What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for an Enterprise Account Executive at SmartBear?

We connected with Jack Downey to find out!

Click here for a list of job openings at SmartBear, or check out the right side of this page!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in Framingham Massachusetts, about a half-hour away from Boston. My Mom is a school teacher and my Dad is also in Sales like myself. Specifically HR Benefits. 

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I studied “Management Engineering” which combined some science with a core business degree. I actually had a sales internship at the Mathworks during school, and always wanted to pursue B2B sales once getting into my degree. After graduating I immediately started here at SmartBear, June 2015.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

Having a routine and taking value in your time is the number 1 catalyst to being successful in sales. Time is your most important asset. I attribute learning these concepts from the leaders I had in my life both personally (my dad) and the people I met at SmartBear (manager-level, director, peers). Being open, curious, and coming in with a positive attitude has made climbing the “success ladder” feel almost effortless. 

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Strategic Account Manager at Smartbear?

The “SAM” role at SmartBear includes being an account manager (main point of contact) for a set list of SmartBear’s highest spending clients. I have 15 accounts whom I maintain relationships with and help build out SmartBear’s technology portfolio (17 different tools!) where it fits best through my clients. It is my job to grow and maintain our top customers.  

Any tips for someone considering a career in Sales?

Don’t be afraid of failure, embrace it, do your best to reflect why, and then quickly move on. Everyone fails at some point in Sales, it's part of the game

From the previous answer; Time is your most important asset. Always assess how you spend your time on a day-to-day (build a routine)

LISTEN. Listen to your peers, Listen to your management, most importantly listen to your customers. Customers have full control nowadays, all information at hand. You will build trust from being able to understand exactly what a customer is saying, and providing your best recommendation (which should inevitably lead to a sale)

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee at least 2. But lately I have been enjoying Yerba Mate tea.

What time do you get into the office? 

7:45 - 8:15

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

Money (duh), Competition, and learning something new every day. Being in the tech space, always something new around the corner, and specifically with our top clients.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

- Sit in seat and open email for 5 minutes

- Coffee, eggs, cereal/banana

- Mentally walk through the calendar for the day

- Comb through any leads

- Comb through internal expectations I’ve set for different deals

- Maybe gym around lunch

- Complete a goal set for day (open opp, get a cold meeting, etc)

- rinse, repeat.

What time do you head out of the office? 

6-6:30

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

Definitely depends. I am an email addict and have it on my phone, so I am always tapped in in that regard. Typically I leave my laptop in the bag, unless it's EOQ  :) 

Any productivity hacks?

Eat breakfast, set a consistent routine,  end your day with planning tomorrow. 

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

Uber/Lyft, Robinhood, Reddit

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

Consistently being able to visit customers and do large presentations with no longer being nervous. I’ve now done over 12 Customer visits the past year, which was brand new to me. Also being able to close the largest deal in company history this past September, but who knows how long that will be “the largest” (We’re blowing up!)

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

 My Dad. He is in the same profession as I am and he always seems to know what is going to happen two-three steps down the road. He has an intangible knack for foresight, and gives great advice -  Thanks Mike Downey!

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Manager, Member Services at Virgin Pulse?

We connected with Geza Csank to find out!

Also, be sure to check out Virgin Pulse's Offices in Framingham and Providence.

Click here for a list of job openings at Virgin Pulse, or check out the right side of this page!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in the suburbs of Lausanne, Switzerland.  My father was a physician and my mother held our home together and ensured we were well prepared for.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I studied at Northeastern University and majored in Print Journalism and minored in Philosophy. However, I always wanted to attend Berklee College of Music, which I did.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

I don’t work for me, I work for the supervisors and the agents on the floor and they are my customers. Always approach every job and task with a positive attitude. 

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee. All day.

What time do you get into the office? 

Usually come in around 7:30am. Quieter mornings help me organize my day and tend to any follow-ups.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

Ensuring that my team is successful and they have been provided the opportunity to be successful.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

Run between meetings and support my team of supervisors. 

What time do you head out of the office? 

When my crew tells me to leave. There is always something going in the contact center and I tend to lose track of what time it is. 

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

A life/work balance is important. Through the years I have been able to totally focus on my family and tend to urgent off-hour work matters. It’s a fine balance, but it comes with the job. I am lucky to have a supportive family.

Any productivity hacks?

