I had an absolutely fantastic job! I was following my passion for music, was making decent money, and led a team of 75 eager experience creators. I had the opportunity to get mentored by the best in the industry and dreamt of starting a festival of my own.
Don’t get me wrong, Vancouver has some of the best festivals in Canada - shout out to Fvded in the Park, Breakout Festival, and Contact Music Festival but I wanted to bring in more to the mix, perhaps an Afrobeats or Reggaeton festival.
I was successful. Though, I would constantly hear from my friends that I had reached my “peak”. That scared me, I was 25 and I refused to believe this was everything life had to offer. Definitely, a half-truth because I realized I was just in my comfort zone and had to make a conscious effort to try new things.
I knew I had relevant experience within marketing to guide others. So I made a bold decision to small a consulting group.
I began offering my expertise to small business & early-stage startups and advised them on how to scale their business. This was an excellent way to keep myself engaged and try something different. My unorthodox non-tech experience was a surprising hit and I was able to consult 15 companies in 2 years with an ROI of over 425%.
FYI also a great way to have a steady flow of passive income.
Then 2020 hit, and of course, everything came crumbling down. Knowing no festival was going to happen for the foreseeable future and the consulting work declining, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to continue exploring. I was always fascinated by the Tech industry ever since my time at university, so thought it would be interesting to break into the space.
Vancouver has some amazing tech startups such as Hootsuite, Trulio, Klue, and Thinkific - you should definitely check them out.
I aggressively began to job hunt, network, and do some cold outreach. I landed a couple of interviews but wasn’t feeling the connection. I continued my search until I came across Sendinblue. A European MarTech, looking to build its brand narrative in North America.
A leader in the digital space, wanting to take risks and open to experimenting with new marketing strategies -felt like a great fit.
It was a rigorous interview process where I presented to the regional CEO, CMO, and VP branding on how I would build their go-to-market strategy and brand expansion. They were opening a new office in Toronto and wanted a brand evangelist who could be hands-on.
Did I mention we also raised $160M in a Series B funding round four months ago?
Since I started in this role, I have executed over 32 campaigns, with our Local Business Support Program being my favourite so far. Given how the digital landscape has changed considerably within the last year, this program allows businesses to fine-tune their online presence and effectively engage their communities.
It’s important to know ideas are easy but implementing them is hard. Being a B2B business we have to be strategic and follow metrics that give results but at the same time, we have to make an impact that is long-lasting. I had never imagined I would switch industries since I was so invested in music. However, I am glad I did! I guess that’s the beauty of life and one must always be willing to change.
For those of you eager to work in tech, reach out. I strongly believe tech is the future and one of the most rewarding industries if you are driven and hungry to learn. Never shy away from reaching out and always stay updated on trends.
Here are a few resources that could guide you to break into tech or start your own company:
Who knows maybe one day I’ll have my own tech startup.
Dream big, take risks, don’t wait!