What’s it like to break up with one of the coolest Czech start-ups?
I woke up this morning remembering that I have a month left before I break up with @Keboola! I promised myself that I will not leave Pavel Dolezal & Petr Simecek high and dry and will find someone who will take over from me… so here I am, writing my first article so please have mercy with me :)
The past year and half I spent working for Keboola, a Czech start-up (if you can call it that after 8 years), who is disrupting the data world and helping companies connect their data in order to make valid, actionable business decisions. For those who never heard of Keboola or don’t know who Padak is, they are a bunch of data loving dudes (some may call them nerds :)) with a huge passion for anything data related. It all started when an ex colleague from my previous company contacted me out of a blue asking if I fancied helping him develop the market in Asia, where they had recently opened an office. I was a year into my maternity leave at that time and decided I needed to do something else apart from changing nappies and making strange baby noises, before I went loopy. Bare in mind, the average maternity leave in Czech Republic is 3 years and as much as I love my son, I was worried I’d loose half of my brain cells and go insane being stuck at home for that long. My husband took over the maternity leave and so it started….

From the day one I knew that this is not a typical company. Besides the fact that they had trust in me to work 100% from home, which is very rare in Czech Republic, they gave me the freedom to do things that needed to be done my way. First, I was responsible for developing business in Asia, then the UK, US, Czech & Slovakia on top. I did a similar job in my previous company, but I knew that this was not going to be an easy task. The reason I am saying this, is that we are not selling vegetables but a complex SaaS solution. The type of product that every company requires to utilise their data and which don’t have thousands of dollars and a dozens of staff to do this internally. The type of product that saves companies like CSC, Shazam, Mall Group etc. money, resources and makes their lives a lot easier… But companies are scared of change and love their processes, so to sell Keboola can take a loooong time (patience is a “must to have” in this job). It’s been a bumpy ride with ups & downs, just like anywhere else. LinekdIn has become my “partner in crime” and the main source of new leads. I’d use it to start the conversation with companies and then jump on a plane to London or head to Bratislava to meet them in person. It got to the point when my husband started to joke about me having a relationship with LinkedIn… many times waking up & falling asleep with it and getting excited every time I hear a sound of a new message coming through…you get the idea :)

Keboola’s founder Petr Simecek together with his business partner Pavel Dolezal also have young children and understand the importance of a balanced family/work life. They also recognise the importance of their employees’ lives outside the office walls and therefore are running the company in this spirit. They do everything they can to make sure that everyone is happy and this is something you won’t find that easily anywhere else… A slightly punk set up with no hierarchy, no processes (although some are needed :)) and a work schedule that fits around your personal life. What more could you want? Of course, this might not be for everyone.
Everything has to end one day and the time has come for me to pack up and move onto another challenge. Many of you are probably asking why I’m leaving this behind… I have asked myself that a hundred times, trust me! I am excited to start my new adventure and at the same time I am sad to leave such a driven and passionate bunch who’ve taught me a lot, but I am sure I’ll be hearing loads more about @Keboola in the near future!

As I wrote at the beginning, I promised myself that before I leave I will help find the right person to take on my role. This is an opportunity for someone to take over and keep engraving Keboola into people’s minds (and the companies budget :)). There’s no food vouchers, gym membership or company car, but what you get is far more valuable and important. I’m looking for a sales person based in Prague (ideally), preferably with experience in SaaS, a love for cloud and interest in anything data related. Someone who is not scared of a challenge and sees an opportunity in everything and everywhere. Someone, who doesn’t confuse home office with a bike ride or a day in the shopping centre. English is a must and any other language is of course a bonus :). I am not going to lie to you…it’s not going to be easy, nothing ever is, but this is probably one of the best opportunities you’ll ever have working for a company that is making a huge and positive impact on peoples lives!
SO, WHO’S UP TO THE TASK?