Solspace Podcast

Mitchell and Matt Everson of Astuteo keep having the same conversation with the same person: the solo marketing director at a mid-size company who is somehow responsible for everything digital. The website, the campaigns, the ERP integration request that ended up on their desk because who else was going to handle it?That person has always been the bridge between business and digital. What's changed is what their web team can now build, and how fast.In this episode, Mitchell and Matt talk through the real AI conversations they're having with clients - what lights up when a marketing director sees what's actually possible, how experienced developers still make the difference when things get complicated, and why the companies that will move fastest aren't the ones who ditch their web teams for AI tools, but the ones who combine the two.If you're a marketing director who's been carrying more than your job description says you should, this one's worth your time.

AI tools like Claude Code, v0, and Bolt are changing how websites get built. They're faster and cheaper than traditional development, which sounds perfect for marketing directors managing multiple web properties. But here's the problem: the speed you gain in development doesn't automatically translate into reliability in production.In this solo episode, Mitchell walks through six real production issues with AI-generated websites, from security vulnerabilities that demand immediate attention to code bloat that creates unnecessary risk. If you're responsible for business-critical websites and your team is using AI development tools, this episode explains what to watch for and why having an experienced developer who understands the code matters more than ever. The bottom line? AI is an excellent tool, but the person who knows which tool to use and how to use it still makes all the difference.

The hype around AI is relentless, but what can AI actually do for your website right now?In this solo episode, Mitchell breaks down the agentic AI and and explains how Solspace is already using these tools in practical, revenue-driving ways.Learn more about:What agentic AI is and why it mattersReal use cases we’ve already deployed using FreeformA live demo where AI adjusts the site based on user interactionWhat’s next (think product configurators powered by AI agents)Why it’s more affordable than you thinkIf you’re a marketing leader wondering how to actually use AI on your site, this is your episode.

In this episode of the Solspace Podcast, Mitchell and Kelsey dive into the major updates in Freeform 5.12, the latest release of our powerful form plugin for Craft CMS. From AI-powered spam protection using OpenAI and Gemini models to a new AI fieldtype that can summarize or rewrite content on submission, to rich visual Cards fields, URL parameter tracking, and a migration from Formie, this release brings both smarter, more flexible form-building tools to the table.Whether you're a developer or marketer, this episode is packed with insights on making your forms more reliable, secure, and user-friendly.

What happens when your website’s contact or lead gen form stops working, and you don’t even realize it?In this episode, Solspace founder Mitchell Kimbrough sits down with Head of Product Kelsey Martens to talk about Form Monitor, a new Freeform Pro feature designed to catch invisible form failures before they cost you money.You’ll hear how a single broken form cost one business owner thousands in lost business, and why even enterprise brands with 100,000+ employees aren’t immune. They break down the complexity of form submissions, from email deliverability to spam protection, and explain why a fully integrated monitoring solution was the only answer.If your business depends on website lead gen, you won’t want to miss this one.

Industrial brands often treat design as an afterthought, then wonder why prospects hesitate.In this episode, Solspace founder Mitchell Kimbrough sits down with Paul Kiesche, President of Aviate Creative, to break down branding for manufacturers and tech firms. Paul explains:Why branding is far more than a logo and how it shapes first impressions, employee pride, and sales momentum.How Norwalt used a rebrand to break into pharmaceutical and medical device space and triple its facility footprint.The sweet-spot rule for “cohesive but not carbon-copy” visuals.Practical ways to spot brand blindness before it dents your pipeline.If your website and collateral feel stuck in the 2010s, hit play and learn how a focused rebrand can pull real dollars through the door.Listen now and see if your own brand needs a tune-up.

In this candid conversation, Solspace founder Mitchell Kimbrough talks to Director of Growth, Mel Connolly, about the fundamentals of marketing that often get overlooked when shiny new tactics come along. Drawing on real client stories and her own experience, Mel breaks down how to identify your target audience, craft messages that resonate, and create a consistent content plan, even if you find marketing “boring.”Whether you’re a business owner juggling a million tasks or a marketing director trying to do more with less, these insights will help you cut through the noise and build a practical, sustainable marketing engine. Listen now to discover how to set up marketing fundamentals that support your business for the long haul.

