Megan Burke Roudebush is the Founder of keepwith.
Tell us about your company. What inspired you to start it?
What drew me to start a networking company was my passion for relationships and my interest in helping people to connect for meaningful and authentic reasons. People often ask what prompted me to start keepwith and I always point to the time from when I was 8 until I was 18, when I was a kid reporter and editor growing up in NYC. As a child journalist for Children’s Express, I learned the importance of asking questions and caring about the world around me. My Children’s Express experience is probably the most influential component of keepwith’s origin story.
Who are your cofounders and what makes you a great team?
I am a solo founder with a great team around me to support keepwith.
How is your company making a difference?
keepwith teaches people how to build meaningful and authentic networking relationships. Around the world, people experience a skill gap when it comes to how to network well. keepwith is solving that skill gap while promoting the building and maintaining meaningful relationships.
What are some of the challenges you have faced?
In the Spring of 2020, when companies and organizations took their businesses and workforce remote due to COVID, our business development pipeline dried up as our clients had known us as a platform that delivered services in person. We pivoted our business model to offer our services virtually, but companies were not yet ready to take professional development online. By Summer 2020, companies and organizations had settled into the new remote environment and we were able to begin pitching and selling our new Strategic Digital Networking™ Services. COVID has undoubtedly affected the way we do business, but it has also made us a stronger, more strategic business.
What is your biggest win?
2020 was an exciting year with publications in Fast Company, Thrive, TLNT, Law360, and presenting at Fast Company Innovation Festival as well as Millsummit 2020.
Who is your role model?
My 5 year old daughter, Kiera.
What do you wish you had known before starting your company?
I wish I had known that networking in a virtual environment can be very effective but requires being as intentional as if you were networking in-person.
What is your CEO superpower?
My CEO superpower is community building and connecting people for the right reasons.
What has been your experience with FFA?
The FFA Forums are really excellent.
Anything else you want people to know?
The keepwith difference is that our content applies across industry, sector, gender, geographic location and seniority level. There is no person or organization who would not benefit from learning to network better!
