Top 5 of a 5th year anniversary.

On Feb. 2^nd 2006, exactly 5 years ago today I started working for a smaller software firm in Indianapolis called ExactTarget.  Little did I know at that time that I would be embarking on easily the most impactful journeys of my life.  As employee #143 I had little experience in that line of work, but was eager to learn and excited to be working for a young company that had opportunity oozing from every corner.  Of my starting class of 6 people, 4 still remain:  Nate Romance, Dusty Scott, Terry Smith and I. (not a bad retention rate!)   We are now four of a nearly 850 employee company that tends to grow at about 10 employees per month.   

Over the past half decade, my life has dramatically changed. I started this career having a family of 2 (my lovely wife and myself) and today we have two gleaming children, Topher and Grace. I have moved twice, owned 3 different cars, and have consumed approximately 2,600 cups of coffee. But one thing has remained consistent, my thanks for the job I hold. In honor of my 5^th year anniversary, I would like to try and help our HR department out by giving my top 5 reasons for loving my company, over the past 5 years. 

5.  Opportunity

Prior to ExactTarget, I was residing at a small 10 employee project management training firm on the west side of Indy.  Still fresh out of college and after a failed attempt to start up my own Coffee shop / Art Gallery I went to work as a web designer and office manager extraordinaire.   I won’t lie, my job responsibilities were 10% making sure the website looked and functioned well then 90% answering phone calls, being a receptionist, slinging coffee and ordering lunch.  Needless to say I jumped at the chance to get in any “real” operation and simply got lucky to end up where I did. 

 

At my time here at ExactTarget I have seen no limit to the possibilities of where I could take my professional career.  I have held four different positions since I first arrived, which tends to be the norm in our company.  With so much innovation and growth, new positions are plentiful, its simply a matter of identifying where you want to go and having the drive to make it happen.  I started in a marketing role, then into sales, moving to a sales leadership role and now am residing in our Channel organization supporting new and existing partners.   I still have lots to learn, and am confident that I have nowhere to go but up.  Thankfully I know that I will have much more opportunity waiting for me over the next five years here at ExactTarget. 

4. Travel

In the past 5 years, I have seen more of this country than I had in the previous 25 years of my life largely thanks to ExactTarget.  Being able to attend tradeshows to “man the booth” has been a highlight for me over the years.  It’s a chance to get out of the office, meet new people and spend some face time with the people that interact with our brand every day.  It also opens the door to experience the personal side of business that often happens after the event is over.  Whether it is hanging with Microsoft at a completely rented out ‘City Market’ at Universal Studios in Florida or telling our competition that our solution is better at the ‘Pure’ night club in Las Vegas, it is not surprising that some of my fondest adventures have come out of the different locations that I have travelled.    I have seen late nights in San Francisco and very early mornings in Jacksonville FL, and have loved nearly every minute of it.   I am sure I will see more of this wonderful country as time goes on, and who knows…since we just opened offices in London and Australia, maybe I’ll start setting my sights overseas!

3. Friends/Family

It truly is the people at ExactTarget that make the company great.   There are many organizations out there that can build sell, and support software but there are few who have the passion for doing it the way that the people at ExactTarget do. 

It is rare to have a place of work that brings with it such a close group of friends that soon become more like family.  I have experienced love and heartbreak at ExactTarget.   I have seen coworkers become friends, those friends become a “couple” and that couple is now engaged to be married later this year.   I have had the opportunity to be a shoulder to cry on when people are in hard times, and I have sought counsel from my friends at ExactTarget when I have been in need.  These people, who once were my co-workers and are now my closest friends carry with them more worth than any compensation package, they are friendships that are not bound by position or tenure…they are lifelong benefits that I will be able to take with me wherever I go. 

2. Personal Growth

Not only have I been able to grow professionally through experience, but ExactTarget also pushes us all to be better people.  I am honored to be part of the “ExactFun” committee whose sole purpose is to bring all ET employees in an effort to find a common interest and simply make work more fun.   I mean seriously, what better job is there where the company encourages its employees partake in happy hours, join Softball or play golf, go paintballing or join a running club.   As many of my close friends know, I didn’t start out at this company being social or athletic, these were skills that I obtained while I was here at ET (some would debate I have yet to learn any real skill on the basketball court).  I know that if I were sitting at my last job, still being an office assistant.  I would not be running, playing sports or enjoying life near as much as I am today.  And for that, I thank you ET. 

1. See History in the making

In the world of Software as a Service, not every company makes it past “start-up” phase, less of those companies make it to see the $100,000,000 mark, and even smaller still is the subset that make it to their 10^th year, which ET just surpassed.   It is not “optimistic thinking” that has driven ExactTarget to be a historic company, but rather the combined work and determination that everyone from the top leadership to every summer intern we hire.   I have been blessed to be a part of this organization for the past five years, and God willing I will be here for my 10 year mark and will be able to look back and be proven right that this is literally history in the making.