I will start this off by saying... Yes, if you are looking at my blog and thinking, 'wow this guy never writes' then you are halfway correct. It is true, that yes I do not typically set aside specific time out of my day/week/month/etc to write blog posts. It is great and I am by no means downplaying blogs, I just have a hard time sitting and thinking of what to write. This is why I typically only write a longer post when there is a significant change in mylife, the rest of the time, I find everyday occurrences are sufficient in 140 characters or less. So with that said... now you can probably guess that I am writing about a significant change that does not fit into my tweets or facebook status.
[If you don't have time] to read all the details right now-
The abridged made-for-tv version of this post is that after much consideration I have decided to pursue a new career that will allow me to further my skills and experiences in field sales and marketing. There you have it.
[If you do have more than 30 seconds], please continue reading.
It all started in September 2009, when I moved from Burlington, VT to Boulder, CO to work for a small startup company called Filtrbox, that offered a social media monitoring software.
Just when I was beginning to feel settled-in and adjusting to life in Boulder, Filtrbox was acquired by Jive Software in January 2010.
Jive Software is a leader in the social business software for the enterprise. The small Boulder-based startup social media monitoring software was a perfect fit to integrate into Jive's collaborative online communities. The new acquisition provided an opportunity for the software giant to connect employees and customers with social web engagement.
At Filtrbox, I was part of a two man sales team. We tag-teamed deals and wore many hats, including sales, customer service, training, consulting, support, and the list goes on. After the acquisition by Jive Software, we became part of a larger team. My new role in sales support allowed me to work directly with the inside reps and field reps. This gave me great insight into how things work with enterprise based software.
I worked with some of the best individuals in the enterprise software sales industry. Throughout my time at Filtrbox and Jive, I have learned not only about how enterprises work, but about technology and social software. The experience was unmatchable compared to any I have been exposed to. I would not trade these experiences for anything. With that said, everyone comes to a point in their life where they are ready to take the next step. For some, that next step might be into a new role within the same company. For others it might be a similar role at a new company. And for some, it might even be a completely new and different role.
Recently, I have accepted a position with a local Boulder spirits company, 303 Vodka. This is very significant change from supporting an enterprise software sales team.
303 Vodka will allow me to further my career with a different role as a Field Sales Representative. This position will allow me to have face-to-face interaction with clients, which caters better to my outgoing personality.
Also, since 303Vodka is a family-owned local Boulder, CO business, and I will be assisting in spreading the brand virally throughout Colorado. I am very excited for this new sales and marketing opportunity promoting a local brand, and will be using the knowledge, skills and experiences I have learned in
the past year.
This is a significant change not only in my career, but in my daily life. It is a bittersweet change, as I am an advocate for Jive Software and all that it stands for. However, I saw a new opportunity calling my name and decided to take it. I think 303Vodka will be a great change that will allow me to be out in the field, interacting with people face-to-face on a daily basis, and I look forward to be part of another successful company!
With that said, I am closing out this week as my final week with Jive Software. Next week marks the start of my new career with 303VODKA.
