Archives for July 2019

It’s Independents Week and we’re celebrating by profiling successful entrepreneurs within the Salesforce community on the 10K blog. Follow along with us at #IndependentsWeek and #GoIndependent as we give a peek into each person’s journey to independence, lessons learned along the way, and advice for others who might be interested in joining the thriving Salesforce ecosystem. 

Ines Garcia
Agile Coach | Salesforce MVP

Tell me about your business.

I launched get:Agile to help organizations achieve an agile mindset. My mission is to demystify this concept and help my clients implement agile — using Scrum framework and Kanban elements — within their own Salesforce ecosystem. 

The name it says it all: Get Agile!, I’m helping organizations to become more agile whilst delivering Salesforce.

Why did you decide to start your own business?

Coming from business transformation background, as I became more enmeshed in the agile mindset I realized there was a real need to help businesses better embrace this concept especially within the Salesforce ecosystem and not only within development teams but across organizations. This process benefits the bottom line; in fact, adopting and becoming more agile has been proven to increase productivity.

In 2006 Salesforce made the switch from a waterfall approach to agile in order to improve productivity within a growing global engineering team. With that switch Salesforce increased productivity by 38 percent and major releases were completed 60 percent faster!

But as I assessed the industry, I was disappointed by the mass confusion or misuse of the agile concepts. Release dates were being missed or delayed, products weren’t being adopted to market, frustrated teams. I decided that enough was enough and that was time to have a wider impact on the Salesforce community. 

What advice can you share with others who might be thinking about embarking on a similar path?

Don’t do it for the money. In today’s market demand there isn’t much of a difference (at least in the UK and if set as limited company) and brings another layer of activities for one to do like raising invoices, having accounts up to date, expenses, insurance, pensions, medical cover, lead generation, etc.

Now, if there is a deep reason you want to do so, go for it! The Salesforce market has high demand for talent. Being an independent consultant gives me the flexibility to be able to support the community in so many means that I wouldn’t be able otherwise.

Also, take advantage of advice from successful members of the Salesforce community. For example one of the initiatives I support is the The Mentorship Central, a group within the Trailblazer Community that matches mentees with mentors. You’d be amazed at how many people are willing to share their experiences, lessons learned and advice to new folks interested in leaving their job to start a new exciting adventure. I am very focused, of course, on trying to help my mentees embrace agile mindset not only within their work but in life, as I believe and have seen the positive impact it can have.

What are the best parts of being a business owner? And what is the hardest part? 

Working for myself gives me the flexibility to support the community in the depth that I do, as well as the flexibility on how I do business.I conduct my business in a very honest and direct way and I hand-select the clients and projects that I work on. And because of my honest counsel I am able to directly see the impact I had on the organization. 

The most challenging part of being an “independent” is that there is constant change, uncertainty is all around us. But that is a good thing, it keeps you on your toes and grounded. We (as is the companies we work for, products, and the market) are constantly changing. Kaizen, a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices, personal efficiency, etc., is my motto.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice from the future, what would it be?

I’m leaving you three last pieces of advice, whatever your journey is:

1. Value Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools;

2. Value Customer Collaboration over contract negotiation;

3. Value Responding to Change over following a plan.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our series this week celebrating “independents” within the Salesforce ecosystem. Read our previous posts from the week:

• How to go from admin to entrepreneur from 10K Advisors CEO Nick Hamm

• Why all successful entrepreneurs should have a “make your own lunch mentality”

• Why finding a mentor within the community is the key to success

• How to assess your appetite for uncertainty

It’s Independents Week and we’re celebrating by profiling successful entrepreneurs within the Salesforce community on the 10K blog. Follow along with us at #IndependentsWeek and #GoIndependent as we give a peek into each person’s journey to independence, lessons learned along the way, and advice for others who might be interested in joining the thriving Salesforce ecosystem. 

Michael Gill
Co-founder of CloudAva

Tell us about your business. CloudAva is a technology solution provider focused on helping enterprises of all sizes adopt technology to achieve business success. My wife and I founded the company about ten years ago and named it after our daughter, Ava, who was born around the same timeframe as the launch of the company. 

Our goal is to help enterprises of all sizes with their digital transformation, specifically within the Salesforce ecosystem. Our consultants are skilled experts who understand how to best integrate existing business systems with the cloud in order to reduce and control IT costs and increase sales through enterprise collaboration and social technologies.

