Elizabeth Okonji’s Post

This goes to a re-post from a couple weeks back. 'Sandbagging' & the post-poning of sales in Q4 to improve budget opportunities &/ or fiscal & performance results are practices that deserve negative scrutiny, especially when it comes to bonuses. Add the practice of firing or laying off staff in Q4 to better results. This is not Capitalism (even at its worst) but 'Corporatism' and as such the actions are not addressed by Governments, either through public policy, the Legislature, or the Judiciary. The rise in co-dependency of large corporations & Government is alarming.

Please review the following post to see if you can offer any guidance

What a perfect way to kick off a job search and gather together industry colleagues. Put yourself out there! #layoffs #layoff #laidoff #metalayoffs #amazonlayoffs #linkedinlayoffs #resume #resumetips #interview #interviewtips #unemployed #funemployed #careercoaching #resumecoach

***PLEASE READ*** In the wake of Brex’s recent restructuring, which led to the layoff of numerous talented sales professionals, I am reminded of my own past experiences. Once in their shoes, I too felt lost and full of questions during such a transitional phase. This personal connection deepens my commitment to helping SDRs who were impacted on my team. I want to introduce you to these remarkable individuals, each with unique strengths: Macy Morgan A fearless, coachable, and driven performer. Starting her career on a high note, she hit quota for 5 consecutive months, demonstrating exceptional talent. John Santos: Brings a blend of skill, maturity, and experience as a Sales Development Representative. His insights significantly enhance team performance. Michelle Buzbee : Our ‘culture queen,’ Michelle led our morale programs, infusing positivity and cohesion into our workplace. Hassan Moiz: Known for his humanity and coachability, Hassan has been a source of inspiration and growth for our team. Felix Yagudaev: Showcasing remarkable growth and hard work, Felix’s dedication to continuous improvement has been truly inspirational. These professionals are not only skilled and adaptable but have also been key contributors to my success at Brex. I am dedicated to supporting them in finding new roles where they can continue to thrive. If your company is hiring or if you are aware of opportunities that could benefit from top-tier sales talent, I would be honored to facilitate an introduction. Your support in helping these talented individuals during a pivotal moment in their careers would mean a great deal.

Hard to believe that this week marks the end of an awesome 6+ year adventure with Bullhorn… I had no idea that decision in 2016 to join a 4 person startup known as Fyre (not THAT Fyre, but with equally memorable lunches) would lead to being acquired twice, six global product launches, thousands of meetings with our Bullhorn team and staffing firms globally, more laughs shared and shot glasses raised than I could count (though my expense reports begs to differ), and the opportunity to have partnerships and friendships with some of the smartest and most genuine humans in the staffing/staffing tech ecosystem. Knowing I can’t thank everyone who truly deserves my public appreciation, and knowing there are plenty of you with bets on how long winded this post will be, I have to callout a few. Tim Arnold and Bill Peppler - thank you for the opportunity to be part of building a product that is a fixture in many staffing firms across the globe. Ted Soper - thank you for teaching a non technical, high energy, “can i ask one more question” guy so much about the art of the possible. Michael Restivo and the Bullhorn leadership team - thank you for creating an opportunity and then ultimately a team with the sole charter of being curious with and innovative alongside Bullhorn’s staffing partners. And finally, as I said in the all company email (that I might have meant to send to only the sales team distro list but hey… it was efficient)... thank you to everyone at Bullhorn that entrusted me with the opportunity to tag along in your meetings, ask your clients so many questions, and geek out with them about industry tends, data, and cool tech. Thank you Bullhorn for giving me an opportunity to have a seat on the rocket ship! I’m very excited to kickstart this new venture and very appreciative for those of you that have given your insight, guidance, and data already. More to come on what’s next!

“Did you test the demo?” “It always works,” I said. Famous last words. This was right before my app crashed in the middle of one of the biggest pitches of my life, and there was only one thing I could do next. Be honest. I was pitching to John Tarrant of WinnCompanies, one of the largest multifamily managers in the country. This was a major opportunity for our early invention in parking garage access. I got this meeting with John thanks to an introduction from a colleague. John had taken the intro and stuck his neck out to get me in front of key decision-makers, and my demo didn’t work. However, I owned it. I was direct and honest. I apologized and explained how the product was meant to work, and then we went out to dinner as planned. The opportunity didn’t move forward that day, but the honesty paid off. John and I remained in touch, and when Amazon Key launched secure delivery for multi-family properties, John was interested. He got me in front of his team again, the tech worked, and they decided to move forward! Today, John remains a valuable thought partner. When my team or I have a problem to solve, he picks up the phone and shares his insights. This experience taught me: 1) Careers are longer than any single pitch or deal. Maintaining relationships can lead to multiple chances to work with someone. 2) Earning trust is critical. 3) Test your product early and often. Have you ever had a pitch go wrong? How did you handle it?