There is a  lot going on during the day but I found it useful to actually schedule blocks of time in my calendar to focus on projects and get out of the ‘weeds’ for a bit. 

Which apps can you not live without?

• Spotify

• Teams 

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I’ve dedicated my career to the contact center and customer service. I started as a representative and was lucky to work in an environment that promoted and encouraged new ideas and development and collaboration. I’m proud of the hard work and dedication I’ve put in my work.

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

My father-in-law was my to-go person. He provided a lot of advice on networking, integrity, managing skills and just life hacks in general. Great man. Smart man. It’s my time to pay it forward now.

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for an Electrical Engineering Lead at Soofa?

We connected with Rob Kim to find out!

Interested in working at Soofa? Check out all of the company's job openings on the sidebar!

Where did you grow up? What did your parents do for work?

I grew up in Moscow, Russia. My dad founded a construction company. My mom used to be a tax inspector, and now she helps my dad run the business. 

Where did you go to college? What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to Northeastern University to study electrical engineering. After graduating, I worked for a startup called ecoVent as an electrical engineer. Then, I joined Soofa.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

Working for startups, you get a lot of responsibility. There has been a lot of trust from the leadership team for me to deliver, so that increase in responsibility helped me grow very quickly professionally.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Engineer at
Soofa?

I am responsible for hardware at Soofa. Most of it is on the electrical engineering side of things. That involves everything from prototyping, to reliable operation of the product in the field, to the implementation of scalable processes for manufacturing the Soofa Signs and products.

Any tips for someone considering a career in Engineering?

Most college graduates don’t know exactly what they want to dedicate their life to in terms of work. So, joining a startup allowed me to really understand what side of engineering I’m most interested in. Same goes for any other major. If you’re interested in marketing, you can join a startup and do marketing, and really understand what side of marketing excites you the most.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee.

What time do you get into the office?

10 AM

What is something that motivates you most in your role?

 Walking through the streets of Boston and seeing the product running in the field.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you? 

I come in at 10 AM and make a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. Then, I log in to my computer, check email, check Slack, review the performance of the Signs and sensors running in the field, and take a look at the project backlog in Asana. I prioritize tasks for the day and execute.

What time do you head out of the office?

I head out anywhere between 6-8 PM.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?

I typically don’t log back in at night, unless I get an alert that a Sign is underperforming.

Any productivity hacks?

I stay productive by keeping everything in Asana, and staying on top of prioritization.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

○ WhatsApp to communicate with my family and friends
○ Instagram to stay on top of my friends’ social life
○ Slack to stay on top of my work stuff

What project are you proudest of?

Working with a contractor to design a custom power supply for our Soofa Signs was a challenging task, and certainly one of the projects that I’m most proud of.

Who do you admire or call upon for career advice?

My parents have been extremely helpful when choosing my next career step. They trust me to make the right decision, but at the same time can provide another point of view on my career decisions.

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for a Data Engineer at PatientPing?

We connected with Heidi Schmidt to find out!

Interested in working at PatientPing? Check out all of the company's job openings on the sidebar!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I was born in Columbus Ohio and most of my childhood was spent in Columbus and Dayton Ohio. My Mom worked in the Hotel Industry then in Hospice care. 

My Dad worked as a Mechanical Engineer for Kroger Bakery for most of his career. 

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to college at Ohio State University and took 4 classes my 1st semester. One of them was architectural history and from that I wanted to study Architecture. 

I had 3 jobs in college. One working informally for the Architecture Computer lab, The Smith Physics lab, and the MAGNUS computer group. 

Outside of school I was a paper delivery person from 10 years of age to my summer before college. 

I volunteered at the Center Of Science and Industry (COSI) all through high school. 

I worked remodelling houses and doing jobs for my Dad and step mom as well. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

A willingness to be an uncarved block. A desire to learn new things and make the world a better place. 
 

Any tips for someone considering a career in Engineering? 

Technology has changed so much so that we have tons of options. So many that it’s hard to reduce the noise to signal. My advice would be to get out and meet as many different people and see how you can help. 

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Tea in a large oversized mug

What time do you get into the office?

Typically 9AM -- though the MBTA can make it a challenge

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

The desire to make the world a bit better than I found it. Solving a puzzle. Collaboration. 

What time do you head out of the office?

I head out of the office around 4:30 p.m. because the MBTA is so variable. I end up checking things outside of the office and also do work when needed off hours. 

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?

