--- title: A Story of Unemployment to Dream Job in Customer Insights description: On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with Raina Rusnak of Starkist about building an insights function from scratch. image: https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/hubfs/9515%20A%20Story%20of%20Unemployment%20to%20Dream%20Job%20in%20CI%201200x630.png --- [![new-logo](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/hubfs/new-logo.svg "new-logo")](https://www.littlebirdmarketing.com) - Services - [Brand Strategy](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/brand-strategy/) - Brand Strategy - [- Brand Identity](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/branding/) - [- Persona development](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/buyer-personas/) - [- Market Research](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/market-research/) - [- Fractional CMO](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/fractional-cmo) - [Content Distribution](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/content-distribution/) - Content Distribution - [- B2B Social Media](https://info.littlebirdmarketing.com/monthly-social-calendar-for-b2b-pro?__hstc=165277858.8363cca4dfb934d4c3a138fb0ee20edc.1722258138810.1722494671442.1722500495190.3&__hssc=165277858.2.1722500495190&__hsfp=916778012) - [- Ads & DemandGen](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/digital-ads/) - [- Event Marketing](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/events-marketing/) - [- Hubspot Onboarding](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/hubspot-onboarding/) - [Content Strategy](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/content-strategy/) - Content Strategy - [- SOAR™](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/soar/) - [- Revenue Sprint](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/revenue-sprint/) - [- Social Strategy](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/social-influence-course/) - [- Conference Strategy](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/events-marketing/) - [- Account Based Marketing](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/account-based-marketing) - [Content Creation](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/content-creation/) - Content Creation - [- Portfolio](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/content-creation/) - [- Videography](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/video/) - [- Photography](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/photography/) - [- Web Design](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/web-design/) - [Experience](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/experience/) - [Case Studies](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/experience/) - [MR Expertise](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/market-research) - [Learn](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://blog.littlebirdmarketing.com) - [Podcast](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com) - [Free Resources](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/resources/) - [LinkedIn Training](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/social-influence-course/) - [About](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/about/) - [Contact](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/contact/) Latest ![Ponderings from the Perch](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/hubfs/2024-lbm-pftp-page-header%202.png) ## [Compelling Conversations with our Momma Bird](https://info.littlebirdmarketing.com/podcast-sponsorship) [Sponsor the Podcast](https://info.littlebirdmarketing.com/podcast-sponsorship) Latest [Podcast](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/topic/podcast) [Business Culture](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/topic/business-culture) [Collaboration is the New Competition](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/topic/collaboration-is-the-new-competition) ## [Collaboration is not Geography: What CMOs and CROs Actually Owe Each Other](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/collaboration-is-not-geography-what-cmos-and-cros-actually-owe-each-other) [Listen Now](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/collaboration-is-not-geography-what-cmos-and-cros-actually-owe-each-other) - CATEGORIES ### Subscribe to Email Updates # A Story of Unemployment to Dream Job in Customer Insights ![A Story of Unemployment to Dream Job in Customer Insights](https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/hubfs/9515%20A%20Story%20of%20Unemployment%20to%20Dream%20Job%20in%20CI%201200x630.png) -               *\*This episode of Ponderings from the Perch is brought to you by* [*Patient Sight*](https://www.patientsightsurvey.com/)*, an agile primary research service providing timely medical insights of interest to your organization.\** What happens when you walk into a company with no insights function, where everyone is conducting their own research? On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the [Little Bird Marketing](https://littlebirdmarketing.com/) podcast, host and CEO [Priscilla McKinney](https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillamckinney/) talks with guest and Head of Consumer Insights at [StarKist](https://starkist.com), [Raina Rusnak](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainarusnak/), about building an insights function from the ground up. They discuss how she transformed a fragmented research environment into a strategic advantage by focusing on customer insights and establishing proper survey design standards that serve multiple internal stakeholders. Rusnak got to work when she discovered teams were about to launch a 30-minute survey. A 30-minute survey! Instead, she applied her insights expertise and was able to help everyone shift gears, right size the survey and still get everyone the insights they needed. She got some quick wins by conducting low-budget DIY research to establish credibility quickly. Rusnak revealed how she worked hard to get market research insights efforts aligned with executive-level discussions by taking the initiative to understand business needs and deliver strategic recommendations. "I spent time being curious and asking people what their pain points were," Rusnak explains. "I would ask, ‘If I could wave a magic wand and give you an insight right now, what would that be?’" The discussion also covers Rusnak's experience during 18 months of unemployment right before she landed this job at StarKist, which led her to write "[Sampling Life: 100 Ways to Find Joy in Unemployment.](https://www.amazon.com/Sampling-Life-Ways-Find-Unemployment/dp/B0DNM84ZS2)" She shares how being time-rich during unemployment allowed her to engage her mind, body, and connections while staying present and maintaining resilience through the job search process. 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