IAM445- CMO Helps Businesses Grow and Connect With Their Consumers

Paul Ronto is the CMO at RunRepeat, the world's largest athletic footwear review site. He's worked in digital marketing for over a decade and has held a variety of positions from copywriter, SEO, social media and communications coordinator, marketing and growth director, and account executive in a large agency setting. His industry experience includes work with hyper-growth-stage SaaS startups, non-profits, $20B multi-national companies, and dozens of SMBs across the nation. He's passionate about helping businesses connect with their consumers and grow to the next level.

• CEO Hack: (1) Good communication (2) Focusing on the things you're good at and outsourcing on the weak side
• CEO Nugget: Be compassionate to your team
• CEO Defined: Building people up

Website: https://runrepeat.com/

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today, I've Paul Ronto of RunRepeat, Paul it's awesome to have you on the show.

Paul Ronto 0:37

Thanks for having me. I'm really excited to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:39

No problem. Super excited to have you on the show. And what I wanted to do was just read a little bit more about Paul so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And Paul is the CMO of RunRepeat the world's largest athletic footwear review site. He's worked in digital marketing for over a decade and has held a variety of positions from copywriter, SEO, social media, and communications coordinator, marketing and growth director and account executive at a large agency setting.

His industry experience includes work with hyper-growth stage SAS startups, nonprofits, $20 billion multinational companies, and dozens of small to medium-sized businesses across the nation. He's passionate about helping businesses connect with their consumers and grow to the next level. Paul, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Paul Ronto 1:17

Sure.

Gresham Harkless 1:18

Awesome. Let's do it. So they kick everything off, I want to hear a little bit more about your story. And what led you to kind of get started in your current position?

Paul Ronto 1:24

Sure, yeah. So like you said, I'm the CMO here at RunRepeat, I'm not the CEO. So I'm not the founder of RunRepeat, but I joined a while back, and what we do at RunRepeat is, we really try to connect consumers to the right shoe, the shoe-buying process can be super time-consuming. The average shoe buyer here or the average person in America buys about seven pairs of shoes a year.

And so we know that it can be daunting, you know, 20 years ago, if you would have told someone that they might be buying shoes online, in the future, everyone thought you were crazy. And so it's really a hard thing to do because shoes fit people very individualistically. And so our founder, he was running a retail shoe store, he was seeing that there were really three to four shoes that were consistently being sold over and over.

And that there were tons of shoes that users actually liked better than these three or four shoes that were constantly being sold. And what he found was really it was the big players that had the marketing budget and the branding budget to be able to push their product over better footwear. And so he decided to come up with a way that could help consumers find better shoes based on consumer and expert reviews rather than working budgets.

And so that's kind of where RunRepeat came from, you know, a big thing that we do is we really tried to take the pain out of buying shoes. I mean, if you look and read all the reviews online, for a specific pair of shoes, you could spend hours if not days, reading through 1000s of customer reviews, we do that for our users will read through over 1000 reviews per model, you know, take 10 to 15 hours with reviews.

And then we'll go through and summarize the pros and cons of each pair. to kind of save people that time, we also partner with about 250 different retailers across the US to guarantee that people get the absolute best price on the pair of shoes they're looking for as well, but not having spent the time scouring the web. So that's kind of where RunRepeat came from. That's what we do. And honestly, it's a fun project to be part of.

Gresham Harkless 3:07

Yeah, absolutely. I think so much, especially in this day and age, you know, reviews are such a big part of it. And I think that one of the things that has happened, and I'm sure you guys have definitely seen this as well is that it seems like the consumer has a lot more of the power now. Whereas you don't just have those, big companies, big boys so to speak, with those large budgets that are able to kind of like you said, push down this is the product is the only product you guys know about because of you know, all this digital marketing and kind of ways that people are taking in content, there seems that'd be a lot more consumer-based kind of decisions.

Paul Ronto 3:40

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think the whole world of reviews is just an amazing place, where consumers can get so much more information out of other consumers using the product rather than trying to take the word of the brand. Obviously, there's bias and advertising. If you're going to spend a million dollars on ads, you obviously don't want to sell that shoe. And so I think that getting real feedback from people using the product, whether it's shoes or anything else, I think is really the future of how people are going to be purchasing online.

Gresham Harkless 4:09

Yeah, definitely. So you guys are definitely you know, ahead of the curve, obviously, for arming people with the ability to be able to get that information. So you might have already touched on this, but I want to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, and it could be for you personally, or your organization. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Paul Ronto 4:26

Yeah, for sure. I mean, what makes RunRepeat unique, is we really go a few steps further than just publishing user reviews. You know, like I mentioned, we aggregate reviews. We read actual user reviews, we summarize them, we score products, and we have something called the core score, where we score our products from zero to 100. So that users can quickly see what shoe was kind of getting a higher testing score and higher user rating.

We rely on expert testing as well as user reviews to kind of get an unbiased opinion and we publish all those reviews on the product page with pictures, videos, and unboxing videos, as I said, the average consumer buys seven pairs of shoes a year. So shoes are something that is pretty ubiquitous, everyone has to have shoes, and everyone buys multiple pairs.

