September 10, 2025 • 28 mins
What does it take to spot an opportunity before the world even has a name for it? For Scott Reuter, Principal at Product Data Command, the answer lies in curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to reinvent when the market shifts.
From launching a computer products buying group in the 1980s, to pioneering one of the first product information management (PIM) systems in the 1990s, to today’s AI-powered solutions at Product Data Command, Scott’s 30+ year journey has been anything but linear. Along the way, he’s faced setbacks—including a deal that fell through at the finish line—and moments where he had to pick up side jobs just to keep his dream alive. Through it all, his focus remained the same: helping companies present their products in ways that boost sales and deliver better customer experiences.
Key Takeaways:
- How Scott turned the idea of a buying group into a profitable venture for resellers in the 1980s
- The birth of one of the first commercial PIM systems—and why clean product data matters
- What happens when a big acquisition deal falls through, and how to recover
- How AI is transforming product information management and giving companies a competitive edge
- Why legacy, kindness, and integrity matter as much as business success
About Scott Reuter:
35+ years of experience in various technology sectors. 30+ years as an entrepreneur, including founding a technology buying group, a computer product manufacturer, and one of the world’s first Product Information Management software companies. Extensive experience in the computer product and automotive aftermarket industries.
Connect:
Website www.pdcommand.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/scott-reuter/ , linkedin.com/company/product-data-command-llc/
Facebook facebook.com/pdcommander/
This episode is brought to you by Product Data Command; Boosting Online Sales & Revenue with Expert Product Data Strategies. Go to pdcommad.com 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 (00:00):
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orBeasley Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, authorand financial advisor, Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
(00:21):
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
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 (00:41):
Good morning America.
How are you?
I'm laughing because that was areally funny.
So we're live on the radioright now on Beasley Media Group
WWDB-AM in Philadelphia.
In case you're listening to thepodcast, you'll know that's why
I'm laughing, because the adright before this was about
Beasley's eternal love and itwas a very funny commercial that
(01:03):
I keep thinking about.
Never heard him do anything likethat before.
Anyway, I'm also laughingbecause I have a technology guy
named Scott here this morningand you'll meet Scott officially
in a minute, but we're doing ahomemade video here.
So I'm having my littletechnology struggles and, as I
shared with him, I'm a musicianwho has a recording studio at
(01:26):
home and all that, but hates towork any of that stuff.
I just love to have otherpeople do it for me, which is
one of the reasons we do ourpodcast in a radio station.
So Scott, who you'll find out,is a real technology guy.
I share some of those samestruggles.
If you want to talk about that,a second Scott.
Scott Reuter (01:48):
Yeah, I mean, it's something that I've dealt with
my entire life, but I alwaysfarm out the technology pieces
to others.
Marc Bernstein (01:53):
So we'll talk more about that, but we were
just having a chuckle over that.
So question for you as alistener do you use technology
because you have to or becauseyou love it?
I would suggest that mostpeople today probably do it
because they have to.
It's impossible to not do ittoday, and some people are
naturals at it.
The funny thing is I'm reallygood at working my phone.
(02:15):
Apps come naturally.
Math, you know, I studiedcomputer programming.
Math came naturally to me, buthaving to figure out how the
things work is something I'drather have other people do or
teach me how to do it.
So you agree, Scott, Totally inagreement.
All right, so anyway, so that'sour thought for the day, since
(02:35):
we're going to talk abouttechnology.
So Scott Reuter is our guesttoday and he's principal at
Product Data Command.
Scott has 35-plus years ofexperience in various technology
sectors 30 plus years as anentrepreneur, including a
technology buying group, whichis a really interesting story
computer product manufacturerand one of the world's first
(02:58):
product information managementsoftware companies.
He has deep experience incomputer product and automotive
aftermarket industries.
Welcome, Scott.
Scott Reuter (03:07):
Thank you.
Marc Bernstein (03:08):
Great to have you here this morning, nice to
be here.
So let's start out.
So let's start out how yourcareer and how you got, how you
became an entrepreneur and howyou got into this technology
business are the things thatwe're interested in.
Scott Reuter (03:21):
Yeah, I mean pretty much.
I dove into the business worldprimarily doing stuff I didn't
want to do.
I always knew I wanted to do myown thing.
I think I knew that early andwhile at a job I met an
individual who became a realgood friend of mine, also a
partner, and we just put ourheads together, came up with the
(03:43):
idea of a buying group forvalue-added resellers of
computer products.
We were working in variousforms within a company.
I was more on the technologyside.
He was like you know, copiersand that kind of stuff.
But you know, we thought thatthis was a good idea and
something we could sell.
So we put it together.
(04:05):
The concept essentially wasband a bunch of little guys
together, use the combinedpurchasing power of the group
and negotiate volume deals.
Now this is 100 years ago, sothis is back with computer lands
and stuff like that.
80s right, yeah, early 80sPeople were buying stuff from
(04:26):
computer lands, not gettingdiscounts.
And then there were these smallgroup of software developers
who had accounting managementsystems, construction management
systems, gas station managementsystems, things like that, like
that.
But when they were selling themto their clients they wanted a
turnkey solution.
They wanted the hardware andthe software, which is the way
(04:52):
to do it, because if you don'tdo it that way, there's a lot of
finger pointing when a problemoccurs.
So we got I guess our criticalmass was somewhere in the
neighborhood of 50 resellers andthen we started negotiating
volume purchase deals.
We found, without a lot ofcommitment, we could get the
same prices that Computerlandgot, you know, for these guys.
So we charged them a membershipfee and a percentage of the
purchase that they made throughit, but they saved a ton of
(05:14):
money and we made a lot of money.
So yeah, it was a good, it wasa good fit for us and that was
my entree into being anentrepreneur.
Marc Bernstein (05:21):
So I just want to follow up on that for a
second.
I'm always interested was thereany?
Did you have entrepreneurs inyour family?
Did you have any model thatmade you want to do your own
thing?
Scott Reuter (05:32):
Not really.
I mean, I think it was morejust from reading, seeing
different people out therereading stories about successful
people taking a chance, and Iwas like I'm young enough, why
not successful?
Marc Bernstein (05:45):
people taking a chance and I was like I'm young
enough, why not?
I had a guest recently, a womanwho said I don't know if this
applies to you or not, but she'sbecome a good friend since then
, so I tend to quote this a lot.
She said I was a terribleemployee but a really good boss.
Does that apply to you at all?
You?
