What gets you out of bed in the morning?
For some, it’s the promise of a steady paycheck and an engaging routine. For others, it’s the opportunity to socialize with like-minded co-workers and make a difference in their customers’ lives. But for many who work in the opportunity-rich tech industry, there’s an underlying common denominator: passion.
For Jono Krawczyk, product marketing manager at solar eCommerce company Demand IQ, it’s the ability to create real environmental change through day-to-day business opportunities that makes him most proud of his current role.
“I applied because I saw the potential to grow with a young but promising company whose mission was focused on solving an existential threat to the world,” he said. “I wholeheartedly believe that the only way to fight climate change is to find the intersection of business and environmental activism.”
Individual passion for daily work and long-term projects doesn’t just lead to career growth, increased engagement and better products. It’s also a unifier of teams, cohesively bonding employees to their cultural missions through the innovation they create together. In fact, according to a 2018 Gallup study, companies with engaged employees displayed 21 percent higher profitability rates — leading to bigger wins driven by zealous ambitions.
“Our team members are driven to succeed regardless of the challenge,” said Stephanie Brawley, senior director of video operations at Spectrum. “They are great communicators and respect each other’s contributions toward our shared goals.”
Built In Colorado caught up with Krawczyk, Brawley and five other Centennial State tech leaders to find out how their career journeys have evolved since first joining their organizations, what current projects are igniting internal passions and the ideal characteristics a promising new hire should possess. Looking to join a new team? They’re all hiring now!
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
During my job search, I was fortunate to connect with existing employees who shared that Spectrum’s journey was one of growth, internal opportunities, customer experience and a well-communicated vision forward. Spectrum was clearly a company that aligned with my values and goals, focused on delivering great products and services while fostering an inclusive culture. I was also impressed with Spectrum’s vast offering of broadband, video, mobile and voice products and its commitment to providing a superior customer experience.
Joining Spectrum has exceeded my expectations. The company’s dedication to delivering the best customer experience is extended to employees as well through mentorship opportunities, the ability to participate on targeted teams to learn new skills, and through opportunities to grow your career in the direction that is right for you. With the changing landscape of the world, Spectrum has been able to innovate and succeed for both our customers and our employees. It is a very exciting and rewarding time to be a part of Spectrum.
Hiring a diverse group of team players who can think outside the box improves collaboration, and having employees who offer new perspectives results in better products.”
When you’re looking to grow your team, what’s a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at your company?
My team is part of Network Operations, which is responsible for the consistent and secure delivery of our products and services across Spectrum’s 41-state footprint. We work in a fast-paced environment in which employees gain exposure to many aspects of the business, and creativity and innovation are key aspects of our success and top of mind when looking for new members to join our team. Hiring a diverse group of team players who can think outside the box improves collaboration, and having employees who offer new perspectives results in better products and services for our customers. Our team members are driven to succeed regardless of the challenge; they are great communicators and respect each other’s contributions toward our shared goals.
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
Leading up to my transition to Cured, I had spent many years working in product at larger companies learning from experienced product professionals. I was about to finish my MBA where I spent hours in the classroom learning from top professors, industry experts and impressive classmates. I wanted to take all the knowledge that I had synthesized and skills I had been practicing to an earlier stage company where I could make a critical impact. When I first started, I focused on defining the Beta launch, building out a roadmap and implementing processes to execute on that work.
Now that the team has grown and runs efficiently, I spend more time thinking about the longer term product strategy, working with product managers on their areas of ownership and collaborating with other pillars of the organization on selling, marketing and enabling use of the product.
Impact was the driving force behind my transition to Cured, and as my role has evolved my ability to make an impact has been amplified. At an early stage company, there is a ton of opportunity to take on exciting new challenges and make an indelible mark on the future trajectory and success of the organization.
I seek out candidates who are excited by the challenge of navigating through the discomfort of the unknowns and finding their way to a resolution.”
When you’re looking to grow your team, what’s a quality that you look for in candidates and why is it important at Cured?
When hiring candidates for roles on the technology side of the company, I always look for individuals who can demonstrate initiative. At a growing start up, there is often not a perfect match between the skill set of the current employee base and the next problem that needs to be tackled. I seek out candidates who are excited by the challenge of navigating through the discomfort of the unknowns and finding their way to a resolution. Cured places a high value on innovation and believes that good ideas can come from anywhere. We want contributors on the team who are passionate about coming up with novel solutions and willing to raise their hand to lead the effort and turn those ideas into solutions for our customers.
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
I discovered FRONTSTEPS when looking for a full-time management opportunity that would allow me the flexibility to work remotely. When researching a prospective employer, I like to research their current support operations. Most companies do not expose much, often due to their lack of investment in this area of the business. However, I was blown away at the resources that were readily available to FRONTSTEPS’ clients and displayed proudly on their website — not hidden behind a login.
From a knowledge base filled with up-to-date articles and courses, to a status page and case-generating web form, the support organization is a well-oiled machine. I immediately wanted to meet the people that created and supported this industry-leading portfolio. After my interviews, I wanted only this position with this company. I was inspired by the mindset and charisma of my interviewers and knew that I would only grow from being around such dedicated individuals. After joining FRONTSTEPS, my admiration of the business and its people has only grown. FRONTSTEPS is producing tremendous wins, eclipsing anything I have encountered thus far in my career. I feel very fortunate to be here.
