Meet the NectarOM Team: February Employee Spotlight

Our employees are what make NectarOM a special and diverse place to work. We have many people with different backgrounds and personalities, but each person has a passion for the work that they do. This month we want to highlight Rory McLaughlin who works as a full stack developer at NectarOM! Rory has been with the company for almost 20 months, starting in May 2016. Continue reading to find out first-hand from Rory what it is like to be a NectarOM full stack developer.

NectarOM spotlight employee
NectarOM spotlight employee, Rory McLaughlin

1. What is your position at NectarOM? 

I am a Full Stack Developer.

2. How did you first learn about NectarOM?

I was mentoring at DevMountain (the Dallas location) and it was getting close to wrapping up the spring cohort when Amrit contacted me through LinkedIn about NectarOM looking to add some developers to the team soon.

3. Before working at NectarOM, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

After graduating I worked a bit for a small fuel cell manufacturer; I ran marketing and sales for their e-commerce store that sold educational products focused on renewable energy. The interesting part was getting to learn about hydrogen fuel cells, how they work, how they are built, etc. Also I got to actually help build some of the parts specifically the membranes for the fuel cells.

4. How has NectarOM helped you in your career/personal development?

I have been able to grow incredibly as a developer in my time here at NectarOM. Largely, in terms of understanding how to diagnose a problem, break it down, and come up with solutions. Beyond development, I have been able to learn a lot about how a small company functions and the business of developing a SAAS product.

5. What are 3 words to describe yourself?

Humble, Awe-inspiring, Liar

Inquisitive, Adventurous, Ambitious (<– serious answer)

6. Describe a typical day at NectarOM for you?

I usually arrive between 8-9am, check emails and any outstanding pull requests on Bitbucket. If there are any tasks I’m already working on from the previous day I finish those up assuming I’m not blocked on them. Otherwise I take a look at Jira and see what task I can start working on next and then I hit the keyboard and start turning coffee into code.

7. What is your favorite part about working for NectarOM?

I really enjoy working with the people here. Everyone is pretty laid-back but also very concerned with providing high-quality work which results in a great environment where no one cares about office politics, or who’s to blame, or other similar issues you may find in other companies. We all want to get quality work done and contribute in any way we can to make that happen.

8. What advice do you have for someone who wants to work at NectarOM?

Be flexible and be humble. Things can change pretty quickly here so you have to be open to those changes. Humility is key because we want to take the best option per current information but we need people who are willing to share their thoughts and ideas and ultimately are cool with being wrong and can learn from that.

9. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Originally I really wanted to be an architect, I really liked drawing and designing buildings, completely ignoring silly things like physics (which I’ve heard from engineers that architects are really good at doing that). I did also have my crazier dream of being a space explorer, I imagined I would love to just be out there finding new planets and exploring them.

10. If you could meet anyone from the past/present who would it be and why?

This is a difficult question. I think that wanting to meet someone past/present is based largely on our own assumptions of what they are/were like which opens up a lot of possibilities for disappointment and possibly not as big of an opportunity to learn as we expected. Of course, there’s always the chance we are pleasantly surprised and learn something we didn’t expect. If I had to choose someone, I would say Rudyard Kipling, I grew up enjoying many of his poems and he led a pretty interesting life. That being said, he and his work have never escaped controversy so I would be interested in learning what he was really like and if possible the messages he intended to convey in his works.

Meet the NectarOM Team: December Employee Spotlight

Our employees are what make NectarOM a special and diverse place to work. We have many people with different backgrounds and personalities, but each person has a passion for the work that they do. This month we want to highlight Daniel Seol! Daniel has been with NectarOM for a year and a half, starting in June 2016. Daniel helps scope and implement product development and solutions that drive value to clients. Continue reading to find out first-hand from Daniel what it is like to be a NectarOM full stack developer.

  1. What is your title at NectarOM?

Full Stack Developer

2. How did you first learn about NectarOM?

I first learned about NectarOM after I completed my immersive web development course. I was lucky enough to meet our head of technology at a networking event following the completion, where I first learned about NectarOM and what we do.

3. Before working at NectarOM, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

Before working at NectarOM, my most interesting job was as a software trainer for a medical software company. I travelled basically 6 days a week, every week across the country. The most interesting place I travelled to was Hawaii.

4. How has NectarOM helped you in your career/personal development?

NectarOM has helped me progress my career as a developer by allowing me to work on lots of different projects that require different skills and problem solving. This has exposed me to a lot of different things that has helped me grow. Additionally, NectarOM has helped me to become a better team member and develop leadership skills by allowing my voice to be heard in many regards. By allowing each team member to have input into how something should be approached or how something can be implemented, it has helped to refine my problem solving skills.