Depends on what is needed.  I check my phone on the train as I try to stay focused during the day. Most of the time I shut down being available from about 9PM to the next day.  I check in the a.m. before I get into the office to be prepared for anything that may have occurred (mostly on the train) 

Any productivity hacks?

TextExpander rocks my world. It saves my brain a bunch of typing and can run quick shortcuts and commands that I use frequently. 

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

• Headspace

• DataCamp

• Sudoku 

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

At Gillette I reached out to the factory floor team to ask what their pain points were with their databases I supported. Their Boston database was not keeping up with reporting. After sorting out scope, the vendor, the types of needs for the software and the database options I was able to template the solution for 3 of the 5 factories, increase the speed, space, type, and throughput of the bare metal hardware, upgrade and tune the Oracle Database for one particular use case pattern, and provide them their reports in 8-10 minute that had been left to run for weeks on a dedicated work station on the factory floor.  Through my work the executive team was able to fix the original contract, obtain updated software, and get the deliverables promised by the vendor years ago when the system was first implemented.

Career Path is a regular series on VentureFizz where we connect with individuals from our BIZZpages, which are the fastest-growing tech companies in the Boston tech scene. We learn a lot about each person's background and what a day in the life is like for them.

We have compiled advice from some of the Product Managers that have been profiled. They share the details on how job seekers can obtain a career in the field of Product Management. 

"Seize any opportunity you can to take on product management-like responsibilities at your current company, even if there is no formal product management team structure. Express your interest, and take on small tech projects to get your feet wet in working through an initiative from inception, to design, through build, to launch. And if you don’t have a technical background, don’t let that intimidate you. You’ll get used to taking on something that seems insurmountable to understand, and by the end of it, knowing very well what the inner workings are and how to explain them to others. I still face this from time to time and always tell myself that, as long as I keep asking questions, it’s only a matter of time until I understand and can speak intelligently about it."

Read Shana's Career Path here.

Click here for jobs at PlacePass.

"Reach out to people currently working in product. Ask to get coffee. Go to meetups and read as much as you can about the role. If you come from a technical background, that’s awesome, If not, don’t be intimidated or count yourself out of a career that really interests you. Figure out what draws you to product. Once you know, repeat that back to yourself and get good at telling that story to other people. If you come from a place of authenticity and genuine interest, people will respond well to that and want to help you as you jump into a new path."

Read Christine's Career Path here.

Click here for jobs at SessionM.

"My biggest tip to someone considering a career in product management is to embrace their background. There is no traditional product manager; the team is made up of people with a wide variety of experiences (professional and personal). I would also advise people to stay current and curious – inspiration can come from anywhere."

Read Chris' Career Path here.

Click here for jobs at BCG.

"Discover your personal spike? Are you the connective tissue that breaks down organizational silos? Are you the brilliant empathizer that has an uncanny knack for understanding users? Are you the engineer’s best friends with your perfect articulation of features and needs? There are lots of things a Product Manager has to do. Understand your strengths and play to them. Where you are weak, you get to choose: Either improve them or build a team that mitigates your weaknesses."

Read Nick's Career Path here.

Click here for jobs at Jobcase.

"Talk to anyone you can who’s an engineer, product manager or designer. Learn about the variations between companies and which type of role you think will be best for you. I also went to a few meetups and introductory courses which gave me some solid baseline knowledge. There’s a ton of great literature out there about the PM role, product teams and how to work best with engineers which I would recommend reading. I found Cracking the PM Interview helpful in understanding what the interview process might look like. Think about what your best entry point is. For me, it has been beneficial to move internally. While I’m learning the role, I’m able to leverage strong knowledge of our product and customers."

Read Maggie's Career Path here.

Click here for jobs at Ellevation.

Colin Barry is the Content Manager for VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Lead QA Engineer at Jackpocket?

We connected with Polina Atamyeyeva to find out!

Click here for a list of job openings at Jackpocket, or check out the right side of this page!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

Luhansk, Ukraine. Later, I won a Green Card lottery and decided to see what the future held for me in New York.

In Ukraine, my mother was a pediatrician and my father was a mechanical engineer. They recently immigrated to the USA, and they’re in the process of finding their path in this country. I respect them for being independent of me; it’s not an easy task to do in a foreign country at their age. 

