Why I Joined Paperless Parts: Max Tipton (VP of Sales)

It was a cold night. The crisp air meant only two things, the streets were quiet and danger was creeping in…

Okay, maybe the story of how I ended up at Paperless Parts isn’t that interesting, but it is one I’m proud to share.

My entire career before Paperless Parts was spent helping hyper-growth companies like Acquia and Kong scale. At these companies, I learned how to forge partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, hone my sales skills, and act as a GM for my territory franchise. I loved this work but something was missing that I couldn’t quite put a finger on.

All of my experience to date was based around Horizontal SaaS, meaning the product is targeted to a wide audience, regardless of industry. As I sold Horizontally, I kept seeing competitive industry players with very specific go-to-market strategies pop up. I thought nothing of them at the time…until I lost a couple of deals. *hmm something is up*

After I reconnected with Mike Stankus, CRO at Paperless Parts, a long-time mentor of mine going back to our Acquia days, I began to research the Vertical SaaS arena. I read articles like Ten Lessons From a Decade of Vertical Software Investing by Bessemer Ventures, and a few things became abundantly clear:

• There has been a 10X growth in Vertical SaaS over the past decade (ie, Shopify, Toast, Procore)
• There is a massive opportunity to unseat sleepy tech incumbents
• The company that secures the leadership position in a specific space gets the lion share of the marketplace

Okay, so the business strategy and go-to-market became clear but what else was missing? As I reflected, I came to realize that long-term relationships, helping others, and understanding the inner workings of high-performing teams are what really fuels my fire. Having the opportunity to lead a team of sales rockstars through our rapid growth since joining has been extremely rewarding.

Finally, my wife is part of a multi-generational family business in Lawrence, MA. Grandpa started it in 1949, Dad runs it today, and now my wife and her brother are working towards the future. Having the opportunities to help American manufacturers continue their legacy is something that hits close to home.

I’d be happy to share more behind my “Why?”. Feel free to reach out directly: [email protected]