When Amal Johnson took over
MarketTools Inc. as its CEO in 2005, the
company was seriously injured, and her
first job was to make the pain subside.
The company was founded in 1997 and
offered a Web-based customer satisfaction
application before software-as-a-service
(SaaS) applications were broadly used.
The business boomed, but after the dot-com
bust, obstacles came up. During the next
few years, the company’s leadership kept
MarketTools alive but didn’t invest in
maintaining its leadership.
When Johnson arrived, she first assessed
the situation facing her by analyzing the market, customer demand, internal talent, assets
and resources. She joined two disparate
units together while maintaining growth,
building her leadership team and keeping
people active and involved. She leveraged
and built upon MarketTools’ underlying
SaaS technology.
Johnson wants to help business decision-makers unleash the power of market
research and not have to depend on the companies they hire to help them. She’s crafted a
three-part business model made up of market research services and solutions, online
surveys, and panels and communities. This
sets MarketTools apart from other players
and creates a competitive advantage.
When Johnson came to MarketTools, she
saw nothing but opportunity despite the fact
that she lacked experience or expertise. She
has shaped the online market research industry by marrying sound business practices
with optimism and risk-taking. As she looks
toward the future, Johnson will continue to
move the company through her leadership
and innovation.
HOW TO REACH: MarketTools Inc., (415) 957-2200 or
www.markettools.com