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

When I finished high school, I moved to Kharkov to get a degree in sociology.  I always loved big cities, which is why I moved from the small Luhansk to the significantly bigger Kharkov. While I was in college I worked with a marketing company. We conducted marketing research, doing all kinds of surveys and focus groups. Companies made advertisements for their products based on the research. I enjoyed every minute of my work.

When I moved to New York I decided to get a Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College CUNY, with a major in sociology and a minor in statistics, to increase my chances of getting a similar job here. While establishing myself in sociology, a friend of mine suggested quality assurance (QA), since it is an easier field to get into without having a master’s degree. 

At that time, I thought it was a crazy idea since I didn’t have a technical background. Since I am very adventurous, I tried it anyway. I am glad I did because I like what I do now. 

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

A few things:

• The most important—my kids. I wanted them to be proud of their mom. I wanted to show them that with enough perseverance and optimistic attitude, you can do anything. 

• My friends played an essential role too. They helped me to believe in myself and showed me how to not give up. 

• I always have been lucky with my team. In all the places I’ve worked, colleagues have helped me to learn something new and grow. 

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Lead QA Engineer at Jackpocket?

I am responsible for overseeing and making sure the Jackpocket apps and website work as expected, so that customer service has as little work as possible. The fewer issues that get into production, the fewer questions that need answering. And this includes making sure new features are usable and clear to end-users.

A big part of illuminating issues in production is established the right processes and communication between different teams. I like to think about QA as an art of collecting business requirements. During the process of building features, requirements get changed all the time. It is important to make sure to flag disconnect in early stages, and to bring everybody to the same page if something changes. 

Also, I know it may not seem this way but QAs are trying to save time for engineers. I am always researching what tools to use and what we can do to provide better coverage.     

Any tips for someone considering a career in engineering?

If I can do it with my degree in humanities, you can do it, too, if you like learning.

You will always need to learn something new since technologies are changing so quickly. But that’s what makes this field so interesting and dynamic. Also, if you encounter a problem, chances are that somebody else already has a solution. You are not alone. Just Google it. 

Day in the Life

• Coffee, tea, or nothing? Coffee in the morning and tea during the rest of the day

• What time do you get into the office? 9 - 9:30 am

• What are three things that motivate you in your role?

  • It is always interesting to work on innovative features. I like seeing when a new feature is shaping up from nothing.

  • Customer feedback is also very motivational. It is very satisfying to see that somebody likes your efforts.

  • Challenges, when you need to figure something out. I get more energetic when I figure out some difficult tasks. 

• Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

  • Usually, I start by reading emails and Slack notifications. It sets my priorities for the day. Later, we have a scrum meeting where everyone briefs the team about their work progress and challenges. After that, I get to my daily tasks, which usually involves asking a lot of questions. Everyone usually gets some: designers, product, marketing, not to mention engineers. I really appreciate everybody’s cooperation and patience. I am so lucky that everybody works as a team and contributes to the success of the projects.  

• What time do you head out of the office? 

  • If there are no urgent issues I leave at 5 - 5:30 pm

• Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

  • I shut it down with very few exceptions. I appreciate that I can do all my work in the office. The schedule at Jackpocket is flexible enough to accommodate different people's needs. 

• Any productivity hacks?

  • Get enough sleep. That is why I believe people should shut down Slack and work email at night or during vacation.

  • Be proud of your work. You need to be passionate about it. Make it interesting and challenging enough to keep you going, if it is not.

  • Sometimes you need to take a step back from what you are doing to find the best solution.

  • Always break big tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces.

• What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

  • Jackpocket :) I open it every day. We’re on both iOS and Android. 

  • Angry Birds Blast. This game helps me to not be annoyed with New York public transportation and regroup after reading news in the morning. 

  • Splitwise. I do not use it every day, but it makes it so much more convenient to track expenses when you organize trips/events with your friends or relatives.

• What do you love about Jackpocket?

  • We have very friendly and unpretentious people. Management puts a lot of effort into making sure people enjoy working here, and it’s very noticeable. We do a lot of fun activities like happy hours, trips to Six Flags, a field day with Zog Sports, and more. And the office is a reflection of who we are, right down to the “Jackpocket blue” of our phone booths.

• What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

  • I am usually very proud of releasing features that were difficult to develop. That said, I always think that my biggest accomplishments are in my future. 

• Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

  • It depends on the professional advice I need. I reach out to different people. My husband is probably my most trusted advisor at the moment.   

  • I have a deep respect for people who are passionate about what they do. They usually know a lot of information and think outside of the box. 

