Salesforce Roundtable: Covid-19
Listen to some of the brightest minds within the Salesforce ecosystem talk about the impact of Covid-19 on them, how they are utilising their time during lockdown and predictions on what the future of Salesforce may look like. Also they give tips on how you can utilise your time for when you are backing looking for Salesforce jobs after the lockdown is lifted.
Lee Durrant:
So, hi, guys. Thanks for joining us. We're obviously humbled that you gave us your time, and we're really grateful for that, so thank you very much. I guess we'll pick one and we'll just go for some introductions if that's all right?
Lee:
So, Vera, as you're top on our screen, would you like to introduce yourself first?
Vera Loftis:
Absolutely. Hi. Vera Loftis, I run the Capita Salesforce practise, but I've been in the ecosystem for over a decade now. So many, many different forms, but always Salesforce focused.
Theresa:
Thank you. We've got Simon. Do you want to go ahead?
Simon Thompson:
Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Simon Thompson, CEO and co-founder of Improved Apps. I've been working around the Salesforce ecosystem for 13 years, since 2007. I worked at Salesforce for six of those years before founding Improved Apps. And we're helping customers drive adoption of Salesforce.
Theresa:
Lovely. Thank you.
Lee:
Gemma do you want to go next?
Gemma Blezard:
Sure. Gemma Blezard. I founded Ladies Be Architects during my time at Bluewolf, when I was working with Vera. Recently broken away to start my own advisory consultancy business, focusing on architects. And I've been working with Salesforce for 12 years.
Theresa:
Fantastic. And then we've got Toby.
Toby Heath:
Hi there. Hi everyone. My name is Tony Heath. I've recently been working at Heathrow, previous to that it was Gatwick, and previous to that was a company called SITA who were based out in Geneva. I've been working in the Salesforce space for about eight years now, on and off in different guises. Yeah, that's me really.
Theresa:
Thank you.
Lee:
Brilliant. Thank you. And last but not least, Penny and your Muppet. Do you mind introducing yourself?
Penny:
Yeah. Hi guys. Yeah, my colleague. Times are getting desperate for colleagues. So I'm Penny, I'm the Chief Operating Officer of Pracedo, and like the other guys, I've been around doing Salesforce for ages, so about 12 or 13 years, and I've been the customer at other consultancies and the ISVs, so a little bit of most of the space.
Theresa:
Fantastic. Thank you very much guys.
Lee:
Yeah, okay. Well we'll just dive straight in. I know I sent you some questions that we're curious about, and obviously I want to thank you all for doing this and thanks to Gemma as well for being there when the idea hit us both. We thought it'd be a good idea then just go through some questions about how you're all handling the current situation and obviously what you think might happen in the future, so that people can hopefully see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Lee:
So the first point I think we'd like to cover, and I think I might start with...
Lee:
Who shall we start with, Jenny?
Lee:
Okay, well actually, Gemma, because your situation is quite interesting, I mean all your situations are very unique, but how has the current COVID-19 situation affected you in that you've just started a new business, and all that sort of stuff?
Gemma Blezard:
Sure. It's been interesting because the conversations I've been having have varied in that regard. So I started up the consultancy in October and began the year full of optimism around, come March, we'll start building all our relationships and go on a world tour. We can start getting the word out and everybody's going to be kicking off digital transformations and we know we're needed, et cetera. Nobody could have predicted this in any way at all I think. So I'll be honest, it has been tough.
Gemma Blezard:
Starting this business, the number one thing to do was to make sure there was enough work coming in so that I could live in this house, for a start. And for the first time in several years, it has really hit me financially right where it hurts and it has created a sense of humility, for sure. I'm certainly shopping far less extravagantly and less frequently, for a start. It's certainly taken me back to basics. How do I start these relationships again? And also, how do I just start to re-evaluate and realign on my priorities?