In our latest podcast, Solspace founder Mitchell Kimbrough welcomes back Leslie Camacho, an EOS Implementer who helps creative agencies and professional service firms scale. Together, they explore the key traits, humility, discipline, resilience, and a blue-collar work ethic, that build lasting client partnerships.They discuss why open communication is the glue that binds relationships, how ambition and accountability drive growth, and why a touch of vulnerability can make all the difference. If you’re looking to build client relationships that stand the test of time, this episode is for you.Listen now to discover how these core values create powerful, long-term connections.

In this episode, we chat with Brandon Kelly and Brad Bell from Pixel & Tonic about Craft Cloud and its potential to revolutionize web hosting. Learn how Craft Cloud simplifies infrastructure with built-in optimizations, handles scaling seamlessly, and eliminates the headaches of managing third-party services. Whether you’re a marketing director, IT leader, or developer, this conversation breaks down the practical benefits of moving to Craft Cloud and why it’s a game-changer for Craft CMS users.

In this solo episode, Mitchell shares how marketing directors often become the go-to problem-solvers for digital challenges far outside their job description. Drawing from real client stories, he breaks down the stages of digital maturity in organizations and Solspace's role in bridging gaps between DIY tools and complex, scalable systems.For actionable insights, visit our site to download the accompanying whitepaper, “Beyond the .com: How Web Development Creates Efficiencies for Your Business.”

When a healthcare client’s website was unexpectedly taken offline by their previous developer, Solspace stepped in to restore it. In this solo episode, Mitchell Kimbrough shares the behind-the-scenes story of how they resolved the crisis and why businesses must prioritize web reliability. If you’ve ever been left in a lurch by a web developer, wondered how to navigate a website emergency, or how to choose a trustworthy web developer, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Solspace’s own John Henry Donovan shares his expertise on the importance of digital accessibility and inclusive design. He discusses key principles, challenges, and solutions for making websites more accessible to people with disabilities. Learn how businesses can create more inclusive online experiences and why accessibility is essential for everyone. Whether you're a developer, designer, or business owner, this conversation will equip you with valuable insights to improve your digital presence.

In this episode of the Solspace Podcast, Mitchell Kimbrough chats with Matt Everson from Astuteo. They talk about their experiences in the Craft CMS community and dive into the world of web development for industrial manufacturing. Matt shares how Astuteo focused on this niche market and found success since 2014-2015, inspired by Mike Michalowicz's "The Pumpkin Plan." The discussion covers the ups and downs of industrial web development, the importance of long-term client relationships, and creating customized digital solutions. They also touch on client acquisition strategies, trade shows, and the impact of going digital on traditional sales processes. This episode offers practical advice and real-world success stories for anyone interested in web development for industrial manufacturing.

In this episode of the Solspace podcast, we welcome back Shawn Busse from Kinesis to discuss the concept of change in business. The conversation delves into recognizing the need for change within an organization, whether driven by external friction or a proactive vision for the future. We explore the challenges of convincing people to embrace change and the importance of fostering a culture that is open to transformation.

In this podcast segment, Shawn Busse discusses the concept of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) and the need to adapt to a changing business landscape by making small bets and embracing experimentation. He points to examples like GE and Boeing to illustrate how traditional models are no longer reliable. Making small bets allows companies to explore new opportunities while mitigating risks and uncertainties. Shawn emphasized the necessity of a cultural shift towards embracing change and innovation in order to thrive in this volatile environment, and the difference between the value chain and a value shop.

In LinkedIn Best Practices part two, featuring the brilliant Abby Kelsey, we delved deep into the art of engagement and the power of meaningful commenting in the digital sphere. From sparking conversations to building genuine connections, Abby shared invaluable strategies to elevate your online presence.