And it's really aggravating when you buy a pair of shoes online to get to you and they don't fit. And so, the big differentiator for us is that we try to take all that work out of the mind process. And then another thing that I think that makes us unique is that we're not really beholden to anyone, we don't run ads on our site. We don't take paid advertisements from retailers and brands, we partner with brands so that users have the best prices. But we don't have to promote one brand over another because we partner with them in some sort of fiduciary way. So it really sets us apart.

Gresham Harkless 5:42

Yeah, definitely. I think that you get the kind of unbiased, as you said, a recommendation based on the research that you've done. Let me ask you this, do you find that because you guys are so kind of dialed into it sounds like out into kind of like I guess, the end user or the end receiver of the product, that it allows you guys to come up with all these additional things, in addition to like, just being a review site?

Paul Ronto 6:04

Yeah, I mean, again, our goal is to make the buying process simple. And so it's not just about the reviews, we really want to interact with our consumers, we want to make sure that they have the data they need, we want to make sure that we can provide customer service if they're not getting it. You know, again, shoe buying is just so unique. And doing it online is a lot different than buying a shirt jacket, or some other piece of clothing gear.

And so there needs to be some sort of personalized aspect. And if you can't get that from going into a store, if you're buying online, you've got to be able to get it from very detailed reviews on how the products gonna work for your specific needs and body.

Gresham Harkless 6:41

Yeah, absolutely. And like you said, I had no idea that number was that high. As far as number seven, the average number that people are buying shoes is almost definitely obviously more than every other month. So it's something that you do want to do you want to do it in an efficient way, you want to make sure that you get what you need, and exactly how you need so to speak.

Paul Ronto 6:57

Yeah, for sure. I mean, that seven number, you know, obviously includes other kinds of footwear than just athletic footwear. And right now we just focus on athletic footwear. But people have a lot of shoes, I mean, you got a pair of running shoes, you got a pair of sandals, maybe you have a pair of trail running shoes, you got some boots, and so it really is a big consumer market. And it's something that is hard to shop for. And so that's where RunRepeat steps in.

Gresham Harkless 7:17

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I started to run a lot more over the past couple of years, and I ran a lot of 10 miles and a lot of training for that. One of the things that I realized is that my shoes break down so much more, and I do need them on a very, more regular basis than I did before. Just because if you are training or you're running, you're putting a lot more wear and tear. So it's great to be able to know about, you know, all these different options that are available.

Paul Ronto 7:38

Yeah, you know, really, it's running is basically the biggest participant sport in the world. In the US alone, I think the recent numbers were about 60 million people who consider themselves active runners. And so I mean, more people are participating in running than almost any other sport. And, so it's something that most people have a pair of running shoes in the closet, maybe a couple of pairs.

And they do they were out, you go through them, if you're an avid runner, you go through them multiple times in a year. And so it's something you have to continually rebuy. And, models are coming out every week. And so you got to kind of have the right information to get the record issues.

Gresham Harkless 8:13

Exactly. That makes perfect sense. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be an app, a book, or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Paul Ronto 8:25

Yeah, for sure. You know, as CMO, I'm really focused on communication. One of the best books that I kind of like to read at least once a year is called On Writing Well, and it's a book it was really, it's a book more for journalists than it is for marketers, but I think, it's a great tool to use, remember to communicate clearly, communicate concisely, and cut out all the fluff that too many people try to add in.

You know, you mentioned, you know, a CEO hack, and I don't really love the word hack, I think that there really aren't hacks to running a business. I think running a company is about hard work. And sometimes there's some luck, and hacks and kind of you know, nowadays, the way people look at hacks is they can kind of see them, I see them as a distraction, that can be somewhat short-sighted or maybe short term. I think habits, you know, and time management are better than hacks.

And so I guess if I had to say the best hack would be kind of, you know, on top of communicating well is to really know your weaknesses as a person as a CEO, as a marketer. And I think too many people spend time trying to get better at what they're bad at. Instead, they should just focus on what they're good at, especially in the leadership roles, you know, in the CEO position or CMO position. I think you find things that you're good at you focus on him, and the things that you're bad at, you hire out, you outsource. I think they just take too much time and are too much of a distraction.

And you'll never really get good enough at the things you're bad at that old adage of practice until you're good, I think in business maybe doesn't carry as much weight, in my opinion. I really think focusing on your strengths and finding someone who's good at your weaknesses is a better way to be able to scale and grow a company quickly.

Gresham Harkless 9:58

Yeah, I definitely think those are too great hacks or habits, I should say, because I do think that there's kind of this perception, especially in business. And I don't know if it's because of social media, but I'm sure that probably plays a part. But there is this idea of a kind of overnight success. But really kind of the secret, or the hack is definitely that it does take a lot of time does take a lot of hard work, it does take, doing the discipline of learning your craft and learning exactly what it is.

