Your Custom Text Here
I've been doing a lot of culture interviews lately.
SalesLoft is growing at a crazy rate, but hiring people means participating in a lengthy interview process, from call screens to sending email questionnaires to filling out assessments to speaking in-person. And hiring the right people means doing even more interviews.
Read more
Made with Soul in Atlanta. Switchyards. | PHOTO: Jason Seagle
Hello AlyintheATL Land!
Happy to stop by for a short visit. Aly was kind enough to introduce me before hand so no one would freak out when I showed up. It’s weird when you expect the norm and abnormal arrives instead.
As you may know, I’m Shannon Kroll — director of Root City Market, an Atlanta-based pop-up market focused on creating community through shopping local.
Read moreThe streak had to end sometime, y'all. After eight months in a row, I finally had a scheduling conflict to cover The Consumer Show. (And it's the TechStars Edition! I know, I know. I'm sad too.)
Fortunately, Switchyards is full of amazing people doing amazing things, and one of them, Shannon Kroll, is willing to help me out. She'll be guest-posting here with her own take on the monthly recap, so keep an eye out at the regularly scheduled time (usually the Monday after, unless Jason Seagle's rushing me).
Read more
I hate standing in lines. It's inefficient (even if you're lucky enough to be in a place that uses a serpentine line), and all I can think about is what else I could be getting done. And one of my least favorite times to wait in line? When I'm shipping a package.
If you've ever shipped a box of Christmas presents, you've been there. If you've had to return an item you purchased online, you've been there (let's not even get started on the lies around "fit as expected" clothing). If you use eBay, you've been there. If you're a small business or out-of-your house consumer-facing venture (hi, Etsy sellers!), you've been there, too.
Read moreThe other day, I watched a startup founder who was actively looking for funding cut a VC off mid-sentence and walk away.
Read more
The Consumer Show at Switchyards: It's a "real" good time. | PHOTO: Jason Seagle
I know, I know, you think I'm late. It's really not my fault — usually I write the recap for the Consumer Show the weekend after, and wait for Jason Seagle to post his brilliant photos on Monday-ish so I can borrow them (with credit, of course). But he got all motivated this time and pushed out the photos on Friday and I got all flustered and now it looks like I'm late even though I'm actually on my normal schedule. Jason's just early, y'all. I'm ... just gonna blame him for being industrious and making me look lazy. (Hi, Jason!)
SO anyway. I know what you're here for. On to the Consumer Show!
Read more
"Oh, you know, just keeping a rainy-day reading library upright in my spare time." ~ WonderWoman Bookend Lady, who also works on her Product Management skills in her spare time.
It's been nearly six months since I moved from Client Success to the Product department at SalesLoft. I learned a lot in the first 30 days alone, but the next 150 days were a blur of discovering how different methodologies work, what user experience research should look like, and of course working crazy-hard to deliver new or improved features to our clients.
Because I'm a writer at heart, I thought I'd document this journey, all of the ups and downs and what-the-heck moments, and share it with the world. Maybe it'll help someone else. It'll certainly be good for a laugh later!
Read more
Switchyards Downtown Club is a "members-only gathering place to accelerate learnings, build beautiful products, and be around the consumer startups creating the future of Atlanta." | PHOTO: Jason Seagle
If you read my blog and haven't found your way to Switchyards or an installment of the Consumer Show yet, what are you waiting for? I write about this every month, people. You know where it is, and you know how awesome it is. Get yourself to downtown already. It's where all the cool kids are.
PSA over. Let's get down to the pitches!
Read more
Singer-songwriter Adron performs at the Aug. 13 Good Gracious show. PHOTO | Ann Packwood Photography
One of the things I truly love about Atlanta is all the little hidden gems that pop up when you're in the right place at the right time.
A few weeks ago, the two correctly intersected for me at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce: I caught an old-fashioned variety show with a theater-junkie friend of mine (after prying her away from her Dragon Con costume prep ... hi, Alyssa!).
As someone who grew up on "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, the Good Gracious variety show sounded right up my alley, but I had no real idea what to expect. I told Alyssa so. She came anyway — like I said, she loves her some theater — and we were both blown away by how amazing the show was!
Read more
The Consumer Show: Bringing entrepreneurs together and selling out for two months straight! | PHOTO: Jason Seagle
I was going to open with the fact that this was the second sold-out Consumer Show in a row (which it was), but turns out that it was also the last of four sold-out events in a row, counting the July Consumer Show and the last two "On Doers" episodes into that total. Clearly, Michael Tavani and Dave Payne are doing a lot of things right with Switchyards events.
If the awesome videos and previous recaps aren't enough for you, sign up now for the September Consumer Show to catch it in person before it sells out, too!
Read more