Scott Reuter (06:03):
know, does that apply to you at all?
I mean, I think I was an okayemployee, you know.
I mean I took it upon myself ifI was challenged with a task to
get it done, stuff like that.
But yeah, I mean, I think I'm apretty good boss, I don't, you
know, I think I'm the kind ofperson that would pat somebody
on the back to try and motivatethem, as opposed to kick them in
(06:24):
the butt.
Marc Bernstein (06:25):
So yeah, but from having talked to you and
knowing your journey a littlebit, I think the entrepreneur in
you had more to do withchoosing your own path and being
your own boss, perhaps.
Right yeah, absolutely so, gotit so okay.
So now you're in this computerclub thing and buying group and
that's going pretty well, rightyeah, and you guys did really
(06:46):
well at it, from what Iunderstand.
Scott Reuter (06:48):
Yeah, what ended up happening was at that time
there was a lot of distributorsthat were trying to drive
business to them.
It was all in the computerproducts and peripheral space,
and so they were taking onanybody that could drive buyers
to them, which is exactly whatwe did.
So they treated us really good.
(07:09):
But as margins started to erodeand flatten, we had to start
getting a lot more creative inwhat it would take to keep our
members on board.
One of the things that we doveinto reasonably early was
developing a catalog solution,and it was just taking the data
from the distributors, puttingit in.
We had probably a half a dozenor more getting a file from them
(07:33):
that had pricing and a briefdescription.
This is catalog for computers.
For computer purchasingbasically right.
Parts and things like that right.
And it was an easy sell.
These guys were spending fouror five hours to save $10 on a
hard drive purchase.
It was just like if you valueyour time, this is a better way
to do it.
So they came on board prettyquickly.
(07:55):
But, as I said, as the marginsstarted to flatten, our value
wasn't as great from a monetarystandpoint.
So we started developingsoftware to make them more
efficient, and that was thecataloging software that we
created.
It was essentially taking filesfrom the distributor partners
that we had and allowing them todo lookups.
(08:15):
Now this is back with functionkeys and stuff like that right.
Marc Bernstein (08:19):
So a long time ago, but the idea was that.
Another thing I hated functionkeys.
Yeah, exactly, I didn't like itmuch either.
Scott Reuter (08:26):
So I was ready for the change.
But anyway, they could do alookup on a product, they could
see the three distributors thatcarried it and there was all
kinds of reasons that they wouldbuy from one versus another.
They had a credit line with one, not the other, that kind of
stuff, but at least they knew ifsomebody was out of stock they
could go to another guy, thatkind of thing.
Well, what we determined wasthat the data we were getting
(08:49):
from these distributors was justawful.
I mean, it was just terrible.
So we had a lot of cleaning andthings like that to do before
we could even make it availablethrough the catalog.
And that got us thinking that,you know, there's an opportunity
here to clean data, you know,and make it available to these
distributors and onlineretailers.
I mean this was way early, Imean this was before the
(09:14):
internet play kind of forbusiness purposes, but that's
sort of how we got to that point, got it.
Marc Bernstein (09:17):
So now that led.
Eventually you got into productinformation management, so it
sounds like a naturalprogression.
Scott Reuter (09:24):
That was the yeah, that was the entree yeah, but
tell us how that.
Marc Bernstein (09:27):
What happened then, I guess?
Scott Reuter (09:29):
Well, what ended up happening was we started
managing and cleansing this datafrom the distributors and in
doing it, we found a lot of thedistributors coming back to us
and saying, hey, we could usethis data because we're trying
to, you know, put it on ourcatalog in front of buyers.
So, for all intents andpurposes, we just saw the
(09:56):
opportunity and it also openedour eyes that maybe, as far as
the catalog software isconcerned, we should be more
focused on the cleansing of thedata, that technology.
So we started buildingtechnology around cleansing the
data and already had buyersready as soon as we were ready.
So that's sort of how we did it.
So how long ago was that?
That was like early 90s, realearly, like 1991.
(10:23):
Yeah, really early, yeah.
Marc Bernstein (10:25):
So you stayed in the same company, kept doing
the same things?
Well, no, the things you weredoing was evolving.
Scott Reuter (10:33):
Yeah, the buying group kind of fizzled out.
We sold it off to a companythat was doing similar things.
Most of the people were onboard because they were saving
money.
We weren't saving them as muchmoney, so it was time to get out
of that.
We opened another company thatwas focused more on this product
information management thingcalled AdvanceSource and, yeah,
(10:55):
we just kind of spent a lot oftime developing the software to
manage the software.
In fact, I think we have thevery first commercial product
information management systemever made.
So we didn't sell that, we justused it as part of the service.
Ultimately, we saw theopportunity to sell it Right.
Marc Bernstein (11:15):
So when about did that start?
When you started selling?
Scott Reuter (11:17):
That was probably.
It was still, you know, early90s, before 95, kind of thing,
and yeah.
Marc Bernstein (11:24):
So we're talking over 30 years ago now still.
Scott Reuter (11:26):
Yeah.
Marc Bernstein (11:28):
So what happened ?
Tell me about the journey toget to your company today, to
where you're a product out ofcommand.
Scott Reuter (11:37):
Yeah, Advanced Source was probably the main
catalyst to get to where we aretoday.
Advanced Source went out toearly play online retailers.
We provided the data servicesfor them.
So these guys were sellingcomputer products and
peripherals at the time.
It didn't play just there.
(11:58):
Any hard goods would work.
But for all intents and purposesthat was our mainstay and we
had a bunch of people that wasprobably the biggest product
line that was being sold on theinternet early, the biggest
product line that was being soldon the internet early.
So we got a bunch of customersthat were paying us monthly for
the service of building theirdata.
(12:18):
We got a database of somewherein the neighborhood of 250,000
to 300,000 products, and in thecomputer industry it's not as
static as others.
Right, Three to six months is aproduct shelf life.
Sure, it'd be all new stuff,Exactly.
So we were constantlyrefreshing it.
There were liquidation firmsand things like that that would
buy the old data.
(12:39):
So that was sort of the path.
We went all the way to termsheet on an acquisition and I
don't know how detailed you wantme to get.
We talked a little bit aboutthat but, had kind of a number
of really strange occurrencesthat ultimately queered the deal
, so.
But we felt that there wasstill an opportunity and we kind
of build a new application andthat's where product data come
(13:01):
in.
Marc Bernstein (13:02):
Well, I was going to bring it up as a
challenge challenges because youwere here, you were on the cusp
of something, a big exitstrategy, right, yeah, exactly.
