“You may think you know, but you have no idea.” I love that phrase, especially when it pertains to the wonderful world of startup. It’s a ride like no other, a rollercoaster of big wins and tough losses, but I for one wouldn’t trade it!

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Working at GannettLocal, a startup within the giant that is Gannett, is even more special. Without the looming pressures of VCs and fundraising, and the under-resourced, over-worked team, we’ve been able to build a geeked out, innovative, passionate group of inspired teammates. And I mean that in the biggest way. I’ve never worked with a group of people so passionate and loyal to the cause, to drive leads for their clients, no matter the method. We’ve come up with some crazy ideas, but I don’t think there’s one person on the team that would say no to hitting the streets with flyers if that’s what it took to drive a new lead to their client.

In fact, it’s usually my job to rein the team in and remind them that we can’t work for free! But in fact, that’s the task we’ve been given. Figure out how to drive new leads, through whatever medium makes sense, and do it at an affordable rate for the advertiser. The coolest part is there isn’t a single tool that we can’t use. Because GannettLocal is a part of Gannett, we have access to every print platform you can dream up, not to mention broadcast, display, Yahoo, DealChicken and so much more. Okay, okay, this sounds like a pitch. I just get excited!

But if you want to know what it’s like “behind the scenes” at GannettLocal, you better put on your best pair of jeans and get ready to run fast. There’s none of that so-called “down time” here at GL, in fact, if there was any I think this group would go nuts! But with all the crazy paced, think-on-your-feet, learn as you go, there’s also a sense of family and friendship that has grown.  Always eager to find an excuse for food, we’ve celebrated birthdays, babies, big wins and even Frappacino Fridays.

Our operations team, or as I like to think of them, our GannettGeeks, has exploded from just four people to around 25 and still ramping. The growth is incredible but with each new recruit there has been fresh insight, and every individual has been handpicked for the role they’re now in. I can’t wait to look back in a year and remember these roots that we’re planting and to celebrate the successes that we’ve already seen and that we’re currently building.  So if you really want to know what it’s like, pop by for a visit and let us know what insight you might bring to the table. Only passionate, geeked-out people need apply!

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