Ryan Lloyd

My journey happily started nearly 3 years ago, when I was feeling stagnant in the QA role I was in, testing proprietary software and with no real long term career path or growth in sight. It was time for a change. I always thought it would be fun to work for a marketing agency, but was never able to land one. Then LinkedIn served up a Quality Assurance Tester position for a company called CI Web Group… Click. Digging into the position I found it was a marketing agency, and the position was in my wheelhouse. I looked up the company to find what appeared to be a cool agency that builds client websites. More interesting than testing software… Click and Apply. “Let’s see what happens”, I thought. Feeling like it was going to be another application lost to the no-reply job hunting ether.

I wake up the next morning to a message from Brandy to setup an interview. A single interview, and a day or two later, I was hired… It finally happened! I landed a marketing agency, and the opportunity to help grow a QA department. Pinch. Yep, not dreaming.

This Is My CEO?

From my first day, I felt a buzz and energy coming from this small company. It felt alive, compared to the previous larger companies I had most recently worked for. Most of my career has been working for start-ups and small companies, and I was so happy to be back in that environment. Everyone I encountered was excited and working on something new, I was “ALL IN”. Note, this saying will make more sense a little later.

A week in and I am loving it. My manager and all my new colleagues were very supportive and welcoming. And for a remote job, I didn’t feel like I was on an island, finding my way alone. But here, I am already active in meetings and working on projects. It wasn’t too long before I met our leader, Jennifer Bagley. My first impressions… approachable, smart, engaging, driven, directed well, and knew what she wanted. This is my CEO? Not some ivory tower CEO that you might see or engage with once a year at the company picnic?

BOLD

Fast forward, and I am less than a year in with one promotion and a new team. Happily grinding and working hard to make an impact. Then I learn of my manager and other select few attending a leadership training called BOLD, but no one would really say anything about it. It was this mystery… a proclaimed, life-changing mystery. And now my manager is telling me he nominated me and would I be interested. Now, this is not something that I would typically attend, but something inside me told me to do it. And I was off, traveling to a two day retreat in the mountains of California, cut off from the world and no internet. I had the support of the other graduates and a suitcase traveling from New Jersey to my destination, and I get a call. The timing of the call was perfect. I was driving and close to the camp, and it was Jennifer Bagley and Mike Hicklen calling to give me love and support for the journey I was about to embark on. “ALL IN”, Jennifer said. Not yet really understanding what that meant, but I was about to find out.

It’s against the BOLD code to share what goes down, which I will honor. But I will happily share that I emerged two days later, after a plethora of used tissues, a renewed man. Full of joy and gratitude, and ready to be ALL IN with my life, career, and family. “ALL IN” is a term from BOLD, meaning that you have full belief and dedication to whatever lays before you. And a term used often at CI Web Group, with a number of us having attended BOLD. This is a company that believes in that term, we work hard to be ALL IN every day for our clients and ourselves.

Jennifer was my first call pulling out of camp. A happy, sobbing mess, leaving her a voicemail to thank her for the experience. That’s the kind of CEO Jennifer is. Her drive for success and love for personal growth is shared with her team, helping us gain new knowledge and skills to advance. I’ve gone to BOLD, become a SCRUM Master, learned AI, been involved in software transitions and large projects, managed multiple teams, and had so many opportunities to grow. Do we grind? Hell yes! Are there challenges? You betcha. But I am so proud to be part of this company. And through all of it, I feel I have advanced in my career more than I have with any other company. I truly enjoy the people I get to work with everyday. There is a camaraderie we have that is warm and supportive. We have each other’s backs and this is led by example from Jennifer, who is in the pits with us, grinding and leading the way.

Since BOLD

Since BOLD, I’m proud to share that I have been promoted further and added to the leadership team. I’ve been transitioned to another amazing manager, Chelsea, you are the best! The mentorship I have received from you has done so much for me professionally and personally.

Jennifer, thank you for this incredible opportunity. Thank you for the support over the years, and trusting me, even when I was unsure myself. Please know that working for CI Web Group has been the most rewarding and biggest learning experience in my career, it is such an honor. I look forward to the future you are creating for the company, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.