This week on behind the scenes with Florence we’re chatting to Lewis, the man to go if you need to know something specific about one of our products and he’s also available to drum at your party!
1. Who are you and what do you do at Florence?
I’m Lewis and I’m a business development manager for our software services, Florence Rota and Florence Academy.
Day to day it’s very dynamic, the majority of my role is based around building relationships with prospective clients. I’ll do some cold calling, I’ll also chase up warm leads that come from the Marketing department and some of our other sources.
Demos are a huge part of my job, any prospective clients for either Rota or Academy, I’ll give them a full demo of the service and have an open and honest conversation about where they’re at. Then identify what their needs and pain points are and look to solve it with our solutions that we have.
2. What made you want to join Florence?
I’ve always worked for big companies before, I spent five and a half years with Enterprise Rent A Car, a big corporate setup.
I wanted to join a startup to be able to have a more hands on role, somewhere I could make a direct impact.
I think Florence and the nature of what they do and joining a startup at this particular time was very attractive. I aligned with the values that they have so that was my motivation I suppose.
3. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
That’s a tough question. I have three, they all came from my mentor in Brisbane.
- Understand delayed gratification
- Control what you can control
- Relax; most people would kill for your "bad day"
4. What’s your favourite thing about working at Florence?
I love the culture and I think there’s two parts to that.
The first one is the working culture, everyone is very driven and open-minded so if you need support anyone is willing to help in the business, we’re all working towards a common goal. When you work for a large company there’s lots of sub cultures whereas with Florence everyone appears to be heading in the same direction which I think is fantastic.
The second part is the social culture is amazing, we have All Hands regularly which means I’ve been able to go to London a few times and I'm going to Belfast soon to meet with our new clients.
5. What’s the biggest challenge Florence is facing at the moment?
I think the biggest challenge is competitors and the industry. It’s very densely populated with small agencies who might be poor quality but cheap. I think that’s a huge thing.
Also, resistance to technology and change from the more traditional Care Home Managers. This will naturally fade out but that’s a big factor at the moment.
6. What’s a fun fact about you that might surprise us?
I play drums in a covers band. We mainly cover rock and indie, like The Beatles, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and lots of pop numbers as well to get everyone dancing!
7. What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking about joining Florence?
Do it!
I think if someone is looking at joining it means they’ve got an inclination to join an industry that needs support at the moment.
You can make an impact and also grow within the business as well as growing Florence.
8. Where do you see Florence in 5 years?
It’s funny you ask that, I’ve said to Dan and to Charles that my goal is to help get Florence to float on the stock exchange. I said to Dan we’ll do that in three years, so that’s my goal!
If you want to join a company that’s got a great work/life balance and where you can grow within your role then Florence is the place for you! Check out our open roles here.
