you?
We're here this morning onFounders Forum.
It's a lovely day in SouthwestFlorida.
Hello to our friends inPhiladelphia and around the
country and around the world.
I have in the studio with methis morning Keith I'll
introduce Keith formally in aminute and I was thinking, keith
, about well, we have our 100thanniversary, 100th show coming
(00:56):
up, 100th podcast in a few weeks.
So we were planning that thismorning and I was thinking about
how the show started and it wasreally about interviewing
entrepreneurs about theirchallenges, their successes, of
course, but when I think aboutit, it's really about their
journeys, because the journey isalways ongoing.
(01:18):
And the quote that I've alwaysthought about and most people
have heard is success is not adestination, it's a journey.
And how does that apply to you,keith, and what do you think
about that?
Keith Scandone (01:30):
quote.
I think it's spot on.
You're right.
I think being an entrepreneurfor sure is a journey,
particularly these days and overthe course of the past 20 years
of me having the business.
I think that's what makes itinteresting.
I think that's what makes itinteresting.
I think that's what makes itexciting.
That's what makes itchallenging.
It also, I think, separatesentrepreneurs from not
(01:51):
entrepreneurs.
It's really not for everyone,because it is a roller coaster
constantly.
Marc Bernstein (01:57):
And yeah, I like what you said.
It's kind of almost thelifeblood of an entrepreneur.
You have to want that in youFor me, what for me?
It keeps me going.
I don't usually talk about it,but I'm turning 70 soon.
Most people think I'm not thatold, but I think part of that is
because I have, you know, Ihave a lot of goals for a long
period in time that I'm lookingforward.
(02:18):
I'm not.
I was talking to someone theother day and they and this is
not a slant on anybody, butpeople that work for a
corporation for a long time, asan example.
Or I knew an accountant thatwas working for somebody that
apparently was like a slavedriver and he said I can't wait
to retire.
Keith Scandone (02:34):
And he's very happy.
Marc Bernstein (02:35):
People like like could be very happy, but if
you're an entrepreneur, it'shard to imagine that you're not
doing this anymore.
You're just.
You know, you're just going tofade away and go to your medical
visits I'm being a littlesarcastic, but you know but just
talk about your health all thetime and the weather and not
have much else to talk about.
And I was with a group ofentrepreneurs the other day and
(02:55):
they said, yeah, I just can'timagine that life.
And these are all people thatare in their sixties and
seventies and beyond that arethriving.
I mentioned that we had a guy wejust played in part two of Ed
Satell of the Satell Institute,who had a part.
One was his tremendous businesscareer.
Part two was what he's donesince then.
He still has his business,still runs his business at 88
(03:17):
years old.
But he also is, and he might be89 actually now.
I think about it and heprobably doesn't like me saying
his age on the air either, butbut he's um.
So he's created the SatellInstitute, which is a
collaboration between for-profitbusinesses and non-profits and
collaboration and how they canwork together.
(03:37):
And to be a member you don'tpay dues because he's completely
endowed it, but you, you needto commit to a hundred100,000
contribution to the charity ofyour choice.
They don't care what it is overa four-year period, and they
have many companies that aredoing like 10 of these now where
they're giving a milliondollars over four years, that
kind of thing.
And so far they've raised over$200 million of contributions in
(04:02):
Philadelphia but they'vestarted in a few other cities
and his vision is, during hislifetime, of contributions in
Philadelphia but they've startedin a few other cities and his
vision is during his lifetime tohave $2.2 trillion in 50 cities
and that's his vision.
So you know, guy's got a lot ofenergy and a lot of juice still
at that age and that's who Iwant to be, you know, because it
keeps the blood going.
Keith Scandone (04:22):
You know that's ambitious goals by him.
I appreciate that and I'mfamiliar with the Satell
Institute as well.
Marc Bernstein (04:26):
Oh, are you Cool ?
Have you ever?
Maybe we should talk about that.
Maybe you should join.
Keith Scandone (04:30):
Sure, I mean, I have a hundred grand sitting
around to throw at a nonprofit,why not Happy to?