And then it didn't happen,right, right.
So how did you deal with thatadversity, that challenge?
Poorly at first.
Scott Reuter (13:19):
Okay, it was a rugged time, yeah, you know, but
at the end of the day, you know, we still saw the vision and we
kind of I was passionate aboutit, so stayed the course.
You know there were some leantimes.
I mean, I was doingconstruction work for a buddy of
mine, mixing cement and stufflike that, just waiting for my
(13:41):
next opportunity to get back in.
Marc Bernstein (13:43):
So for all our fellow entrepreneurs listening
to this podcast, this is anotherexample of just a smooth ride
towards your goal.
Exactly, we talked about this.
Listen, I've had over 100guests on the show well over
that.
Now I can't remember one thatsaid oh yeah, it was just a
smooth ride to the top.
I did have one the same woman Iwas speaking about who said we
(14:07):
really didn't have anychallenges until she got
investors in her company.
Announcer (14:10):
And then she said well, that was a challenge.
Marc Bernstein (14:11):
So everybody's got something.
Scott Reuter (14:13):
Yeah, exactly.
Marc Bernstein (14:14):
Like I said, it's what I talk about.
Scott Reuter (14:15):
And that was sort of the demise of AdvanceSource
because of the investors and thekey investor who was a partner.
You know that was the problem.
Marc Bernstein (14:27):
So here we are at this cusp.
This is probably a really goodchance to take a break, a
one-minute break, and we'll beright back.
So why don't we do that?
We'll take a quick one-minutebreak and then I want to talk to
you about how the currentcompany progressed and your
employees and your companyculture and that kind of thing.
So we'll be right back onFounders Forum.
Announcer (14:46):
Product Data Command.
Pdc delivers AI-poweredsoftware and services that drive
online product sales.
Leveraging advanced AI and deepexpertise in product
information management, we helpcompanies present their products
with the seven key data pointsbuyers need to purchase
confidently.
By uniting proven businessprocesses, seasoned e-commerce
(15:07):
experience and cutting-edgetechnology, we position your
products to stand out in ahighly competitive digital
marketplace.
Our solutions not only boostrevenue, but also improve supply
chain efficiency, servingvendors, distributors and online
retailers alike.
Pdc's mission is simple Elevateyour customers' online buying
(15:28):
experience while acceleratingyour growth.
Buying experience whileaccelerating your growth.
Let's discuss how PDC can helpdrive your business forward.
Contact Scott today at215-630-7158 or via email at
srouter at pdcommandcom toexplore how we can enhance your
online sales strategy.
Marc Bernstein (15:52):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Scott Reuter and Scott,it's great to have you here
today and we're just getting tothe point where.
So you had this almost big exitstrategy.
Didn't happen a little bit ofdisappointment, but you found
your way forward.
And what happened from there?
Scott Reuter (16:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think that the net was when that
didn't happen.
What happened from there?
Yeah, I mean, I think that thenet was when that didn't happen.
Product information managementactually was becoming a more
popular area.
There was actually a segmentthat they called it product
information management, becausethey didn't have that prior to,
and some of the big guys gotinvolved, like IBM and SAP,
(16:28):
which takes you back to shows.
Marc Bernstein (16:29):
You were pioneers because they didn't
even have a name for it.
Yeah, exactly.
Scott Reuter (16:34):
But I actually went a really good friend of
mine actually used our softwareas a model raised like $40
million to put a companytogether to sell PIM that's the
acronym for product InformationManagement to big companies.
It was sort of a middlewareplay, if you will.
(16:56):
And they did it big and theyactually were involved in an
acquisition opportunity with IBM.
They were one of the finalists,they were picked as the best
solution, but ultimately theywent with a company that was
former IBM employees and thingslike that.
But it was a $183 million play,so it was legit.
(17:20):
They kind of folded.
I was working for them as asales engineer and ultimately a
sales guy, and then I just hadthis.
I knew that this was somethingthat everybody needed, not just
the big guys, small to mid-sizedbusinesses.
So I got back with my chieftechnology officer and we just,
you know, did it in our sparetime, you know, for a year, and
(17:43):
then we went to launch as soonas we had the opportunity.
Marc Bernstein (17:46):
And that was the beginning of product out of
command yes, and now where arewe in time?
Beginning of product out ofcommand yes, and now where are
we in time?
Scott Reuter (17:52):
This was probably 2005, something like that.
I mean a lot of time spannedover that.
That whole advanced source playfizzled out early 2002, 2003,
that kind of thing.
Marc Bernstein (18:08):
So now, this is about 20 years ago and now we're
talking.
So now you're building acompany, you're adding employees
, things like that when are youtoday?
How many employees do you havetoday?
Scott Reuter (18:17):
We have like 15 total.
Most of them are developers.
You know we have a developmentshop in Pune but my partner
pretty much, you know, oversold,so yeah, so so you're all
remote, I'm imagining.
Yeah, everything is remote.
Marc Bernstein (18:38):
It's the way of the world now today.
Right, yeah, exactly.
So how do you with that, do youattempt to build a company
culture?
Scott Reuter (18:47):
Yeah, I think so.
I mean I won't say that it'snormal, you know, like the
normal culture you would thinkwhen you're all going to an
office or something like that.
But what we try and do is, youknow respect everybody's, you
know personal situation andthings like that.
But you know we have demands.
(19:07):
Like if somebody is, I'mtalking to customers, so when
they ask me something, I got togo to development and say how
long can you get this done?
I'm always buffering it, youknow, because I don't want to
have to come back and you knowwith disappointing news that you
know we're not ready to deliver.
Marc Bernstein (19:22):
How's your employee retention?
Do you keep them for the yeah,pretty much.
Scott Reuter (19:25):
Pretty much.
I mean.
The majority of the people thathave left have learned quite a
bit from us and have expandedtheir careers and you know God
bless them.
That's, you know that'ssomething they should be looking
at.
Marc Bernstein (19:39):
So, with what you're doing, it's okay if they
learn and grow and they move onand you have more people and it
keeps going yeah and we have apretty good learning program to
get people ramped up prettyquickly for the things that we
need.
Scott Reuter (19:53):
Now that's starting to change a little bit
with the advent of AI, but yeah,I think that the other stuff
was pretty easy to train them.
Marc Bernstein (20:02):
So I mentioned earlier but we didn't talk about
it now how you got in theautomotive aftermarket, and I
also want to talk about theimpact of AI and what you're
doing with that.