5. What are 3 words to describe yourself?

Sympathetic, Dedicated, Trusting

6. Describe a typical day at NectarOM for you?

My typical day at NectarOM begins with an essential cup of coffee. After unpacking my bag, I get started with checking my emails, making sure I have any updates that may have come in during the evening or early AM. Then I check any outstanding code that was submitted for review, making any fixes or changes that need to be added before resubmitting. After checking in on these communication channels, I get started with the tasks for the day. The cycle of checking submitted code continues until everything is approved and accepted, and my day ends when all outstanding tasks have been completed or updated.

7. What is the favorite part about working for NectarOM?

My favorite part about working for NectarOM has to be the people I work with. I definitely enjoy the work and the value it brings to our clients, but the people and atmosphere at NectarOM is phenomenal.

8. What advice do you have for someone who wants to work at NectarOM?

You will be successful member of the NectarOM team if you enjoy learning new things, whether it’s new technologies or concepts, in a dynamic environment and you enjoy happy hours.

9. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a Doctor, then a lawyer, then a teacher. A little all over the place.

10. If you could meet anyone from the past/present who would it be and why?

I would want to meet Albert Einstein, maybe absorb some of his genius and learn how to live a significant and accomplished life.

Founder/CEO Amrit Kirpalani Awarded Direct Marketing News 40 Under 40

Amrit Kirpalani 40 under 40“Unstoppable.”

That’s how Direct Marketing News is describing NectarOM founder and CEO, Amrit Kirpalani.

The annual Direct Marketing News 40 Under 40 Award was awarded to Amrit last month, and we couldn’t be more ecstatic. This prestigious award celebrates marketing leaders with exceptional achievements.

Amrit’s work with NectarOM helped name him as one of the 40 award recipients. His most notable contribution to direct marketing highlight his influence on email marketing. Recognizing the full potential of personalized email, Amrit successfully developed a process and framework for fully realizing direct marketing revenue with automation and data.

Amrit’s work has been groundbreaking, and he continues to pave the way for retailers looking to expand their direct marketing services.

But Amrit’s recognition as a “marketing maverick” extends beyond his successful business achievements. His reputation for genuinely caring for clients and their success, along with a strong set of communication, strategy and multitasking skills, have set Amrit apart from other business executives.

The Direct Marketing News 40 Under 40 Award only offers further accreditation to an already-impressive list of achievements. Over the past two years, Amrit has also received recognition as a 2015 Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40, Minority Business Leader (2014), and 2014 GDAACC Small Business of the Year.

DMA 2014 Takeaways – Goodbye San Diego

Our DMA 2014 Takeaways

The San Diego Convention Center was lovely, and the weather collaborated to make a beautiful experience (especially in the back atriums and patio areas). Our only qualm – the exhibit booths weren’t on the sailboats outside. Great choice of a venue.

The keynote speakers were fantastic, and you could tell by the way people packed up and crowded the main hall that excitement was in the air. Our personal favorite was Magic Johnson – “Keep trying, consistency is key”.(I may have made part of that quote up…he got me so pumped all I could think about during the keynote was, “You can do anything.”)

There were plenty of thought provoking tracks to keep marketers intrigued and actively learning. A few of the CRM tracks were phenomenal, but my personal track favorite was the short session with Google creative director Ben Jones. His ability to mix data and storytelling is something marketers need to listen carefully to. Data might tell you predictions, but storytelling is what will ultimately create brand presence and loyal followers. A point made several times from different speakers was that integrating data the right way can make all the difference when it it comes to analyzing omnichannel interaction (ready for the holidays?).

Our neighbors at 1 point mail were great – Managing Director Paul Westhorpe and team really know enterprise email and were incredibly friendly, and we were able to connect with lots of folks over our #mymarketinghero contest, which turned out to be a huge success…Our simple concept – nominate your marketing hero on twitter and win a chance to get two Apple TVs – encouraged people to engage with each other and earn some brownie points. By the end of the conference, people started calling us the marketing hero guys, which I took as a job well done.

Congrats Rick Miller on winning the contest, and nominee Brian Kurtz!

Wrapping up…

What we loved:
Magic Johnson, the focus on traditional AND digital marketing, our #mymarketinghero contest, San Diego weather, the beautiful venue, DMA’s hard work

What the people want:
Tracks clearly separated by mastery level, less vendor-led tracks (teach me, don’t pitch me), more exhibit hall traffic

We did not stay for the post-event tracks, so if anyone has thoughts on how they went, feel free to shoot me an email at daniel@nectarom.com.

nectarOM CEO Wins Minority Business Leader Award

Mobile Personalization

Last Thursday, part of the nectarOM team was able to attend the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader luncheon at the Omni Dallas. Although there was a rare “blizzard” (maybe ½ inch of snow) in Dallas that day, the attendance was very good and the room was relatively full.