Tell me about your “road to independence” – what was the process like? 

My wife and I met while working at NetSuite, our former employer. After the company’s IPO quite a few things had changed culturally — as they often do. We were on the cusp of having our first child and we realized that we wanted to have more control over our decisions and our schedules. 

Admittedly, we had a bit of a rocky start. We had initially planned to focus on NetSuite integrations given our previous work experience. Our first customer was unhappy with the NetSuite offering and was frustrated with its limitations at the time. We ultimately converted the customer to Salesforce and then recognized the significant opportunity that the Salesforce ecosystem presented. Now most of our business is centered around Salesforce integrations and development. 

What advice can you share with others who might be thinking about embarking on a similar path?

First, you have to know your appetite for uncertainty. Starting your own business can be scary, especially if you have a family to support. It’s essential to have money in the bank as a buffer.

My other bit of advice is to start operating as a business — especially where financials are concerned — as quickly as possible. 

What are the best parts of being a business owner? 

The best part of working for myself is being able to control, to an extent, the type of work I accept and the clients I work with. I approach my client relationships with brutal honesty. The Salesforce community evolves so quickly that it’s imperative that businesses work with experts who are knowledgeable, understand their business needs, and aren’t afraid to give fearless council even when the advice is not what the client is hoping to hear. I’ve found that my most successful client engagements are those who trust my expertise and want my honest advice. 

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice from the future, what would it be?

Salesforce is an app-centric ecosystem. AppExchage has made it relatively easy for companies to create a revenue stream. I wish I would have invested time and energy into building a product for AppExchange that would allow me to leave my mark on the community.

Stay tuned all week for more advice from successful  “independents” within the Salesforce ecosystem. Follow along with the series to learn:

• How to go from admin to entrepreneur from 10K Advisors CEO Nick Hamm

• Why all successful entrepreneurs should have a “make your own lunch mentality”

• Why finding a mentor within the community is the key to success

It’s Independents Week and we’re celebrating by profiling successful entrepreneurs within the Salesforce community on the 10K blog. Follow along with us at #IndependentsWeek and #GoIndependent as we give a peek into each person’s journey to independence, lessons learned along the way, and advice for others who might be interested in joining the thriving Salesforce ecosystem. 

Jackie Teravainen
Founder of Logical Consulting

Tell us about your business. 

Logical Consulting Group (LCG), is a woman-owned small business specializing in CRM software implementation and training, business process improvement, and sales and operational strategic planning.

I have worked with a diverse array of commercial and government clients since 2003. I love listening to clients’ business needs and challenges, then building a technical solution that adds value to many different roles in a variety of ways. 

Tell me about your “road to independence” – what was the process like?

I started my consulting career with a “Big 5” consulting firm, working exclusively with the DoD and amassing 10 years’ experience with more than 15 strategic Navy and Joint commands. This really allowed me to gain invaluable skills in business analysis, software development, project management, strategic planning and, most importantly, client relations.

In 2010, a former customer reached out to me for some follow-on work. I was surprised he remembered me since the initial implementation was years ago, but he recalled my technical abilities, admired my work ethic and knew I already possessed the industry knowledge needed. The catch was that he wanted me, but my current consulting firm wasn’t interested in the business. The encouragement from my client and the confidence in knowing I could deliver good results allowed me to take the leap. 

Very early, I realized the parts of consulting I liked most were the genuine relationships with my clients and the ability to get a job done well without the administrative and bureaucratic burdens associated with working at a big firm.

I supported this customer on my own time for a while and it led to more clients asking for my services on that same platform. Through this network, I landed a sizeable project, which allowed me to quit my job and jump in feet first to being my own boss.

About four years into my independent career, I was introduced to the Salesforce ecosystem and began honing my skills exclusively there. Having worked with many different software platforms, Salesforce appealed to me; it was easy to use, made my customers more effective and seemed to have an immediate impact on the bottom line. 

What advice can you share with others who might be thinking about embarking on a similar path?

Don’t underestimate the importance of mentorship. I had other business owners encouraging me to take the leap; teaching me business skills and demonstrating that success was indeed possible. Find people in those roles and ask them as many questions as possible. You’ll find they are always willing to help you along in your journey. 

