David Marino Email & Phone Number

Ann Arbor, Mi, Us

As the newly appointed Head of Operations at Zed, I leverage a unique blend of passion, strategic insight, and operational expertise to drive the company's vision forward. My role is pivotal in enhancing operational efficiencies, fostering a dynamic work culture, and supporting product operations and community initiatives. With a track record of significant achievements, such as optimizing analytics for user engagement and spearheading key project launches, I am committed to aligning Zed's strategic objectives with exceptional operational execution. My multifaceted approach to leadership not only streamlines processes but also amplifies our market presence and strengthens our community engagement, positioning Zed for sustained growth and success.

Remote

I aid organizations and individuals in transforming nascent ideas into market-ready products, crafting cogent go-to-market strategies, and scaling businesses for sustainable growth. My approach is deeply rooted in hands-on user testing, customer development, and the strategic implementation of AI solutions to augment quality and productivity, reflecting a holistic, customer-centric, and data-driven methodology honed over years of in-field experience.Key Services:- Guiding clients in developing their products or ideas into a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for market testing, leveraging a methodical and user-centric approach to validate market fit and inform iterative development.- Crafting tailored Go-to-Market Strategies that consider the unique market dynamics, competitive landscape, and customer personas, ensuring a well-coordinated and impactful market entry.- Conducting User Testing and Customer Development work to gather critical insights on user behaviors, preferences, and challenges, informing product improvements and marketing strategies.- Assisting in Scaling Businesses for Growth by identifying and addressing operational bottlenecks, optimizing processes, and devising growth strategies rooted in data-driven insights.- Implementing AI Solutions to enhance quality and productivity, evaluating existing processes to identify areas where AI can drive significant value, and guiding the implementation to ensure successful adoption and measurable benefits.My consulting endeavor encapsulates a blend of hands-on expertise and strategic foresight acquired from a rich career trajectory. It reflects a commitment to fostering innovation, enhancing customer engagement, and driving business growth, all while navigating the nuanced challenges that small businesses and startups face. Through personalized consulting services, I aim to be a catalyst for my clients' success, ensuring they are well-equipped to thrive in their respective markets.

At Swich, as VP of Product, leveraged customer-centric and product leadership expertise from Learnist to RoundGlass. Focused on intertwining product strategy with community engagement to enrich customer experience and drive adoption. Led a cross-functional team, addressing user engagement issues post-onboarding, turning challenges into actionable opportunities to enhance product value and deepen community connections.Key Achievements:- Led a cross-functional interdepartmental team encompassing Marketing, Product, and Engineering, ensuring a seamless synergy in driving customer engagement initiatives.- Identified critical bottlenecks in the Swich Product post-onboarding phase that were deterring user engagement, reflecting a consistent knack for diagnosing and rectifying user-centric issues honed over previous roles.- Skyrocketed Monthly Active Returning Users from a meager 2% to an impressive 47% by revamping the initial user onboarding experience and streamlining product workflow, mirroring past successes in significantly boosting user engagement metrics.- Conducted customer interviews and usability testing to unearth key issues inhibiting product scaling and user adoption, a reflection of my enduring commitment to user-centric product enhancement.- Developed internal departmental processes to mitigate miscommunications and amplify cross-functional team efficiencies, drawing from a well-established background in process development and improvement.- Spearheaded B2B initiatives to promote the adoption and integration of a white-labeled version of Swich by Doctors and Nutritionists, demonstrating a solid grasp of B2B engagement strategies.- Created a User Generated Content Program to acquire high-quality evergreen content for the Swich platform, leveraging community engagement to enrich platform content, a strategy rooted in past successes at RoundGlass and Learnist.

Bellevue, Washington, United States

At RoundGlass, transitioned to a product-centric role, driving vision and execution for the EOL Collective platform as Head of Product. Owned the product roadmap, aligning initiatives with growth metrics, market trends, and customer feedback. Collaborated with executive teams, fueling strategic decisions, product enhancements, and a sustainable business model, advancing RoundGlass towards long-term growth and customer-centric product evolution.Key Achievements:- Mentored and managed a cross-functional team of Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.- Spearheaded all product research, finding product-market fit, and devised go-to-market strategies for the EOL Collective Product, ensuring a solid foundation for product success.- Engaged with key partner stakeholders, presenting and obtaining early adoption for the EOL Collective product, a crucial step towards achieving overall product success.- Achieved a remarkable 95% conversion rate, persuading over 200 business customers to create profiles and sell their products on the EOL Collective marketplace, reflecting strong persuasive and relationship-building skills.- Designed and oversaw the creation of a Learning Management System (LMS) as a vital feature of the EOL Collective, enhancing the platform's value proposition.- Pioneered a unique e-commerce marketplace within the EOL Collective, integrating Stripe for payment splitting, facilitating direct revenue earnings for sellers while securing a 20% commission for RoundGlass, showcasing a blend of technical and business acumen.- Navigated the challenges posed by the pandemic, successfully transitioning the team from in-office to remote work with no drops in productivity or quality, demonstrating strong leadership and adaptability amidst unforeseen circumstances.