Marc Bernstein (04:37):
Come as my guest for the next CEO conference in
May.
We can talk about that, anyway.
So my guest today and thanksfor your insights on the journey
, keith.
Keith Scandone is theco-founder and CEO of O3 World,
a digital experience consultancy.
O3 provides AI strategy anddigital consulting experience,
(05:02):
design and software developmentfor enterprise organizations.
In addition to overseeing O3'svision and strategy for the last
20 years, keith also plays anactive role in the community.
He and his team have hostedseveral industry-leading events,
most notably the 1682Conference, which is an AI and
innovation conference going onits third year this fall in
(05:25):
Philadelphia.
So I get to say Philadelphiaagain.
Also, fall in Philadelphia isan old Hall Oates song I don't
know if you know this like whenthey first started, but anyway.
Keith also serves as mentor forseveral owners and sits on the
Compass Pro Bono nonprofit boardin DC there you go.
So welcome, keith.
Thanks for being here today.
Thanks for having me.
Marc and Keith isMaryland-based but he's in
(05:47):
Florida for, among other things,this podcast, and you know so
glad to have you here so tell usabout your humble beginnings,
which I know started outside ofPhiladelphia and you know, and
how your journey began.
Keith Scandone (06:02):
Sure, it's certainly been an interesting
one Unorthodox, I would say so.
After graduating college I wentto Loyola College in Maryland,
now actually known as LoyolaUniversity.
I had majored in economics andI minored in theater and I went
out for my first and only playin my life, oedipus.
(06:24):
And I went out for the leadrole of Oedipus and I remember
the director asked me he saidwhat if you don't get this role?
I said I don't want any otherrole and I ended up getting the
role of Oedipus and I reallyfell in love with acting and so
decided to actually move to LosAngeles to pursue acting and so
spent about six and a half yearsout there and I did a lot of
(06:46):
pursuing of acting.
I did some as well, but it was afascinating, life-changing
experience in so many ways and Iexperienced so many things
while pursuing that dreamcreatively and I really really
actually enjoyed Los Angeles andthe industry had its quirks,
but also was really interesting.
So so, but recognize it reallywasn't ultimately for me and
(07:08):
moved back to the Philadelphiaarea.
Excuse me one second.
Marc Bernstein (07:11):
Do you act for fun anymore?
Community theater.
Keith Scandone (07:13):
I don't know, uh , I don't act at all anymore, um
and uh, I try to find otherways for kind of creative outlet
outlets, but but, but notanymore now.
Um, uh, so, yes, I moved backto philadelphia and really
started from scratch, uh, when Iwas uh, 28, uh, not sure
exactly what I wanted to do.
So I had a decent amount ofground, a decent amount of
(07:34):
experience and differentelements of of marketing.
I I I wrote for severalpublications out in los angeles,
I wrote a play that wasproduced out in Los Angeles and
just had a pretty good kind ofcreative mindset and background.
So I actually had a connectionat the Philadelphia Convention
Center and I pitched them on amarketing concept idea which
(07:55):
they bought and they hired me asa consultant, which was great
to kind of get my feet wet.
And then I started at a smallweb design and development
company, an online entertainmentcity guide it was called
AroundPhillycom and really kindof came in to take over their
sort of editorial team in manyways and work with the writers
(08:18):
but helped with the marketingand the positioning and the kind
of promotion of the city guideitself and on the side they
would sell as kind of part oftheir business, they would sell
website design and developmentprojects.
And so I was there for roughlya year or so and I thought that
it was a good concept,particularly this is 22 years or
(08:40):
so ago, so really, you know,before the rise of some of the
more modern, you know, webtechnologies that exist today,
and thought that they should goa more enterprise route and they
felt comfortable staying kindof like dealing with small
retail shops, bars, restaurants,salons, that sort of thing.
So I decided to sort of do that, not exclusively on my own, but
(09:05):
two other guys that I metthrough the company.
They were freelancers there,and one was a designer and one
was an engineer, and then I waskind of the marketing, sales and
accounts.
