We’re excited to share our latest alumni interview with Meghan Berke! After joining our team as an outsourced business development associate in August 2022, Meghan joined her client’s team at the turn of the year. Now that she’s had some time to adapt to her new position, we caught up to ask about her journey with Bandalier.
Beginning with Bandalier
Meghan joined Bandalier ready to learn. She had plenty of experience in hospitality and wellness, but she was ready for a new type of challenge. Thanks to her past as an entrepreneur, she knew she was interested in sales and marketing. She also knew what type of role she was looking for: she needed space to grow, and people who would support her growth. Looking back, Meghan says:
“Bandalier was truthfully what needed to happen for me. Because of the opportunity for mobility, education, training – this was all essential for me to connect those dots. I was almost there, but I needed Bandalier to be the thing that just … connected all those dots.”
After returning to school and earning her degree during the pandemic, she started exploring the world of tech. Her first step was to attend as many interviews as she could. Like many of our team members, she started off in a common “catch-22: you need the experience to get the jobs, but you need the jobs to get the experience.” According to a recent analysis of 3.5 million entry-level jobs posted on LinkedIn, 35% of entry-level roles required multiple years of experience in the field. On top of that, finding the right remote role for yourself can be challenging. We’ve heard from a lot of our team members that sifting through open roles can be tough. In Meghan’s experience:
“It’s very scary – be diligent, do your research, and trust your instincts. You want to make sure you’re landing somewhere stable. There’s a lot you can tell by talking to someone, despite the separation of being virtual.”
Meghan’s hard work paid off. Over the summer, she found Bandalier. After completing our interview process, Meghan dove into Bandalier University. She absorbed as much information as she could and kept asking questions. Her strong performance made it easy for us to pair her with one of our new clients. They needed talented people to help them build out their sales team. Much like Meghan, they were well-versed in the beauty and wellness space, preparing to build new connections. Joining GlossGenius was a perfect match for Meghan.
Growing into Business Development
As someone new to sales, Meghan had some lingering nerves as she stepped into her new role. She quickly realized that she was in the right place:
“I had to trust, and put some belief into this, but as soon as Bandalier hired me, I was very excited to be paired with my client. It seemed like a very good fit for me – which was one of my fears moving into the tech space. Where was I going to fit? Is it all very technical? Is this right? Where’s their place for me? I knew this was my opportunity. I needed to hit the gas pedal and go hard if I wanted to prove my performance, gain that education, and then get over there.”
Meghan put the pedal to the metal. She leaned on her old skills and kept learning new ones. Her Program Manager, Brenden Gorman, helped her hone those skills. After a few weeks of learning the ins and outs of her new role, she figured out a flow that worked for her. After only a few months in her role, she was so successful that she broke our gong form!
Graduating from Bandalier
With so much accomplished in so little time, Meghan’s client was excited to hire her directly. It was time for her to move on from being an outsourced business development associate. After moving in-house with GlossGenius, she found even more joy in her work:
“One of the things I love so much about this is these two worlds colliding. The folks I talk to are artists and wellness practitioners, first and foremost. But then they need to be able to run their business and be entrepreneurs. We get to come in and make that connection for them, help these creative people be practical, and keep doing better. It’s wonderfully rewarding, and very fulfilling – also challenging, and exciting.”
Our team was thrilled to see Meghan take the next step in her career. It’s always tough to lose a great team member, but we love seeing our team pursue new opportunities. As Meghan and Jeremy wrapped up their conversation, Meghan offered her best advice for folks who want to follow a path like hers:
“It sounds cheesy, but follow your heart, and follow your passion if you want something. I didn’t know I wanted to be in sales in the beauty and tech space. I knew I wanted innovative, ethical organizations that were supportive and bottom-up. I knew I needed training. Stick to that vision, and know that you’re doing the best you can for yourself. Don’t give up – there’s a place for everyone. This is a very exciting time in terms of moving from service to the tech space. I always wondered, ‘Would my skills transfer?’ and they do. Everything that you know and who you are and take with you, it does transfer out, and it does translate. Be brave, be honest, and be truthful to yourself. There is a space – there’s always a place for all of us.”
We couldn’t have said it better!
