Today, I’m writing my first blog post for Nimble—the first of what I hope will be many as I start my new position as Nimble’s content strategist and newest member of the marketing team, bringing our customers, prospects and enthusiasts practical, educational and entertaining information as we explore the evolution and emergence of social businesses.
I’ve spent the past few years with two small startups and one big company. I think I was one of the first ten employees at Assistly (a SaaS customer service startup that was acquired by Salesforce and renamed Desk.com) and the second on the marketing team. I got busy right away—launching our social media presence, editing our service-focused blog, and branching out to develop our product marketing process. Whatever I accomplished at Assistly—and subsequently at Salesforce—I learned much more than I contributed, working with a great team.
Assistly was actually the second startup where I wore many hats. The first was 1000 Markets, a clever online artisan marketplace, with a very dynamic community of creative people selling their original work in online shops. It was an inspiring experience to create and curate the best advice to help them run what we dubbed their “very small businesses.” At 1000 Markets I got the yen for connecting, celebrating community, and helping people get the information they needed to succeed.
I took to calling the artisans “my tribe,” and I miss them to this day. My favorite market was called “The Village.” The Village was a “real” virtual place where the members had a map with virtual storefronts, a gathering place where we met daily for coffee, and a village green where we held sales and events to engage customers. Such good times.
Over these past five years, I’ve witnessed truly significant changes, both in the world and in the world of business. But doesn’t it seem as if change is coming ever more rapidly? Advice and hot news from a few months ago is already out of date, and new technologies move into our lives as if beaming right out of a Star Trek episode. Case in point (see the photo above) it seems only a minute ago that I was 5 years old, standing at the head of the line to try out the fire hose, and now I frequently say I’m drinking from that hose!
Since I met Nimble’s CEO, Jon Ferrara, I’ve been impressed by his contagious passion about helping business professionals nurture deeper customer relationships and turn them into company growth. His latest venture, Nimble, and the philosophy it represents—helping business teams turn social conversations into customers via the strength of meaningful mutually beneficial connections—is the latest venture after his previous success with GoldMine, an early pioneering CRM platform. As always throughout history, people today are hungry to converse and connect, and there are more ways than ever to do that. More channels. More noise. More need for extraordinary tools like Nimble to help make sure those relationships remain vibrant.
I was honored that Jon liked what we were doing at Desk.com—providing thought leadership about the importance of customer focus—and honored that he wanted me to join his team. He’s asked me to bring a similar commitment to Nimble—to bring our audience the very best information about all the topics the term “social business” encompasses. I’m excited to take that on, with expertise from the many professionals who recognize and value the promise of Nimble.
I’ll be counting on our audience for help. What blogs and websites do you find most helpful? If you’re a thought leader or expert blogger with knowledge you’d like to share with our readers, let me know so we can add your voice. We’re also working to assemble a world-class editorial advisory board (announcement coming soon!) to ensure that we are your “go-to” resource—the blog you start your day with.
While I am sad to say goodbye to old friends, I am so looking forward to what’s ahead and can’t help but follow the lure of the unexpected around the next bend. So buckle up…the future awaits, and it’s going to be fiercely exciting.
Let’s learn together.
Alyson
P.S. Here are a few of the ways you can reach me. I’m a bit of a workaholic, so my door is almost always open. Don’t be a stranger!