Abby will share her expertise on the crucial role of branding in B2B web development—helping streamline processes and enhancing client trust. Branding isn't just logos; it's about conveying trust and clarity in your product's value proposition.

In our web development work, we continue to encounter a lot of private equity activity in the industrial manufacturing sector. In this episode, I interview Thomas Davenport of Davenport Capital Management. Mr. Davenport generously answers my private equity 101 questions and helps us all see how things fit together.

Mitchell and John Henry from Solspace have a conversation with Nate and Bryan from the image and asset optimization web service imgix. We talk about how their service once saved our butts and how it can help businesses easily manage and deliver photos and video without sacrificing page load times or quality.

Mitchell and Scott attended the Industrial Marketing Summit in Austin, TX at the beginning of February. They discuss what they learned, specifically about the shift from Boomer owners and buyers to Millennial buyers and how that changes business needs on the web.

Gustavs Gūtmanis, Lead Developer of Products at Solspace, and Ivars Bariss, Director of Operations at Solspace, join me to discuss the idea that websites can make a gradual transition to a headless architecture.We start by discussing external search appliances like Algolia and Meilisearch. We talk about how these, by nature, are headless. We create an HTML / Javascript presentation layer and consume the search index through API calls.Examples of site sections that can gradually be converted to a headless approach include search, marketing landing pages, e-commerce, and forms.We discuss how clients often see site content divided along the lines of responsibility groups such as career sections, job listings, press releases, events, etc. Each of these content types is often run from a separate service and pulled into pages by API. So the gradual transition has already begun.We discuss product and service configurators which are independent tools that can be dropped into an existing site, drawing their data from external APIs.We talk about editorial workflows in a headless world and we discuss how content teams can now work in parallel instead of in series thanks to what headless enables.

Gustavs Gūtmanis, Lead Developer of Products at Solspace, and Ivars Bariss, Director of Operations at Solspace, join me again to discuss the idea that websites can make a gradual transition to a headless architecture.At Solspace, we focus on making websites more and more reliable on a daily basis. We do this by looking for ways to reduce friction. This activity usually turns into money for our clients. The less friction, the greater reliability, and the greater the revenue. We take another look at gradual conversions to headless architectures as a way to vastly reduce friction.In this podcast we discuss a new internal project being developed by Gustavs. We're building a bootstrapping framework for headless sites and gradual headless conversions on React JS. We talk at length about how this approach will allow us to more quickly and easily deploy new headless sites for our clients. We talk about how headless conversions can be made using this intelligent framework, and we talk about what kinds of scale such a bootstrapped approach will allow.

On this episode I am joined by Thomas Payet, the co-founder and COO of Meilisearch. From the Solspace side I am joined by David Estrada, the developer on the Solspace team with the most Meilisearch experience.Meilisearch is an open source API-based utility focused on excellent search speed and relevance of content within a given website. In this first episode of our two-part series with Thomas, we get into an overview of how Meilisearch came to be. We talk about the history of the search bar on websites and discuss how technologies evolved to support users as they try to search within a website for the content they desired.We discuss why Meilisearch went in the open source direction and we learn about their plans for monetizing and generating revenue to support the overall effort. The prime revenue stream is expected to be their hosted cloud offering. They will handle scaling for customers, software updates, uptime and the like for a reasonable and predictable fee.

On this episode, I am joined again by Thomas Payet, the co-founder and COO of Meilisearch. From the Solspace side, I am joined by David Estrada, the developer on the Solspace team with the most Meilisearch experience.This episode builds on the previous Meilisearch episode by discussing use cases for Meilisearch in more depth. We discuss the power and usefulness of acted searching to allow users to drill down more deeply into search data sets. We discuss how SaaS, mobile apps, and documentation systems make use of Meilisearch. Finally, we get into some questions about what comes next with Meilisearch As A Service; things like contextual relevance, personalized relevance, recommendation systems and the like.

