Rafferty Pendery

“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

Rafferty was born in Los Angeles, California and now resides in the tropical paradise of Clearwater, Florida. Between scuba diving, the prestigious Explorers Club and working on NASA projects (seriously!), Studio98 founder, Rafferty Pendery, hops off his motorcycle to develop selling solutions and SaaS that help business owners SELL more and PROFIT more! But money isn’t the motive…14 years ago, Studio98 was built with the intention of helping people. Period.

Serving thousands of companies across many industries, we believe that helping a business owner sell more not only makes their life better but also improves the lives of their families and their staff. It’s all about setting an example that inspires and motivates others to help their fellow human beings. It’s that ripple effect.

Rafferty and his uber-talented wife and business partner, Hana-li, value high ethics and integrity in their personal and professional relationships. Through these relationships and globe-trotting public speaking engagements, they’ve helped generate over a billion dollars in retail sales to date and have helped thousands of people improve their business and personal lives.

And by extension, and the ripples we may never personally see, that’s how we change the world.

Favorite song: Legend by The Score
Favorite movie: Top Gun
Favorite food: Mexican
Hobby: Scuba diving, skydiving and anything business
Hidden talent: Drumming and magic

David Lively

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” – St. Catherine of Siena

David lives in the sky-high mountains of Colorado & the flatlands of Florida when Colorado snows him out.

He is the epitome of an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience owning, running and selling companies and helping others do the same.

He built the 23rd largest retail home furnishings company in the USA, and sold it to a publicly traded company in 2001.

He then founded a Software as a Service (SaaS) ecommerce company with Rafferty Pendery and together they’ve grown it to over 3,000 customers in 46 states and 6 countries globally.

While he is passionate about business, the most important work in his life is his incredible and happy 33 year marriage to wife, Amy, and hanging out with their adult daughter, Emma.

Favorite song: I Should Have Been a Cowboy by Toby Keith
Favorite movie: A River Runs Through It
Favorite food: Street food in Naples
Hobby: Fly fishing and all things “backcountry”
Hidden talent: Interior design

Emma Lively

“Your life is ultimately measured by your outcomes, not your intentions. It’s not about what you wanted to or would have done. It’s not about why you thought you couldn’t. Its just whether or not you eventually did.” – Brianna Wiest

Emma Lively lives in Denver, Colorado but is originally from small town Ohio where she grew up playing on loading docks, counting cash drawers, and checking her mailbox in her familys business.

Having played a crucial role in growing & scaling multiple businesses in her early twenties, Emma understands all things e-commerce and is passionate about creating tools to help retailers thrive.

When she is not running companies, she is an avid rom-com and horror reader and book club hostess, plays tennis and volleyball, enjoys weight training and snowboarding, and spends time with the people she loves!

Favorite song: Burn, Burn, Burn by Zach Bryan
Favorite movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite food: Italian
Hobby: Reading
Hidden talent: Can deadlift 255 lbs

Claudio Machiné

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

Claudio, his artist and comic-book-loving wife and their quirky Yorkie, Layla, live in sunny South Africa. He’s the son of Italian and Portuguese immigrants and, thus, speaks fluent Portuguese. He is a voracious reader and loves history and amateur archaeology and has even been on several dig sites around Southern Africa.

Working most of his life in customer service and retail management, he considers himself a real people’s person and is always interested in the journeys and stories of people’s lives and the lessons they can bring us. “I believe we cross paths with every individual for a reason.” His super power? – The ability to strike up a conversation with anybody! He’s currently completing his education in International Supply Chain management.

Since he was a young boy, he’s been fascinated with the stars in the night sky, leading to an interest in astronomy and a love of all things tech-based. “It is our ability to adapt that will one day take us to the final frontier!” Claudio loves anything with the word “star” in front of it – Star Wars, StarGate, Star Trek, you name it – even Starbucks! As such, he’s a true coffee lover and has become a connoisseur of the delicious beverage in all its shapes and forms.

And last but not least…he holds a brown belt in Shotokan Karate!

Favorite song: Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley
Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Favorite food: “I swear by the 3 P’s. Pasta. Pizza. Popcorn!”
Hobby: Reading, playing tennis and squash, spending time with family and friends
Hidden talent: “I consider myself not too shabby with a pen and paper and like to write when my muse comes knocking.”
Funny quirk: “Things that are non-symmetrical bother me!”

Yolene Heenen

“I don’t believe in failure. It’s not a failure if you enjoy the process.” – Oprah Winfrey

Yolene is a driven and dedicated professional who was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. Yolene grew up surrounded by the logistics industry as her mother worked in this field for over 24 years. When her mother decided to pursue her dream of teaching, Yolene stepped up and took over her mother’s role, quickly rising from a POD clerk to an Onsite Customer service supervisor at one of the largest clients. Yolene is passionate about providing the best customer experience and loves working with clients.

Favorite song: (It’s dependent on her mood)
Favorite food: Sushi
Hobby: Making arches and garlands for special events
Hidden talent: Superwoman mommy
Funny Quirk: She used to sing in school choir for 7 years!

Louise Ackermann

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

I handle account management, building solid connections with clients. My role involves providing services like website building and swiftly resolving any issues or queries client may have & of course always following the one truth when doing so.

Favorite song:  Beautiful day by U2
Favorite movie:  Deadpool
Favorite food:  Seafood
Hobby:  Documentaries