In June 2014, after a really bad
week at work I was heading to Chicago for a much needed girls weekend and,
while at the airport trolling through LinkedIn job postings, I came across this
one:
It immediately caught my eye
(obviously since I took a screenshot of it with my phone) and I started the
magical "what if” journey of potentially applying. I was so convinced it was the right move that
I told the girls about it that very night over too many bottles of wine on
Lyndsey's humidity wrapped roof deck.
However back in the sober cold
reality of San Francisco I realized that I had none of the experience (10% at
best of the required skills) and actually really loved my job at
salesforce. In the end I decided not to
apply. Therefore it only seemed like
fate when 6 weeks later I was contacted by a recruiter I trusted and loved
about the very same position and was talked into throwing my name in the
hat. And even crazier, I kept on making
it to the next round of interviews all the while being completely honest about
my lack of experience. I told Martin
that if they offered me the job I had to take it. It was the next logical move from a career
perspective and I wanted to take a company public. This role seemed to fit both perfectly.
And so in September 2014 I left
the job and team I loved to become the Corporate Controller of DocuSign. In the past two plus years I have learned the
ins and outs of accounting from processing accounts payable to collecting money
from customers. I rolled out a new
payroll system, closed the accounting books 24+ times, went through two
year-end audits with full responsibility of the numbers. I learned the various
accounting processes and systems and how difficult life can be when those
processes and systems are not automated or effective. I learned international
tax laws, filed state sales and use tax filings, expanded internationally,
acquired two companies and managed a team of 18 remotely in Seattle and 5 in
San Francisco. I spent my time mentoring
my staff, building a new team and transitioning those out that weren’t
performing. I built relationships and a
huge support network both inside and outside of the company. It was amazing.
But I also routinely worked 60+
hours a week, missed too many dinners (with Martin calling me at 8 pm at 8
months pregnant telling me I had to come home and get some rest). I travelled every
month to Seattle and felt the brunt of the thankless job that accounting can
be. I was, at various points in time,
the AP manager, Payroll manager, Revenue manager, GL manager, AR manager, Tax
manager in addition to the corporate controller. And as such, I was approving all POs,
invoices, journal entries, payrolls, and tax filings... And I was burnt out.
And so with a new baby at home and
the need for work life flexibility (because let's be honest work life balance
is a myth) I decided to change my career plans and head back to salesforce...
because while taking a company public would be awesome, it is no longer
something I need to do to prove I am a smart, talented or accomplished person. And while I loved seeing my team grow and
develop, I was ready to step back and have a more limited scope of
responsibilities.
It was an amazing opportunity,
one where I learned countless new skills (both accounting based as well as soft
skills and survival skills). I built an
incredible team and loved everyone I worked with. But it was time.
Thank you DocuSign for the
adventure, I am truly excited to see what you accomplish as a company in the next
few years! And to salesforce, I am coming home!
