Like Dorothy when she first arrived in Oz, my first week at 9 Clouds was filled with lots of new and exciting things — but also food.

I mean, seriously, this place has good taste in lunch. I think it’s safe to say they took “Taco Tuesday” to heart on my first day, as we enjoyed a delicious array of food from Qdoba.

The food supply didn’t end with tacos. A few days later, we enjoyed “Shahi Thursday” with a delectable spread of Indian food. Although the food was great, the team did have to say goodbye to one of their own, and it became apparent that I am here to fill some pretty big shoes.

From Kansas to Oz

Okay, so I come from a small town in Iowa rather than Kansas, but “the city” always had that Oz-like effect for me. I knew after college that I wanted to end up in Sioux Falls because of its proximity to home, but also because of the amazing culture and atmosphere that it has to offer.

My previous experience with agency project management has given me the brains, heart, and courage to start as a new project manager at 9 Clouds.

In my experience, it takes a certain kind of person to be a project manager. Sometimes you have to be the “bad guy” or the fall person when something doesn’t go according to the plan that you meticulously laid out. Sometimes you have to be the person to “schedule” time for fun and remind people to take a break.

At 9 Clouds, I don’t think I’ll be doing that very often. The team here knows how to get down to business and provide major high-quality work, but they also know how to have fun and keep the atmosphere at the office light. (Having never used Slack before, I’ve found that I really have to step up my GIF and emoji game.)

These hard-working people really take action and know the what, how, and why of what we’re doing.

What I’ve Learned

I’ll say it again: these people know their stuff. Seriously, each person has so much to offer that I was stuck with not even knowing which questions to ask next.

Luckily for me, the team at 9 Clouds is very willing to offer up their knowledge and welcomed me with open arms. The culture here is just something you gravitate toward. I mean, when they aren’t offering free food, someone points out a sale on wine happening in the restaurant downstairs, and that’s a group field trip you just can’t pass up.

Things like that are what makes this job fun and easy. Not “easy” in the literal sense — “easy” in the sense that I look forward to coming to work because everyone wants to be here. (It also helps that Jenny and I are freakishly similar.)

As a person who sometimes can’t put into words on paper what she thinks or feels — and in turn uses far too many words when speaking to express her thoughts and feelings — I’m excited to discover things inside myself with the opportunities available at 9 Clouds.

Important Takeaways

• What inbound marketing can do for the automotive industry
• How to properly compose monthly reports
• That the custom emojis on Slack are most definitely there to be used
• Who does and doesn’t drink merlot
• A list of podcast suggestions that runs longer than there are hours in a lifetime