I was blown away at the resources that were readily available to FRONTSTEPS’ clients displayed proudly on their website — not hidden behind a login.”
What’s your most interesting or exciting work-related challenge right now, and how are you overcoming it?
I am most excited about my current challenge to develop, refine and deploy our upcoming Premium Support offering. At FRONTSTEPS, we are rolling out a new tiered services program, geared at providing varied levels of support based on our client’s evolving individual needs. FRONTSTEPS’ success has always been rooted in our focus on our clients, our insight into their goals and the resulting shared vision we experience throughout our journey together.
My role at FRONTSTEPS is to deliver highly customized, proactive support to subscribers of Premium Plus, our ultimate service tier. Our beta testers have raved about our new Account Health Review sessions and case prioritization system. Meeting with clients and developing boutique solutions based on their needs has been very rewarding, and I am currently utilizing their feedback to refine the architecture of this new support model. I am thrilled for this summer, when we will be deploying Premium Support alongside several cutting-edge client experience enhancements. This is the culmination of our continued investment in our customers, and I am so thrilled to be a part of such an important initiative!
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
I originally applied to Demand IQ because of the potential I saw to grow with a young but promising company whose mission was focused on solving an existential threat to the world. I wholeheartedly believe that the only way to fight climate change is to find the intersection of business and environmental activism. After all, business is what drives the world, and I’m proud to be a part of a company that found a way to make a difference through a solution that businesses use on a daily basis.
Since starting, Demand IQ has grown significantly. It’s been a satisfying and rewarding journey to actively form the culture of the company through daily practices, goal setting and team bonding.
I’m proud to be a part of a company that found a way to make a difference through a solution that businesses use on a daily basis.”
What’s your most interesting or exciting work-related challenge right now, and how are you overcoming it?
The most exciting work-related challenge for me is truly understanding what the people who use our product want in the burgeoning industry of solar. The industry is so young that I don’t feel constrained by “the way things have always been done.” It’s exciting to feel as though the industry is a blank slate, which also presents the challenge of knowing what to build!
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
The company has drastically evolved since I started two and a half years ago in the very best way possible. We’ve grown from a company of 15 to a company that will soon be over 40 full-time employees. We’ve grown up in so many ways — we now have fully built out quarterly goal settings and review processes, regular employee engagement surveys and so much more.
Of course, things have also drastically changed in the past two years since we pivoted to being fully remote. This pivot was relatively easy to do since we were already a hybrid workforce with both remote and local employees. Now that we are looking to the future, we are excited about returning to our hybrid roots, as we can recruit the very best talent from across the country.
It’s a lot easier to take risks in your job when you know you won’t be criticized for it and, in fact, will be applauded for it.”
When you’re looking to grow your team, what’s a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at your company?
Our company spent a lot of time creating our core values. This creation process involved every person at the company, and we are really proud of them. My favorite part of these core values is that we always assume good intent, which is modeled in every way by our CEO, and filters down to everyone at the company. It’s a lot easier to take risks in your job when you know you won’t be criticized for it and, in fact, will be applauded for it.
So when we look to grow, we look for people who we know will carry on this good spirit, as it is something that is essential to our culture.
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
I applied to Cin7 because I wanted to join a successful growing company and expand my knowledge in the SaaS industry. Since I joined, I’ve been involved in many different facets of the company and my job has grown. Not only have I been learning more about our technology and the industry, but I have also learned about our amazing customers and why they need our software.
I believe that in order to do my job to the fullest, I need to understand why our software is crucial to our product sellers, and Cin7 does a fantastic job internally and externally telling that story. This has allowed me to be more involved with our community and understand their needs in order to help them be successful. I have also been involved with a lot of internal initiatives that have been expanding my experience with employer branding and ultimately helping me discover and learn more skill sets.
A major trait we look for when hiring at Cin7 is passion.”
When you’re looking to grow your team, what’s a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at your company?
A major trait we look for when hiring at Cin7 is passion. Here at Cin7, we have five values that we hold our company and employees to, and I believe that passion is one of the biggest values we consider when expanding our team. All of our employees have a passion for what they do on a daily basis. We all care about our customers and want to do the best we can to make sure we are allowing them to be successful in their businesses. Our senior leadership team is very passionate about the company, but also in making sure that each employee is updated and engaged with all of our goals, and making sure that they know what they do has a large effect on making those happen.
Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?
For my next role, I was looking for more responsibility and room for growth. I really wanted to join a team that was passionate, driven, positive and fun to work with. I’ve been so fortunate to get all of these qualities out of my team and my company. I have been able to take on challenges that have helped me level up as a product manager and complete tasks that have made me feel accomplished.
I have been able to take on challenges that have helped me level up as a product manager.”
When you’re looking to grow your team, what’s a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at your company?
When our team is looking for new teammates, I am looking for a person that is positive, optimistic, friendly, communicates well and is self-sufficient. These types of team members are conducive to our company culture and help us move the needle.