Scott Reuter (20:10):
Yeah, well, as far as when we decided to do this
to small and mid-sized companies.
The other thing that we thoughtwas a good caveat was to be
industry-focused, because a lotof the commercial PIM
applications wereone-size-fits-all right.
You did a lot of configuration,depending on the industry that
(20:31):
you're in.
We decided, as opposed to doingthat, focus on an industry,
incorporate their standards intothe application, things like
that.
So it really played for thoseguys and that's what we did.
So automotive aftermarket wasan industry that I had had a lot
of familiarity with, and so wefocused on that.
We incorporated two of thestandards, and then the idea was
(20:54):
a SaaS model where we soldsubscriptions to parts
manufacturers that needed toprovide their data to
distributors and onlineresellers.
So that was sort of the play.
Marc Bernstein (21:07):
And how is that going?
Scott Reuter (21:09):
It's going good.
I mean, there's been somechallenges, there's competition
now and things like that.
So you're always looking atways that you can differentiate
yourself, and that really is whyI'm, so you know, high on AI.
Marc Bernstein (21:24):
So AI is helping you to differentiate yourself.
Scott Reuter (21:26):
Without question.
Marc Bernstein (21:27):
And tell us, without giving away your secret
sauce, how are you doing that?
Scott Reuter (21:33):
Well, there's multiple plays with it and it's
amazing what it can do, right?
I mean, I know a lot of peopleare fearful that it's going to
eliminate, you know, humans inthe workforce.
That's not true, but you knowyou always have to have what
they call humans in the loopright to do things, to trigger
workflows and things like that,that these things can do much
(21:54):
more efficiently and a lot lessmoney.
Marc Bernstein (21:58):
I'll just mention that we've had a lot of
people in here that are in thebusiness of AI and are experts,
and we've talked about it andthere's great opportunities for
humans who know how to operateAI.
But if you don't get with theprogram, it's going to be
tougher for you.
Scott Reuter (22:12):
Yeah, I think over the next three to five years,
if you jump in now, you're goingto have serious value.
Yeah, right, because it'sbefore.
It's that whole crossing thechasm thing, right, it's early.
Marc Bernstein (22:25):
So how is the AI in your business helping to
differentiate you with yourcustomers?
Scott Reuter (22:29):
Well, the one thing that we did right from the
beginning was we focused onbecause we don't look at just
this as product informationmanagement.
We look at our service beinghelping people better present
their products so that they cansell more, and it's all about
increasing revenue and doing thethings that you need to do more
efficiently.
(22:50):
So we built an AI tool it'salmost two years now and looked
at what people need to make anintelligent purchase when
they're online, and so itfocuses on seven key parts of
data.
You know just Google strings,marketing descriptions, features
and benefits, category-specificattributes, things of that
(23:12):
nature and we can use AI tocreate that content and then
dump it into the PIM and then wecan create basically what we
call a smart sheet.
It's basically a productbrochure.
Marc Bernstein (23:24):
You know, in a second so your learning
technology helps them to learnhow to better buy products.
Scott Reuter (23:33):
It helps them provide a better buying
experience for their customers.
I guess, oh, for theircustomers.
Got it, got it, got it.
Marc Bernstein (23:41):
So gotcha.
So, given that, is it helpingto increase your market share?
Absolutely, I would think yeah,so, and I would think it would
make you rare, if not unique.
Scott Reuter (23:53):
That's what I'm starting to use, that word for,
yeah, a lot of the people thatare doing it are dabbling in it.
We really kind of we werehooked right from the jump, so
you're finding your niche, yeah.
Marc Bernstein (24:04):
So, given that it's a good place to talk about
your future vision.
So if you and I are talking ayear from now, Scott, and we
look back on that last year,what would have to happen for
you to feel that that was asuccessful year, business-wise
and personally, if you wantanything else that comes to mind
?
Scott Reuter (24:19):
Yeah, I mean, I think that the vision that we
have is we've always looked totry and go after the bigger guys
right, who have establishedsupply chains that we can, you
know, use their power andrelationships to sort of provide
introductions to us and thingslike that.
(24:41):
So, you know, we'd like toincrease, you know, maybe by 100
subscribers.
That would be something thatwould be good.
But we also see this play.
I mean, we're working with eBayMotors now who wants to have
this kind of content, thesesmart sheets, available for all
their products that theyrepresent, and they're selling
(25:04):
that to distributors and stuff.
So if we go through them wedon't really need to reach those
other guys.
But we'd also like to take thisoutside of the aftermarket and
to other hard goods.
It plays anywhere.
You know MRO, plumbing supplies, you name it.
So we'd like to get into thatarea and you need subject matter
(25:26):
experts in order to train thetool to acquire and manipulate
and create the content that youneed for their buyers.
Marc Bernstein (25:34):
So for each new market you'd probably need a
subject matter expert.
Absolutely Gotcha gotcha.
Any challenges you see inmeeting that, those objectives
for the next year.
Scott Reuter (25:45):
It's, you know.
I mean it would always bebetter with more money.
But you know, for all intentsand purposes, I think a lot of
people are really interested ingetting into AI and if we're a
catalyst to educate them on whatthat means and how to do it, we
think we can get the rightpersonnel.
Marc Bernstein (26:04):
But that is the one unknown Personnel Right, but
it sounds like you haveexperience in what you've built
over the years.
You've always been able to findthe people to get to the next
level.
It sounds like.
Yeah, yeah, I think we have, soyou have some experience to
lean on as that goes, yeah, sowe're almost out of time.
Believe it or not, the timealways flies.
Announcer (26:23):
Quick, isn't that wild Exactly.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
So 28 minutes goes very fast, the you know.
If you were speaking to youryounger Scott, you know what
advice would you give him.
Scott Reuter (26:37):
I mean, I think I was always like you know what,
what advice would you give him?
Um, I mean, I, I think I w Iwas always like, uh, you know,
this is such a big deal, I gottaget it right, but I think you
just need to enjoy the moment.
You know, the journey is themost important thing.
It's the thing that, um, I wishI had taken a little bit more
time to recognize how cool itwas, you know, going through it
and I didn't right.
(26:58):
So you know, I think that youknow, I just think I would have
been better off enjoying myselfa little bit more and not
stressing so much about each andevery opportunity.
Marc Bernstein (27:11):
I can relate to that one, and it's something
I've said myself.
One last thing I know you'relegacy minded.
