GrowthX Academy

As someone taking part in the inaugural sales & biz dev cohort I can tell you that we are on our 7th week (out of 12) and it’s been INTENSE! Since there are no official GrowthX Academy (GXA) Alumni (yet) I can give you some insight.

My situation is a bit different than the others in my cohort since I have been IN Tech Sales for the past 2 years in Silicon Valley (SDR, AE, & CSM work). My focus for joining the academy was to broaden my experiences and have something to set me apart from everyone that I am competing with for work in Silicon Valley.

As someone who has done a lot out here and feels comfortable with the startup world, I still felt as though I was being held back, or holding myself back. When I made the choice to join GXA it was to be able to focus more deeply on sales strategies and how to approach things the right way. I've learned a lot in the first 4 weeks and the 5th week was a bit of a breather for us before we got into our 6-week internships with REAL companies.

I can say that I now understand more about taking a product to market than I think I would have on my own. Having the guidance of the instructors and everyone associated with the academy has really helped me to feel confident in what I know and how to execute on it. I also feel validated for the way that I view sales as a relationship and not a transaction, while also learning new strategies to close deals, lead a team, and more. 

I will say that the first version of this course has been an adventure. You will be 100% submerged into the start-up world and the realm of having to always be flexible yet focused on your end goal. I will say that I alredy have a job offer that I would not be able to confidently accept without having gone through this program and having the team as my resource moving forward.

GrowthX Academy is a 12 week full immersion program that attracts individuals that desire to gain the skills required to successfully take ideas to market. This is THE place to be if you want to exponentially increase your opportunity and fit in the start-up industry…hence the “x”. The content is specific and intricate. You are guaranteed to gain a cutting edge perspective on efficiently getting to the truth for any company’s product-market fit. This is special op’s for the startup industry.

Joining the UX Design track at GrowthX Academy was the best decision I've ever made for my personal and professional growth. After considering other programs, I chose GrowthX after sitting in on a class and experiencing first hand what they could offer me. From day one, I could tell the entire team at GrowthX genuinely wanted to see every student succeed and was happy help at every step of the way. 

UX Design is taught by Julia DeBari, who is an amazing instructor and mentor. She keeps her design knowledge up to date, challenges us to do great work, and provides us with endless support and guidance - even after graduation. She always makes herself available to us and works tirelessly to help us succeed. Anyone who wants to learn UX Design would benefit greatly learning from Julia. Her mentorship alone is enough for me to recommend joining GrowthX.   Unlike my undergrad experience, I completed the program with a great education, confidence in my new set of skills, real client projects, a portfolio and a updated resume. The curriculum was fast-paced and intense, but I learned more in those 12 short weeks than I ever would have trying to learn on my own. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in transitioning into UX Design.

I did extensive research on UX programs of various platforms, including online courses, in-person, hybrid and master’s programs. I ultimately chose GrowthX Academy because it encompassed everything I wanted to learn, from research through design. What sold me on the program was the opportunity to work with actual clients solving actual business challenges for my projects. Ultimately, this hands-on experience was invaluable and helped me develop a portfolio I am proud to share.
The instructor, Julia, is extremely knowledgeable about the industry and UX processes. Her previous experience working at a variety of agency and enterprise companies enables her to relate concepts to real-world scenarios and articulate them in an easy-to-understand way. I was never afraid to ask for help because Julia and the rest of the GrowthX staff are all there to support you in your growth. The program provides much more than simply teaching you UX skills. It prepares you for a new career by providing soft skills and career-focused topics such as interviewing and networking. It is a well-rounded program and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to make a career change into UX.

I found GrowthX while I was researching Coding Bootcamps in SF.  Coming from a founder's mentality, I humbly admit that I had NO IDEA about the incredibly important market side of business; and, market fit, customer messaging, UX design, growth metrics and sales are absolutely imperative to any successful company.  I am now close to finishing a 3 month curiculum with GrowthX, and I can honeslty say that the knowledge, experience, and networking have been outstanding. These folks truly walk the walk.  I wouldn't trade the experience.

I came to GrowthX through a chance meeting on a Thursday, pulled the trigger and started classes on Monday. It was a bit overwhelming and very intense to do since I was also in a full-time role at AppZocial.

However, the time, resources and energy have been worth it. The best part is the emphasis on personal as well as professional development. It forces you to confront who you are and how you work- not only in your career but in your life.

The GrowthX team cares and is invested in your success. It's not always smooth, but the execution is always there. My only regret is not doing this when I first made the career transition in the start-up world 3 years ago- the skills and knowledge would have been very helpful.