Alexander Culafi is Producer & Editor for VentureFizz. He also edits and produces The VentureFizz Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @culafia.

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for a Marketing Manager at TriNetX? 

We connected with Margaret Leoffler to find out!

Also, TriNetX is hiring. Check out all of the company’s job openings on the list to the right.

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up in Brattleboro, Vermont and I moved to Stoughton, MA when I was 14. My mom is an accountant and my dad was a tire salesman.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

I went to Drexel University. I studied English but wanted work experience, which is why I chose Drexel, which is a Co-Op school. My first two co-ops were in education, and my third was in a corporate communications department for Comcast. It was there where I realized I prefer working in a corporate environment. I interned there for another eighteen months, and went on to work in marketing & business development at a few different companies in Philadelphia.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

I make it a point to be explicit and goals-driven with my managers when it comes to my professional development. I also am the type to look at my colleagues as collaborators, not competition. I really enjoy coordinating projects across departments and try to make sure I have a good working relationships with the different departments. I really do think that success can be had when you position long-term projects as something we’re all working on together.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Marketing Manager at TrinetX?

Much of my work is based on lead generation. I currently manage our webinar series which occurs quarterly. I also project manage the creation of our marketing materials, ensuring that our many collaborators contribute and sign off by the deadline. I also coordinate programming for many our events. There are many one-off projects and requests coming in from the company all the time.

Any tips for someone considering a career in Marketing?

Do your research; see what other similar companies are doing so you can stay up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee! We have cold brew taps in our office and I definitely take advantage of that perk daily.

What time do you get into the office? 

Between 8:30 and 9 AM.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

My company is a very welcoming place to work. I really like my coworkers; being a woman at a tech company can sometimes be a challenge, but TriNetX has a great group of supportive women working here, many in visible leadership positions, which makes a huge difference. I attached a photo of a gift given to the women of our office on International Women’s Day, which included a book of inspirational quotes from women throughout history, and some cute custom cookies.

What time do you head out of the office? 

Usually 5 PM.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

It depends; if we have a deliverable or event within the week I will, and I’ll check email in the evenings after dinner.

Any productivity hacks?

Keep a checklist of items you need to do, however small they may be. I keep mine in a file on my desktop, and I’ll often add pictures and use funky font colors to keep it cheerful.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

Twitter, Spotify, and Slack.

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

 My mom!

Colin Barry is the Content Manager for VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

Images courtesy of Margaret Leoffler

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for the VP, Inside Sales at BlueConic?

We connected with Kevin Elliot to find out!

Interested in working at BlueConic? Check out all of the company’s job openings on the list to the right.

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up south of Boston in Scituate, Massachusetts. My father spent the majority of his career in tech and about 15 years as the CEO of a few software organizations. My mother started and ran a pre-school in Scituate for about 20 years.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

UMass Amherst. I studied managerial economics and finance. My first job out of UMass was as a Fund Accountant at State Street. They acquired Investors Bank & Trust in 2007 and I worked on the conversion team moving them over to State Street accounting systems. Looking back at those days there were a lot of long hours, problem-solving and implementing new processes. I kid around about it today, but other than the 40,000 employees. It was a lot like working at a growth stage software company!

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

There are a number of things at different points in time; however, the one constant has been the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. They challenge me to be better every day, but you can learn a lot from your colleagues if you pay close attention and have an open mind.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as VP, Inside Sales at BlueConic?

• Helping marketers realize that individualized marketing is a reality and helping them put plans in place to help them achieve a unified and actionable single view of their customer.
   
• Coaching, hiring, and retaining exceptional members of our Business Development, Sales, and Sales Engineering teams.
   
• Collaborating across departments to create and implement strategies for both inbound and outbound pipeline generation.
   
• Analyze historical data and trends to build models for scaling our sales organization as efficiently as possible.

Any tips for someone considering a career in Sales?

Be incredibly curious and always focus on how you can improve. Regardless of how great the training program is at your current company, always look outside of your company to learn as well. I’d say the same to someone who has been in sales for 10+ years. New ideas and new approaches create good habits and prevent laziness or bad habits from forming.

Jim Collins speaks about “the window and the mirror” in his book Good to Great. The concept is perfect for people starting out in sales. If things are going well, look through the window and give everyone around you credit. If things aren’t going well, look in the mirror, take ownership of finding how to fix things. Far too often sales reps do the exact opposite.  