Greater Atlanta Area

Transitioning from Orchestra One, I assumed a strategic role at Intellum as Sr. Director of Account Strategy. I blended managerial skills with client-centric strategies, leading account strategists, collaborating with top-tier clients like Google, and refining internal processes. My focus was on ensuring robust account renewals and bridging customer feedback with executive decisions, enhancing customer voice in strategic discussions.Key Achievements:- Steered a competent team of Account Strategists, fostering a culture of excellence and client-centricity, which was instrumental in building strong relationships with top-tier clients and ensuring their success with our solutions.- Conceptualized and introduced a new Solutioning Tech Role within the department, enhancing our ability to address specific client needs that were beyond the scope of traditional account strategy, thereby elevating customer satisfaction and our value proposition.- Achieved a remarkable 100% contract renewal rate across all 50+ accounts I directly managed or oversaw, reflecting the strong account strategies and customer relationships cultivated.- Developed, audited, and refined new and existing account strategy departmental processes to bolster internal efficiency and customer experience. These process improvements were a continuum of my previous endeavors in process development, showcasing a consistent trajectory of enhancing operational efficiencies and customer engagement.- Reported directly to the Executive Team, acting as the voice of the customer in strategic discussions, ensuring that customer feedback and experiences were at the forefront of executive decision-making.

San Francisco Bay Area

As the Head of Customer Experience at Orchestra One, I led the charge in devising and executing strategies that propelled the successful adoption and effective use of our products across our customer base. By fostering strong communication across product, marketing, and engineering teams, and directly engaging with customers on a daily basis, I played a pivotal role in aligning our product offerings with the evolving needs and objectives of our customers.Key Achievements: -Managed and mentored a diverse team encompassing customer service, quality assurance, business development, and inside sales, driving a 70% conversion rate in program/product adoption for interested customers. -Created and implemented robust strategies and tactics to empower our customers in understanding their business objectives, positioning ourselves as trusted consultants.- Spearheaded the collaboration with the Product Team to establish a customer feedback and feature request collection process. Defined, scoped, and prioritized this feedback against the current product roadmap.- Integrated daily with customers to grasp their business objectives, acting as their trusted consultant and advisor, which in turn facilitated more effective use of our products and services.- Collected customer feedback and requests, working closely with internal teams to align customer adoption strategies with the product roadmap, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centricity.

San Francisco Bay Area

The Director of Customer Experience at Learnist is a dynamic leader dedicated to forging and delivering an exceptional customer experience across all products and services. Bridging the domains of customer service, support, success, and customer-centric product development, this role ensures a seamless, engaging, and enriching customer journey. By harnessing insights from diverse customer touchpoints, the Director drives continuous enhancements in both products and services, making the voice of the customer a cornerstone of our business strategy.Key Achievements:- Conceptualized and pioneered the specific idea and initial use cases for Learnist as a Co-founder, laying the foundation for a platform that grew to support 40M users and 3.5M Monthly Active Users (MAU).- Steered a cross-functional team dedicated to optimizing the customer experience, encompassing customer support, onboarding, success, and customer development.- Entrusted with additional leadership responsibility to oversee all content and community initiatives under the Director of Customer Experience umbrella, showcasing a high level of trust and expanded scope of influence.- Devised an editorial calendar and programmed Learnist’s social media channels, driving thousands of site visits daily and growing Facebook Page followers from 20,000 to 90,000 in merely 5 months.- Drove product-related Customer Experience efforts that resulted in a 50% increase in Average Session Duration, a 45% decrease in Bounce Rate, and a remarkable 300% increase in Page and Session Views, showcasing a profound impact on user engagement and product success.- Directed and managed a 5 person content team, successfully reviewing, editing, and publishing 15,000 pieces of content within a 3-month window.- Created original premium content downloaded over 500,000 times.

San Francisco, California

This role marked my initial venture into merging customer-centric strategies with product development, collaborating with Marketing, Product, Engineering, and Operations to create a rich market feedback loop, enhancing Grockit's product visibility, adoption, and profitability. I adopted Steve Blank's Customer Development methods and, through collaboration with Eric Ries, integrated the "Lean Startup" Methodology into our product/process improvement approach. Notably, Grockit's successful methodology implementation was featured in Eric Ries's book, "The Lean Startup," as a compelling case study.Key Achievements:- Spearheaded the Customer Success function, orchestrating customer support, communication, and research endeavors to elevate community development and customer success.- Directed daily operations of the Customer Care function, including a 24/7 response center, ensuring a consistent and high-quality customer support experience.- Fostered a competent Customer Success team dedicated to delivering top-notch technical support and customer care.- Partnered with Engineering, Product Development, and Business Operations personnel to advocate for "Learners First" ethos, shaping feature-functionality, company policy, and support practices.- Developed a robust support system and nurtured the Grockit user community, establishing practices that ensured customer satisfaction and test prep success.- Led the design and execution of user-centric customer and market research to unearth key areas for product, feature, and service improvement, setting a solid groundwork for user-oriented product evolution.

