In June 2020, we welcomed Brandon Ellett as our new Chief Commercial Officer to enhance ⋮IW’s excellence and drive our expansion. Brandon brings extensive executive leadership and expertise from his roles as a Senior Director, Vice President, Lead Origination, and Managing Partner at global investment and retail companies. Here is Brandon’s story.
IWC: Who is Brandon?
I was born and raised in a small town in Indiana, where I learned the values of hard work, keeping my word, and doing what’s right. My career has always focused on growing businesses. I began in IT right after college with one of the country’s largest telecom integrators. After gaining significant experience, I joined a startup that merged 30 companies into a large business aggregator.
I have been working there until the company grew big enough to be sold to a private equity company. This was another opportunity for me to explore and further expand my skills. The CEO of the private equity company recruited me to become part of it and startup the private equity division for a retail energy company which started growing at a fast pace and became one of the fastest-growing retailer providers in the company.
We grew the company until it was acquired by a private equity firm. I then joined the private equity division of a fast-growing retail energy company. Realizing a funding gap in acquisition channels, I started my own commission finance company to support retail providers. Our work faced many challenges, including handling various data, which led me to join a startup in the software and AI space. There, we doubled our revenue year over year.
I have known Aleksandar Memca for over a decade, and joining ⋮IW, a rapidly thriving company, felt natural. If I had to sum up my story, it would be: a guy from Indiana, married with three daughters, with extensive experience in IT and business growth. My main goal is to use my skills to provide value and position companies for long-term success.
IWC: Why have you chosen the role of CCO at ⋮IW?
I’m not sure if I chose the role or if it chose me. When I reconnected with Aleks, I saw that ⋮IW’s 15-year foundation was rock solid. In my experience, the key to success, especially in the US software and delivery market, is the ability to deliver. ⋮IW’s numerous long-term and large clients prove this. The market is open for those who can consistently deliver.
IWC: What do you consider to be the biggest challenge for a CCO these days?
The biggest challenge for a CCO today is also the biggest opportunity. In our rapidly evolving digital market, capturing public attention at the right time is tough. With many channels available, it’s challenging but also an opportunity. Our delivery methodology allows us to confidently market ourselves through multiple channels.
IWC: How do you ensure that you are getting the most of your team?
I don’t think about pushing myself out of my comfort zone—I just do it. The values I learned on the farm in Indiana—hard work, integrity, and client care—have stayed with me. My insatiable curiosity drives me to try new things, making pushing beyond comfort a second nature.
IWC: What do you do to push yourself out of your comfort zone?
I don’t know whether I have to do something – I just do it. I have been pushing myself out of my comfort zone for as long as I remember. I am a long way from the farm in southern Indiana, but the values that I have learned there, those of hard work, keeping your word, doing what’s right, taking care of those that take care of you, in this case, the clients, have stayed with me for the entire time. But, I am curious, I have an insatiable curiosity for a number of things. So, pushing myself out of my comfort zone has never been an issue. I think it is a welcome thing, there is a quote: you cannot get what you want by doing the same thing, if you want different results you have to try different things. And it sorts of became second nature.
IWC: Where do you find your inspiration to keep up the good work and be even better than yesterday?
I find it every morning when I wake up my daughters and every night when they go to sleep. I find it in the feedback and the appreciation that we get from our clients. I find it in the team getting excited when something tough is accomplished or when somebody overachieves their goals or their target. It isn’t difficult to find inspiration to keep going and be better than yesterday. The inspiration is all around us, you just have to find it. 🙂