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee, one in the morning and another around 2:30 PM every day.

What time do you get into the office?

Usually between 7:30 and 8 AM.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

1. The people I work with. Their passion and work ethic are absolutely relentless.

2. Knowing that we’re doing something different. No one has built this company, in this category, with these people. There are new challenges and new achievements every single day.

3. The opportunity to help define the Customer Data Platform (CDP) category and helping change the way marketers think about individualized marketing.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

• Before Work: I like to work out in the morning before commuting. During the commute, I run through my calendar to make sure I’m prepped for the day and then will run through the pipeline to make sure we have plans in place each day to move things forward.

• Morning: Before 9 AM, I’m doing deeper analysis and tasks that require more focus. I try to most of my coaching in the morning so we can focus on statistics and I can focus on my team before too many distractions come up.

• Lunch: I’m a creature of habit, most of my lunches are spent working at my desk and 9 times out of 10 it’s a salad from UDG or sweetgreen.

• Afternoon: I’m almost always on sales calls with my team or collaborating with other departments in internal initiatives.

• After Work: While commuting home I’m making sure any materials or information that I’ll need for the following day are prepped and ready or I’m making sure all of my action items for the day are taken care of.

What time do you head out of the office?

It really depends on what is in my calendar but usually between 5:30-6:30 PM.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

I try really hard not to log back in every night, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. I probably log back on 50% of the time. I’m always available if one of my colleagues needs me via Slack or email.

Any productivity hacks?

• Figure out what the best way is to organize your to-do list and commit to it. Some use tools like Trello and some use a notebook. Figure out what works for you. I’ve tried a number of apps, but always come back to my pen and pad.

• Try to organize your day by when you focus best. I tend to be more analytical in the mornings and more creative in the afternoons. In knowing that I try my best to organize my tasks to optimize my day.

• Music! Create a playlist that you listen to when you need to really concentrate and only listen to it while you’re focusing.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

• Slack

• Spotify

• Food/Coffee Loyalty Apps: Starbucks, Dunkin’, sweetgreen

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

Watching people that I’ve coached and trained get promoted and excel in their new role is incredibly rewarding. I think my most proud accomplishment is still being developed. We’re writing an amazing story here at BlueConic. That story won’t be my individual accomplishment, but I’m extremely proud to be an element of what we’re building.

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

There’s a long list of people that I have admiration for and who have helped me in various situations. A number of my good friends hold similar roles at relatable companies and often act as a sounding board. My father loves to share stories from his career and tie them back to what I’m working on. Lastly, my colleagues and team members at BlueConic have been an incredible resource.

Colin Barry is the Content Manager on VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

Images courtesy of Kevin Elliot

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for a Director of National Hospital Growth at PatientPing?

We connected with Nolan Kelly to find out!

Also, PatientPing is hiring! Click here for all of the company’s job openings!

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?  

Boston College, Carroll School of Management with a Marketing concentration.  My initial job out of undergrad was at a consumer marketing agency in Boston. I was fortunate to align myself with one of the SVPs who was starting a healthcare practice within the agency.  Both my parents and my older brother are clinicians, so there was this innate interest in joining this emerging healthcare marketing group. I quickly got plugged into client assignments across health systems, pharma, payer, policy work, and medical devices.  I’d say that diversity of work was the catalyst for my desire to learn more about how these disparate areas all worked together to deliver positive patient experiences.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?  

In the first few years of my career, I had the opportunity to work for incredibly smart, committed, and hands-on leaders. I was young and impressionable, and they were willing to help me learn, bring me into many c-suite and senior executive meetings and strategic planning initiatives.  It forced me to mature professionally very quickly, exposed me to higher-level thinking, and definitely shaped how I approach business. It also had a lasting impression on my management style.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Director of National Hospital Growth at PatientPing?  

At its most basic level, I am responsible for building and managing the team that sells PatientPing’s solution to hospitals and health systems across the country.  We have growth goals to hit and I need to make sure the team is organized, aligned, and ready to achieve the goals. More broadly, I have the responsibility of helping inform our cross-functional teams about market trends, customer needs, product opportunities, where we should prioritize/invest, and more.  

Any tips for someone considering a career in sales for a high-growth organization?  

