Kyle joined Sidebench in May, and he is our Manager of Strategy and Account Partnerships.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
Grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. Great little beach town with a lot of family that lived nearby.
Outside of work, what are you irrationally passionate about?
Travel. I love exploring new places, trying new foods and experiencing new cultures. During the last year I was able to live in 5 different states at Airbnb’s with friends but I am very excited to get back out there as more places are opening up again.
Sometimes the road to working in business development or account is off the beaten path. Walk us through the process that you went through to get into your current role.
After college I took a job at a startup where I learned about sales and growth strategies. I then transitioned to management consulting where I was able to gain exposure to a wide array of business challenges and learn how C-Suite level executives make their decisions. I realized I had a real interest in the thought process for front office decisions but prefered the flexibility and excitement of start ups. All of these experiences together led me to Sidebench.
We talk a lot about our jobs being the opportunity to imagine the future and then make it real. What vision do you have for the future and want to make real?
I think providing people with more resources for financial literacy and the ability to confidently invest in alternative assets would help give more people opportunities for financial independence. From stocks, real estate, bonds and now the boom of cryptocurrency, NFTs, tangible goods and more, there are so many options that people have to build long term wealth. However, there are definitely improvements that can be made to the education and accessibility of these platforms so more people are able to capitalize on these options.
Not everything we do works and that’s okay. We learn from those things. What is the least successful project you’ve contributed to and what did you learn? (No need to mention real names if it’s an issue)
At my first company we tried to design a unique product for a specific customer demographic that we knew existed. While we were right about some components of the product design it was unfortunately not as successful as we had hoped. Still, it gave us great insight into our consumer’s behavior and helped set us up for success down the road by better understanding our target demographic.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?” (Borrowed from Tim Ferris’ “Tribe of Mentors”)
I had an internship program be cancelled in college due to the company experiencing significant layoffs. It left me scrambling to find a summer job but led me to working at a small high growth company instead of a big firm. I loved being on a small team and experiencing the impact you could make and that’s when I first realized how much I enjoyed working for startups.
What’s been the most exciting part about joining Sidebench so far?
Definitely would say it has been the opportunities to learn. From working with healthcare clients to social media startups and even supply chain distribution companies, I have already been exposed to a wide array of business models just in my first month here.
We love to find people that ADD to our culture vs fit into our existing culture. What are some cultural aspects that you’ve experienced that you hope to bring with you?
I think creating the right environment for creative problem solving and constructive debate is key. One of my favorite parts of my previous job was working in a conference room with 6 other team members bouncing ideas off each other trying to come up with an ideal solution.
Describe your super power or describe what unique skill/perspective you bring to the team here.
I think having worked at a Big 4 firm the last few years I can bring a slightly different perspective to Sidebench. Both corporations and startups have strengths and weaknesses so hopefully I am able to bring a few valuable tips from my corporate experience to Sidebench.
What skill, practice, behavior, hobby or habits are you currently working on?
Having worked in consulting for the last 3 years I never cooked food during the week as I was always in a hotel room. Since Covid I have slowly been getting better at making my own meals but I definitely have a long way to go.
Bonus Question: What book, publication, or podcast have you most recommended lately and why?
Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. While the movie was good, I still recommend that people read the book as it goes into much more detail about Marcus’s story and his journey home after being captured. He also recently went on the Joe Rogan podcast which is worth a listen as well.