This episode features Solspace’s Mitchell Kimbrough in conversation with longtime friend Leslie Camacho about EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System®), including why Mitchell has decided to implement it at Solspace. You may know Leslie for his leadership at EllisLab and Pixel & Tonic. Leslie has recently embraced a new mission as an EOS Implementer, helping businesses grow from small and scrappy to strong and scalable.What is EOS, you may ask? Essentially, EOS provides a streamlined accountability-based operating system for companies with between 10 and 250 employees. This conversation will introduce you to EOS as Mitchell and Leslie tell the story of how in a moment of kismet and great timing, Mitchell decided to take the leap and engage Leslie to help Solspace implement the new system.If your business is doing well right now, it’s still worth taking a look at EOS. Understanding the principles could help you make the most out of your current resources even if you don’t choose to impleme

This episode continues Mitchell Kimbrough’s conversation with longtime friend Leslie Camacho about EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System®), including why Mitchell has decided to implement it at Solspace.Individual and organizational discipline and accountability are cornerstones of EOS. Mitchell and Leslie talk about normalizing the hard stuff, celebrating what’s good, making healthy confrontation a habit, and staying committed to the process. Mitchell reflects on the choice to put as much effort into being a healthy company as we do to improving our technical expertise, and the power of using a scorecard to identify and track key measures of success.The conversation ends by coming full circle to core values, what matters most. Leslie asks, ‘what do you love doing? Is that the same thing the world is pushing you to do?’

This week Mitchell Kimbrough talks with Genina Ramirez, Chief Growth Officer at Focus Lab, a branding agency that has embraced the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®). Both Solspace and Focus Lab share the same EOS® Implementer, Leslie Camacho. Genina discusses her history with Focus Lab, and how EOS® changed the trajectory of her career and was pivotal for the company’s growth and success. Mitchell and Genina compare notes about the experience of launching EOS®, and the impacts it had on their teams. Genina describes the way EOS® provided a neutral set of tools that Focus Lab used to build a bridge between where the company was and what they dreamed of becoming.

This week Mitchell Kimbrough continues his conversation with Genina Ramirez, Chief Growth Officer at Focus Lab, a branding agency that has embraced the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®). Genina and Mitchell get further into their discussions about Focus Lab's experience with niching down and focusing on a service offering that really made sense to them. They talk about how EOS enabled this courageous act. They also talk about a new brand recently launched by Focus Lab called Odi which provides even more focus as they target a specific market segment and client profile.

(Part 1) What do you do when your professional work is seen as NSFW by some people? You move forward and take it seriously, that’s what. Listen how Fly Media Productions uses the EOS framework to best position themselves for the “pleasure” industry. It’s truly fascinating (and not actually NSFW).

What do you do when your professional work is seen as NSFW by some people? You move forward and take it seriously, that’s what. Listen how Fly Media Productions uses the EOS framework to best position themselves for the “pleasure” industry. It’s truly fascinating (and not actually NSFW).

On this podcast episode, Solspace's own David Estrada and Mitchell talk about the recent developments in Shopify's new headless and composable capabilities. We unpack the Shopify composable stack by discussing Hydrogen, Oxygen, Remix, and more. We get into the details of combining headless Shopify with other CMSs and tools to support our target market of industrial manufacturing websites.

On this podcast episode, David and Mitchell continue our discussion of the power of composable architectures. We continue discussing how Shopify now fits into this space. We get into the questions around complex content publishing that augments the sales of complex products. We talk about what 'new technology' means in 2023 as far as Solspace is concerned. This includes micro services, serverless tools, edge computing, CDNs, and the like.

Scott and Mitchell go into the details of how the transition from baby boomer founders of industrial companies to their millennial successors overlays onto the adoption and investment in digital sales tools.We find that the first three stages are characterized by reluctance to invest in 'that pesky internet thing.' The next stages are the blooming of new value creation for the organization in the traditional sales pipeline.

In this second episode of our eight Stages of Industrial Websites podcast, we get deeper into how digital can help streamline the sales process for industrial manufacturers. We specifically discuss CPQ tools and how the new millennial buyer of industrial B2B products and solutions expects to have a largely digital sales experience.