And so there you have O3.
Three parts, you know, ozone,three parts oxygen.
So three departments, threeowners.
Marc Bernstein (09:23):
When we started, Love that I didn't realize.
That's where the in came from.
So you know.
We talked about success andbusiness success is not a smooth
ride, so tell us about some ofthe challenges that you had,
keith, along the way.
Keith Scandone (09:41):
Oh, so many and continue to have.
Really, it's just, you know,running a business there's so
many you know when you start abusiness, typically speaking.
So for the reason we startedthis business I mean I told you
that the general genesis of itand the opportunity that I saw
out there.
But really it was because myone business partner and I, the
designer, we worked very welltogether creatively.
(10:05):
We would do some kind of likead concept type things.
We would concept thingstogether.
I would handle a lot of thedirection and the content and he
would handle the design, and sothat was kind of again the
reason we started the businessbecause we thought that we
worked so well creativelytogether.
When, then, we started thebusiness, we recognized that
(10:25):
someone needed to be out thereselling what we did.
So I became the de facto salesguy basically day one, and I
never really had the opportunityto turn back.
Announcer (10:33):
And so.
Keith Scandone (10:34):
I did certainly some creative.
When we started, we were abrand communications company and
so we did some, you know.
So there were some brandingconcepts that helped with some
taglines.
Marc Bernstein (10:42):
By the way, we have a lot in common, so you're
like vision strategy and therainmaker more or less?
Keith Scandone (10:47):
Yes.
Marc Bernstein (10:47):
Yes, what my role in our business?
Yeah, exactly.
Keith Scandone (10:50):
Which, again, somebody typically has to be
when you're an entrepreneur oryou know, inside of um, uh,
inside of a business, so um, so,from from day one.
But you, you're, you'refocusing on things that you're
not sort of um, uh, experiencedin um, and and you have to deal
with things that you, you're,you weren't anticipating.
So you know, they say all thetime I mean uh, whether it's
(11:13):
whether it's insurance orwhether it's dealing with
lawyers or whether it's dealingwith in employees, which is
really, I'd say, probably one ofthe most challenging elements,
because there's a lot ofdifferent layers to obviously
dealing with employees and thenclients.
So it's just been kind of a youknow, while you have a vision,
you have to take things sort ofone day at a time, one step at a
(11:34):
time.
But in the services market it'sa very saturated, very
competitive marketplace and, asyou and I were discussing
earlier off air about theone-person consultancies, I mean
it's easier than ever to starta company out there and that
doesn't mean, maybe, that allobviously are created equal, but
it just creates a lot morenoise in the marketplace and a
(11:57):
lot more complexity to navigatethrough for a client to actually
find you.
So I think that that'ssomething that's probably the
most challenging just navigatingover time where you fit and
differentiate in the marketplace, and that never changes.
We call ourselves, as you said,a digital experience
consultancy today, not sodifferent from our roots when we
(12:19):
started.
We've just kind of tried to bea little bit more specialized
over the years again, while wekind of navigate the opportunity
and the competitive you knowlandscape.
Marc Bernstein (12:29):
You know, you hit on an interesting point, I
think.
You know, I think what's goingto save America ultimately is
entrepreneurialism, becausethere are so many people, you
know, people are with AI, peopleare going to be downsized,
people are going to not be inthe careers they thought they
were going to be in and, as yousaid, with the advantage of all
the technology we have is thatit's very easy to start a
(12:50):
business today.
It's not easy necessarily to besuccessful, but it's easy to
start one, so I think that's areally good point that you
mentioned.
There's two things I wanted toask you about.
We only have a minute until ourcommercial break, so I'm going
to ask you this.
First, I wanted to back up toacting a little bit Sure,
because you told me before, whenwe've talked offline, a couple
(13:10):
of lessons you learned from theacting experience.
I think that would be helpful.
And then, when we come back, Iwant to talk to you about the
strengths you've developed in in03 as a result of your um uh
challenges.
Keith Scandone (13:21):
That you had.
Sure Well, number number one ona very high level.
