Podcast: One B2B Executive’s Journey Into the Gig Economy

Jared Blank
Published On Aug 8, 2025

This week, Andy & Brian speak with former Grainger, Caterpillar, and Rexel executive John Pehler about how he has transitioned from being a full-time Chief Digital Officer in B2B companies to building a series of part-time gigs into a career.

Topics Covered

Rise of the gig economy in B2B digital roles
LinkedIn poll results on future of full-time employment vs. gig work
Emergence of “super agency” professionals with multiple concurrent roles
Use of AI agents to scale productivity and manage administrative tasks
Challenges of gig work: client acquisition, context switching, business development
Networking, speaking engagements, and proactive outreach for securing work
Leveraging interim and fractional roles to accelerate company projects
Importance of data readiness and business process improvement before platform selection
Leadership mindset gaps in adopting gig talent
Value of speed and agility in digital transformation

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