What does that look like foryou?
So one last thing I know you'relegacy-minded.
Scott Reuter (27:19):
What does that look like for you?
I think this is on a businessand a personal level, I mean
from my perspective.
You know, I want to beremembered as somebody that you
know did everything withintegrity and cared about you
know people.
People forget the little things, but they won't forget how you
treat them, and I like to treatpeople well.
Marc Bernstein (27:40):
I love that Kindness.
Yeah exactly and well regard.
Well, listen, we're out of time.
Scott Reuter (27:47):
That was awesome.
Marc Bernstein (27:48):
Thanks, Scott.
It was great to talk to you.
It was a fun time, as always.
And to all of you, thanks forlistening, thanks for listening
to another episode of FoundersForum and we'll see you next
week.
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orBeasley Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, authorand financial advisor, Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
(00:21):
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
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 (00:41):
Good morning America.
How are you?
I'm laughing because that was areally funny.
So we're live on the radioright now on Beasley Media Group
WWDB-AM in Philadelphia.
In case you're listening to thepodcast, you'll know that's why
I'm laughing, because the adright before this was about
Beasley's eternal love and itwas a very funny commercial that
(01:03):
I keep thinking about.
Never heard him do anything likethat before.
Anyway, I'm also laughingbecause I have a technology guy
named Scott here this morningand you'll meet Scott officially
in a minute, but we're doing ahomemade video here.
So I'm having my littletechnology struggles and, as I
shared with him, I'm a musicianwho has a recording studio at
(01:26):
home and all that, but hates towork any of that stuff.
I just love to have otherpeople do it for me, which is
one of the reasons we do ourpodcast in a radio station.
So Scott, who you'll find out,is a real technology guy.
I share some of those samestruggles.
If you want to talk about that,a second Scott.
Scott Reuter (01:48):
Yeah, I mean, it's something that I've dealt with
my entire life, but I alwaysfarm out the technology pieces
to others.
Marc Bernstein (01:53):
So we'll talk more about that, but we were
just having a chuckle over that.
So question for you as alistener do you use technology
because you have to or becauseyou love it?
I would suggest that mostpeople today probably do it
because they have to.
It's impossible to not do ittoday, and some people are
naturals at it.
The funny thing is I'm reallygood at working my phone.
(02:15):
Apps come naturally.
Math, you know, I studiedcomputer programming.
Math came naturally to me, buthaving to figure out how the
things work is something I'drather have other people do or
teach me how to do it.
So you agree, Scott, Totally inagreement.
All right, so anyway, so that'sour thought for the day, since
(02:35):
we're going to talk abouttechnology.
So Scott Reuter is our guesttoday and he's principal at
Product Data Command.
Scott has 35-plus years ofexperience in various technology
sectors 30 plus years as anentrepreneur, including a
technology buying group, whichis a really interesting story
computer product manufacturerand one of the world's first
(02:58):
product information managementsoftware companies.
He has deep experience incomputer product and automotive
aftermarket industries.
Welcome, Scott.
Scott Reuter (03:07):
Thank you.
Marc Bernstein (03:08):
Great to have you here this morning, nice to
be here.
So let's start out.
So let's start out how yourcareer and how you got, how you
became an entrepreneur and howyou got into this technology
business are the things thatwe're interested in.
Scott Reuter (03:21):
Yeah, I mean pretty much.
I dove into the business worldprimarily doing stuff I didn't
want to do.
I always knew I wanted to do myown thing.
I think I knew that early andwhile at a job I met an
individual who became a realgood friend of mine, also a
partner, and we just put ourheads together, came up with the
(03:43):
idea of a buying group forvalue-added resellers of
computer products.
We were working in variousforms within a company.
I was more on the technologyside.
He was like you know, copiersand that kind of stuff.
But you know, we thought thatthis was a good idea and
something we could sell.
So we put it together.
(04:05):
The concept essentially wasband a bunch of little guys
together, use the combinedpurchasing power of the group
and negotiate volume deals.
Now this is 100 years ago, sothis is back with computer lands
and stuff like that.
80s right, yeah, early 80sPeople were buying stuff from
(04:26):
computer lands, not gettingdiscounts.
And then there were these smallgroup of software developers
who had accounting managementsystems, construction management
systems, gas station managementsystems, things like that, like
that.
But when they were selling themto their clients they wanted a
turnkey solution.
They wanted the hardware andthe software, which is the way
(04:52):
to do it, because if you don'tdo it that way, there's a lot of
finger pointing when a problemoccurs.
So we got I guess our criticalmass was somewhere in the
neighborhood of 50 resellers andthen we started negotiating
volume purchase deals.
We found, without a lot ofcommitment, we could get the
same prices that Computerlandgot, you know, for these guys.
So we charged them a membershipfee and a percentage of the
purchase that they made throughit, but they saved a ton of
(05:14):
money and we made a lot of money.
So yeah, it was a good, it wasa good fit for us and that was
my entree into being anentrepreneur.
Marc Bernstein (05:21):
So I just want to follow up on that for a
second.
I'm always interested was thereany?
Did you have entrepreneurs inyour family?
Did you have any model thatmade you want to do your own
thing?
Scott Reuter (05:32):
Not really.
I mean, I think it was morejust from reading, seeing
different people out therereading stories about successful
people taking a chance, and Iwas like I'm young enough, why
not successful?
Marc Bernstein (05:45):
people taking a chance and I was like I'm young
enough, why not?
I had a guest recently, a womanwho said I don't know if this
applies to you or not, but she'sbecome a good friend since then
, so I tend to quote this a lot.
She said I was a terribleemployee but a really good boss.
Does that apply to you at all?
You?
Scott Reuter (06:03):
know, does that apply to you at all?
I mean, I think I was an okayemployee, you know.
I mean I took it upon myself ifI was challenged with a task to
get it done, stuff like that.
But yeah, I mean, I think I'm apretty good boss, I don't, you
know, I think I'm the kind ofperson that would pat somebody
on the back to try and motivatethem, as opposed to kick them in
(06:24):
the butt.
Marc Bernstein (06:25):
So yeah, but from having talked to you and
knowing your journey a littlebit, I think the entrepreneur in
you had more to do withchoosing your own path and being
your own boss, perhaps.
Right yeah, absolutely so, gotit so okay.
So now you're in this computerclub thing and buying group and
that's going pretty well, rightyeah, and you guys did really
(06:46):
well at it, from what Iunderstand.