I mean, when you do somethinglike acting or anything of
creative pursuit like that,you're really making yourself
extraordinarily vulnerable, um,and putting yourself out there,
and I think you'll learn a lotabout yourself in doing so.
You have to really really digdeep, um, and I think that's
that that was a very, veryhelpful lesson.
(13:42):
Uh, I think that was a very,very helpful lesson.
Beyond that, in the pursuit ofacting, again, it's an
extraordinarily competitivespace.
There's no formula to success.
It's not like typicalbusinesses.
Well, I started thiscorporation and I put in my 10
years and now I've got thisgreat title.
It just doesn't work in thatway.
I've seen some extraordinarilysuccessful people that can't get
work.
I've seen some very untalentedpeople get tons of work, and so
(14:02):
just kind of understanding thatnumber one.
But two, I think, a couple ofthings that really were great
takeaways from my experience out.
There is when you get called infor a casting opportunity, you
walk into an extraordinarilycold room.
So typically the people thatare casting directors are former
actors or actors that weren'tsuccessful, so already they're a
(14:22):
little bitter that they're inthat chair.
You also might be the hundredthperson they've seen that day.
So they're fatigued and theyoften are the ones that read
opposite you.
So imagine if you're readingfor a role and you're supposed
to play a character and theperson on the other side gives
you absolutely zero to work with.
That's essentially what zero towork with, that's essentially
what you're dealing with.
So you learn that if you can besort of comfortable or you can
(14:46):
thrive in that environment Now Imean, if I get invited into,
you know it could be the biggestcompany by the biggest CEO.
It just it's not really dauntingto me because it's.
I've at least been invitedthere.
I'm one of maybe a few peopleor a few companies versus 100.
So that really helped me a lot.
And then, beyond that, I did alot of celebrity interviews on
(15:07):
the red carpet and at JunketsNice, and that really helped me
also, especially on the redcarpet, like I did the Matrix
premiere, the first and secondone and so I worked for some
no-name little onlineentertainment spot.
And so they're not stopping atyou.
The publicist isn't stopping atyou.
You've got to find ways to gettheir attention and you know,
(15:30):
get them to spend some time withyou and provide an interesting
question that there's engagement, so you have to be on your toes
at all times.
Marc Bernstein (15:38):
Listen, another thing we share in common.
My beginnings were in the musicbusiness, as a musician and as
a lawyer promoter and many ofthe same things as you're
talking I'm thinking about.
I visualize myself in some ofthe rooms I'm in hawking the
music and some of the ridiculousthings that happened as a
result.
And one of the things I foundout is the people I was talking
(16:01):
to who were like known A&R guysartists and repertoire in the
music business were basicallylike doorstops, you know, to
keep you out of the president'soffice unless they really
discovered something special,which happened.
Some of them never actuallyeven did that, which is
interesting.
They're paid just to just totend the gate there, kind of.
So so I get it.
(16:21):
So it's a cold experience but alot to be learned from, and I
did also.
I also had to dig deep.
So thanks for sharing that andlet's take a quick break and
we'll be right back.
Announcer (16:30):
Are you looking to scale your business and drive
exceptional growth?
Imagine having an expert teamon demand that combines
world-class recruitment expertsand industry-leading next-gen AI
to help you hire top candidatesfaster.
Introducing JoinTalentseamlessly augmenting your
in-house talent function withexpertise tailored to your
unique business needs.
(16:51):
Our team are experts in hiringthe best talent for your sector,
regardless of your position onthe growth journey.
Jointalent's proprietary AIaccelerates delivery by
instantly searching and indexingbillions of data points to find
and engage the best talent.
Whether you're a startup withlimited in-house talent
resources or a head of talentfor a global enterprise looking
(17:12):
to ramp up and down yourexisting team, we've got you
covered.
Our solutions are designed tofuel your growth, ensuring you
have the right talent at theright time.
Join Talent, driving businessperformance and scaling growth
with the perfect blend of people, ai and innovation, ready to
elevate your hiring capability.
Visit jointalentnet today.