Step outside the concept of a comfort zone - you can’t have one if you want to be successful in sales for a high-growth organization.  Ask questions and be studious. Absorb as much as you can. Be flexible, courteous, respectful, and live up to your word. Every customer is different, every opportunity is different, and it’s your job to assess those dynamics quickly, pivot where needed, take punches, and solve problems.  Always take full accountability. On our Growth team, everyone has a specific job to do. If you can’t get it done, no one is there to do it for you. Lastly, find your own motivations and stay true to them. Success is binary - you either got it done or you didn’t - so you need to find wins and celebrate them along the way, it’s the only way to keep energy and optimism while moving forward.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee, splash of milk. I generally stick to 1 cup a day.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

1. Building the team that’s going to win deals and build our customer network.  

2. Helping the team win deals and build our customer network.

3. Feeling the incremental progress each day that is contributing a much bigger mission.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

• I have 3 little boys, so everyday starts by 6 AM with someone jumping on me in bed.

• Once I’m awake, I’m on email and slack. I’m not really proud of that, it’s a bad habit. I prob do 10-15 min of work before getting out of bed.

• When I can, I try to sneak in a few miles on the treadmill.

• I live south of Boston, so I take the Commuter Boat up from Hingham. It’s some of the most productive time of my day.

• Once in the office, it’s a race, my calendar is filled with meetings that support the growth of our team and business. I consider my commute time my “blocked” time where I get an hour at the beginning of the day and an hour later in the day to catch up on any open items.  

• I try to sneak out of the office early so I can get home for dinner with my wife and kids.  This is one of the only non-negotiables for me. I’m going to get home to spend some time with my family and, at the very least, be a part of dinner and bedtime.  

• Read books to kids and get them in bed

• Hang with my wife - catch up - might be over a show, a drink, or a sports game on TV.  

• Emails and unfinished work before calling it a day.

Any productivity hacks?

There are no hacks to hard work.

What are the two apps that you can’t live without?

1. LinkedIn

2. Spotify

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I’m most proud of what we’re building at PatientPing. This is no small feat - engaging and connecting the largest and most respected health systems and the community of providers who help them care for shared patients. What we are doing is transforming healthcare and I’m so proud of that endeavor.

Colin Barry is the Content Manager on VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

Images courtesy of Nolan Kelly

What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Solutions Architect at Ordergroove? 

We connected with Andrew Magne to find out!

Click here for a list of job openings at Ordergroove!

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

The great state of Minnesota (winless in major sports championships since 1991). My dad worked in asset management and my mom runs a small company that produces custom apparel.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study there and what was your first job out of school?

I went to school at the University of Southern California and studied economics. My first job was at a sports marketing firm in their analytics/measurement division where we helped brands understand the return on their sponsorship spend.

How did you get into the tech industry and what brought you to Ordergroove?

I liked my job but was ready to move to a smaller company where I could have a larger impact. Ordergroove was included on a list of fast-growing startups in the NYC area so I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring. I didn’t have much in the way of tech experience beyond a few CS classes I had taken for fun in college, but I’m sure glad Ordergroove took a chance on hiring me.

What are the details in terms of your role and responsibilities as a Solutions Architect?

Ordergroove is creating a new category of commerce and my responsibility is to help support the technical side of our sales cycles as we bring new brands and retailers onboard. Our team strives to ensure our platform is a good technical fit for the prospective client as well as educate them on the features and functionality that will drive their success.

You’ve been promoted a couple of times since joining Ordergroove. What advice would you give to others who are looking for a rapid ascent in terms of their career path?

My advice would be to keep an open mind and be opportunistic when you see a match between a business need and your career interests. If you try to define a rigid career path too far in advance you may leave yourself blind to a role that would have been a great fit (this is as true for the company as it is for the employee).

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Cold brew on tap, please.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

If I’m on the road I’ll try to knock out as much work as possible prior to the day’s agenda, meet with the brand or retailer(s) on site, and cross my fingers for good WiFi on the flight back to New York. If I’m in the office, I’m usually meeting with cross-functional teams to determine the best technical approach to serve the needs of our current and prospective clients.

Any productivity hacks?

One good tip is to respond to each email or Slack immediately (< 2 minutes) or save it for a thoughtful response later. Don’t get stuck wasting 10 minutes deciding whether to respond.

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

First ever employee in my role at Ordergroove.

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

Beyond my teammates at Ordergroove, I’d probably have to say my mom.

Alexander Culafi is Producer & Editor for VentureFizz. He also edits and produces The VentureFizz Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @culafia.