Why I Joined TaxJar

Matt Grattan recently joined TaxJar as the VP of Sales. Matt’s experience includes 6 years at Avalara where he was responsible for building their eCommerce business from the ground up.

I’ve had a couple of friends ask recently, “Why did you join TaxJar?” During my tenure at Avalara, hadn’t I gotten enough of the scintillating world of sales tax automation?

Over my career, I’ve worked with established companies and startups. All of my roles have involved helping build new markets or launch new products. I have a passion for leading teams that are united around a common goal and doing things the right way. I’ve experienced success and failure and have learned from both, but have learned more from the latter. The one constant I know to be true is that it’s never about the endpoint or end goal, it’s all about the journey. And when you’re on that journey, you want to do it with people that you trust and enjoy working with.

Ryan Thompson, TaxJar’s CRO, is one of those people. We started working together to build a partnership for Avalara and Magento back in 2011. Working in the trenches, we laid the groundwork for a successful partnership but more importantly, a friendship that transcended business. Conversations usually covered our families, the current outdoor activity of choice and eventually we’d jump into the reason for the call. I remember telling my wife “that’s a guy I could go to battle with.”

So why TaxJar?

The world needs innovation and some fun

No one lists “sales tax” among their likes, but every company has a sales tax compliance requirement. Companies are continuing to evolve their business models, adding new channels to sell product and expanding their reach globally. Couple this with the ever-changing rates and rules of tax compliance and you have a real challenge on your hands. Solving this challenge through technology is the answer. TaxJar is a technology first company coming up with unique answers to complex problems, and having a lot of fun doing it. They also have really cool t-shirts that fully align with my personal belief in comfort first.

A growth market with increasing demands and a company on a mission to innovate that has cool t-shirts? Check!

Rarefied air

TaxJar is a young company who is making a real impact in the market. Almost doubling your customer base in one year to over 10,000 is amazing and enough to make anybody take notice. The company is executing across all functions leveraging a fully distributed model where efficiency is a way of life. We’re also challenging the old guard through a model that allows us to deliver a level of ROI to clients that is unmatched in the tax automation space. The product is a living, breathing solution that continues to expand, with an extremely aggressive release schedule to support changing compliance requirements and our growth into new markets. I’m building a team to support TaxJar’s growing demand in the mid-market and enterprise space, while calling on my experience to help us find new ways to add value to the community.

Lean and mean with a product that is continuously scaling to meet the needs of our customers? Check!

Customer driven

As part of my first few weeks, I spent a lot of time talking with TaxJar’s partners and customers. Of course, I got the common “we want more!” requests — everyone can be a kid in the candy store when it comes to wanting new functionality or enhancements. But I quickly learned how TaxJar listens to their customers’ needs and delivers above expectations. For example, our customers demand timely support, and consistently give us positive feedback on how support issues are handled. I’ve also gotten to see this first hand working in support for a week as part of my onboarding. (Seriously. Our support team jumps on new cases like a plate of Friday morning doughnuts.) I also spoke to CPAs who only recommend TaxJar for their clients, which is a big endorsement from an important partner channel. I even heard the word “journey” used a couple of times — by our customers who want to be part of our growth.

Lock arms, move forward and we’re in this together? Check!

Amazing team, amazing culture

Finally, and most importantly, TaxJar’s secret sauce is its people and the environment that the TaxJar team has established.. When people come together with common goals and values, they’re an unstoppable force. When they don’t, it’s a recipe that doesn’t work no matter how great the product or service is. From when I started interviewing, through my trial and now as an employee, I’ve seen firsthand how key values such as trust, transparency and always doing the right thing aren’t just something written on a wall somewhere to point out and admire — they’re in our DNA. There’s no room for opportunists at TaxJar, only people who are okay being themselves and doing what it takes to get the job done. Here’s a snapshot of our culture if you want to take a look: The Life at TaxJar Blog.

A team that is focused on moving the needle, day in and day out, with a core set of values that everyone follows? And Check!

I feel extremely privileged and excited to be joining this family. TaxJar is the fastest growing sales tax company in the world, but we have a lot more to do! I look forward to our journey…