Marc Bernstein (17:35):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, keith Scandone.
Keith, so we're talking aboutyou know, back to 03, the
challenges that you had, and Iknow one of the strengths that
you had is that it's almost likea unique ability kind of thing.
You figured out what you weregood at, what your partner was
good at.
Speak a little more about thestrengths that you discovered in
(17:59):
meeting the challenges of thebusiness, for one and we
discussed a little before.
Keith Scandone (18:02):
So we started, as I said, with three partners
and a few years in went down tojust two of us, and you know the
entrepreneurs.
It can be a very challengingjourney and it can be a very
lonely one as well.
So it's great having a partneror partners, but finding the
right partner or partners isextraordinarily crucial and,
(18:24):
frankly, extraordinarilydifficult.
I mean because it becomesreally a business marriage.
And so you know, I'm veryfortunate that my business
partner, mike Gatsby.
We share philosophically thesame things, we look at business
the same way and outcomes thesame way.
We just have also our own lanesin which we focus on, which I
(18:49):
think is really really critical.
If we both had the exact samestrengths and weaknesses and I
know a lot of owners thatsometimes are challenged by this
it becomes much more difficult.
So we've complemented eachother very, very well over the
last 20 years.
Marc Bernstein (19:00):
I just want to mention one thing about that.
It's a marriage, as you said.
It's a business marriage andsomething I thought a lot about
when I got married.
I got married a little bitlater.
My wife and I are verydifferent people, but the reason
we were able to make it work isbecause we share the same
values we look at we.
You know we look at life thesame way, in many different ways
(19:21):
, but that doesn't make us thesame people, and that sometimes
can work really well because youhave complimentary skills and
talents.
Keith Scandone (19:27):
It really is and also it just helps.
I mean, it's running a businessis it could be exhausting.
I mean it could be mentallyexhausting, physically
exhausting, et cetera.
So finding the right partner aswell.
Some of you can kind of lean onthat.
You need to kind of step awayfrom a little bit, or you know
you need some.
You need some time just torecharge your battery, uh, or
someone might be dealing withone particular issue or one
(19:48):
particular client over and overagain, and sometimes just to be
able to hand over the reins,like can you just a different
set of eyes?
Maybe can you approach this,can you have that conversation?
Um, it is really reallyvaluable.
So I think that's beenextraordinarily helpful and just
kind of leaning into what ourstrengths are individually and
then collectively and allowingthe other person to kind of have
(20:10):
some free reign, to beautonomous.
So having that support has beenextraordinarily valuable to our
business success.
Marc Bernstein (20:20):
You know, this show is very forward-focused.
Our brand is the forward focusforum, so we always like to talk
about what do you see ahead?
You know I knew you want totalk about your one year vision.
I mean, what does that looklike for you and for the
business?
Keith Scandone (20:35):
You know it's interesting.
I mean, as I said, we'resteeped in kind of technology.
We do a lot of digitaltransformation work, as you
mentioned in the introduction.
We do a lot in AI strategy anddigital strategy in general.
You know, we like to say thatwe're, you know, on the sort of
on the bleeding edge of what'shappening in technology and have
been on 20 years and that'sbeen very, very helpful,
(20:55):
although the rise of AI isexciting but is dizzying.
I mean, it really is moving atan unbelievably fast pace.
So it's an opportunity.
I think, and I think we'reoften hired for that.
It's not even just like it usedto be.
I need help with thisparticular technology platform
(21:16):
Now.
It's just I need help withunderstanding and navigating.
What is AI?
What is gen ai?
What is a machine learning?
So, uh, and what are thedifferent tools?
What are the different?
Marc Bernstein (21:27):
options.
Interesting because thisstuff's been around for a long
time.
Keith Scandone (21:30):
It has been around for a very, very long
time.
Um, it's just actually, but youknow the the proliferation of
it now is just it's.
It's growing it against it's anunbelievably right, a dizzying
rate.
So that makes things again very,very interesting.