I treated my course at Growth X as oine might treat an MBA -- You know that the material might be online. But the mateiral is not nearly as important as the mentorship you receive from long term industry veterans through a structured learning process, not to mention the opportunity to work for real-world clients through your study. Julia, as the UX instructor, has been a fantastic teacher and resource, and has become a friend rather than just a contact. You won't find many people more generous than Julia. Wayne Neale, as the course lead, has also been an extremely valuable resource in industry circles. I'm glad I attended the course!

It's difficult to put into words the impact that the people at GrowthX Academy have had on my personal and professional life. 

"People first" is not just a core value at GrowthX, it is the foundation for everything they do. When you join the Academy you join a rapidly growing family of like minded individuals who are passionate about helping others and sharing knowledge. 

The amount I have grown in my professional and personal life has been exponential. I am so thankful for making the investment in myself and  joining the GrowthX family. 

Had the  pleasure of hiring a GrowthX student from their very first academy class. The student came on as an intern during her program with GrowthX academy,  but before her completion of the internship, I knew I had to give her an offer! It was refreshing to hire and work with a smart individual who had a good baseline knowledge of sales techniques, different sales tools and an overall understanding of sales and marketing processes. If you are a sales director/manager, you know how difficult it is to hire based on just an interview. The education and training that these students get clearly sets them apart. I look forward to hiring more of my team from GrowthX in the near future!

I joined GrowthX Academy for one reason AND emerged from it with a zillion reasons why you should join. If you find yourself where I was three months ago — looking to break into tech with no coding skills, interested in the sales and marketing side of businesses, but having difficulty getting noticed with no hiring potential — seriously, look no further and join already. 

GrowthX Academy is, by all means, hands down and up, the place to be.

In just three crazy months at GrowthX Academy (GXA): 

• I met amazing individuals 
• I accelerated my career path into a rewarding field I care about,
• I learned tons of lessons about sales, marketing, and business development
• I learned about myself, as an individual with a past and present others should admire and pay attention too. 

For starters, did you know that your personality type, your passions, and your innate aptitudes should be part of your search for fit into both an ideal company and role? Do you know everything is a funnel and a numbers game that you can win with the right mix of weapons: knowledge, attitude, and connections? Do you know who is who in the sales and business development world in Silicon Valley? Well, if any of that interests you, then you are in luck. You found GOLD.

If you need help with your resume, crafting your personal story, learning how to network, preparing for a job interview, identifying ideal company profiles and buying personas, you will get it. 

If you want to learn the importance of defining your customers’ buying journey, prospecting, prioritizing and enriching customers, reaching out with the right personal messaging, learning about cold outbound emailing and calling, adding value, feeling confident with your on-the-phone and in-person presentation skills, demonstrating you are the expert, then look no further. 

Your life at GXA will go as follows. You will read a lot, and practice a lot. You will become very familiar with concepts such as growth mindset, to sell is human, lean business model generation, value proposition design, start with why, shut up and listen, spin selling, complex sales, the pyramid principle of communication, the power of habit, essentialism, 4 steps to epiphany, and a list that goes on and on.

Oh, did I mention they put you — people — first? And did I say anything about the network of amazing alumni you will have? Well, call me if you need a further reference because I seriously don’t know where to end. I want to become a great sales manager and a leader and now I have lifetime support.  Come here.

You’ll get what you want. It’s an amazing ride and it does not end but rather begins at GrowthX Academy. Come with the right mindset to help make this already superb experience an even better one for you and for the next cohorts. And before you make the decision, ask yourself, do I want a career change or do I want to change my life. If you are aiming for the latter, I hope you now know what’s possible here after reading the above. Put into the Academy as much as the Academy puts into you and receive 10 fold whatever you think you gave. Take a chance on you!

Fermin Alvarez

GrowthX Academy gave me deep knowledge on how to sell products that people want and how to scale a business. Not only did we learn valuable sales skills for selling to enterprises, the information that I learned have give me confidence in a changing startup environment. Everything I learned was instantly applicable and practical. 

I happen to believe that in order to become successful one needs to learn from those who've already achieved it. Sean Sheppard is an excellent leader and teacher who gave us the top knowledge from his own real life success experiences - something that I didn't get from traditional education programs. The opportunity to learn from the industry's best sales trainer, is probably a good enough of a reason to take the course alone, not to mention the course material and immersive experiences.

Having taken other tech bootcamps and marketing/sales programs before, GrowthX was different. First of all the in depth knowledge and information. Then the focus on developing student's intrapersonal skills. And most importantly - the large top mentor and alumni network that is extremely supportive and easy to access.