On June 4th 2014 I wrote a post titled:“If I Were 22: I’d follow my passion to find my purpose!” where I explained that if I could go back to being 22 years old just getting out of college I would have focused on a career that focused on my passion rather than my purpose. In June I decided to put that plan into action and left my full time Technology Evangelist role at a company IO that I really enjoyed and believed in to pursue my passion and find a company and role that wasn’t just what I wanted to do but was something I loved to do!
I have been very blessed and am thankful for all the friends, coworkers and my social community that not only reached out to see if they could help but offered me jobs and submitted recommendations getting my interviews with companies and positions I could have never dreamed of getting.
Throughout this process I’ve been blessed to have the full support of my wife and even with three daughters under 5 years old was willing to move and do whatever was necessary for me to make this happen. As I was working on side projects and going through the interview processes my understanding of what my true passion is only grew and became more well defined.
My passion is… Change!
I’ve been raised in an entrepreneur family with my Dad owning a candy company and my Mom running our family Frozen Yogurt shop where I got my first management experience at 14 years old. I’ve always had the passion for building teams and organizations both as a government contractor, growing an enterprise solution team to a worldwide organization and as a Technology Evangelist at fast growing startup.
This experience has me fueled to grow a company of my own while working with other great leaders who embrace change. I’m excited to share that I accepted an offer to become Chief Digital Officer & Partner at Broadsuite where I will join forces with my friend and experienced business leader Daniel Newman.
Daniel has been someone I’ve looked up too since I first read his book Millennial CEO. I synced up with Daniel late in 2013 at the suggestions of two people Tim McDonald and Meghan Biro whose advice I greatly respect. It was evident why they said I would get along with Daniel as we are both family men with a passion for technology, strategy and leadership and as fellow millennials (Older Millennials’ both born in summer of 1981) not only embrace change but believe in being an integrated part of the leadership that drives the future of change. Daniel has grown Broadsuite to be a leader in digital marketing strategy. I was attracted by the company’s dedication to comprehensive solutions and belief that together with their customers they are one team working together not to complete a campaign but as partners with clear goals and a team strategy. Broadsuite is leading the charge in creating branded “News Room” style communities that empower the brands to tell their story, connect with their community making it easy to..
“Be Found, See and Heard” in what Daniel bests describes as a cluttered digital world!
Much like me, when Daniel founded Broadsuite, it was about more than just starting another business, or being another company that does marketing. As a young, but seasoned business executive, Daniel recognized the need for businesses, especially B2B and Technology focused companies which is where the majority of his career was spent, to reimagine their marketing to align with the way buyers today are engaging in the customer journey. Perhaps this is best seen by the company’s rapid growth and the partnerships they hold with some of the largest companies in the world as well as some of the most promising up and coming tech companies.
At Broadsuite I will be focusing on initiatives that connect paid, owned and earned digital channels through maximizing community involvement and content utilizing social and technology. What exactly does that mean? I’ll be teaching and leading change helping B2B’s, small businesses and technology companies connect, communicate and become active members of their communities both internal with employee advocacy and personal branding and externally utilizing community events such as weekly Google+ hangouts, Twitter Chats and video podcasts. I’ll be helping brands orchestrate content marketing tactics that situate their brands at the moments that matter to their audiences by focusing on creating content and social engagement that provides value while helping customers solve problems where often times earned and owned will trump paid. I’m excited to help brands embrace this change and I know change is scary and slow for many I believe by joining Broadsuite I will have the team and tools necessary to make this happen.
And to take a piece from the Lebron James letter “I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.”…
“I’m excited for the challenge and the opportunity to call Broadsuite Home!”
I’ll be sharing more news and updates including a new Hangout Chat over the next few weeks and I look forward to engaging and growing the Broadsuite & Millennial CEO communities.
I will be presenting at the Employee Advocacy Summit in September as well as many other speaking engagements this fall and will share that once it’s finalized. I am thankful to everyone who has helped me throughout this process and look forward to future opportunities to collaborate and as always please connect with me across all social media channels at @iSocialFanz & at my new email BFanzo@Broadsuite.com.
Cheers Brian Fanzo – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Gretzky #99
