Abstract

How can small, focused experiments help us make better business decisions? In this session, Steve McKenna will share how Grnded (Grounded) uses testing sprints to gather real-world data before committing more time and budget.

Steve will walk through single-variable testing and its applications in marketing, product decisions, and HR recruiting, from testing customer pain points and messaging to attracting candidates. The focus is practical: define the question, isolate what you are testing, interpret the results, and decide what to do next.

Presenter

Steve McKenna

Steve is the founder of Grnded Agency in Calgary, Alberta, where he helps companies replace guesswork with evidence. One method he practices is disciplined, single-variable sprint testing: define the question, isolate one variable, read the results, and decide what to do next. He applies it to lead-generation funnels and, earlier in the process, to test market assumptions, product positioning and messaging, and even to test recruiting messaging.

Since starting Grnded Agency in 2023, Steve has consulted to and works with B2B and B2C clients across manufacturing, mid-market SaaS and Al tools, multi-location international franchises, national freight and warehousing companies, a Western Canadian multi-location child education center, and multiple international mid-market marketing agencies.

He brings more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and operating experience. Steve started in the family flooring business in 1997 and worked up to general manager. In 2007 he co-founded Luxury Granite, Quartz& Marble, which grew to nearly $4M in annual revenue with a team of 25. In 2012 he became CEO of McKenna Distribution, expanding it across Canada and into the U.S. He served on the board of the North American Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) from 2015 to 2019 and as its President in 2019. As Fractional Director of Sales at a Calgary-based manufacturing business, Steve recently used his sprint testing method to challenge all existing sales and marketing assumptions, including ads, landing pages, and the entire sales process. The results generated will be shared in his presentation.

Steve's work has been recognized with ABEX awards for Young Entrepreneur (2015) and Marketing (2018), and a CAFE Family Business award. He holds a business degree with a marketing major from the University of Regina.