Financial Clarity Podcast Episode: Rethinking the American Dream with Sara Kappler

by | Apr 16, 2024 | News and Events

Navigating Business and Life Transitions with Centric Squared’s Founder

Sara Kappler, CEO of Centric Squared, recently appeared on Financial Clarity, a podcast by Hannah Smolinski of Clara CFO dedicated to helping service-based small business owners achieve financial success. Enjoy some of the highlights of the conversation below!

Listen in to discover how:

    • Building and managing a remote, global team can make your operations more diverse and resilient.
    • Embracing flexibility and adaptability in business operations leads to successful transitions and expansions.
    • Focusing on a data-centric, customer-centric approach enhances customer relationships.
    • Optimizing email deliverability can increase your customer lifetime value.
LISTEN NOW

Show Notes:

Founder Story

After a decade working in digital project management and consulting in Switzerland, Sara Kappler moved to Seattle after having her first child. 

This transition to being a mom made her realize she needed flexibility, and she ended up starting a CRM Consulting freelance operation. She loved it. She got to serve small businesses and work on technical projects, and make a difference. No red tape, her own schedule. 

But she soon noticed a growing need. Businesses didn’t just need a CRM, they needed the strategies and teams to grow with their CRM, too. That’s how Centric Squared was born — a marketing agency with a strong understanding of CRM and how to make it work and yield real, measurable growth. 

Embracing Remote Work Culture

Centric Squared has always been a remote, global team. And in the summer of 2023, it put that flexible work policy to the test and Sara relocated from Seattle to Germany. Read more about that here. 

With such a big shift, there were many big things that could have gone wrong or fallen apart, but they didn’t. Sara credits that to communication and transparency with clients. 

The team became more diverse and operations more resilient. Adaptability isn’t just a “nice to have”; it’s essential for growth.

Data-centric, Customer-centric

Centric Squared is an email marketing agency, but its broad technical and consulting experience makes it a specialist in topics like email deliverability and CRM migrations. Designing pretty campaigns is great, but being able to make sure they’re reaching their recipients is key to getting results. 

How will you develop a long-term relationship with your customers and drive up your customer lifetime value if you’re landing in spam? You won’t. Centric Squared’s approach is data-centric and customer-centric.

Talking Financials

Centric Squared has some projects but mostly ongoing retainer relationships with clients. As an agency, like any service-based business, it tracks time like a hawk as it’s the biggest expense. 

Its data-centric approach, however, means it’s always looking at ROI for its clients. It “earns its keep” so to speak. Many in marketing might shy away from discussing direct returns; Centric Squared leans into it and designs for it. This means clients can see the tangible benefits of their investment with the company. Centric Squared is always aiming to add value and is proud of the results it’s driven for clients over the years. 

Overcoming Mindset Challenges

In Sara’s first year of business, someone told her she needed to get really good at cold calling if she wanted to be a business owner. Her heart dropped. She thought, “That’s it, I’m out. There’s no way I can do this.” You have to understand that she hates receiving sales calls. She hates impersonal tactics and one-liner pitches. The thought of having to do that? Ugh. No, thank you. 

But fortunately, that anxiety didn’t last long. A shift in perspective soon came along and put Sara at ease. What if she could just think of sales as being about listening and solving problems? She could do that in her sleep. That’s literally her favorite, most natural thing to do. 

Suddenly, sales were no longer a dreaded task but an extension of what Sara does best: assessing needs and offering solutions. This fueled Centric Squared’s growth. And the company grew slowly and steadily over the years organically.

Wrap-Up

Centric Squared’s approach to marketing and growth is deeply rooted in listening, implementing solutions, and continually improving. The company is proud of the relationships it has — and the trust its clients have in it. 

If you’re looking for a marketing partner in growth, get in touch.