What are the best parts of being a business owner? And what is the hardest part?

I love having the autonomy to make the decisions that I know are best for my customers. And my customers are my future. My client base is comprised of repeat or referral customers who work with me because they are confident in my knowledge of their business, my proficiency with the technology, and my honest and open communication style. 

My definition of success is being able to maintain work-life balance. Running my own successful business, advising CEOs in their businesses, mentoring others, being present within my family and personal life – all these things are important to me. And I am remarkably more effective now. 

On the other hand, the hardest part of being an “independent” is when things go wrong, you must drop everything to give the problem the attention it deserves. Balancing everything on my plate can be quite challenging. There are so many decisions to make when considering the company’s future, such as knowing when to take on another client (or separate from one), whether to hire support, and how to approach growth.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice from the future, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for a fair rate from your customers for your services.

Stay tuned all week for more advice from successful “independents” within the Salesforce ecosystem. Follow along with the series to learn:

• How to go from admin to entrepreneur from 10K Advisors CEO Nick Hamm

• Why all successful entrepreneurs should have a “make your own lunch mentality”

It’s Independents Week and we’re celebrating by profiling successful entrepreneurs within the Salesforce community on the 10K blog. Follow along with us at #IndependentsWeek and #GoIndependent as we give a peek into each person’s journey to independence, lessons learned along the way, and advice for others who might be interested in joining the thriving Salesforce ecosystem. 

Phillip Poskus
Founder & CEO at
Quantum CRM Solutions, LLC

Tell us about your business.

Quantum CRM Solutions is a Salesforce consultancy firm focused on implementations, custom development and coding, and anything tangential to the broader Salesforce ecosystem. 

Currently Quantum CRM Solutions focuses on helping our customers maximize their investment in Salesforce by designing tailored solutions for each company and successfully managing the implementation project to deliver impactful results. We’re also working on a few ideas to elevate our offerings via an app that will be available on AppExchange – keep an eye out for that in the future. 

Why did you decide to start your own business? 

I guess you could say I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit — my first gig was in elementary school drawing Power Ranger pictures and then selling them to friends and family for fifty cents each. I made $1.50 off of that venture. That job turned into a yard management business throughout my teenage years. I’ve always had a “make your own lunch” mentality – if you want something done, you have to put in the effort.

I worked for my former employer – a Salesforce consultancy – for about five years and the energy around this industry was palpable. The Salesforce ecosystem is booming and talented professionals are in very high demand. I had been thinking about starting out of my own for a few years and finally decided to take the leap. I’m so glad I did.

What advice can you share with others who might be thinking about embarking on a similar path?

First, and most importantly, determine the minimum revenue you need in order to keep the lights on, food on the table, and maintain a decent quality of life. Once I determined that number I realized it was much less than I had imagined it would be. Seeing the number in writing took quite a bit of stress off of my shoulders in those early months. Remember that the benefits of being an “independent” — pride of ownership, loving what you do, and having control over your destiny — are what’s most important. 

Secondly, find a project management tool and use it, even if it’s as simple as the tasks feature in Gmail. I relied on far too many hand-jotted lists during my first few weeks. There will be many business tasks to manage, from doing the actual work that has to get done, to the business side of things.

Lastly, if you’ve done the research and you’re comfortable with the potential risk, just believe in yourself and do it.

What are the best parts of being a business owner? And what is the hardest part?

There are so many benefits to being a business owner. I love having the freedom to run my business and manage my time the way I see fit. It’s an exhilarating feeling to see my hard work result in success, recurring business, and happy customers. 

The hardest part is the exact corollary to the best part. If you’re passionate about your work it’s easy to mess up your work/life balance. I am naturally a competitive person and will often try to push myself to get one, two, or three more tasks done. Before I know it, I’ve worked a 14 (or more) hour day. I often remind myself not to forget to enjoy the benefits of being my own boss.  

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice from the future, what would it be?

I waited several years to take the leap and was only able to do so once I asked myself what I needed to do to be truly happy and what it would take financially to get to that place. If I could go back and do it over again I would have come to that realization sooner. 

Stay tuned all week for more advice from successful  “independents” within the Salesforce ecosystem. Learn how to go from admin to entrepreneur from 10K Advisors CEO Nick Hamm.