The new Omni Dallas venue was stunning; an almost brand new building with contemporary décor. As we walked up, we were able to grab our name tags and enter the cocktail area before the doors to the luncheon opened. As we spotted our table, we noticed that they placed the Dallas Business Journal Minority Leader Awards newspapers on each of our chairs, complete with a three course lunch.

We were able to eat for fifteen minutes before the actual awards ceremony started. As soon as the honoree’s name was called and as he/she walked up to the stage, a video played on the large screens of the honoree illustrating their triumphs and inspirations. Amrit Kirpalani, CEO and Founder of nectarOM, walked up to the stage to receive his award for being a Minority Business Leader.

nectarOM is proud to have its owner and CEO be amongst the accomplished award recipients who have made a difference in the Dallas/Ft. Worth community.

Nectar: The Easiest One-to-One Marketing Suite. Period.

Easiest one-to-one marketing suiteIs Nectar really the “easiest one-to-one marketing suite”?  Yes! We have developed an integrated SaaS suite that makes the marketer’s job easy as pie.

And how have we done it?  Our comprehensive software suite allows marketers to take disparate big data about thousands (or millions++) of customers and create individual 360-degree profiles in real time, then determine the BEST marketing message for each of those customers and get it to them, regardless of the device or channel they use.  No technical expertise required!

Do you have lots of data in different places that you know has value, but you just can’t seem to get all the dots connected? nectarConnect will do that for you. We are your quick and easy Data Management Platform.

Do you have communications that you’re trying to personalize for your customers but just can’t make it relevant enough for them?  Have you tried customer segmentation but aren’t getting the results you expected? nectarEssence will apply our proprietary algorithms to your data and generate one-to-one marketing messages for each of your customers IN MINUTES!

Do you struggle to get relevant messages to your customers across all the touchpoints you have?  nectarEngage will distribute your one-to-one marketing messages to each of your customers, no matter how many you have, in real time, across email, mobile, website, and social.  Really!

Listen to our Founder & CEO, Amrit Kirpalani, talk about Nectar: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMCPhluRuTg.

 

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Where Did the Name nectarom Come From?

nectar + om = nectarom { the secret formula for squeezing the juice out of your marketing }

nectarom logo
Nectar Online Media, Inc.

During many of my meetings, I’m often asked where the name nectarom came from and what we do as a company. Well, here’s the short form: Nectar Online Media is a big data customer analytics software company { yes, a lot of buzz words in there } and then I continue we make the easiest to use 1:1 marketing suite, period.

Almost always, the fact that we make the easiest 1:1 marketing suite out there brings up additional questions and gets people very interested. Now for the part about our name — there is much significance to any name and our company’s is no different.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to name several businesses and it is no easy task. During my MBA course on marketing and branding, I remembered a few things that my professor taught me … a brand needs to be memorable, distinguishable and, ultimately, it’s the guiding force behind the company.

As I was launching Nectar Online Media and thinking about our name I tried my best to keep those principles to mind. I asked family, friends, and our advisors while doing lots of research.

There are many marketers who are familiar with the UK Loyalty Points company ‘Nectar’, we have no relation to them.

So, here goes: there are two parts to our name “nectar” and “om”.

For the first part, “nectar” there are two meanings:

  1. Because we’re a big data customer analytics software company, we want to be able to squeeze the essence, the juice, the nectar out of your data { see what we did there? }
  2. Now the ‘insider’ angle, my name “Amrit” comes from the root language of Hindi called Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, one of the meanings of ‘Amrit’ is ‘Nectar’ … so, in a way, it’s a fun double meaning for our brand.

Now, onto the second part, “om” { you might already be seeing where this is going }:

We decided to add “Online Media” as part of the rest of our name. Reality is we’re about more than online media and we are doing some fun work around ‘offline media’ as well. The practical part was our web domain name, who is going to remember “www.nectaronlinemedia.com” { that’s a mouthful }? So I decided to look for shorter domains and we were able to get www.nectarom.com.

Here comes the fun part again, when abbreviated “Online Media” becomes “OM”. In the Indian heritage , OM is considered a sacred mantra or formula to achieve a higher goal. OM is also considered the primordial sound said to be all pervasive. { okay, yes, deep }. So there comes the meaning of the second part of our name, while we can extract the essence of your big data to help create some amazing results … without the right formula, you can’t reach the goal.

 

Get to know us … you’ll find all sorts of fun facts about what we do and who we are.