Life at Six & Flow: Why Lauren Joined

Hello from South Africa 👋🇿🇦

I’m Lauren (Lokker) and I’ve recently joined Six & Flow as a Solutions Architect. 

Here’s why I applied for the job, my experience of the interview process and how life at Six & Flow has treated me so far.

The Job Itself... What do I do as a Solutions Architect at Six & Flow?

I solve problems. 

My job is to align people, process and platforms. A beautifully designed CRM adds no value if no one uses it. 

As part of the Six & Flow systems team, the Solutions Architects are here to ensure our customers have the right processes and technology in place to achieve their strategic objectives. We also provide technical support and user training to ease the pain of migrating to a new system. 

What I love about the role is that every day presents new and exciting challenges. 

I’m never bored.

What Made Me Apply to Six & Flow?

I’ve been a HubSpot fan-girl for many years. Back in 2016 when I was first learning the ins and outs of HubSpot and inbound strategy, I stumbled across a blog. It belonged to a UK-based HubSpot partner agency. Their content was helpful and relatable, and their brand seemed fun (don’t be a dick being one of their house rules). I hit subscribe. 

The blog belonged to Six & Flow and that was my very first introduction to the brand. 

Years later, here I am writing a blog for you. Serendipitous, right?

Anecdotes aside, the reason I followed (and subsequently joined) the Six & Flow team was twofold: 

1. Six & Flow always stood out as one of the top partner agencies within the HubSpot ecosystem. It felt like a no-brainer that there would be lots for me to learn here.
   
   
2. Six & Flow is a proudly ‘team-first’ agency with a strong company culture. Even before applying to join, it was obvious that the Six & Flow team embrace Growth and Playfulness in everything they do. This was the type of environment I could picture myself thriving in. 

When I saw a remote Solutions Architect role advertised, I leapt at the opportunity to apply. 

The Dreaded Interview Process

Let’s face it, interviews are the absolute pits. When a mail from Heather popped into my inbox with the subject line ‘Six & Flow - Application for Sales System Architect’, I was immediately terrified to open it. 

My first interview put me at ease. 

I could immediately tell that, as a business, Six & Flow genuinely care about the team and want people to succeed in their roles. Conversations were to the point, candid and open. It wasn’t the usual interview ‘fluff’. There was no “name three items you’d bring to a deserted island” nonsense wasting time going through the motions. 

There were several steps (four to be exact) to the recruitment process. It was thorough, but it moved quickly. 😅

By the end of the final stage (a series of 15 minute 1:1 calls with a few of the team members I would work closely with), I was absolutely certain that Six & Flow was the right career move. I felt like I was already part of the team. 

Looking back I can see why we have so many steps to our recruitment process. It ensures a good fit for both the business and the candidate. 

How's Month 2 Going?

Life at Six & Flow has been everything I hoped for. I’m grateful to be surrounded by such amazing people. 

Onboarding remotely can be challenging. There is the risk as a remote employee that you don’t get to fully immerse yourself in the company culture. It was something that did lurk in the back of my mind as a possible downside to my role. 

Fortunately, that fear was unnecessary. 

One of my first tasks was to book a virtual coffee with everyone in the business (yes, 40+ coffees). These virtual coffees allowed me to get to know everyone in the team - even people I may not work with. I can say from first hand experience that the Six & Flow culture and energy extends well beyond the physical office space. 

The employee onboarding process has blown my mind a little. 

I‘ve never experienced such a well structured onboarding plan. I arrived to a solid 90-day plan with clear milestones, easing me into my new role. It feels good to reach a milestone and know you’re moving in the right direction. 

Our internal knowledge base is PACKED with helpful content and team training material. The depth of knowledge within the team is unparalleled. 

In my first two months there’s been a heavy focus on learning the business, learning our processes and making sure I’m comfortable with the way we work. Although we’re an agency and (as agencies do) we move at a fast pace, I’ve never been thrown into the deep end alone. My team has supported me every step of the way. 

On a less serious note, I think seeing my skateboard was a real highlight too. I can’t wait for March week (🤞) to see the famous skateboards in real life. I’m also really excited that we have a book club because I’m an avid reader so it’s nice to swap recommendations with other book worms. 🐛

To wrap up, it’s been a good two months and I’m looking forward to many happy years ahead. Watch this space!