In this first episode, we profiled Technology Diva Carrie Borchers on her career journey in sales and technology. Carrie began by telling us how she first entered the world of technology. She graduated with a liberal arts degree, an undergraduate degree in Psychology and minor in Spanish and Dance. Her first job out of college was at the Boy Scouts of America as a Business Development Manager.
Through this career, she gained experience in both sales and marketing. She left the nonprofit world and worked at various marketing agencies. As technology evolved in the marketing space, she learned to adapt to stay ahead of the game. She became the second woman and first saleswoman at IT Resource Inc., a professional services firm, which is now celebrating 100% growth in 7 years. They have, on average, 50% women working for them.
She threw herself into technology sales, quickly learning the industry and all the main players with her work at a Michigan based technology reseller. Learning quickly helped her stay up to date in a fast-moving industry. She follows Wired, CRN, and other industry blogs to continue to be on top of the latest trends. She also follows Cisco, Microsoft, and other companies in both traditional and social media to help navigate the landscape. Carrie also reads content her buyers are reading to gain perspective.
Carrie shared with us some of her insight into the trends she thinks are changing the industry around Internet of Things (IoT). She is fascinated with the trend of health sensors like the Aria Scale and her Fitbit. She believes that IoT can help make business more efficient as it breaks out of the consumer market.
For other women looking to enter the technology field, Carrie suggests reaching out to trade groups like the Michigan Women’s Foundation who host Camp Moxie, reaching out to other professionals on LinkedIn, and networking through the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT). She suggests women be open to approach others proactively and not be afraid to take risks. She concludes with an analogy that men often "leap before they look", while women tend to be more cautious in their career moves. She encourages women to try to push themselves to "leap and look" at the same time. She believe the risk is worth it.
Carrie now serves as the Regional Sales Director for Blue Medora (https://bluemedora.com).
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