I finished ProGrad in 2020 and got my first role at Octomedia as an Account Manager, working across leading B2B publications Inside Retail, Inside FMCG and Inside Small Business. I came in as a new grad with no sales background, so first I had to learn how to sell, then understand our products and the industry. I was trained closely for three months by Octomedia’s former Head of Sales, Jeff Purser, which set me up well and gave me the base I needed to perform. My job was to develop major accounts and bring in new partnerships. In my first two years I built strong relationships with big clients like Microsoft, Amex and Employment Hero. I also signed some new business with brands like Shopify and Google Chrome. The Google Chrome deal is still a highlight of my career so far. I worked with our CEO Amie Larter and the Google team from start to finish on an idea that combined private executive retail events through the year with the Inside Retail platform and network. It brought in strong revenue for Octomedia and delivered real outcomes for Google, setting a new standard for what a media partnership with us could look like. In that first period at Octomedia I sold over one million dollars in campaign value. I tried to deliver value at every point of the sale and always made sure to bring in people who were likely smarter and definitely more experienced than me so the client and Octomedia got the best possible result. I always wanted to build something myself too. My grandad was an early tech entrepreneur and that always inspired me. At the end of 2022, after two good years at Octo, I got introduced to John Gardiner, a veteran in the insurance space in Australia. He had an idea called Smartbonds which helps property developers manage council bonds without having to tie up so much capital. I saw the potential straight away. We agreed I would be tasked with selling Smartbonds full time and help get it online properly. I got shares in the business in return. I left Octomedia and focused fully on Smartbonds. Over the next two years I took it from zero to placing low to mid seven figures in council bonds, with 35 property developers signed on. We opened up a better option for developers in a space that usually moves slowly. In early 2025 we lost our insurance backing, which takes time to replace. We generated mid six figures in revenue across the bonds and the platform but fell short of our bigger goals. At that point Octomedia, where I kept a strong relationship with Deeon Mladin (Jeff's replacement) and Amie, asked me to come back as an Account Executive to work on new partnerships with large accounts. It made sense to come back to Octomedia and cement my career. Since coming back I have signed six figure deals and brought in brands like WorldFirst and DoorDash from new business. In the last five years I have grown major accounts, signed over seven figures in total sales, built a new business from scratch and got it into a new market. I want this award because it would make my mum proud and the work has been hard and I would appreciate the recognition. Also, Sydney is expensive and I would love the extra money.