Diva Tech Talk interviewed serial entrepreneur and patent-holder Catherine Tabor, CEO and Founder of Atlanta, Georgia-based Sparkfly, a cloud-based offer management solutions company. Sparkfly empowers marketers to maximize customer acquisition and loyalty programs, by connecting real-time behavior with online and in-store sales.
Catherine showed evidence, as a child, of early leadership. “My mom said that they used to refer to me when I was six or seven as ‘the judge,’” because she would offer her educator parents advice to consider. “We believed you knew what you were talking about!” said her supportive mother. Catherine’s father was a physics professor and she also visited his university classes as a child. “I was mesmerized as he used math to solve real problems. The root of my entrepreneurial journey is that I spend a lot of time thinking about gaps and inefficiencies in the market. I am a believer in technology solving problems, not just ‘tech for the sake of tech’.”
That was clearly demonstrated when, as a Georgia State University student, (running a small business to pay the bills), Catherine was invited by The Coca-Cola Company to manage their employee discount program. “I grew it to manage 1 million employees, nationally, with companies like Delta Airlines, Suntrust Bank, and others. I ran it as a bulletin board, where these companies would list offers.” Employees would visit the online system, use coupon codes, and make purchases. “There was this gap because you could not get a coupon code that was ‘one to one’ personalized for the user.” The system did not allow for customers to redeem offers at physical locations. Additionally, merchants were unable to get accurate data about which offers were most successful. The resulting challenge, in Catherine’s mind, was “how could we layer technology on top of antiquated POS systems, to do innovative things.”
Creating Sparkfly was “tricky” as Catherine moved to connect the digital world with the physical POS world. Partially funded by a $5000 loan from her parents, she needed to find a customer “open to risk” to test innovative concepts and systems. She began by convincing POS providers “that there was a gap.” Her first integration success was with Radiant Systems, in Atlanta, (eventually acquired by the venerable NCR in 2011). “Radiant had a Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Eaton, who believed in me,” said Catherine. (Note: Kim is now on the board of directors for SparkFly.) Radiant “embraced my concept; agreed to integrate my platform; and then got acquired by NCR. By the nature of ‘being included in the fold’, it enabled me to build out, and begin networking.”
There have since been some major milestones for SparkFly. After competing with far larger, better-funded companies, “in 2017, we signed a contract with Chipotle,” Catherine said. This adoption of the SparkFly platform became the basis of Chipotle’s core digitalization transformation. This also marked a learning experience for Catherine. “It was a lesson in the tactics those larger competitors would deploy,” she said. “But at the end of the day, Chipotle called and said it is your team, your philosophy of business, your technology” that won out. “That’s the best, and it was years in the making!” Sparkfly has been the recipient of numerous awards, being named as one of Atlanta’s Best Place To Work; getting the prestigious Silver Stevie Award. Catherine has also been named as a WOMAN TO WATCH by Mobile Marketer, s one of the Hospitality Technology Magazine’s TOP WOMEN IN RESTAURANT TECHNOLOGY, and as one of Atlanta INNO’S Top 50 Women Leaders in SaaS.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted SparkFly, as it has many other businesses. “A lot of my customer base is in hospitality,” Catherine said. “Around April/May (2020), there was some panic. But people are resilient and figure things out.” Fortunately for SparkFly, a digital platform, the company found themselves “becoming more and more critical” for its customers, and continues to be a force that pushes greater levels of digital participation/presence. Practicing everyday leadership, Catherine instituted a weekly “all-hands” phone call so that her team continuously feels close to each other, and their client base. “I tell them all the time that I cannot promise you good news,” Catherine said. “But I promise you that I will always tell you the truth.”
More lessons and entrepreneurial wisdom from Catherine Tabor:
“The driving force for me is having passion around the objective.” In the face of setbacks, it is Catherine’s core belief in what she is achieving that keeps her going. “Know your own value.”
“There’s no reason not to take a chance. You just have to go for it.” Catherine looks at any potential failure and asks, “what is the worst that can happen?” Facing that answer realistically allows her to shed fear.
“If you truly believe in what you’re doing, you never give up.” Catherine met with over 300 venture capitalists while building her company but has not (yet) accepted VC funding. “One of the most memorable experiences I had was when one of the VC’s looked at me and said: ‘Catherine, sometimes you just need to know when to quit.’ I walked out of that meeting, emboldened.”
“I have a 14-year-old daughter, and I believe that ‘grit’ is the most important character trait leading to success.” Her advice to her daughter and her SparkFly team is “when someone has told you ‘no’ there is nowhere else to go but up. Because if you don’t try, you know your answer.”
In juxtaposition, “one of the things I have had to learn is realizing quickly when I’ve gone down the wrong path.” This has guided Catherine’s decisions about system nuances, doing business with the “right” customers, acquiring appropriate investors and advisors, and hiring/retaining the right employees.
“Surround yourself with people who support what you want to do, and what you want to be.”
Catherine can be reached at the SparkFly website, via the contact us link.
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