And this is also just broaderforget about, you know, o3 for a
second just more broadly, in AI, as we all talk about it, it's
great for the opportunities andit's scary because of the
(21:52):
opportunities, I mean reallyabout how much we give over, you
know, to our phones, totechnology and now AI, which is
basically recreating in manyways kind of our own images and
our own personas, which is, youknow, can be awesome and can
also be very, very scary.
So it's exciting to kind of tryto stay ahead of how do we kind
(22:14):
of serve up these solutions andopportunities for clients, how
we navigate, because I really dofeel more than ever that
consulting is necessary insideorganizations.
I've seen we work with a lot ofenterprise organizations, so
from maybe a hundred milliondollars up to a hundred million
annual revenues up to publiclytraded companies quite often and
(22:36):
I've actually never seen such alevel of kind of paralysis
inside of organizations that'shappened over the last few years
or so, and AI is a big reasonfor that just because they are
afraid about how much money toinvest and how big of a step
they might take.
Obviously they know what theyhave to make AI a part of their
(22:57):
business, but to what degree?
Particularly as you talk aboutregulated industries finance,
insurance, healthcare, a lot ofindustries that we work in I
mean it's very, very challenging.
So I'm excited about theopportunity, about how we can
leverage it more inside of ourbusiness, which we already do,
about creating operationalefficiencies, how we can lean
into it more for clients and,frankly, kind of where it's
(23:18):
taking not just us as a company,but also kind of just where
it's taking the world.
Marc Bernstein (23:23):
So O3's place in this is how do you manage and
navigate, how you will manageand navigate the dizzying rate
of change and how you'll beopportunistic about it, and I
know you mentioned to me thatmaybe development of your own
product might be part of thatpicture.
Keith Scandone (23:41):
It would be ideal.
You know, we started severalyears ago O3 Ventures, which was
really kind of an investmentarm, and the idea at that time,
Marc, was that we would investsome money and some sweat equity
into digital products that then, hopefully, would be able to
expand.
And we've done three of them sofar and none of them have
worked out.
We've done three of them so farand none of them have worked
(24:03):
out.
So the concept is still there,but the success rate has not
exactly been where we want it tobe.
But yes, I think that you know,any service company likes to
have some kind of product or IP.
Obviously, it creates morevalue opportunity in the short
term and long term, and I thinkif we had our product as well, I
(24:23):
think we could serve that up.
If we have the right product, Ithink we could serve that up to
our clients as well and thenprovide the service layer on top
of it.
So definitely have ambitions todo so.
We've kicked around a lot ofideas.
We've spoken to a lot ofcompanies about potentially
investing or acquiring them.
We just have not landed on thatspot quite yet but that's still
the goal, Marc.
Marc Bernstein (24:44):
We'd still love to Gotcha Keith.
One question.
I didn't ask you that I'd liketo ask you because, as you move
forward, the culture of yourcompany is important today, I'm
sure, and it becomes even moreimportant.
I want to speak to that alittle bit your culture and how
that can benefit what your aimis over the next few years.
Keith Scandone (25:00):
Yeah, sure, you know, it's incredibly important,
I think, and I think it'schanged pretty dramatically
post-pandemic.
So you know, if you look at apre-pandemic, we were a
full-time in-house company inPhiladelphia.
Our offices are based inFishtown, right on Frankfurt
Avenue, and that was a big partof our culture.
(25:23):
I mean, we're a consultingcompany.
We're very collaborative, notonly collectively, but with
clients as well.
We tried to build strongrelationships, again internally
with our teams, then again withour clients.
So the fact that we're a morehybrid or even remote in a
hybrid or remote world right nowhas changed quite a bit on how
(25:44):
you adapt, and in some ways it'sgood, I mean.
So now we have obviously lesspeople coming into the office
regularly.
We have people around thecountry and we even have three
offshore companies that we workwith.
We have some consultants andcontractors that we kind of flex
up and down.
So the mode of communicationand the cultural model has
(26:05):
changed quite a bit.
I think at our core, though, itreally hasn't changed.
I mean, our North Star isexactly the same about how we
treat each other, how we treatour clients and, honestly, how
we kind of try to create apartnership with our clients.
