**This episode is brought to you by MuteSix, Gorgias, and Attentive**   “You have to do it sooner than later,” says Ben Parr, who is the president and co-founder of Octane AI, “because every day you're not collecting data, you’re missing an opportunity.” In the second half of this Feature, he continues that not all brands are using zero-party data. According to him, capturing zero-party data will be better for the brands but also the consumer. He mentions that zero-party data is optional information that the consumer willingly provides to a company that could then be used to improve the user experience. Ben also explains that any brand can use their products; however, there will be a different experience depending on size. He suggests that when starting, first, begin collecting data by setting a conversational pop-up. Next, ask for an email and then recommend products. Ben advises that you're only as strong as the team since he's grateful to his co-founder. When it comes to building a product, he believes that one should be embarrassed by the first version but continue testing, learning, and talking to more customers to improve the product. Lastly, taking a break is essential as well. He talks about: * Their products * Customer criteria * What onboarding looks like * His recommendation * Challenges of joining a tech firm for a journalist * Advice for entrepreneurs Join Ramon Vela and Ben Parr as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand. For more on Octane AI, visit: https://www.octaneai.com/ Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Listeners can also search for The Story of a Brand. Click here to listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify. * This episode was brought to you by MuteSix. MuteSix is the leading agency in performance marketing. They have been in this space for nearly eight years, growing and scaling the world’s most recognizable e-commerce brands with breakthrough creative, targeted media buying, and data-driven results in every step of the funnel. They're currently offering listeners a FREE omnichannel marketing audit. Their team of auditors will perform a deep dive analysis into your current marketing efforts and identify which strategies might be budget wasters and which strategies will improve performance. The audit covers all digital marketing channels, including Facebook, Google, Email, Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Influencer, Programmatic, and Website CRO. For your free digital marketing consultation, visit: https://mutesix.com/storyofabrand * This episode was brought to you by Attentive. How do the most innovative companies reach mobile consumers? Meet Attentive, the text messaging solution trusted by innovative retail & e-commerce brands like CB2, Coach, and thousands of Shopify brands. On average, Attentive customers see 25x ROI and 18.5% of online revenue driven by SMS. Ready for SMS to become one of your top three revenue channels? Learn how to get started with your free trial by requesting a demo at https://www.attentivemobile.com/ * This episode is also brought to you by Gorgias. Did you know that loyal customers are 9x more likely to convert compared to a first-time shoppers? That's why exceptional customer service is so important for your retention & growth. I recommend using Gorgias. Gorgias combines all your communication channels, including email, SMS, social media, live chat, and phone, into one platform and gives you an organized view of all tickets. This saves your support team hours per day and makes managing customer orders a breeze. Go to https://www.gorgias.com/ to book a demo and mention the Story of a Brand podcast for two months free.