Time and again, we’re told that when life gives us lemons, we should make lemonade. And who are we to argue? It’s sound advice. Why wouldn’t we make something sweet out of what would otherwise be sour?
But something we might overlook while living by that well-known phrase is the one characteristic that makes lemons so eye-catching: the zest. It’s tangy and vibrant, and it encourages us to lead with energetic optimism.
At mobile commerce platform Tapcart, having a zest for life will not only get you far as you transform Shopify sites into apps, but it will lend to the Santa Monica-based company’s “sunny” culture. “Our team is filled with positive and genuinely happy individuals who are living life to the fullest,” said VP of Sales Ray Carroll, whose own optimistic energy is reflected in the bright future he sees for Tapcart.
As for the team at Ontra — a contract automation platform that streamlines legal processes by combining the power of artificial intelligence with a global network of lawyers — it’s the collaborative energy between sales, design, engineering and marketing that drives their most productive and successful campaigns.
That’s why VP of Growth Marketing Joseph Lee looks for qualities like empathy and humility in potential candidates as he builds out Ontra’s go-to-market team. “Empathy is caring for each other over and above the work at hand,” said Lee. “The result is a team that feels valued and enjoys being together.”
With growing go-to-market teams at both Tapcart and Ontra, Built In LA sat down to learn more about the culture that drives their work, the characteristics their leaders look for in candidates and the goals they’re seeking to reach in the next year.
What character traits should a successful candidate have to land a spot on your team?
Humility, empathy and transparency. Whenever someone asks what it’s like to work for me, I talk about these three core values as they’re both central to my leadership and what I look for when building teams.
Humility is being brutally honest with yourself about what you’re good — or not good — at and recognizing that we need our team to cover our weaknesses and accentuate our strengths. Thus, humble people are naturally team players. They celebrate each other’s wins and don’t see achievement as a zero-sum game.
Empathy is caring for each other over and above the work at hand. The result is a team that feels valued and enjoys being together. Teams that like each other stay together longer and work harder because they care about the success of each individual member of the group.
Transparency is over-communicating and making sure people understand the “why” behind the decision or the ask. When people understand the reason a decision was made — even the difficult ones — it builds trust and ownership. Transparency is what keeps teams together through difficult decisions.
Collaboration is ingrained in everything we do — from brainstorming and project planning to execution and analysis.”
What is the biggest priority for Ontra’s go-to-market teams in 2023, and why is it important for the success of the business as a whole?
Drive exponential revenue growth. This might seem like a simple answer, but I like to think we’re radically focused on the opportunity in front of us. As many tech companies are seemingly slowing down this year, Ontra has the unique opportunity to dominate a market and become the de facto solution for contract automation in private markets.
Our marketing team in particular has a unique opportunity to fuel the “exponential” part of the mantra. Great sales teams naturally drive linear growth. If your sellers have a quota of $100,000, you need to hire 10 sellers to close $1 million of business. Great marketing teams, on the other hand, are force multipliers. The right demand generation campaign can double or triple the productivity of your sales team; the right brand campaign can literally break your website from the amount of traffic it drives.
Finally, we can’t ignore the importance of account management and customer success teams to drive renewals and grow the amount that customers spend annually. Great salespeople secure a year or two of revenue, but the right CSM can drive many years of increasing revenue from the same customer.
How would you describe Ontra’s team culture in a single word, and why?
Collaborative. One of the greatest pains — and joys — of being a business-to-business marketer is that we cannot be successful without collaboration. As a marketer, I cannot execute campaigns without the talents of our designers, web developers and writers. But more importantly, I cannot actually drive revenue for a company without a sales partner to close the deal and a customer success partner to keep the customer happy. If I’m not driving revenue for the company, I become a cost center — and we all know what happens to cost centers during slowdowns.
Collaboration is thus ingrained in everything we do — from brainstorming and project planning to execution and analysis. Without it, we fail. This is why the most important qualities I look for in a teammate are the soft skills listed above. Hard skills are teachable, but character traits are difficult to instill in someone who doesn’t already have them. Compromising on those qualities for the pursuit of short-term gain is the quickest way to destroy a high-performing team from the inside.
What character trait should a successful candidate have to land a spot on your team?
We look for a couple of key traits during the hiring process, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to have a glass-half-full mindset. We optimize for candidates who have natural enthusiasm, positivity and zest for life. If you’re not excited about living every day to the fullest, it’s probably going to be difficult for you to influence and excite merchants in this market.
We also gravitate toward individuals who have a genuine interest in shopping, online commerce and the Shopify brands we represent. When you’re selling to your favorite brands every day, it creates an environment where you get to be around people and companies you love, and that makes the work we put in even more fulfilling.
We optimize for candidates who have natural enthusiasm, positivity and zest for life.”
What is the biggest priority for Tapcart’s go-to-market teams in 2023, and why is it important for the success of the business as a whole?
We’ve built a strong business by leveraging inbound marketing tactics and the reach of the Shopify community to bring thousands of merchants onto the Tapcart platform. As we continue to grow, we need to continue strengthening our outbound muscle and build repeatable and sustainable success by targeting larger brands with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual online revenue.
How would you describe Tapcart’s team culture in a single word, and why?
Sunny. We’re based in Santa Monica, California. If you notice someone that is wearing super trendy and fashionable clothing, I’d wager some of those pieces were purchased from a Tapcart customer. Our team is filled with positive and genuinely happy individuals who are living life to the fullest, and our future is bright!