What I mean by that is that-.
Marc Bernstein (26:23):
That's what I wanted to get get to, because I
know that's how you we try toposition ourselves as this we
look at it in any way.
Keith Scandone (26:27):
Is this 51 49 partnership?
I mean, they're 51 becausethey're they're paying us,
obviously, so they have theupper hand but really don't like
to be looked at or treated likea vendor.
We're people, they're peopleand we and we both sort of need
each other and I think thatcomes with a level of respect
that we expect out of ourclients, and it's not uncommon
(26:49):
that we are very direct with ourclients when that is not given
to any of us on the team.
And so I think that thosevalues, those core values, are
frankly the most important thingNow.
You work with these big clients.
You have a lot of differenttouch points and a lot of
different people.
It's not a perfect science,it's not an exact science.
You obviously come across somechallenging individuals at times
(27:10):
, but overall you really kind oflook out for your team and you
look out for what's right and Ithink ultimately that has really
kind of driven our culture anddriven our success.
And even though we're remotelywe're not always getting
together, you know, in person Um, I think there's a connective
tissue and fiber, um, in thatway of looking at, uh, running a
business.
Marc Bernstein (27:30):
Uh, that's a common theme here with a lot of
companies, including my own,because we look at, as financial
planners, as ourentrepreneurial clients that we
want to be their partner alongon their journey.
So we're like living their,whatever their, their, their
vision is.
We're living that vision itsounds like you're doing the
same thing.
Um so, and I've heard that themeand I think that's
collaboration is really becoming, you know, it seems like an
(27:53):
obvious thing, but it's becomingin vogue, for whatever reasons,
because you know it's kind ofhigh tech, high touch.
You know you really need tohave those kind of relationships
, I think, to move forward today.
Two quick questions becausewe're almost out of time.
But what are your thoughtsabout your legacy?
What would you like to leavebehind as a result of the work
you're?
Keith Scandone (28:12):
doing.
You know it's funny.
My business partner said hegoes.
I want you know when I passaway on my gravestone just to
say he gave a s**t and Iappreciate it.
It's simple but honestly, youknow I don't have kids.
I have a wife and certainlyBill.
(28:33):
I'm fortunate with the friendsand family around me as well,
and I'm sure you have a lot ofpeople you've impacted.
I think so, and I don't knowthat I focus so much on legacy
Marc.
I mean, I really try every dayto just do better work and be a
better person individually andimpact as many people as I
possibly can.
So, as you mentioned, I'm onthe board at Compass Pro Bono,
(28:57):
which is fantastic becauseCompass, which is in actually
four cities right now.
Basically what they do is theyrepresent several nonprofits in
these different cities and theymatch them with consultants.
I mean hundreds of thousands ofdollars of work they get for
them for free, I mean.
So the reason I wanted to jointhat board is that I'd have
potentially a much greaterimpact being on that board to
(29:20):
the greater DC area and to allthese potential nonprofits and
volunteers as well.
Um, and then, as you mentioned,mentoring as well, which I've
done, you know, dozens anddozens of times.
I'm part of mentor connect,which is a group out of
Philadelphia through pact Um,but beyond that, I mean just
individually, organically.
I just really, uh, I just havethis level of kind of one
curiosity.
(29:41):
I want to meet new people, Iwant to try new things, I want
to experience new environments,um and uh, I want to learn from
people, uh, and I want, if, ifit, if it helps them, I want to
be able to have them learn fromme and my journey and my
experience and my connectionsand any opportunities I can
provide to them.
So I think it's more of aday-to-day thing I look at it
(30:02):
versus looking at what mylong-term legacy is.
Marc Bernstein (30:06):
It's wonderful we're out of time.
You've said a lot.
It's really a great story.
Great to have you here, keith,and we'll stay in touch.
We'll follow you on yourjourney as you go along.
Great Thanks.
So much, Marc, my pleasure.
Announcer (30:28):
Thanks to everybody for listening and we'll see you
next week on Founders Forum.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.