Shortly before joining Fivetran as a business development representative (BDR) in 2020, a few friends and I founded an airport food-delivery startup. We launched not long before the pandemic struck, so it’s on hold. But running my own company and my prior experience as a recruiter was the perfect training ground for Fivetran. 

At a fast-growing startup like Fivetran, it’s essential to be a self-starter and proactively find ways to improve your process. Similar to starting your own company, you’re constantly tasked with taking on new challenges and it’s crucial to leverage your resources.

Though I’m still early in my career, several key lessons have already made a huge impact on my career. 

The power of an entrepreneurial mindset  

Many of my colleagues possess an entrepreneurial mindset. They’re accustomed to solving problems on their own, taking ownership over projects and tasks. Whether we’re brainstorming outbound strategies or looking at tools to up productivity, everyone shares ideas and is willing to contribute to ensure the greater team improves. 

Coaching is also a core element of talent and leadership development, especially within the sales org. Because of that, people feel empowered and are expected to freely give and receive feedback and support to stretch each other’s thinking. I’ll never forget reviewing my first pricing negotiation call with my manager. Being new to the AE role, there was a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. Rather than immediately pointing out what went wrong, my manager seeked to understand my thought process for why I took the approach I did before providing his feedback, and the reasoning for his recommendations. My manager’s approach to providing me feedback, not only made me think critically about my strategy, but more importantly showed me that it’s okay to make mistakes because those are some of the best learning experiences.

Find a company that prioritizes employee growth & development 

People are always growing, and businesses are always evolving. I’ve learned how critical it is to find a company that has great training and development programs in-place, and rewards their employees' success with future career opportunities. 

For BDRs, this is especially relevant and important.

Sure, the position is an excellent gateway into the tech sector, but BDR work can be extremely challenging. As a BDR, you’ll learn how to deal with adversity, balance competing priorities, and be at the frontlines of understanding your company’s product-market fit. 

During the onboarding process at Fivetran, managers spend an adequate amount of time to make sure BDRs can articulate the value behind the product. This can involve running one-on-one coaching on how to become an effective listener or role-playing a real-life scenario. Also, the right tools and clear guidelines are provided to us, so we can efficiently and effectively go after potential leads - eliminating tedious or redundant tasks that can be a huge time burden. 

With the right support and training, I was able to succeed in the BDR role and was able to understand where I wanted to progress my career. The great thing about working for a company like Fivetran, is they give you the option to explore opportunities beyond the sales team - I’ve seen it happen quite a bit at Fivetran when colleagues have moved into customer success, sales and other departments. 

For me, I was in the BDR role for a year before I became an Account Executive. There was never a perfect equation to finding success, but I’m fortunate to work for a great company that fosters an environment of continuous learning, and provides everyone a great opportunity to grow their career. 

We’d love to hear from anyone interested in joining Fivetran. We’re hiring for dozens of positions across all departments and regions. Check out our careers page to learn more and get in touch.