GET TO KNOW it can also result in your not understanding your customers ’ pain points , and the opportunities you have to help solve their problems . That ’ s how businesses go off track .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
Digital Transformation , without a doubt . It ’ s been talked about for years by big business but last year forced millions of businesses of all sizes to think about what it meant too , and to do something about it . Many are just scratching the surface of what ’ s possible and those that don ’ t go down this path may struggle to maintain mind and market share with customers .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
It ’ s evolving . I have two young kids and I try to make sure they come before anything at ActiveCampaign . Spending time with them gives me so much joy . Skiing is my favorite hobby and the rest of the family enjoys it too . I also love what I do and have enormous fun at work , so that helps as we navigate the continual ups and downs of a fast-growing business .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
A lot of people would say what if the potential of SaaS and customer experience had been recognized back in 2005 . Where would ActiveCampaign be if we ’ d scaled quickly in the first few years ? But I ’ m grateful for the first decade where we were a small team focused on really understanding our customers ’ needs and how to solve them .
We laid the foundation for ActiveCampaign , and that ’ s why we ’ ve been so successful as we ’ ve scaled within the last five years . Being an entrepreneur of some sort was always my game plan but not because I saw it as a means of making a lot of money , or owning a successful company . It was more about my wanting to create things and to pick what it was that I ’ d create .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ? experiences has also become a hot issue , in the wake of last year ’ s race to embrace all things e-commerce .
What are the region specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC ?
It ’ s not enough for a new market entrant to offer a tool for small and medium sized enterprises . You need to be providing ‘ recipes ’ and a game plan of how to get started . Without those things , you can have the best technology in the world but you ’ re unlikely to get much traction in a diverse market like APAC . And having a genuine local presence is so important . That ’ s why we set up our regional headquarters in Sydney and hired people who had expertise in marketing , customer support and education , and a deep knowledge of the region .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
ActiveCampaign is one of those overnight success stories that has been almost two decades in the making . Most of our growth has come in the past few years and that ’ s necessitated me handing off a lot of operational responsibility to my leadership team and taking more of a big picture view . Being grounded for a lot of last year made it a bit tougher to stay across our international operations but , as economies and societies continue to open up this year , I ’ m looking forward to getting back among it . Spending time with our people and talking to customers about the challenges and opportunities they ’ re facing post- COVID and how we can help them will be my priority .
What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
My advice is not to obsess over title . Instead , focus on what you find interesting and pursue that aggressively . Success from title , compensation , influence will all come . Don ’ t narrow yourself down too soon – seek out a variety of experiences because that ’ s actually helpful in any type of leadership role . It might lead to a nontraditional career path but it can also make for a more interesting and joyful journey to the top . p
Personalization is a big one . The technology exists but we ’ re now seeing more focus on democratization . That means making it easier for small businesses to get value from it , without having to spend big bucks that they might not have , and ensuring the personality and human touch of their enterprise isn ’ t lost in the process . Bridging the gap between in-person and digital
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