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For this edition of All Things Upside, we are excited to feature a member of our Sales & Accounts team, Bradley Spears. Bradley recently rejoined the Upside team after a brief absence, and we are excited to welcome him back to the team! In this Q&A session, Bradley shares more about his time as an Upsider, starting a new job during a pandemic, and what motivated him to rejoin the Upside team after stepping away.

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Upside: Can you tell us a little about your Upside journey, your role and current responsibilities?

Bradley: My Upside story is pretty interesting. I actually started working at Upside back in 2020 on our Sales team. In 2021, I left the company for a bit to pursue some other ventures. After a while, I thought about it and went, ‘you know, I kind of miss that place,’ so I came back. I reached out to an old colleague on LinkedIn and they were happy to restart the conversation. I’ve been back for about three months now, but it’s like I’ve never left. 

I’m currently an Associate Director of Account Management within our Fuel team. My job is essentially one-part sales and one-part account management. I get to build relationships with wholesalers and dealers and make sure that they understand how to use the platform and more effectively earn profit with Upside.
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Upside: What drew you back to Upside?

Bradley: Honestly, I would say the people. I feel like you can have an account management role at any company and it's going to be very similar to what you're doing now. When I left, I really missed the people I worked with daily. I missed the camaraderie and the team bonding that goes on here and I missed working with people who shared similar goals to mine.
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Upside: Let’s talk a little bit about your time before Upside. Tell me about your background and what drew you to the role.

Bradley: I’ve been working since I was 16, in a range of different jobs. Customer service, food service, retail... You name it, I’ve pretty much done it. I went to school at Mississippi State and majored in Biology. Obviously, I am not working in that specific field, but no regrets. I was working at another company in Client Services after college when I was approached on LinkedIn about a job opportunity at Upside. I had actually used the Upside app, but I wasn’t really familiar with startup life. After speaking with the recruiter, I thought it seemed like an exciting opportunity, and the more I interviewed with people and researched about the company, it seemed like a really great place to work.
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Upside: You joined Upside during COVID. Share with us what your experience was like starting a new job during a pandemic.

Bradley: I started Upside right as the pandemic was first starting. I think there’s no way to avoid some difficulty in starting a new job completely remote, but I will say that anything that Upside could have done to make the situation less difficult, they have done. The company placed a big focus on bonding with your team and meeting other Upsiders, such as setting up all kinds of different virtual get togethers and meetings. It was a great way to really keep interpersonal relationships strong with your team and other employees.
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Upside: What do you think makes a successful Upsider?

Bradley: Honestly, I think it’s just kind of that go-get-it attitude. The work is there, the resources are there, but none of it matters if you're not actually getting up and getting to it. For Sales and Accounts, handling your own book of business and reaching out to your customers and providing that empathetic support when needed is critical. When customers feel that you actually care about their issue, you care about growing their business, you care about educating them and teaching them the platform, it will really set you apart and help you succeed in the role.

You also need to be able to think outside the box. There are puzzles and problems you will need to figure out and come up with creative solutions to solve. But you will never feel like you're alone in it. You never feel like you can't reach out to a teammate, or you don’t have the resources. This job is challenging in a positive way.
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Upside: Final question - tell us what you like to do outside of work.

Bradley: I'm a father to a seven-year-old so that's always a great time. It's my favorite activity. Beyond that, I 3-D print, I stream on Twitch, and I build costumes for cosplay. I’ve donated costumes to local charities and also worked with some to show up in costume to hospitals and other events. My son also enjoys it–seeing me dressed up as different characters. It's always a fun time.

We’re hiring! If you are interested in a career in Sales, Account Management, click here!