Quantcast
Channel: Two Toasters » People
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 11

Get Revved for Biz Dev – Meet Sean Schultz

0
0

Though Sean Schultz has been a stellar part of our dynamic biz-dev duo for nine-ish months now, it’s time to introduce him to the world! Where did this biz wizard come from and what makes him tick? Read on in our interview.

Sean, what did your journey to Two Toasters look like?

Seattle SkylineAfter graduating from Dartmouth in 2013, I went to live on the total opposite side of country in Seattle, where I barely knew anyone. I was working as a Brand Specialist in Hardlines on the retail side within Amazon on a team of about 15. Seattle was cool; it’s about as overcast as people talk about, but not as rainy as I expected. Three months of the year (in the summer) it’s beautiful.

Amazon was a great first learning experience, but after being there for ten months I wanted to be somewhere smaller. I wanted to have a bit more agency and impact within a tighter community. I found Two Toasters through a friend of a friend … of a friend. I really liked the company, the vibe, the culture, what they were doing, and thought it would be an exciting place to work.

Since getting here, what’s been your most rewarding project to work on with Two Toasters?

In my work so far, my first deal was a big move. The company we signed (whom we can’t talk about yet …) are very exciting and doing big things in an important way. Second to that would be Google Ara, which was a very different project. It was a lot more structured: we had to think strategically and long-term about resource allocation, and we had to solve complex problems in a space that’s completely greenfield. Being part of that process was very cool conceptually. It was great to work with [Two Toasters director of business development] Simon Kirk to bring Two Toasters’ specific piece to that puzzle. The amount of coordination between Simon, me, and our Android team was massive.

With your many insights into the mobile world, what do you personally look for in an app?

I look for the app that has “The Thing” that you always thought should be there, but never was. Like Mailbox; it makes so much sense to swipe to archive, or swipe to snooze. I like apps that do one thing and do it really well, so typically they’re not overreaching. In other words, apps that know their space and stay in their lane.

On the other hand, what annoys you most in an app?

I’m rarely annoyed by apps. Usually an app is just an added convenience to my life, meaning I don’t use it if it’s not useful. If there’s not a valid, valuable use case, then it’s just occupying screen real estate until I delete it.

Which work-efficiency tricks and tools make your life easier?

Boomerang app logoDefinitely the email scheduler Boomerang. It allows you to schedule emails to send in advance, which saves time from managing reminders. Trello is also useful. As well as simply scheduling everything into my Google calendar—even time to work on projects. The calendar app Sunrise saves my life every day, with push notifications telling me when my next meeting is and what I need to do.

Oh and here’s an interesting fact.

Great, what’s your interesting fact?

Adit Shukla [director of creative services at Two Toasters] clued me into a small web app that analyzes your email. It shows I’ve written nearly 1,000,000 of them since joining in May of last year!

Do you mainly communicate by email then? Or do you prefer other forums for contacting colleagues and clients?

Within the company, Hipchat is definitely the best way to communicate. It’s immediate, most people can answer it without disrupting their work flow, and it’s very quick and easy to send files back and forth. Especially as our team in the New York office is separated off from everybody in the Durham HQ, it’s important to keep in quick contact. Hipchat is the life-blood of the company; if you want to feel the pulse of Two Toasters, it’s in the Hipchat rooms where we check in on music, games, interesting articles, and more.

I’m also big fan of phone calls, of cutting through it and getting to the point.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee. Gobs of coffee.

Life beyond Two Toasters?

Sean SchultzYou could call me a cinephile if you like; I watch a lot of movies. Book-wise, I’m typically someone who reads 20th-century American fiction, though recently I’ve been on a non-fiction and business management kick. Right now I’m reading My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan. I’m also constantly listening to music, and Palisade’s in New York is a cool venue.

 


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 11

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images