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Don ’ t be afraid to take some risks . In order to climb the ladder , you have to go all in on your skillset and be comfortable with evolving yourself .
on the line , month after month , quarter after quarter , to deliver results . templates and crafting the campaigns . Once you send the message , companies are lacking the insight into whether their messages are hitting the right folder in the inbox or delivered when they ’ ll be most likely to receive engagement . It ’ s crucial for businesses to not only be in control of email open and engagement rates , but every major point of conversion in the email ’ s life cycle , which is something you only find at Pathwire .
What are the region-specific challenges when implementing new technologies in North America ?
Entrepreneurship lifestyle isn ’ t that different – if you can find the right people to build your team with . One reason for the success of Pathwire was that we learned how to give hard problems to smart people who are humble enough to bring them back for inspection or outside eyes . This has allowed us to ‘ divide and conquer ’ while still ensuring speed doesn ’ t come at the expense of feedback . One person really doesn ’ t need to know all the things about all the things ; you need to play people to their strengths and apply the feedback loop . It is probably the only way I would have gotten here .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
For Pathwire specifically , we are heavily focused on investing in the best-of-breed technologies for every stage of the lifecycle of email . We have found that it ’ s a lot more difficult to get an increase in ROI when we only use one mechanism . An organization ’ s email capabilities affects everyone on the team – from the sysadmins in charge of incorporating the API to trigger emails like password resets to simple notifications , to marketers in charge of capturing email addresses , building the
When implementing new technologies in North America , you have to keep in mind compliance laws within the varying states and across the globe . GDPR , CCPA and now the CDPA present a bit of a conundrum for companies . Even if you are not operating out of the specific region , your customers might be , which presents some challenges .
For companies just starting out , scaling systems can be a double-edged sword . Leaders have to know when to make the points of evolution and not simply invest in go-to-market strategies . Understand the balance of when it is okay to use industry standard solutions to grow your business , or if it is time to bring in a thirdparty vendor such as Salesforce to take you to the next level . This can be a challenge because if you wait too long , you can stunt your growth . If you invest too early , you are taking on more of an expense .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry ?
Don ’ t be afraid to take some risks . In order to climb the ladder , you have to go all in on your skillset and be comfortable with evolving yourself . Evaluate what you can bring to the table to decide whether you should aim to obtain a C-level position within an existing company or start your own , because they are two completely different skill sets .
There are people who are excellent at growing within a company , but that didn ’ t feel like the right fit for me . I knew that I had to take the big risk and break out on my own . Luckily , I deposited myself at the right place , at the right time , with the right people and became comfortable learning new things on the fly . Anyone who has that appetite – starting your own business will be the most satisfying way to do it . It will cost a lot , so make sure it ’ s something not just you , but the people around you , are willing to pay . If so , find the smartest people you know and start the process of failing forward until it works . If you choose the other route and decide to work within an existing company , learn your speciality and run with it . p
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