So kind of the cheat code is that there is no cheat code, other than hard work. So I appreciate you, you know, sharing that with us. And definitely, of course, reminding us of that, because, we always are trying to find the shortcut, but there is one, it's a lot of time, just the hard work that we have to put in. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. So if you happen to be a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Paul Ronto 10:45

I think being compassionate is my nugget to take away. I think, as a leader in a company, when you're building teams, I think you need to really remember that new hires or employees may not be as excited about the product as the founder or the CEO is or as leadership is, you know, remembering that people have lives and that work is not always a top priority. I think that's important to remember, you know, treating a team. Well, if you treat you think, Well, I think we'll follow you.

And if you have unrealistic expectations, I think that they'll bounce. I mean, we live in a time right now when the job market is fairly strong. And if you're not treating your employees, well, they have a lot of options. And so I think being compassionate about, the energy your employees put into their work and into your company is a key to success and keeping them and moving your company forward.

Gresham Harkless 11:32

Absolutely. So now Paul, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question. And I know, we talked about this a little bit offline, which is the definition of being a CEO and you being CMO, I definitely would love to, you know, get your perspective as well. So, Paul, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Paul Ronto 11:46

Yeah, um, again, I haven't been a CEO yet. And I'm happy kind of where I'm at as CMO. I like marketing, but I've thought about it a lot of work in a lot of different companies and worked with a lot of different CEOs. And I think, you know, being a CEO is all about leading a company, and its people, its customers, its partners, leading them all down the right path, you know, it's about having big picture vision, but also being compassionate about the small things, you know, making sure that you understand that.

There are interns, and there are entry-level employees, and they're key to your success as well. You know, I really view leadership and the CEO position as a support role. I think the CEO's biggest job is to support the team to help figure out what they need to accomplish, to help accomplish the CEO's goal. But you know, my background when I was younger, comes from the outdoor leadership background, I worked at Knowles, and I played competitive sports as a kid, I was a team captain.

And I've always kind of believed in this servant leadership model. And I think CEOs should as well, I think they should be there to help build people up, and not direct every movement. And so that's kind of what I see as a good CEO is someone that's the biggest cheerleader on it to support someone that is the big picture, and kind of gets out of the way of the team to do their best.

Gresham Harkless 12:55

Yeah, absolutely. And I definitely appreciate that perspective. Because I know, you have worked with so many different organizations, and it has so many different kinds of hats that you've worn as well, too, as I talked about in your bio. But I mean, I think that's huge to have that servant mindset. And then also have that supportive mindset as well, too.

And just as you said, you know, not too long ago that businesses and organizations are made up of people. And if we forget that, we forget that compassion, forget that ability to kind of, be a cheerleader and support somebody. And when somebody falls down give them a hug, wipe them off, so to speak. We forget kind of that human aspect and what ultimately business is, so I appreciate that definition and appreciate that perspective.

Paul Ronto 13:30

Yeah, of course.

Gresham Harkless 13:32

Awesome. Well, Paul, I appreciate your time even more. And what I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can find out about all the awesome things you're doing and of course, about RunRepeat.

Paul Ronto 13:42

Yeah, I mean, I think you probably have a bunch of entrepreneur types listening to this, this podcast, and I think that's great. I think, the entrepreneurial spirit is really important, especially in this country, to keep driving us forward, and so I'd say for everyone listening, if you have an idea you want to try, just try it, start getting going, you know, be ready to grind and work. I think the key to being a CEO or starting a company is testing new things that don't assume that you know what's going to work and don't assume you know, what your customers are going to want.

And a big thing I really want to drive home, anyone that wants to start a company or lead a team is there's going to be a failure, I mean, test, and test and find what works and focus on that and then start over and test new things. Don't feel like you have to get it perfect before you start. You know, there's a methodology in development called Agile, and I think it really makes sense to how we run businesses as well.

And the idea is, you know, getting something that's 80% ready to ship and shipping it and waiting for feedback from the customers is usually better than trying to get something 100% Because you may never ship it and so small steps build the product as you go, build the idea as you go, and be ready to pivot and turn when when customers and partners tell you like this isn't actually what is needed to the marketplace.

I think that that's the big thing remember, but getting out there and trying and start a business isn't really that hard. Just gotta go through the steps and you have to put your passion in front and hope for the best and work really hard you know if it doesn't work you can always pivot and change so that's my kind of advice to people listening. Yeah, I guess that's that's really it

Gresham Harkless 15:22

Awesome, and people that want to check out RunRepeat what's the best way for them to do that?

Paul Ronto 15:26

Yeah we're runrepeat.com We're all over you know you can find us easily you can usually find us if you're looking for a specific pair of shoes, we're usually on page one of Google for that we do a ton of really awesome research studies and we got a great blog that has a ton of content about sports and in sports statistics and Sports Studies and data sets that we we've found over the years and so check that out. Yeah, I mean next time you got to buy a pair of shoes check RunRepeat and I'm pretty sure you'll be impressed at how easy it is to find the right pair of shoes for the best price.

Gresham Harkless 15:59

Nice. Well, thank you so much again, Paul. And we will have that link and information in the show notes so everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate you appreciate that reminder as well too. Because a lot of times as they say is the easiest time in I guess in history to start a business and if you have an idea you see a vision for something you roll up your sleeves but just jump out and do it because. Done is better than perfect as they say so all thank you so much again. I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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