Scott Reuter (06:48):
Yeah, what ended up happening was at that time
there was a lot of distributorsthat were trying to drive
business to them.
It was all in the computerproducts and peripheral space,
and so they were taking onanybody that could drive buyers
to them, which is exactly whatwe did.
So they treated us really good.
(07:09):
But as margins started to erodeand flatten, we had to start
getting a lot more creative inwhat it would take to keep our
members on board.
One of the things that we doveinto reasonably early was
developing a catalog solution,and it was just taking the data
from the distributors, puttingit in.
We had probably a half a dozenor more getting a file from them
(07:33):
that had pricing and a briefdescription.
This is catalog for computers.
For computer purchasingbasically right.
Parts and things like that right.
And it was an easy sell.
These guys were spending fouror five hours to save $10 on a
hard drive purchase.
It was just like if you valueyour time, this is a better way
to do it.
So they came on board prettyquickly.
(07:55):
But, as I said, as the marginsstarted to flatten, our value
wasn't as great from a monetarystandpoint.
So we started developingsoftware to make them more
efficient, and that was thecataloging software that we
created.
It was essentially taking filesfrom the distributor partners
that we had and allowing them todo lookups.
(08:15):
Now this is back with functionkeys and stuff like that right.
Marc Bernstein (08:19):
So a long time ago, but the idea was that.
Another thing I hated functionkeys.
Yeah, exactly, I didn't like itmuch either.
Scott Reuter (08:26):
So I was ready for the change.
But anyway, they could do alookup on a product, they could
see the three distributors thatcarried it and there was all
kinds of reasons that they wouldbuy from one versus another.
They had a credit line with one, not the other, that kind of
stuff, but at least they knew ifsomebody was out of stock they
could go to another guy, thatkind of thing.
Well, what we determined wasthat the data we were getting
(08:49):
from these distributors was justawful.
I mean, it was just terrible.
So we had a lot of cleaning andthings like that to do before
we could even make it availablethrough the catalog.
And that got us thinking that,you know, there's an opportunity
here to clean data, you know,and make it available to these
distributors and onlineretailers.
I mean this was way early, Imean this was before the
(09:14):
internet play kind of forbusiness purposes, but that's
sort of how we got to that point, got it.
Marc Bernstein (09:17):
So now that led.
Eventually you got into productinformation management, so it
sounds like a naturalprogression.
Scott Reuter (09:24):
That was the yeah, that was the entree yeah, but
tell us how that.
Marc Bernstein (09:27):
What happened then, I guess?
Scott Reuter (09:29):
Well, what ended up happening was we started
managing and cleansing this datafrom the distributors and in
doing it, we found a lot of thedistributors coming back to us
and saying, hey, we could usethis data because we're trying
to, you know, put it on ourcatalog in front of buyers.
So, for all intents andpurposes, we just saw the
(09:56):
opportunity and it also openedour eyes that maybe, as far as
the catalog software isconcerned, we should be more
focused on the cleansing of thedata, that technology.
So we started buildingtechnology around cleansing the
data and already had buyersready as soon as we were ready.
So that's sort of how we did it.
So how long ago was that?
That was like early 90s, realearly, like 1991.
(10:23):
Yeah, really early, yeah.
Marc Bernstein (10:25):
So you stayed in the same company, kept doing
the same things?
Well, no, the things you weredoing was evolving.
Scott Reuter (10:33):
Yeah, the buying group kind of fizzled out.
We sold it off to a companythat was doing similar things.
Most of the people were onboard because they were saving
money.
We weren't saving them as muchmoney, so it was time to get out
of that.
We opened another company thatwas focused more on this product
information management thingcalled AdvanceSource and, yeah,
(10:55):
we just kind of spent a lot oftime developing the software to
manage the software.
In fact, I think we have thevery first commercial product
information management systemever made.
So we didn't sell that, we justused it as part of the service.
Ultimately, we saw theopportunity to sell it Right.
Marc Bernstein (11:15):
So when about did that start?
When you started selling?
Scott Reuter (11:17):
That was probably.
It was still, you know, early90s, before 95, kind of thing,
and yeah.
Marc Bernstein (11:24):
So we're talking over 30 years ago now still.
Scott Reuter (11:26):
Yeah.
Marc Bernstein (11:28):
So what happened ?
Tell me about the journey toget to your company today, to
where you're a product out ofcommand.
Scott Reuter (11:37):
Yeah, Advanced Source was probably the main
catalyst to get to where we aretoday.
Advanced Source went out toearly play online retailers.
We provided the data servicesfor them.
So these guys were sellingcomputer products and
peripherals at the time.
It didn't play just there.
(11:58):
Any hard goods would work.
But for all intents and purposesthat was our mainstay and we
had a bunch of people that wasprobably the biggest product
line that was being sold on theinternet early, the biggest
product line that was being soldon the internet early.
So we got a bunch of customersthat were paying us monthly for
the service of building theirdata.
(12:18):
We got a database of somewherein the neighborhood of 250,000
to 300,000 products, and in thecomputer industry it's not as
static as others.
Right, Three to six months is aproduct shelf life.
Sure, it'd be all new stuff,Exactly.
So we were constantlyrefreshing it.
There were liquidation firmsand things like that that would
buy the old data.
(12:39):
So that was sort of the path.
We went all the way to termsheet on an acquisition and I
don't know how detailed you wantme to get.
We talked a little bit aboutthat but, had kind of a number
of really strange occurrencesthat ultimately queered the deal
, so.
But we felt that there wasstill an opportunity and we kind
of build a new application andthat's where product data come
(13:01):
in.
Marc Bernstein (13:02):
Well, I was going to bring it up as a
challenge challenges because youwere here, you were on the cusp
of something, a big exitstrategy, right, yeah, exactly.
And then it didn't happen,right, right.
So how did you deal with thatadversity, that challenge?
Poorly at first.
Scott Reuter (13:19):
Okay, it was a rugged time, yeah, you know, but
at the end of the day, you know, we still saw the vision and we
kind of I was passionate aboutit, so stayed the course.
You know there were some leantimes.
I mean, I was doingconstruction work for a buddy of
mine, mixing cement and stufflike that, just waiting for my
(13:41):
next opportunity to get back in.
Marc Bernstein (13:43):
So for all our fellow entrepreneurs listening
to this podcast, this is anotherexample of just a smooth ride
towards your goal.
Exactly, we talked about this.
Listen, I've had over 100guests on the show well over
that.
Now I can't remember one thatsaid oh yeah, it was just a
smooth ride to the top.
