It was a fun ride, a little over one-and-a-half years, and I learned a lot.
I learned a lot about the Acumatica product. Although I focused on the Finance and Distribution modules, I got experience with other modules as well, like Manufacturing and Field Service.
Acumatica is very much a horizontal solution. So there is a lot to learn.
I also learned a lot about what it’s like to work for a software company. On the surface, it’s “just a bunch of people with laptops.” But there is a lot more involved when you get under the hood. It takes a solid team to bring a software product (especially an ERP product) to market.
It was a lot of fun, especially teaching classes like I got to do in Seattle, DC, Orlando, San Diego, and even Germany.
And it was a privilege getting to do one presentation at my first Acumatica Summit in Orlando and two presentations at my second Acumatica Summit in San Diego.
I like to say that being forced to teach something is the best way to learn it.
The team that I was on was the Implementation Assist team. We would jump into different implementations in various capacities.
Sometimes it felt like being a firefighter, just trying to contain and put out a fire.
Sometimes it felt like being a surgeon, making important decisions that would determine the life or death of a project and operating with a lot of time pressure and a little sleep.
Sometimes it felt like riding shotgun on a stagecoach, not really doing anything except staying on the alert, watching for any problems to pop-up so you could shoot them down.
I got to work with a lot of partners and a lot of customers.
It was a great learning experience to observe how different partners run implementations.
It was also a great learning experience to work with a variety of customers in a variety of different industries.
The Implementation Assist team had been operating as a remote team for about 6 months. Communication took place by email and by Skype, with phone calls as needed. And travel as needed.
I lived in GoToMeeting, spending most of my time on the phone with Customers and Partners, sharing screens and moving implementations forward.
Everything I did was remote.
And I embraced it. It felt like I was part of one big virtual office.
There were also a variety of personal reasons that made working remotely very important to me, especially at this point in my life. It was a good balance to the natural eb and flow of the consulting lifestyle and, most importantly, it allowed me to go back to San Diego when needed which is very important to me right now. More on that here
Honestly, working remotely became the most important thing to me at Acumatica.
And I was happy to be working for a company that was very distributed where, I’m not 100% sure, but I’m pretty sure, more than 50% of the US employees report to someone in another city, another state, or even another country.
“Just a bunch of people with laptops.” And Skype. And GoToMeeting. And phones.
An Unfortunate Change
But I got blindsided right after the recent Summit in San Diego when it was decided that the Implementation Assist team I was on would no longer be remote. It would now be an “in office” team.
I was really angry at first. I spent the last four years learning Acumatica and felt that I was just beginning to hit my stride.
But I understand that Acumatica is a growing company and, as they hire more and more people, they want to consolidate those people into offices.
I tried to work something out, but quickly learned that it was a non-negotiable requirement.
So, I began to look for a new job, one that would allow me to work remotely, with travel as needed.
It took a lot of time, a lot of energy, and a number of sleepless nights considering which option would be best.
In the end, I decided to go to work for a software company that provides a full-stack of software to the senior care / assisted living market.
They recently added a Financials product which is a white-labeled version of Acumatica. If you aren’t familiar with the white-labeled version of Acumatica (Acumatica Cloud xRP Platform), it allows you to put your own name on the product, much like the Kirkland brand at Costco.
Basically, I get to verticalize Acumatica Financials for the senior care / assisted living market. It’s a fast growing market with a lot of potential, especially as all the baby boomers retire. Actually, it’s kind of ironic that Acumatica, ERP for millennials (click here), is about to become the leading Financials solution for senior living communities that care for aging baby boomers 🙂
So, while I was sad to be leaving Acumatica, I’m very much looking forward to doing cool things in my new job.
I started the new job a couple of weeks ago, but I thought it would be appropriate to do this post today since today is the four year anniversary of my first post on this blog.
Also, one of the advantages of the new job is that I have the freedom to do Acumatica consulting on the side.
So click here if you’re interested in that 🙂
I am truly saddened by your departure Tim from Acumatica! You were my go-to guy! Sadly and Selfishly, I will miss you for all the knowledge you truly have! Any company you work for will be lucky to have some one with your vast knowledge! Thank you for all the saves with customers! I will still be using your blog as long as it is up for reference! Best wishes to you and your family on your next steps and I hope the new employer appreciates what they have gained!
Thanks for taking the time to write this comment Kandy. I definitely enjoyed working with you as well. Maybe our paths will cross again in the future.
HI Tim… It’s May 11th and I just came across your post now !
I’ve followed your blog posts re Acumatica since you started them and always found them to be very informative.
Your blog style was and remains very clear and personable.
I’m glad I got a chance to meet you briefly this past February at the Summit in La Jolla and I benefited from the seminar you gave there on Acumatica/PowerBI.
it sounds like you have landed ‘on your feet’ again after another transition.
Wishing you well in your new position and in your personal life as well.
Best regards,
Nonny Beckerman
Thank you so much for the note Nonny. Great to meet you too at Summit. Hopefully I can make it to the next one in Nashville.
Sad to see a generally flexible and Internet friendly company derail an experienced and talented associate for “location” purposes.
Confusing too because I believe many, many, implications are now done remotely.
VERY SORRY to learn of your departure from Acumatica. Most distressing news since the departure of Richard Duffy.
Hey Mike,
I was definitely sad to leave Acumatica. I had planned to be there a lot longer than a year-and-a-half. But it’s understandable that Acumatica wanted to hire more people on the team and they did so in Columbus where they have an office. Actually, it’s kind of funny (sort of), my being in Columbus is what got me the job in the first place. And it’s my being in Columbus that caused me to leave. If I lived anywhere else in the country (like my other teammates), I would have been allowed to continue working remotely. But I guess it would have been weird for me to be the only teammate in Columbus working remotely so I can see Acumatica’s point of view.
Not all bad though. I like the new gig a lot and this could turn out to be a much better situation for me. I still get to use my Acumatica skills, but I get to do it remotely. And I get to launch some things on the blog here that I’ve wanted to do for a while (stay tuned).
I agree with you though, most people in Midmarket ERP work remotely. It’s a lifestyle choice. Definitely something for companies to consider, especially as they deal with more and more Millennials like myself.
If you are an aspiring ERP consultant and you want to learn how to grow your knowledge and influence as well as your actual skills, take a look at Tim Rodman as an example.
I first met Tim, albeit only via social media, Skype and emails (in fact we never met face to face) during my 18 months at Acumatica as their VP of Partner Strategy and Enablement but I was immediately taken by his enthusiasm, dedication and capability and capacity to learn and share complex topics with simple explanations.
There are very few people that I follow and recommend from a professional standpoint but without a doubt Tim ius one of them and Acumatica’s loss is certainly his new companies gain (although like me, I am sure as Tim said, he will continue to be an ongoing advocate for and of the solution).
If you are in any way, shape or form involved with Acumatica, MYOB Advanced or Power BI, I encourage you to follow Tim and add him to you “invaluable resources” list
Wow, thank you Richard for taking the time to write such a lengthy endorsement
Hi Tim. Good luck in your new adventure.
Thank you Mike!
Tim, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences with all of us on this blog site. I wish you luck in this new chapter in your career. I hope to sit next to you again at the next Acumatica Summit, even though you may be there in a different role.
Thanks Anya. I’ll be looking for you on the front row at Summit in Nashville.
Congrats Tim, truly enjoyed working worth you and hope to continue that in the future.
Thanks Nick. Let’s do it!