This is more or less what I've settled into as a rough script when asked this question in interviews.
"We begin with my time in retail sales management, as AGM for Teavana. By the time they offered me my own store, I knew I didn’t want to be in retail for the next part of my journey, so I stepped down and finished my degree in Holistic Psychology.
My internship at a 501c3 nonprofit called Strongwater Therapeutic Equestrian Center, was all about connecting people with different abilities with horses. They hired me to be their Volunteer Coordinator before I graduated! By the time I left, our new Director had tripled our program size, and I’d grown our volunteer pool to match, from about 35 burned-out but dedicated folks to over 300, and I was organizing and scheduling about 90 volunteers weekly.
Now keep in mind, this is nonprofit we’re talking about, so I was doing full time work for part time pay and holding up to three other jobs at the same time to sustain myself. Eventually, that needed to be just one job.
So I pulled out my toolbox from retail management, volunteer coordination, effective people strategies, events, etc. and realized I had all the right tools to support me in Office Management. I focused my efforts there, and began a six-year journey in managing operations, vendors, facilities, staff, internal communications, etc. for primarily SaaS-based startups sized 30-225, on both coasts of the US.
That brings us to 2020 and the Pandemic initially settling in on the West Coast, when I was laid off from my most recent office management role, managing all aspects of our 48ksqft downtown SF headquarters. I felt very strongly that I needed to find a way to do social good, so I co-founded my first LLC, Tell Me More Gifts in June 2020 and were able to begin paying artists by Fall 2020. We built TMMG to be a small business, and we continue to run it on the side as a hobby.
When it was time for me to take my toolbox out again in 2021 and give it a good shaking, I had a lot more puzzle pieces to work with. I took my time figuring out what pictures I could make out of all these new parts, initially considering returning to ops management remotely or generalist roles.
The strengths I want to focus on next are my passion for collecting data, feedback, and insights and converting them into stories that are easily understood, while collaborating cross-functionally and building diverse relationships...Ideally while also developing/innovating curriculum to support the growth and education of all.
That all leads me directly to Customer Success, which is why we’re here today!"
This is more or less what I've settled into as a rough script when asked this question in interviews.
"We begin with my time in retail sales management, as AGM for Teavana. By the time they offered me my own store, I knew I didn’t want to be in retail for the next part of my journey, so I stepped down and finished my degree in Holistic Psychology.
My internship at a 501c3 nonprofit called Strongwater Therapeutic Equestrian Center, was all about connecting people with different abilities with horses. They hired me to be their Volunteer Coordinator before I graduated! By the time I left, our new Director had tripled our program size, and I’d grown our volunteer pool to match, from about 35 burned-out but dedicated folks to over 300, and I was organizing and scheduling about 90 volunteers weekly.
Now keep in mind, this is nonprofit we’re talking about, so I was doing full time work for part time pay and holding up to three other jobs at the same time to sustain myself. Eventually, that needed to be just one job.
So I pulled out my toolbox from retail management, volunteer coordination, effective people strategies, events, etc. and realized I had all the right tools to support me in Office Management. I focused my efforts there, and began a six-year journey in managing operations, vendors, facilities, staff, internal communications, etc. for primarily SaaS-based startups sized 30-225, on both coasts of the US.
That brings us to 2020 and the Pandemic initially settling in on the West Coast, when I was laid off from my most recent office management role, managing all aspects of our 48ksqft downtown SF headquarters. I felt very strongly that I needed to find a way to do social good, so I co-founded my first LLC, Tell Me More Gifts in June 2020 and were able to begin paying artists by Fall 2020. We built TMMG to be a small business, and we continue to run it on the side as a hobby.
When it was time for me to take my toolbox out again in 2021 and give it a good shaking, I had a lot more puzzle pieces to work with. I took my time figuring out what pictures I could make out of all these new parts, initially considering returning to ops management remotely or generalist roles.
The strengths I want to focus on next are my passion for collecting data, feedback, and insights and converting them into stories that are easily understood, while collaborating cross-functionally and building diverse relationships...Ideally while also developing/innovating curriculum to support the growth and education of all.
That all leads me directly to Customer Success, which is why we’re here today!"