I did have one the same woman Iwas speaking about who said we
(14:07):
really didn't have anychallenges until she got
investors in her company.
Announcer (14:10):
And then she said well, that was a challenge.
Marc Bernstein (14:11):
So everybody's got something.
Scott Reuter (14:13):
Yeah, exactly.
Marc Bernstein (14:14):
Like I said, it's what I talk about.
Scott Reuter (14:15):
And that was sort of the demise of AdvanceSource
because of the investors and thekey investor who was a partner.
You know that was the problem.
Marc Bernstein (14:27):
So here we are at this cusp.
This is probably a really goodchance to take a break, a
one-minute break, and we'll beright back.
So why don't we do that?
We'll take a quick one-minutebreak and then I want to talk to
you about how the currentcompany progressed and your
employees and your companyculture and that kind of thing.
So we'll be right back onFounders Forum.
Announcer (14:46):
Product Data Command.
Pdc delivers AI-poweredsoftware and services that drive
online product sales.
Leveraging advanced AI and deepexpertise in product
information management, we helpcompanies present their products
with the seven key data pointsbuyers need to purchase
confidently.
By uniting proven businessprocesses, seasoned e-commerce
(15:07):
experience and cutting-edgetechnology, we position your
products to stand out in ahighly competitive digital
marketplace.
Our solutions not only boostrevenue, but also improve supply
chain efficiency, servingvendors, distributors and online
retailers alike.
Pdc's mission is simple Elevateyour customers' online buying
(15:28):
experience while acceleratingyour growth.
Buying experience whileaccelerating your growth.
Let's discuss how PDC can helpdrive your business forward.
Contact Scott today at215-630-7158 or via email at
srouter at pdcommandcom toexplore how we can enhance your
online sales strategy.
Marc Bernstein (15:52):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Scott Reuter and Scott,it's great to have you here
today and we're just getting tothe point where.
So you had this almost big exitstrategy.
Didn't happen a little bit ofdisappointment, but you found
your way forward.
And what happened from there?
Scott Reuter (16:08):
Yeah, I mean, I think that the net was when that
didn't happen.
What happened from there?
Yeah, I mean, I think that thenet was when that didn't happen.
Product information managementactually was becoming a more
popular area.
There was actually a segmentthat they called it product
information management, becausethey didn't have that prior to,
and some of the big guys gotinvolved, like IBM and SAP,
(16:28):
which takes you back to shows.
Marc Bernstein (16:29):
You were pioneers because they didn't
even have a name for it.
Yeah, exactly.
Scott Reuter (16:34):
But I actually went a really good friend of
mine actually used our softwareas a model raised like $40
million to put a companytogether to sell PIM that's the
acronym for product InformationManagement to big companies.
It was sort of a middlewareplay, if you will.
(16:56):
And they did it big and theyactually were involved in an
acquisition opportunity with IBM.
They were one of the finalists,they were picked as the best
solution, but ultimately theywent with a company that was
former IBM employees and thingslike that.
But it was a $183 million play,so it was legit.
(17:20):
They kind of folded.
I was working for them as asales engineer and ultimately a
sales guy, and then I just hadthis.
I knew that this was somethingthat everybody needed, not just
the big guys, small to mid-sizedbusinesses.
So I got back with my chieftechnology officer and we just,
you know, did it in our sparetime, you know, for a year, and
(17:43):
then we went to launch as soonas we had the opportunity.
Marc Bernstein (17:46):
And that was the beginning of product out of
command yes, and now where arewe in time?
Beginning of product out ofcommand yes, and now where are
we in time?
Scott Reuter (17:52):
This was probably 2005, something like that.
I mean a lot of time spannedover that.
That whole advanced source playfizzled out early 2002, 2003,
that kind of thing.
Marc Bernstein (18:08):
So now, this is about 20 years ago and now we're
talking.
So now you're building acompany, you're adding employees
, things like that when are youtoday?
How many employees do you havetoday?
Scott Reuter (18:17):
We have like 15 total.
Most of them are developers.
You know we have a developmentshop in Pune but my partner
pretty much, you know, oversold,so yeah, so so you're all
remote, I'm imagining.
Yeah, everything is remote.
Marc Bernstein (18:38):
It's the way of the world now today.
Right, yeah, exactly.
So how do you with that, do youattempt to build a company
culture?
Scott Reuter (18:47):
Yeah, I think so.
I mean I won't say that it'snormal, you know, like the
normal culture you would thinkwhen you're all going to an
office or something like that.
But what we try and do is, youknow respect everybody's, you
know personal situation andthings like that.
But you know we have demands.
(19:07):
Like if somebody is, I'mtalking to customers, so when
they ask me something, I got togo to development and say how
long can you get this done?
I'm always buffering it, youknow, because I don't want to
have to come back and you knowwith disappointing news that you
know we're not ready to deliver.
Marc Bernstein (19:22):
How's your employee retention?
Do you keep them for the yeah,pretty much.
Scott Reuter (19:25):
Pretty much.
I mean.
The majority of the people thathave left have learned quite a
bit from us and have expandedtheir careers and you know God
bless them.
That's, you know that'ssomething they should be looking
at.
Marc Bernstein (19:39):
So, with what you're doing, it's okay if they
learn and grow and they move onand you have more people and it
keeps going yeah and we have apretty good learning program to
get people ramped up prettyquickly for the things that we
need.
Scott Reuter (19:53):
Now that's starting to change a little bit
with the advent of AI, but yeah,I think that the other stuff
was pretty easy to train them.
Marc Bernstein (20:02):
So I mentioned earlier but we didn't talk about
it now how you got in theautomotive aftermarket, and I
also want to talk about theimpact of AI and what you're
doing with that.
Scott Reuter (20:10):
Yeah, well, as far as when we decided to do this
to small and mid-sized companies.
The other thing that we thoughtwas a good caveat was to be
industry-focused, because a lotof the commercial PIM
applications wereone-size-fits-all right.
You did a lot of configuration,depending on the industry that
(20:31):
you're in.
We decided, as opposed to doingthat, focus on an industry,
incorporate their standards intothe application, things like
that.
So it really played for thoseguys and that's what we did.
So automotive aftermarket wasan industry that I had had a lot
of familiarity with, and so wefocused on that.
We incorporated two of thestandards, and then the idea was
(20:54):
a SaaS model where we soldsubscriptions to parts
manufacturers that needed toprovide their data to
distributors and onlineresellers.
