Tom Barrett
Name: Tom Barrett
Current Job: CEO of 7SIGNAL
Favorite restaurant in town? Town Hall. Located right in the heart of Ohio City, Town Hall is near some of the best places in Cleveland – Downtown, West Side Market, Mitchell’s Ice Cream and more. They have a unique menu, with a good balance of healthy and indulgent food options. There is something for everyone. Town Hall has a great atmosphere for business lunch meetings and even brunch on the weekends with family. Not to mention, it’s a fun place to be on game days here in Cleveland.
Favorite thing about Cleveland? I’ve called Cleveland home for my entire life, and what truly makes this place so special are the people. My career has taken me all over the U.S., but nothing beats working in my hometown. If you were born a Clevelander, you forever carry a pride for this city and its history. Over the years, I’ve come to know so many great individuals here, both personally and professionally. Also, from a business standpoint, it’s great to see the growth Cleveland has been experiencing lately. I’m excited and hopeful about the future opportunities for this city.
Q: Thanks for joining me today, can you tell the readers what 7Signal is? 7SIGNAL is the leader in wireless experience monitoring. Customers who deploy the 7SIGNAL platform understand that connectivity is the key to a great digital experience. Reliable connectivity keeps businesses with mission critical processes running efficiently. This keeps employees productive in the enterprise, saves lives in hospitals, increases sales in retail and keeps output high in manufacturing and distribution environments. As the world around us changes, we continue to evolve. We can provide those same proactive monitoring capabilities for workers – no matter where they are located.
Q: Most companies are struggling with COVID-19, but you pioneered a new sales strategy that is exceeding all expectations. Can you talk about it? Our strategy during this time was to pivot to remote worker support. At the start of this, we had one of our large insurance customers contact us about how his organization had to send thousands of their corporate employees home to work, practically overnight. We gave him a free trial of our product, Mobile Eye. We then used that free trial as our ‘Covid give back’ to the market. We gained 100,000 subscribers in the first 2 months. Ultimately, our customers are all encountering the same struggles with remote work – so we shifted our priority to how we could best fulfill that need.
Q: Previously, you worked as an operating partner at a VC firm. What were some of the lessons learned from your time there? I learned early on how crucial it is to be constantly learning and curious. Working with a variety of businesses across several industries, it’s incredibly important to research those different ecosystems and find out what success means in each market. Additionally, I learned that at the end of the day, it really is about networking and relationship-building. This is key to discovering how you can best provide value to your firm and vice versa. Most importantly, nothing ever goes according to plan. Therefore, it’s critical to be adaptable and proactive when it comes to any roadblocks in the way of your goals.
Q: 7Signal is a remote-friendly company. Why is that working for you and what tips do you have for companies considering the switch? In the beginning, I had some concerns about my entire workforce being remote. But, when I asked an industry analyst, “How would I know if my employee are working?” I was met with a response of “How did you know they were working before?” That really put it into perspective for me. Now, I’m even more focused on staying connected with my employees. We’ve accomplished this by putting forth an effort to regularly touch base with our team. We have virtual weekly roundup meetings, check-ins, and offer “Virtual High Fives” for the week to highlight some of our team members’ success stories.
Q: What are some of the things you and your family like to do when you aren’t working? Family is really important to me. I have a wife and four kids – three girls and a boy. Not to mention, three dogs. During the summer, we all like to go to Marblehead for some boating and sunshine. My wife and kids love to wake board, and I like to spend time fishing with my son, when we’re there. It’s a great place for us to be together as a family, and I really cherish that time we get to spend together.