As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Jackie Rednour-Bruckman. Jackie is the Chief Marketing Officer of Daxima Software, a San Francisco Bay Area based software development firm creating a blockchain system for food safety and traceability as well as AI for connected car fleets. Rednour-Bruckman has decades of Executive experience in the Tech, Startup, Ecommerce, and Entrepreneurial sector.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have always been a storyteller, have always enjoyed content marketing, and really love doing search engine optimization. I have a knack for distilling complex scenarios down to the essence of their secret sauce and making complicated technical jargon easy for everyone to understand. I feel into the tech world and haven’t looked back because I believe in software making people’s lives easier, efficient, and less complicated so you can enjoy life more.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
There have been a lot of interesting moments but recently I was at a prestigious symposium focused on cyber security and I found myself in deep conversation with a decision maker from the Department of Defense regarding secure remote access to files. We discussed some of the ramifications of the lack of software security on the 2016 election cycle.
Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
I want to share how revolutionary Blockchain Technology will be. Most people hear Blockchain and think of cryptocurrency or bitcoin, but the actual technology is about total transactional transparency and digital ledgers accessible by anyone for authentication. The industries that will be transformed include food production, the music industry, the real estate industry, and more. In very simple terms, no one gets to fudge the data if they don’t totally control it. We are working on a blockchain system for traceability in food production. You scan a bar code on a package of meat and you instantly get all the information on where the cow was born, what diet it lived on, where it was pastured, who owned it, processed it, etc. It may lead to an increase in vegetarianism while also creating gold standards of food safety.
More info here: https://www.daxima.com/blockchain-technology-can-revolutionize-music-industry/
and here: https://www.daxima.com/blockchain-technology-revolutionizing-food-safety/
How do you think this will change the world?
We are looking at the beginning of what I call Transactional Democracy. Information, transactions, exchanges, and trading of goods, services, and monies will be transparent, traceable, accountable, and able to be authenticated by more than just one all powerful entity. If sending a fax is more secure than sending an email, then imagine a bunch of fax machines being able to confirm and exchange transactions of all kinds in a few seconds with each other. Food safety and traceability is only one industry. There is the music industry, the banking industry, voting ballots, real estate/mortgage contracts, and more. The stock market will be somewhat irrelevant at some point because there will be no more hedging bets on failed funds or propped up value without quantifiable math. There will be no need for institutions that exist as the go between or guarantor of any kind.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
There will always be people who want to trick and exploit the system so there will have to be checks and balances and oversight with integrity and with a global cooperative creed.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
Social media has taught us that we can be constantly connected, and that privacy is relative. Millennials and Generation Z digital natives don’t worry as much about privacy like Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers do. A lot of people don’t carry cash anymore. They have an app, or a digital wallet and a lot of people don’t have checking accounts or credit cards but are still able to get paid from their job and reserve hotel rooms or ride in a Lyft. Most of these folks want to use a QR reader to scan a bar code and see where their food comes from. Most of these folks are not going to want to wait for a mortgage to close or a car loan to go through.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
It’s already happening.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
- Sprint, Scrum, Agile, and QA are going to be terms you use a lot
- Teach your user base the difference between Deployment, Production, and Rollback
- There needs to be more women in positions of leadership and at the C-level
- Not all software developers are alike choose carefully
- The life and work balance are imperative for true productivity
The future of work is a common theme. What can one do to “future proof” their career?
There’s no way to future proof anything. As nature can teach us, chaos is to be expected. The best you can do is minimize and mitigate risk and you do that by having contingency plans and staying prepared for constant change.
Based on the future trends in your industry, if you had a million dollars, what would you invest in?
I would invest in people before I would invest in trends. There are a lot of similar ideas out there but it’s about who can execute, scale, and sustain and then innovate again.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
Family first and being ruled by compassion and kindness. You have one life so live it well. Surround yourself with people you admire. Stay curious, be trustworthy, and don’t be petty. Leave things better than you found it and do no harm
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Get enough sleep, drink lots of water, take care of your teeth, and move each day to break a sweat even if it’s just a brisk walk. Do your job well and get the job done.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
There are unicorns and there are thoroughbreds who win races. Why chase a unicorn that doesn’t exist when I can show you a stable full of racehorses who are triple crown winners? Jokes aside- do you want to be part of something that will usher in the next industrial revolution, 4.0, and become the new internet?
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruckman/
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
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About the Author:
Christina D. Warner is a healthcare marketer at Walgreens Boots Alliance. She is a Duke Business School alumnus, and has innovated commercially for Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Veniti (now Boston Scientific) and Goldman Sachs. Christina is a regular columnist for Authority Magazine and Thrive Global and and has been quoted in many national publications. You can download her free ‘How To Get Into the C-Suite and More: top secrets from CEO’s, political figures, and best-selling authors. Connect with Christina at LinkedIn or Twitter