“Steph is a bundle of energy who highlights (and brings to light) all the possibilities, while keeping necessary things firmly on track.”
THEY WERE DOWN TO TWO CANDIDATES AND TRYING TO DECIDE.
I didn’t know that, of course.
Much like I didn’t know a simple internship — the one I banged down doors and said, “I’ll work for free, I just want to learn” — would become the catalyst between my undergrad in political science and the Master in International Business degree I’d obtain.
I couldn’t have known on the day I called that the position I was vying for with $400+ million, publicly traded, global sales and marketing company that is WD-40 Company would become my opportunity to develop the company’s first innovation process, initiate 60 product innovations, commercialize 80% of product concepts — or that I would expand the market reach of the product portfolio in the US, Latin America, Canada, Australia, and China, increasing revenue at times up to 25%.
“Hi, this is Steph Barry calling about the Latin America Sales and Marketing Position…”
I didn’t yet know that with WD-40 Company, I would travel and work abroad or that I would:
Transfer from San Diego to Sydney and revitalize the mature Australia market, achieving a 23% CAGR and driving sales from $12.9M to $19M in two years
Relocate to Shanghai and develop the Asia-wide, three-year plan to identify and build core leadership and operational processes, with business projected to double in four years
Reengineer business process and leverage human capital resources to achieve 98% on-time delivery performance and increase revenue per employee 34%
Become Vice President, Asia, and later report to the CEO as head of VP of Global, Strategic Projects, ultimately planning and managing the company’s operations in more than 20 countries
More than double one division revenue from $6.1M to $16.6M
Be featured as one one of “Top 25 Global Innovators” by Business Week Magazine
And I certainly didn’t know that business associates I met across the globe would become my “Chinese Family”, or that traveling would teach me what is today a core tenet of Steph Barry Inc.
People who do global business well embrace a mindset of seeing more similarities than differences. Missing this understanding, and the cultural nuances of building rich relations, is the most common mistake companies inadvertently make while expanding globally.
“IT’S GOOD THAT YOU CALLED JUST NOW”
With my driven personality, it‘s no surprise that I put in the call. What I know to be true today?
It’s a damn good thing that I am who I am and did make that follow-up call.
Turns out, between the two candidates being considered, WD-40 Company was leaning toward my competitor until I rang in with initiative and represented myself as the ambitious, tenacious, go-getter that I am — until I called.
