Changing Spaces

My dad used to tell me that you must create big dreams for yourself and to swing big. Please pardon the “sportsball” analogy, but this 4th of July weekend I am swinging big. I recently took an interesting pivot in my career. After 9 years working in healthcare, I accepted a position for two companies in the Internet of Things section of technology. Ironically, at the end of 2015 I was named the number two voice in healthcare by LinkedIn. My latest goal is to completely immerse myself in tech, learn a lot, document my journey in this field and become one of the top tech writers in 2016 and beyond.

Shifting Gears

If you have ever started over in a new industry mid career, you know the challenges of learning a sector of business from scratch. If you are in marketing or any creative field, you also know that you most likely have a valuable skill set, which can be applied to any industry. The two companies that I work for currently are BuLogics and StratIS. Marketing is about telling great stories and there is a wealth of material with these two companies, their executive team, and the talented engineers. By spending time with our CEO and Founder and CTO, I was quickly able to realize that the vision for these two companies is very large and it is something that is very inspiring. In a short time I am already feeling passionate about what they have created.

A Marketing Director’s Toolbox

Every marketing director must rely on different sets of strengths to tell the story of their brands. For myself, writing is my strongest tool. I have been writing ever since I can remember. At one time I thought I would be a reporter, even focussing on journalism in school. As I moved from a weekly newspaper to various types of magazines, I realized my true passion was not being an editor but was indeed marketing. When I figured out I could use writing to sell people on ideas, concepts and businesses, it was that moment when I realized that for me changing industries is not as scary as it is for many. My skills can transfer from any company to any industry. Of course, I can’t rely only on writing. A good marketing director has to have a strong mix of social media marketing, email marketing, list building, campaign strategy, design, PR, comprehension of analytics, video, web management and so much more.

A Lingering Love Of Healthcare

While it is nice to have a clear chalkboard, I still love healthcare. It’s such an important industry for all of us and the future health and wellness of ourselves and our families. Some of the most passionate people I have ever met were the team that I worked with in wound care and I can’t wait to watch them to continue to innovate that industry. It’s a great field and smart healthcare is crucial in the IoT, in order to create smart cities around the globe. Perhaps there will be crossover opportunities for me in the future that I can’t even dream of yet.

Why Writing Is Key For The IoT

I am coming into the Internet of Things with blind eyes, just as I once entered the field of healthcare. Clearly, I am not an expert in this field, how could i be. But that also gives me a tremendous advantage. I can view problems, pain points and challenges with a fresh set of eyes. I get to bring in perspectives from other industries that I have worked in. At BuLogics we partner with top Fortune 500 companies to innovate wireless smart products and bring them to the marketplace. There are countless stories to be told here and I am so excited to get started.

Our company StratIS provides remote access and energy management to MultiFamily properties, currently in 40 states and growing very fast.

As I am writing this I got a message on Slack from a team member that in the past 24 hours we have had 3 million user interactions on the StratIS platform. Those are incredible numbers and we are excited about what we are working on next.

What I Need To Do

In order to accomplish this goal I am going to have to listen and read a lot. You don’t just jump into a new industry without finding out who the experts are. I am looking forward to connecting and networking with some of the talented tech writers who have been covering this field for decades. I will also need to find lots of time for writing. I also need to slowly migrate my LinkedIn and Twitter followers from largely being healthcare people to Tech and IoT. If you are new to reading my stuff and work in the IoT, MultiFamily or other areas of tech, send me an invite to connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jamesccalder

Why I Will Be A Top Tech Writer

I worked in traditional publishing for about 10 years and understand what makes a good story.

Most importantly, I want to give and leave an impact.

I also know how to leverage the mass media to find a greater reach for content. I love to use platforms like my LinkedIn blog, Medium and my Huffington Post blogto reach audiences. However, I also want to reach out to new magazines and blogs and reach even more people who are interested in smart technology.

I can already tell that some tech stories are too complicated for wider audiences to understand. Tech snobs might be fine with this, but if we want smart technology to be adapted by the masses and we want them to use smart products, live in smart homes and expect smart cities, we must reach out to them in a way that they can consume.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. Follow me on Twitter for updates @jimmycalder