This past Sunday my daughter asked me “Mommy, how work?” She is two-and-a-half, and going through a phase where she has too many questions and even more opinions, which is mostly fantastic and sometimes crazy. And that got me thinking, ‘How is my new job going?!’.

First, what is this new job? I’m HubSpot’s GM & VP of Service Hub, which means that I am focused on building and supporting the best organization to deliver the best customer service solution built on the #1 CRM platform for scaling business for our customers, and while I am at it, having fun and helping scale our culture. 

I’m nothing if not thorough, so, in order to answer my daughter’s question fully, I need to cover three different topics:

First, why I decided to take the opportunity to become HubSpot’s GM & VP of Service Hub. Second, my experience with the organization and business as I complete my first two months in the company, and third, what it was like going through our executive embed program (which is hands-down the most supportive and intent-driven onboarding program I have been a part of to date).

I’ll cover the first of these topics in the following blog post, the opener in a three-part series. My goal, at the end, is to paint a full picture of why a product leader with a focus on innovation and impact would choose to work at HubSpot.

So, let’s jump right in. Besides HubSpot being a scalable and innovative CRM platform, my attraction to the opportunity was driven by three factors:

People - Staying hungry but humble

People are the most important pillar of any organization’s success, big or small. As companies grow, people are also the biggest impediment to maintaining and evolving its culture. So, I have two personal rules: ‘Don’t hire someone who thinks they know everything about everything’ and ‘Work for and with people who are driven by both growth and impact.’ My experience with the people I interacted with during the interview process was incredible not only because they had a strong passion for what they were doing but also the willingness to learn from others who were bringing in a different perspective (but the same drive and determination). 

In my opinion, the combination of hunger and humility is what drives über-growth, and I could sense this combination in every HubSpot employee I interacted with prior to joining the company, no matter how much they diverged in other areas like skills, interests, and career goals. When an entire population adheres to these two ideals, then you know that these values are ingrained in the company's culture, which leads me to my second point.

Culture - Crafting the best culture, for the best people, at the best all the time

HubSpot has a relentless and candid focus on culture as a platform for innovation and evolution. We aren’t just building a company where good people do good work, we are building a company and a culture that future generations would be proud to be a part of. 

For example, there is caring about social injustice and racial inequality, and then there is caring from the HEART about these issues. Opening up a dialogue and providing a platform where people can be their true selves is unique and appreciated. The investment in culture goes beyond just diversity in hiring, and there are continual and targeted efforts to foster inclusion and belonging. HubSpot knows that equality is not just a milestone, but a journey that each employee and leader is willing and eager to take. 

This focus on culture as an instrument of change was well-aligned with my core values of envisioning an equitable future and creating opportunity for the next generation of leaders. The thread of an equitable culture was one of my biggest drivers to join the company along with building products that customers love. 

Products - Building easy to use and easier to love products

I firmly believe that the job of a good product is to absorb complex business processes and customer problems, and in turn present a simple solution. I also firmly believe that not many enterprise products do this singular job really well. However, HubSpot has been able to uniquely position itself in the industry, where these products aren’t just easy to set up and use, they are easy to fall in love with.

At HubSpot, every product has an unmet customer need associated with it, and that focus on customers being our true advocates and guides struck a deep chord with me. 

The ways in which we build and scale our products deserves its own space and time so I will cover it more granularly in my next blog post.

In summary, each decision in your career is unique, and it comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges. For me, it was a decision about good people, great culture, and lovable products, and a hope and desire to support and scale them.

Looking forward to diving into my next blog post soon ⁠— in the meantime, connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter to continue the conversation!

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