Packing up your bags and moving to another country is never easy, but that didn’t stop Sean Poe, Sales Manager at Beyond. He moved from his home country of the UK to Barcelona and quickly found his way into the short-term rental industry.
“The way I got into this industry was really by chance. A few years ago I was working for Google but realized I had never lived anywhere outside of London. At the time, a certain referendum happened in the UK, and I thought it was a ‘now or never’ moment to see if I could settle in Europe. So I packed my bags and moved to Barcelona. I quickly realized that it was a booming hub for tech start-ups, particularly for short-term rentals (STR),” said Sean.
Starting at Beyond as an Account Executive in February 2021, he quickly grew into the Sales Manager role where he now leads a team of Account Executives operating in multiple European markets. In our latest Going Beyond blog post, our series that aims to show what it’s really like to work at Beyond, we spoke to Sean and learned more about his experience at Beyond and how he grew his career.
How did you get to Beyond?
When I first moved to Barcelona I started at another tech company in the STR industry that provided an operations management platform. I loved it, it was a great introduction to the sector. During my two years there, I kept hearing about Beyond and bumping into Beyond employees at events and tradeshows, and it was clear that something really special was happening at Beyond. I kind of clicked with those people I met (we all know tradeshows have their fun side!) and really liked the culture Beyond had. After hearing about Beyond’s expansion into Europe and their plans to grow their Barcelona office, I put some feelers out and landed an Account Executive position. When I first started, I really liked how small it was in Europe at the time – compared to it being the recognised leader in the US. The growth aspirations on our side of the pond were outlined clearly, and the opportunity to help grow the European sales force was super exciting!
What has been your career path at Beyond?
When I started as an Account Executive, the team was still growing in Barcelona. I loved the ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach that’s needed in a growing org. I credit that as the reason I learned very quickly how to be successful in my role and I wanted to pass along that knowledge as the team grew. So, the logical next step for me was to see what I could be doing to help develop and onboard new team members - new joiners came at a rapid rate as we kept growing and becoming more successful.
As our team got much larger and our ability to support multiple European markets was accelerating quickly, the opportunity came up for a Sales Manager role. By then, there were a few different options on the table for me though, My manager recognized my contribution very early on and was always very open with me. Every conversation was more about what was right for me and my goals. I felt very supported. We had a lot of conversations about what was next for my career at Beyond, and what I wanted to develop into. It was clear that the Sales Manager position was the right choice
So, I went through the interview process and was promoted to the position. Throughout this whole process, I really appreciated that my career growth at Beyond was the key area of focus. There was genuine care to ensure I got the right role because it was the right role for me.
What is your leadership style with your team?
I hope for my team that I can be their go-to source for career growth at Beyond. Ultimately, I’m responsible for enabling my team to perform at their fullest potential. It's about finding out what people want to do and helping them do it – everyone has different needs and goals. For some, it is about career development and growth. For others, they want to be the best they can be in their current position. Whatever their motivation is, I feel a huge responsibility to find and use it to help keep them engaged, motivated, and satisfied with their time at Beyond.
Why is learning & development important for employees?
Learning and development are hugely important, for myself and for my team. For myself, the fact that I was able to grow was because of the importance of learning and development at Beyond. Not only does Beyond emphasize hiring from within, but making sure that you are prepared for the next step.
For my team, it’s hugely important because I want to give them the opportunity to explore growth for themselves. Whether that looks like growing into another role or becoming the best that they can be at their current position. I want to gather any knowledge I’ve procured and pass that along to them.
And on that note, the cross-team collaboration at Beyond is something that is really important and it’s something that you do not get at most companies. In addition to many internal resources, I feel empowered to ask anyone at the company a question and with that collaboration comes so many insights from every other team. We capitalize on that at Beyond and it’s really beneficial.
What is the best thing about working here?
My favorite part about working at Beyond is genuinely the people. In our European team, about 50% are remote-first. However, everyone fits into the Beyond culture and we all feel that we’re all on the same team. There are certain things you look for in a career, like a salary or type of company, but it’s the people who make it worthwhile.
Our Going Beyond series aims to pull back the curtain and show what it’s really like to work at Beyond. Our five core values provide structure for our company decisions, interactions, and work: We Care, We Go Beyond, We Are On The Same Team, We Inspire Trust and We Ship It. If these values resonate with you, then you belong at Beyond too. Check out our careers page for more information and to see open positions: https://www.beyondpricing.com/about/careers
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