Aaron Sullivan
This might come as a surprise to you, but not everyone at Botkeeper is an actual bot. In fact, our collective bot body is made up of dozens upon dozens of full-fleshed humans who specialize in everything from accounting to tech. For a lot of companies, that might spell t-r-o-u-b-l-e—how do you maintain cohesion while also inspiring innovation and creativity in such a range of minds? Truth be told, it's a constant work in progress!
But at Botkeeper, creating a great company culture is one of our biggest priorities. There are lots of ways we do this, but one of the most important is through fostering an innovative environment.
Our CEO, Enrico Palmerino, started Botkeeper with the idea to change the bookkeeping and accounting industry, which means that innovation is at the heart of what we do. Our team members are always going the extra mile to help us remain at the forefront of the fast-paced world we live in so we can continue to provide the most efficient solutions for businesses everywhere.
We invite you to take a look behind the scenes and into working at Botkeeper to learn how innovation fuels the human touch behind our automated bookkeeping.
5 Benefits of Working for an Innovative Company
Here are five benefits of working for an innovative company like Botkeeper.
1. Innovation means we think outside of the box
Working for an innovative company helps team members think outside of the box and encourages creativity. As a result, team members are more likely to be better problem solvers who can come up with creative solutions via abstract thinking.
Innovative workplaces tend to have a more inspirational environment for team members. This type of environment often inspires team members to share their ideas, brainstorm with their colleagues, and come up with solutions that stray from the norm. At Botkeeper, we’ve created an environment to fuel fun and new ideas (seriously, check out Botkeeper on Facebook to see what we’re up to behind the scenes).
The benefits of innovative workplaces don’t just lend themselves to creativity. In fact, studies show that innovative workplaces actually have more productive employees too. For Botkeeper, we don’t just take an innovative approach to bookkeeping and accounting—we do so with our processes and workflows as well. When something isn’t efficient or when our team members are feeling bogged down, we turn to innovation to craft a creative solution.
Innovation in the workplace is linked to an increase in both team member morale and satisfaction. When team members can flex the creative side of the brains in an environment open to their ideas and unique qualities, everyone wins.
Business owners may be the leading visionary behind their company, but their team members are the ones who help bring that vision to life. The more team members think outside of the box, come to the table with new ideas, and are productive and satisfied, the more likely the business will succeed. We know our team members are the driving force behind our success and are the reason Botkeeper raised $18M in series A round—one of the largest A rounds for a Boston tech company!
How We Incorporate Innovation into Botlife
We know that the benefits of working for an innovative company are undeniable. That’s why we strive to foster an environment that values innovation. And we think it shows. Many of our team members were initially attracted to Botkeeper because they wanted to work for a company doing innovative things. Now as a part of the Botkeeper family, they’re able to experience this firsthand.
For Corey Schneider, Account Manager, innovation is one of the things he specifically looks for in a job. “First and foremost, I need to believe in what the organization is doing. Secondly, I want to be somewhere that I can make a direct positive impact and grow,” Schneider says. “I read something about Botkeeper in Business Insider and loved the concept. At the time I learned of Botkeeper, I was at a much larger organization and just didn't believe I was making any kind of difference. The 'battle' had already been won there—I wanted to re-join a small start-up that I could join the battle.”
As an accountant for more than 25 years, Dena David has seen where the industry was, where it is, and where it’s going and was eager to join the Botkeeper family to use her past experiences to help develop the future of accounting.
“The old saying is: you're never too old to learn new things. I have been on my career path for over 25 years. Learning from pen and paper, to old DOS programs and Lotus Note. Now the future is moving towards automation; and learning fresh concepts has been my passion towards my accounting career,” David says. “It’s exciting to me to experience this entire idea. Botkeeper has given the base form of the future and allows me to grow, bringing my experience to help develop the future of accounting.”
“The old saying is: you're never too old to learn new things. I have been on my career path for over 25 years. Learning from pen and paper, to old DOS programs and Lotus Note. Now the future is moving towards automation; and learning fresh concepts has been my passion towards my accounting career. It’s exciting to me to experience this entire idea. Botkeeper has given the base form of the future and allows me to grow, bringing my experience to help develop the future of accounting.”
-Dena David, Accountant
Where Innovation Meets Growth
An innovative approach is what’s helped Botkeeper experience rapid growth over the years and receive series A funding from the likes of Greycroft and Gradient Ventures, Google's AI-focused venture fund. It’s also led to some of the most memorable moments for our CEO.
“Going from idea to $250,000 in ARR in less than a year and then raising $4.5 million seed round [has been a significant experience],” Palmerino says. “Plus growing to over 100 people, raising an $18M in series-A funding, generating over $1M ARR, and recruiting best and brightest to join.”
Palmerino added that innovation is another reason he loves what he does, and that “learning something new every day and being constantly challenged” is one of the best things about being part of the Botkeeper family.
Of course, there’s always room to improve. We realize that innovation goes beyond our bookkeeping and accounting solutions. The workplace itself must be innovative for our products to thrive. That’s why we take an innovative approach when considering how our company operates. We value our team member’s experiences and opinions and allow this to help shape our company culture. When things aren’t working, we adapt. And when they are working, we make them better.
“I love that everyone's opinions matter and that change is not frowned upon,” says Team Lead, Tanya Holmes. “Specifically, in a start-up business, the company must be able to adapt and make changes when things aren't working. I think Botkeeper does that well.”
While some things are ever-changing, the support of one another is constant at Botkeeper. As an employer, we believe that we owe it to our team to create an innovative environment that makes people look forward to coming to work.
Want a Deeper Look into Botlife?
