Professional Experience

Brian Fowler started in research in market research call centers and focus group facilities in Nashville, Tennessee, learning insights recruiting, interviewing, and analysis on with agencies including 20/20 Research, Elrick & Lavidge, and Prince Market Research before joining the Marketing and Research team for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the largest small and medium business membership organization in the U.S.

20/20 Research (1994-1996), Interviewer, Recruiter, Host, and Data Analyst. 20/20 provided an incredible foundation in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Cheers to the 20/20 acquisition of 20/20 in 2020 by Schlesinger Group.

At NFIB, he operated an in-house market and marketing research agency with an ever evolving full-stack of multimodal qualitative and quantitative capabilities. His research and partnership with the organization’s internal team led to the organization’s first centralized data warehouse, to the creation of new member services, and to new targeting in the recruitment of salespeople.

National Federation of Independent Business (1996-2000), Senior Research Manager. Conducted ~50 studies with independent business owners (IDIs, focus groups, surveys), profiled marketplace and sales reps, developed nationwide sales results reports, and implemented their first Oracle database. 

Near the peak of the dot-com boom, he completed business school-at-night and volunteered to lead the local American Marketing Association and engaging with the insights community across the country, a network which provided him the opportunity to move West to San Francisco and join Socratic Technologies to develop and market private and shared panels of survey research participants.

Socratic Research Technologies (2000-2001), Marketing and Panel Alliances Manager. Helped to build the Socratic Forum Panel and several proprietary panels, managed marketing and promotions for panel solutions.

Boom led to bust and Brian opened his first consultancy, Data-Driven Marketing, specializing in custom primary market and marketing research services and serving bigger companies like Williams Sonoma and Pacific Health Care, startups like DTC artwork provider NextMonet, and independent research agencies with government clientele in California focused on clean air and energy efficiency.

Data-Driven Marketing (2001-2006) –– Qualitative and Quantitative Research Consultant offering complete solutions for qualitative and quantitative research: web surveys and mail surveys, customer profiling with multiple behavioral and primary research data sources, focus groups, 1:1 executive interviews, and SKU sales analysis. Survey/discussion guide creation, interviewing and moderating, arranging facilities, and deep-dive data analysis included. Conducted in-depth insight projects with energy efficiency and public health-minded clients like California Public Interest Energy Research, ERG, Bureau of Automotive Repair, California Air Resources Board, Energy Star, and others.

NextMonet (2001-2004) – Direct Marketing, Researcher, and Merchandise Analyst. List management, e-commerce, partner management, merchandise sales analysis, customer profiling, digital marketing, & artwork framing, shipping, and handling. 

CFMC/Survox, Inc. now known as Enghouse Research (2004-2017 as COO, CFO, and CRO) for an established survey software platform that went from stalwart to startup to acquisition in a dramatic restoration and rebranding effort.

Brian joined CFMC as a Marketing Manager for just as their core market, call center-based researchers, were beginning to fade and better-funded, easier to use web survey platforms were taking over. Within four years, he was called on by co-founders to serve as Chief Operating Officer, at the start of a decade of significant transformation and continuous change.

At its peak, the company employed 49 people, served customers across three continents, and maintained staff on two. But in it’s 39th year, the company’s founders and leaders realized it needed to re-focus and re-build around what it did best: voice-based survey research (via CATI and IVR), with the help of the Web.

Mr. Fowler led teams delivering custom technologicial and survey services for leading research organizations like The Gallup Organization, J.D. Power & Associates, Maritz, Nielsen Media and legions of independent research organizations conducting marketing, advertising and opinion research.

In centeral operations, he led teams in Finance & Admin, Sales & Marketing, Account Management, Hosting Ops & ITSM through modernization efforts, focusing the organization’s resources, developing new services, and going both virtual and paperless in internal operations.

Survox/CFMC (2004-2017) – Marketing, COO, CFO, and CRO for an established survey software platform that went from stalwart to startup to acquisition in a dramatic restoration and rebranding effort. Brian managed teams in Finance & Admin, Sales & Marketing, Account Management, Hosting Ops & ITSM, custom CX, and MRX research solutions.  As second-in-command to five CEOs, he knew the users, the clients, and the staff better than anyone and played a significant part in the development and delivery of new products and services.

As second-in-command to five CEOs, he knew the users, the clients, and the staff better than anyone and played a significant part in the development and delivery of new products and services, including

• Navigator/Console: Full lifecycle from definition to full adoption of CFMC’s first fully integrated GUI for programming and managing surveys, measuring operational performance, and managing data flow
• Private Cloud Survey Hosting: Private and secure cloud hosting (ASP) for customer web surveys
• Fully Hosted webCATI: ASP for call centers, including VOIP-based telco
• Custom Services: Web and IVR (interactive voice response) survey services
• Annual Users Conferences featuring technical expertise, new features, and specialized networking opportunities

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Freelance

Marketing, Insights & Strategy

Since the acquisition of Survox by Enghouse, Brian has been working with a series of entrepreneurs, startups and nonprofits to develop their marketing, research, and operational capabilities. Here are just a few of his more recent experiences, including the co-founding of his most recent (and most successful) venture, the Insights Career Network.

In January 2022, Brian launched the Insights Career Network (ICN), the job search and career community for insights professionals, with five like-minded colleagues. The ICN helps people working in UX, CX, Market/Marketing Research, and the Behavioral Sciences find their voice and their way. The 2,400+ member ICN is 100% volunteer-run and completely free.

Brian has been particularly instrumental in establishing the ICN’s LinkedIn Company channel which has more than 21,000 followers as of Feb 2025, InsightsCareerNetwork.org and co-hosting most of the 60+ Job Seekers & Allies meetups available for free on the website. He currently leads a volunteer of 15 dedicated professionals, many coducting important profession-focused research studies.

Insights Career Network website  |  LinkedIn Company

Creative Fit, a Las Vegas-based architecture firm, recognized in the area as a leader in designing modern, efficient commercial, industrial, and residential buildings was ready for growth and Brain Flower Services was there for them – and continues to be a key strategic, branding, and financial operations partner.

Startup foris.io, now defunct, was building an interface for farmers and ranchers to track and measure soil moisture and temperature, weather conditions, and then use those inputs, and others, to forecast output and the optimal use of resources. We didn’t quite get there, but Brian was engaged from early on with the founder defining the interface, specing the product, and recruiting tech help to build our first prototype.

Startup Buffalo Market began as a direct-to-consumer / prosumer marketplace for fresh & organic Central Valley, California produce and now is a direct store delivery (DSD) company for leading organic CPG brands on the West Coast.  

Brian was instrumental in growing BM’s initial customer following, understanding their prospective partners and customers, developing the startup’s CRM and digital marketing programs, and helping them develop new CPG contacts through direct outreach and email marketing.