ArenaCX: Where Humanity, Faith, and Technology Meet

“ArenaCX was born within the innovative consumer wireless brand Republic Wireless (now DISH) as its operational solution for delivering world-class customer service. After spending a few years building Republic's supply chain and logistics functions, I was given the opportunity to run its well-respected customer service program,” Pendleton says. “When evaluating the challenges we wished to overcome, I recognized that supply chain concepts could be applied to pain points within customer service management.” 

This initial lightbulb moment sparked a new approach for the company that was successful. The success of this new approach was enough to encourage Pendleton to parlay his light bulb moment into a completely new venture. “I spent considerable time speaking with dozens of industry players and thought leaders and became encouraged that what we built would work well for other companies. That began a period of internal discussion which culminated in a venture-backed spinout in September 2020. And then the ArenaCX journey began.” 

A spinout is a type of corporate realignment wherein a division or subsection of a company breaks off to form its own, individual corporation. While this type of business structure can provide a relatively secure foundation starting out, it brings forth its own challenges as well. “Because we were a spinout, we did not follow the typical startup path. Usually, you test for product-market fit with lightweight prototypes before investing heavily in product development.” Pendleton explains, “In our case, we inherited mature technology and a battle-hardened product before we ever called on a prospect. [Therefore] doing things in reverse order was challenging. It took us a bit [of time] to align our assets with feedback from the market: we had to adjust our value proposition, calibrate our target market, and orient our model towards broader use cases beyond customer service.” The result is a streamlined, global marketplace for companies to connect with reliable, socially responsible Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partners. 

Users are able to track KPIs and compare them against real-time analytics while working with world-class call centers to fill important gaps in business processes. And, with a spirit of improvement and communication always at the forefront of ArenaCX’s business model, users are also able to engage in the company’s feedback loop in order to improve their experience.

Pendleton isn’t the only successful entrepreneur in his family — both the founder’s grandfather and father were entrepreneurs, giving Pendleton a realistic perspective into what it means to start a business. “Through [my family members], I saw how difficult it can be to [start] and run a business, so I've never been under any illusions that it would be glamorous,” Pendleton explains. 

However, this clearly didn’t deter the founder from starting a company of his own even after finding success in other careers. Pendleton cites finding purpose and value through his chosen path of entrepreneurship. “While I have found meaning when innovating and building within established companies, I have also found that entrepreneurship — with all of its uncertainty, messiness, peaks and valleys — is a good fit for my personality,” he says. “As I have grown older, I have also seen this disposition merge with my faith-driven passion for helping others. This nests my career into a larger sense of mission and purpose.”

Any entrepreneur can tell you: it is critical to have a source of motivation. Pendleton’s source isn’t just family, it is his faith. “As a person of faith, I have a higher calling that motivates me daily. Spending time with my family is a great motivator, as I want to be a good example for my daughters. I'm also motivated by meaningful work, so as long as I can see the purpose behind it, it feels natural to stay committed.” He explains, “We envision a world where businesses of all sizes can easily, safely, and affordably engage with well-managed workforces around the globe. Our mission is to help companies succeed through better business outsourcing. As a team, we value integrity, transparency, collaboration, enthusiasm, and human potential.” Through the company’s socially responsible initiatives, such as their partnership with Freedom United, a nonprofit that aids in the fight against human trafficking, ArenaCX works hard to be the change they want to see in the world. 

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