10 Oct David Politis: The New Journey Begins
Photo by oliver-roos-PCNdauVPbjA via Unsplash, downloaded 07 November 2023.
Earlier this year, I learned that it would be time to take a new path professionally.
Though not my first choice, the reality is that I would be leaving Xi3 Corporation and looking for new opportunities after serving for over 3-1/2 years as Chief Marketing Officer of Xi3. And in truth, it was a great run, I learned a lot, made some awesome new friends, and had an awesome experience. And in reality, I wish Xi3 nothing but the best now and in the future.
Moving On
So . . . what do you do after 30+ years as a marketing/communications professional and you learn that it’s time to “find a new job?”
The good news is that I recognized that I had/have some core competencies/strengths to draw upon:
- 3.5+ years as CMO for an emerging growth tech company;
- 27+ years in the agency world, consulting with firms in industries as diverse as technology, life sciences and outdoor/recreation and ranging from start-ups to multinationals;
- 20+ years as an entrepreneur running my own agency/consulting practice in areas ranging from public relations to marketing and from investor relations in social media;
- Success in helping drive over $1.1 billion in increased valuations for firms, and, thankfully
- A relatively strong reputation in Utah and the industries where I have worked.
Honestly, one of the best experiences from the past several months was being reminded how many completely awesome friends I have. This aspect of charting a new course has been both awe-inspiring and humbling. Thank you for all of your support.
It was also a fun and interesting to reexamine my past and future career paths, especially the primary decision tree of choosing whether to remain in the corporate world or return to full-time consulting.
At the end of the day, although I realized that I still love working as an outside consultant, I was recently presented with an opportunity that I could not pass up.
From Stealth Company to Rebranding & Go-to-Market Rollout
First off, let me state for the record that I love LinkedIn. It really has become THE social media platform for business professionals around the globe.
And it’s through LinkedIn that I first learned about an exciting “new” tech company in Utah I had never heard about previously.
So I have officially come on board as Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of a three-year-old, “start-up” hardware company based in Utah County. (And no, it’s not a computer company.)
But . . . I do believe this Stealth Company has the potential to become a billion-dollar firm in the relatively near future.
For the past few days I have been in Chicago with three other members of the executive team of our StealthCo for a series of meetings with a key strategic partner.
In the meantime, we have held initial discussions with both Industrial Designers regarding current and future iterations of our products, as well as with Graphic Designers/Ad Agencies regarding a complete rebranding of our Corporate Identity. And yes, we have a LOT of work to do before we’re ready to leave stealth mode and enter a full go-to-market rollout in the appropriate vertical industries.
This being the case, initial sales did begin earlier this year at our StealthCo and we currently have more sales interest than we can handle.
So what is it that we are doing?
Well . . . the reality is that I’m not ready to disclose this yet as we do have a complete rebranding underway. But to give an idea, I’ve begun sharing a few tidbits on social media.
For example, here is a photo captured at our strategic partner’s facilities in the greater Chicago metro area.
Hot and cold temperature testing chambers.
At the end of the day, it’s nice to say that I’m extremely grateful to be at this new firm and for the opportunity we have before us.
Again, I extend my “Thank You” to all of my friends and loved ones for your interest and support, both in the past and as this new journey begins for me. It means more to me than I can possibly express. Thanks.
For now, I will close. But look for new tidbits about StealthCo in the weeks ahead prior to our planned reveal in mid-to-late November.
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