Emilia M. D’Anzica - Outlook Times

Emilia M. D’Anzica, founder of Growth Molecules

Emilia M. D’Anzica is the founder of Growth Molecules, a management consulting firm. She is also an active contributor to the Forbes Council and serves on several advisory boards globally. Before launching an award-winning company, Emilia was an early employee at several successful companies, including WalkMe and Jobvite. Emilia resides in Sonoma County, California with her three children and partner. Pressing ON as a Tech Mom is her first book.

Brief us about the outset story of your career.

I grew up working in my parents’ pizzeria and the moment I turned 13 I started working a 2nd job in retail while maintaining straight As. I loved earning my own money and being able to splurge on acid wash jeans…while mainly saving for travel and University…Growing up in an entreprenuerial family, I knew I wanted to use what I learned with my BA and MBA to build a career in technology where I didn’t see enough women thriving. I sought out strong women in Silicon Valley and learned as much as I could from them in Marketing, Leadership, Project Management and Customer Success. I have also had strong male mentors guiding me throughout my career. These early experiences, both good and bad, shaped what kind of leader I wanted to be when I started my own company, Growth Molecules.™

What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional?

Kim Scott’s book, Radical Candor, has guided me as an individual and professionally with profound effect in the past five years. Before that, I was always worried about saying something wrong, something that others would disagree with, or huring someone by saying no. Now I understand it is okay to say no, to have difficult conversations, and to disagree with others while maintaining respect for different viewpoints. Being able to stand steadfast in my beliefs, be confident in my decisions and positive in challenging times guide me to success and a happier life.

Enlighten us about your greatest strength. How are you different from others in your field?

Before I started my own company, I held every people in customer success from support manager, to customer success operations director, to chief customer office. These experiences allowed me to understand my clients’ needs. I have been in t heir shoes managing and growing recurring revenue, having difficult clients and bosses, and struggling to balance my time across the many jobs as customer manager is expected to perform. When I design customer success programs, build education curriculm for customer success managers and leaders, and lead workshop, I apply emotional intelligence to my communication style. For me, building a business has never been about the money but rather doing what I love most – helping professionals in customer success retain and grow their book of business with the skills necessary in software-as-a-service (SaaS).

Who in your life inspires you the most?

My mom and my sister Josephine have helped me navigate life, through some troubling times as a teenager and as I found my place in society. They have been through their own hardships but they have never wavered in their support for me, especially each time I wanted to quit tech, give up. They wouldn’t hear of it and picked me up, listened to me cry, and then lifted up my chin.

Mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your organization and person.

2022 Top 50 Customer Success Influencers by Smart Karrot, 222 TOP influencers by Egnati
2021 Intricately Top 75 Cloud Revenue Influencer | Smart Karrot Top 50 Customer Success Influencers | Global Trade Center Top 100 Successful Women in Business | Aspioneer Elite Women in Business
2020 & 2021 SuccessHacker Top 25 Customer Success Influencer | Survey Sensum Top 100 Global CX Thought Leader
2021 and 2022 Forbes Business Council
2018 Gainsight Top Seven Influential Women in Customer Success
2018, 2017, 2016 Mindtouch Top CS influencers & strategists
2017 MBA, Honors Distinction, Global Strategy & Competition | PMP® & ScrumMaster® Certified
2016 Stevies Award for Customer Service | 2012 Jobvite Customers Award

Being a woman, what were the toughest obstacles you faced in your career?

My own insecurities, sexual harassement at work, imposter syndrome, trying to balance being a great mom while being a global executive constantly traveling, going back to MBA school at 38.

By leaning on true friends, my family, learning that I wasn’t the only one out there struggling in tech as a woman, and practicing the skills I learned through therapy, reading, and questioning the status quo, did I finally let go of all my fears, negatively, and self-doubt.

We live in a male-dominated society, what is the one thing every woman must possess?

Confidence, believing in yourself. If people talk behind your back, put your down, say ‘what you want to do is impossible, that’s their insecurity and jealousy. Rise above the negative voices in this world and find out what makes you happy and enables you to make money. Then take on that skill with confidence until you are unstoppable. Practice being confident and before you now it, you will be a confident start others look up to.

What advice would you give to the next generation of women heroes?

Don’t be afraid to go after your dreams even if you don’t believe in that moment you have all the skills needed to achieve them.

A movie I recently watched is called the ‘Hand of God’. It is filmed in Napoli, where I was born, and the movie is recorded in Napolitano, my parent’s dialect that very much reminded me of my own parents who left Italy to follow their dreams and create a better life for their six children.

Find friends and people who will cheer you on. Find people

you aspire to be like and start learning from them. Don’t strive to be the smartest person in the room but instead to have an open mind so that you are constantly learning from other people’s experiences. This is how we all grow.

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