From the time we begin walking and talking, we're asked what we want to be when we grow up. Although our answers at a young age typically run along the lines of, "astronaut," "police officer," or "doctor," it's clear that we're pushed to know our life's destiny from as early as we can remember.
At age six, I wanted to be a cupcake baker — vanilla ones with pink frosting only, of course. Over the years, my career has taken me from aspiring cupcake baker to elementary school teacher to what I am today: Director of Customer Success at Scout RFP.
I started my career at Scout as the first sales rep (and seventh employee) back in 2015, generating leads and cold calling as quickly as my fingers could dial. As I grew within my role – and my company – I transitioned from pre-sales to account management, closing a few deals along the way, and now I run the Customer Success department for Scout.
It's a winding path, I know, but sometimes it takes time spent on different experiences to help you land where you're meant to be. I am confident that I wouldn't be in my current position, supporting a team that serves over 100 enterprise customers, if it hadn't been for all the other positions that led up to it.
For example, I discovered how much I love coaching and supporting others when I taught elementary school, and found my entrepreneurial spirit through cold calling and learning to gain prospects' trust. I loved selling to and connecting with prospects, but knew that the relationships I was building were too valuable to me to pass off when a meeting was scheduled. These realizations formed a clear direction for me and led me to my current position in Customer Success. Now, my team and I build relationships with prospects and customers on a daily basis and provide them with the support they need to be successful in their own jobs. I oversee an energetic, growing team that I'm fortunate enough to support and guide, and I am able to incorporate my love of sales into everyday conversations as I coach my team to secure upsells and renewals.
Scout is a place that not only accepted these career discoveries, but it encouraged and supported them. It's here that my various strengths and interests converged; it's here that I found my niche. It's exciting to be part of a company that is growing so quickly, but it's even more exciting to be part of a company that wants its employees to grow professionally in tandem.
So, to other people with winding career paths, I have this advice: Embrace it — and find a company who feels the same way. After all, it takes at least a few tries to get anything right, and your entire career and life plan are no exception. Enjoy the journey!
