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A mechanical engineer with an MBA and the daughter of a master electrician, Sheila Stafford has both the quantitative chops and the intuitive understanding of the tools the hourly worker needs. Her company, TeamSense, helps manufacturing, warehousing, and construction employers connect with their frontline workers. This audience, notoriously anti-email (especially corporate email) and always on the go, can be difficult to reach, let alone engage and retain. TeamSense is part of a new wave of text messaging startups focused on using technology to solve highly specialized and powerful use cases.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of guest posts where people from all walks of life share their best advice in times like these. A big thanks to the leaders who volunteered to share their life experiences. Reflection on the past is a deeply personal exercise. The willingness to share it with the world, especially in the written form, is a commendable act of vulnerability. For this alone, they have my deepest gratitude.
Launching a startup is always challenging, but launching during a pandemic presented Sheila and her team with additional obstacles. Not only did the pandemic create fervent initial demand for the product, but it also occurred amidst a shifting industry dynamic that created challenges around text message delivery. On top of that, TeamSense was preparing to spin out of its incubator and seek outside funding.
After an intense thirty months, TeamSense has resolved its 10 DLC issues, has secured new funding, and is now hiring! Sheila shares the advice she would give to her fellow founders.
My Best Advice
“Be curious. Something goes well? Amazing! Congrats. But beyond celebrating the win, it is important to dig into why you got the win. Something could have gone better? Also great; you have something to learn. Take the time and lean into the simple questions.
For example, in sales, when we win a new deal, we ask the team to tell us: Why did they buy our product? Why now? Why us? These simple questions give you so much insight to inform product positioning, messaging, and understanding of customer motivation. When we lose a deal, it is also important to ask questions. Why not now? Why not us?
It is amazing how simple questions can lead to profound insights. Stay curious!”
