Life at BlackLine with Markus Evans

When Markus Evans began working at BlackLine four years ago, his career goal was to join Enterprise Sales. After supporting BlackLine’s business development efforts for just two and a half years, Markus moved into a full sales cycle role, achieving this goal.

BlackLine Magazine sat down with Markus to learn more about his successes and experience at BlackLine so far.

BlackLine Magazine: How would you describe BlackLine to a friend?

Markus: BlackLine is not only the best solution in the global market by any objective measure, it’s also a family and I’ve made some of my best friends here.

BlackLine Magazine: What is a favorite project that you’ve worked on at BlackLine?

Markus: Wow. Sales is an exciting career and I can’t limit this to just one project. The largest deal I ever closed was extremely fun and strategic to navigate.

Beyond that, I’ll never forget the time I went on a self-proclaimed “closing tour” throughout Chicago with my manager and mentor, Jonathan Madden. Our schedule was packed to the brim for 72 hours straight, and we vowed to challenge ourselves to try new things and accelerate outcomes.

Everyone we worked with on that trip absolutely loved us and somehow, we won all of them over. Granted, playing on the winning team makes it’s easier, but nonetheless, we focused on the elements in our control and executed well.

Even if this only makes a 10% difference, it’s material enough. Ask Jonathan about the rule of ten. He has an interesting perspective.

BlackLine Magazine: What do you like most about BlackLine’s culture?

Markus: There is a strong sense of individualism at BlackLine and people are accepted as they are. You can feel the creativity and passion permeate throughout HQ. Plus, there are tons of perks and they treat you well here. It’s kind of like resort living at work.

BlackLine Magazine: What excites you most about BlackLine’s future?

Markus: The large addressable market and opportunity ahead. While we’ve been around since 2001, I feel like we’re just getting started.

BlackLine Magazine: What sets BlackLine apart?

Markus: The people, the product, and our market positioning.

BlackLine Magazine: What is your favorite BlackLine memory?

Markus: It’s hard to narrow in on just one memory. As I write this, my mind is flooded with countless good times over the years.

If I had to limit it to a single event, one of my favorite memories is from the very first day on the job. Therese Tucker (CEO) used to “interview” new hires in front of all company employees before our significant growth made this a full-time job in and of itself.

During my conversation with Therese, she challenged me to sing a song in front of my colleagues. What happened next was certainly out of key and an interesting choice for someone who can’t sing.

I started belting out Whitney Houston’s song, “I Will Always Love You,” which I imagine is difficult enough for even the best voices out there. Therese seemed to enjoy it enough and requested I stay up on stage with her throughout the rest of our new hire introductions.

Interested in joining our team? Head over to our careers page to learn more about how you can build a career with BlackLine.

When Markus Evans began working at BlackLine four years ago, his career goal was to join Enterprise Sales. After supporting BlackLine’s business development efforts for just two and a half years, Markus moved into a full sales cycle role, achieving this goal.

BlackLine Magazine sat down with Markus to learn more about his successes and experience at BlackLine so far.

BlackLine Magazine: How would you describe BlackLine to a friend?

Markus: BlackLine is not only the best solution in the global market by any objective measure, it’s also a family and I’ve made some of my best friends here.

BlackLine Magazine: What is a favorite project that you’ve worked on at BlackLine?

Markus: Wow. Sales is an exciting career and I can’t limit this to just one project. The largest deal I ever closed was extremely fun and strategic to navigate.

Beyond that, I’ll never forget the time I went on a self-proclaimed “closing tour” throughout Chicago with my manager and mentor, Jonathan Madden. Our schedule was packed to the brim for 72 hours straight, and we vowed to challenge ourselves to try new things and accelerate outcomes.

Everyone we worked with on that trip absolutely loved us and somehow, we won all of them over. Granted, playing on the winning team makes it’s easier, but nonetheless, we focused on the elements in our control and executed well.

Even if this only makes a 10% difference, it’s material enough. Ask Jonathan about the rule of ten. He has an interesting perspective.

BlackLine Magazine: What do you like most about BlackLine’s culture?

Markus: There is a strong sense of individualism at BlackLine and people are accepted as they are. You can feel the creativity and passion permeate throughout HQ. Plus, there are tons of perks and they treat you well here. It’s kind of like resort living at work.

BlackLine Magazine: What excites you most about BlackLine’s future?

Markus: The large addressable market and opportunity ahead. While we’ve been around since 2001, I feel like we’re just getting started.

BlackLine Magazine: What sets BlackLine apart?

Markus: The people, the product, and our market positioning.

BlackLine Magazine: What is your favorite BlackLine memory?

Markus: It’s hard to narrow in on just one memory. As I write this, my mind is flooded with countless good times over the years.

If I had to limit it to a single event, one of my favorite memories is from the very first day on the job. Therese Tucker (CEO) used to “interview” new hires in front of all company employees before our significant growth made this a full-time job in and of itself.

During my conversation with Therese, she challenged me to sing a song in front of my colleagues. What happened next was certainly out of key and an interesting choice for someone who can’t sing.

I started belting out Whitney Houston’s song, “I Will Always Love You,” which I imagine is difficult enough for even the best voices out there. Therese seemed to enjoy it enough and requested I stay up on stage with her throughout the rest of our new hire introductions.

Interested in joining our team? Head over to our careers page to learn more about how you can build a career with BlackLine.