So that was sort of the play.
Marc Bernstein (21:07):
And how is that going?
Scott Reuter (21:09):
It's going good.
I mean, there's been somechallenges, there's competition
now and things like that.
So you're always looking atways that you can differentiate
yourself, and that really is whyI'm, so you know, high on AI.
Marc Bernstein (21:24):
So AI is helping you to differentiate yourself.
Scott Reuter (21:26):
Without question.
Marc Bernstein (21:27):
And tell us, without giving away your secret
sauce, how are you doing that?
Scott Reuter (21:33):
Well, there's multiple plays with it and it's
amazing what it can do, right?
I mean, I know a lot of peopleare fearful that it's going to
eliminate, you know, humans inthe workforce.
That's not true, but you knowyou always have to have what
they call humans in the loopright to do things, to trigger
workflows and things like that,that these things can do much
(21:54):
more efficiently and a lot lessmoney.
Marc Bernstein (21:58):
I'll just mention that we've had a lot of
people in here that are in thebusiness of AI and are experts,
and we've talked about it andthere's great opportunities for
humans who know how to operateAI.
But if you don't get with theprogram, it's going to be
tougher for you.
Scott Reuter (22:12):
Yeah, I think over the next three to five years,
if you jump in now, you're goingto have serious value.
Yeah, right, because it'sbefore.
It's that whole crossing thechasm thing, right, it's early.
Marc Bernstein (22:25):
So how is the AI in your business helping to
differentiate you with yourcustomers?
Scott Reuter (22:29):
Well, the one thing that we did right from the
beginning was we focused onbecause we don't look at just
this as product informationmanagement.
We look at our service beinghelping people better present
their products so that they cansell more, and it's all about
increasing revenue and doing thethings that you need to do more
efficiently.
(22:50):
So we built an AI tool it'salmost two years now and looked
at what people need to make anintelligent purchase when
they're online, and so itfocuses on seven key parts of
data.
You know just Google strings,marketing descriptions, features
and benefits, category-specificattributes, things of that
(23:12):
nature and we can use AI tocreate that content and then
dump it into the PIM and then wecan create basically what we
call a smart sheet.
It's basically a productbrochure.
Marc Bernstein (23:24):
You know, in a second so your learning
technology helps them to learnhow to better buy products.
Scott Reuter (23:33):
It helps them provide a better buying
experience for their customers.
I guess, oh, for theircustomers.
Got it, got it, got it.
Marc Bernstein (23:41):
So gotcha.
So, given that, is it helpingto increase your market share?
Absolutely, I would think yeah,so, and I would think it would
make you rare, if not unique.
Scott Reuter (23:53):
That's what I'm starting to use, that word for,
yeah, a lot of the people thatare doing it are dabbling in it.
We really kind of we werehooked right from the jump, so
you're finding your niche, yeah.
Marc Bernstein (24:04):
So, given that it's a good place to talk about
your future vision.
So if you and I are talking ayear from now, Scott, and we
look back on that last year,what would have to happen for
you to feel that that was asuccessful year, business-wise
and personally, if you wantanything else that comes to mind
?
Scott Reuter (24:19):
Yeah, I mean, I think that the vision that we
have is we've always looked totry and go after the bigger guys
right, who have establishedsupply chains that we can, you
know, use their power andrelationships to sort of provide
introductions to us and thingslike that.
(24:41):
So, you know, we'd like toincrease, you know, maybe by 100
subscribers.
That would be something thatwould be good.
But we also see this play.
I mean, we're working with eBayMotors now who wants to have
this kind of content, thesesmart sheets, available for all
their products that theyrepresent, and they're selling
(25:04):
that to distributors and stuff.
So if we go through them wedon't really need to reach those
other guys.
But we'd also like to take thisoutside of the aftermarket and
to other hard goods.
It plays anywhere.
You know MRO, plumbing supplies, you name it.
So we'd like to get into thatarea and you need subject matter
(25:26):
experts in order to train thetool to acquire and manipulate
and create the content that youneed for their buyers.
Marc Bernstein (25:34):
So for each new market you'd probably need a
subject matter expert.
Absolutely Gotcha gotcha.
Any challenges you see inmeeting that, those objectives
for the next year.
Scott Reuter (25:45):
It's, you know.
I mean it would always bebetter with more money.
But you know, for all intentsand purposes, I think a lot of
people are really interested ingetting into AI and if we're a
catalyst to educate them on whatthat means and how to do it, we
think we can get the rightpersonnel.
Marc Bernstein (26:04):
But that is the one unknown Personnel Right, but
it sounds like you haveexperience in what you've built
over the years.
You've always been able to findthe people to get to the next
level.
It sounds like.
Yeah, yeah, I think we have, soyou have some experience to
lean on as that goes, yeah, sowe're almost out of time.
Believe it or not, the timealways flies.
Announcer (26:23):
Quick, isn't that wild Exactly.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
So 28 minutes goes very fast, the you know.
If you were speaking to youryounger Scott, you know what
advice would you give him.
Scott Reuter (26:37):
I mean, I think I was always like you know what,
what advice would you give him?
Um, I mean, I, I think I w Iwas always like, uh, you know,
this is such a big deal, I gottaget it right, but I think you
just need to enjoy the moment.
You know, the journey is themost important thing.
It's the thing that, um, I wishI had taken a little bit more
time to recognize how cool itwas, you know, going through it
and I didn't right.
(26:58):
So you know, I think that youknow, I just think I would have
been better off enjoying myselfa little bit more and not
stressing so much about each andevery opportunity.
Marc Bernstein (27:11):
I can relate to that one, and it's something
I've said myself.
One last thing I know you'relegacy minded.
What does that look like foryou?
So one last thing I know you'relegacy-minded.
Scott Reuter (27:19):
What does that look like for you?
I think this is on a businessand a personal level, I mean
from my perspective.
You know, I want to beremembered as somebody that you
know did everything withintegrity and cared about you
know people.
People forget the little things, but they won't forget how you
treat them, and I like to treatpeople well.
Marc Bernstein (27:40):
I love that Kindness.
Yeah exactly and well regard.
Well, listen, we're out of time.
Scott Reuter (27:47):
That was awesome.
Marc Bernstein (27:48):
Thanks, Scott.
It was great to talk to you.
It was a fun time, as always.
And to all of you, thanks forlistening, thanks for listening
to another episode of FoundersForum and we'll see you next
week.
Popular Podcasts
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.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
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.