As a co-founder stepping into the operational realm during Grockit's nascent stage, my journey began with laying a solid operational foundation that would support the burgeoning startup through its initial investment phase. My focus was on streamlining operational processes, a precursor to the structured approach I would later adopt in future roles. This tenure was not only about building operational robustness but also about fostering a conducive environment for talent acquisition, recognized through an accolade as one of the Top 3 Hiring Managers in San Francisco for businesses of our size.Key Achievements:- Steered the operational endeavors during the critical initial investment and startup phase, setting a solid groundwork for Grockit's growth trajectory.- Recognized as Top 3 Hiring Manager/HR Personnel in San Francisco for Businesses (20-50 Employees), reflecting a strong acumen in talent acquisition and management.- Laid the groundwork for process development, customer service, and business process improvement, which would later become recurring themes in my career.Upon Reflection: The foundational experience at Grockit paved the way for a seamless transition into a more customer and product-centric role at Learnist. The operational, customer success, and community engagement initiatives honed at Grockit became instrumental in shaping my approach towards creating enriching customer experiences and engaging product strategies in the subsequent phases of my career.

Austin, Texas Area

At Apple, a realm where innovation and customer-centricity are at the forefront, my role as the Head of Business Agent Program was a precursor to the deeper engagements with customer success and product strategies in the ensuing career chapters. Entrusted with the responsibility of managing over 230 Business Agents (pre-Apple Store resellers), this role entailed a multifaceted approach towards supply chain management, customer conflict resolution, and contributing to sales and channel development initiatives. The secondary engagement with the Education Team further enriched my understanding of sales and support dynamics, setting a firm groundwork for future endeavors.Key Achievements:- Garnered recognition on three distinct occasions for adeptly resolving customer issues that had stumped others, showcasing a knack for problem-solving and customer engagement.- Innovated a reporting technique that dramatically slashed the report generation and authentication time from 5 hours to a mere 15 minutes. This initiative not only eliminated human error but ensured a sterling 100% accuracy in reporting, reflecting a pursuit of operational excellence.- Spearheaded a pivotal change in Apple's approach towards handling delayed shipping during the launch phase of the inaugural iPod. The initiative significantly buoyed customer sentiment and satisfaction, portraying an early engagement in enhancing customer experiences.- Successfully navigated relationships with 230+ Business Agents, supporting channel development initiatives and ensuring smooth operations through effective conflict resolution.- Engaged in dual roles with the Education Team, augmenting sales and customer support initiatives, marking an early foray into the intertwined realm of sales, support, and customer satisfaction.

Northville, Michigan

My entrepreneurial journey commenced with the inception of Vision Computer Solutions, a venture that blended a fervor for technological solutions with an enduring commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences. This venture was a crucible where foundational skills in fostering customer relationships, driving business development, and honing operational processes were nurtured.In the role of Head of Customer Experience, my focus transcended mere transactional interactions, envisaging a journey where every customer touchpoint was meticulously crafted to enhance satisfaction and drive value. The blend of marketing acumen and customer success strategies propelled the business growth, establishing a robust residential and commercial client base.Key Achievements:- Spearheaded the marketing, communications, and customer success divisions, ensuring a synergized approach towards achieving business objectives.- Led a dedicated team of 10 direct reports, nurturing a culture of excellence and customer-centricity that resonated through both residential and commercial divisions of the business.- Engineered a phenomenal growth trajectory, catapulting annual sales from $650,000 to a remarkable $1.5 million, a testament to the effective business development and customer engagement strategies deployed.

Northville, Michigan

Founder of Vision Computer Solutions. The foundational years at Vision Computer Solutions were instrumental in sculpting a customer-first ethos and an entrepreneurial spirit. The lessons imbibed during this tenure were invaluable, offering a rich tapestry of experiences that would significantly influence my approach in subsequent roles, especially in fostering customer satisfaction, leading cross-functional teams, and driving business growth. This early venture set the stage for a career marked by a confluence of customer engagement, product innovation, and operational excellence that would manifest in roles at esteemed organizations like Apple, Grockit, and beyond.- Orchestrated the business development strategies that steered the company from a bootstrapped startup to a profitable entity, ultimately attracting investors and leading to a successful exit in 2005.