Gemma Blezard:
Yeah, it's been tough and there've been lots of views around how we will bounce back. But, just wait and see. But not knowing where the next mortgage payment is coming from is a very big and very real issue here for me.
Theresa:
And how have you embraced that, from being in a point of view where before you were in a role where you've probably got that job security, to suddenly find yourself starting up a business where there is no security? And how have you found that transition in general?
Gemma Blezard:
In my situation, as you know, I've not had the easiest time over the last few years in my personal life and my health and so on. So I'm used to my world being turned upside down, if that makes sense. So the way I react and respond to that is to mobilise, is to think what do I need to do now in order to solve this problem? Being a consultant for 12 years, you get used to solving problems. So the immediate problems have been how do I get the flywheel going? How do I make sure that I use the network of relationships that I have in order to try and create some more security?
Gemma Blezard:
And I know that for other people, it's really knocked people for six. All of this situation for me, I just see it as another fence I've got to jump over at the moment. And it's a higher fence than I've had previously, as weird as that sounds.
Lee:
Yeah.
Gemma Blezard:
Having cancer was a breeze compared to this. I know that sounds dark and strange, but all I had to do was sit down and absorb some nasty chemicals and the problem was solved in that for me. But I can't sit down and take drugs for this one. I've got-
Theresa:
It's that feeling that things are beyond your control, isn't it? Because there are certain things you can control, but this seems to be something that none of us have any idea of how long it's going to go on for, what the outcome is going to be, when things are going to return to normal again. So it's that sense of losing control.
Gemma Blezard:
I guess so. And I suppose, in this situation as well, my mentors are all over the place. They're all over the ecosystem and I've got access to mentors that are very prepared to just jump on a call and share their experience with me. So that's something that I really value in this situation. And I'm not restricted as to where I can get those mentors from. I can get them at all levels, all countries, all business backgrounds.
Theresa:
It's a good position to be in, isn't it, really?
Lee:
That's a good benefit of the Salesforce ecosystem isn't it? That everyone is so giving, I think. Thanks for that Gemma.
Lee:
Same question then to Simon. How has it been for you, with being a CEO of your own business there?
Simon Thompson:
Well I think there's two angles on it from a personal level. First of all, I've got quite a few mouths to feed within our business and look after those individuals first and foremost. I think on a personal level, not getting out and about and meeting people like we normally do on a day by day basis, I definitely miss that. That excuse to get away from the children has gone. They're constantly around us now, and as much as I love them to bits, they're always there when you don't want them to be.
Simon Thompson:
So I think on a personal level, it's been more focusing on giving reassurance to our employees that the business is good, we've got a subscription model, our customers are happy. So making sure that they were reassured as well because we have a variety of people working for us and some of them were very worried about what was going to happen in all this furloughing, things going on, was it going to affect them?
Simon Thompson:
So I think going back to even January, I made a decision that people only needed to travel if they personally wanted to travel. So they were able to make their own judgement quite early on. And then moving through to March, we made a real statement that we're fine as a business, we'll carry on as we are, things are going to change naturally, which we'll discuss more later.
Simon Thompson:
But I think for me it was twofold. A difference of the way my life is, not getting out and about as much as I normally do. And the most important thing was just making sure our employees were comfortable and knew that they were secure and safe, because another part of that was making sure that even if they were going to be sick or off sick, that we were going to support them regardless, full salary and keep the business running. So that was very important for me to support our company in that way.
Theresa:
Great. Fantastic. The staff that have been working for you, how have they been receptive to towards that, that you were communicating that out to them?
Simon Thompson:
Yeah. Overall, very good. We now have daily 15, 20 minute, sometimes ends up being half an hour catch ups in the morning. We don't talk about business there, it's purely just to catch up, talk about things that are going on. It's very difficult to try and keep that positive though with everything in the news. And we have fun and games and quizzes on occasions when people want to step up and do that.
Simon Thompson:
Yeah, it's just working a little bit differently. We are a software company that's used to working from home quite a lot anyways,