Not going to lie this post feels very out of character for me... Last quarter was my first quarter off ramp... I was NOT pacing to hit. Honestly, about half way through April I had already started mentally preparing myself to not hit quota. All of the excuses were flooding my mind. "It's okay if I don't hit, it's my first quarter off ramp anyways." "It's still early in my career." "Most orgs in tech aren't hitting quota right now, it's not like I'm the only one." "I don't even like sales so who cares" ( I do but was obvi v emotional) Every feeling was being felt. I met with my manager Cody Bernstein 10 days before EOQ and told him that I didn't have a path to my number and that my biggest deal wasn't going to close. During that meeting, we pretty much came to the conclusion that even though I was roughly $40K away from my number with 10 days left in the quarter, there was still a chance that I could hit. All I had to do was change my mindset. Is my book of business perfect ? Fuck no Were all my deals falling through? Yes Is there a path to my number ? Nope Am I the best at running sales cycles ? Def not Can I still hit ? For sure The next ten days I worked my ass off and stayed optimistic, positive and changed my mindset to, "I'm not going to hit" to " there is no way I'm missing". 10 days later I ended the quarter at 103%. "Everything can change in a day". - Keenan Christian Lewis Don't give up.

Officially hit the 2 year mark at Zylo yesterday! 🎉 Can’t believe how fast time has gone since I started my journey here. I thought I’d reshare the story time of how I found Zylo! 📖 After I had Kenneth I was certain of one thing only and that was that my priorities needed to shift. I loved traveling the world and am a bit of a workaholic but late nights/long weekends meant less time with my little guy and that wasn't something I wanted. I started looking for a new role and there was one rule I made for myself - I WONT be a team of one at a startup. I was interviewing for jobs that focused on a tiny part of customer marketing. I was DEFINITELY not going to a startup. I will only work 9-5, use all my PTO and never check work on the weekend .. it will be great! As I interviewed I found a few places where I could easily fit into that box but the culture just didn't match. Enter Meredith Albertson ❤️ Meredith is the CMO at Zylo and someone I've looked up to for years. We've worked together in a couple of roles and she mentioned Zylo a few times but she knew I wanted my next role to be at a more established company. After months of interviewing and never finding the right fit, I decided to at least chat with her and the team about the potential role. Throughout the interview process everyone I talked to matched the vibe I was looking for AND a series B company that wanted to prioritize customer marketing? 🤯 pretty rare these days. I had one final 'interview' with Cory Wheeler (Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer) and knew Zylo was meant to be. Now I put interview in quotes because I swear it was more like a 1:1 where we started planning all the things we were going to do and not an interview at all. Like everyone else I met, two things were clear 1. The energy was contagious 2. Focus on customers first wasn't just a core value on a website, it's really how Zylo operates. And the rest is history! So yeah, I broke my only rule when searching for a new job but honestly I wouldn't change it for a second. Incredibly thankful that I found Zylo and especially to Meredith for not only bringing me here but supporting me as a working mom and a friend! Can't wait to see what the next year has in store for me!

This photo is from 5 years ago when I joined Brett Stubbs on his newest startup venture as co-CEO and before we got beat up by life 🙃 . Look how youthful and fresh we look! Our family painted that wall in our new office to match our business cards. Before that, I had always been a behind-the-scenes support - what some call a "hidden founder". Since Brett has worked from home the majority of his career, I was privy to all the ins and outs of his business dealings. The beauty and burden of working from home is instead of relying on co-workers between meetings, you turn to your family. Our kids as well have always known the complexities of start-up life on a deeper level. My role as a supportive wife and household manager, homeschooling mom of 5 children, and female consumer granted me the opportunity and privilege to learn about marketing, sales, and the small business/start-up world. I like to call my experience from before this role as my "life resume". The skills gained through the position of SAHM should not be undervalued. My naivety also played a large part in my willingness to take on this role 😉. Over the next 2 years, I would create an office space, interview and hire interns, speak and train at conferences, sell via live video, meet with investors, run company meetings, host sponsored booths, conduct sales calls, and more. It was an adventure that ended as abruptly as it started and we haven't been the same sense. But that's a story for another day... Fast forward several years and projects later, and we are launching something again as a family. Entrepreneurship has been part of our family culture since it began, and despite the ups and downs, it has exemplified the process of creation without sugar-coating it. An idea or dream can light a fire, but hard work, perseverance, ingenuity, faith, prayer, and humility must feed the flames. Here's to the next chapter. Stay tuned to follow our journey...

My partner and I launched CoLabs in May of 2023. We had just pitched our first potential client. He liked the sound of it, said yes and wrote us a check for $3,500. At that point, all we had was an LLC and an idea. Though it wasn't all smooth sailing, we committed to the business, put our heads down, adapted and started to grow it. Now, a little over a year later we've built the business to 18 long-term clients, all on monthly retainers, all very happy. What we didn't have when we launched: ➟ A Website ➟ Employees ➟ A perfect service model ➟ Pretty much anything else What we did have: ➟ An agreement ➟ A strong partnership ➟ Confidence from past successes ➟ Knowledge from past failures ➟ A good value proposition ➟ Grit and determination It takes a mix of optimism, honesty and determination to build something from scratch. Often, you have to adapt to the road you're on as opposed to trying to shape it yourself. It can feel like you're trying to punch through a brick wall sometimes. It ain't easy but damn is it satisfying when it starts to work. Our business model isn't sexy. It isn't particularly interesting to talk about and it's not new. It does provide a lot value to our clients and when you're valuable you're hard to get rid of. I'm lucky enough to wake up almost every single day excited to get going. Mondays just as much as Sundays. I think that's the formula for success, every day, equal. The payoff is worth the hardship but you have to strap in and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, launch that idea. Take some risks. Build something you're proud of. Life is short, go for it.