The Evolve-in-Any-Direction Culture of Professional Development at Simply Business

Out of the roughly ten individuals Connor Kuliga-Tredway worked with on the Simply Business sales team, everyone is still at the company — but only one is still a sales representative. 

That’s because, as Kuliga-Tredway explained, Simply Business emphasizes career development so greatly, many team members shift between different departments during their time at the company. And for some employees, including himself, this involves charting an entirely new career path. 

“It really shows the freedom we have as employees to learn about every part of the business,” said Kuliga-Tredway, who is now an insurance product architect at Simply Business. “If we can make that jump to something that we’re more passionate about, the company encourages it.”

Once employees identify their passions, they have ample opportunities to expound upon their existing talents — and embrace new ones. Throughout his four-year career at Simply Business, Insurance Product Development Specialist Adam Corey has gained a wide range of skills, including a grasp of several programming languages and product testing knowledge. 

Corey shared that, as he has carved out an exciting career path for himself, he has also discovered something even more compelling along the way: endless support from managers who are dedicated to helping their direct reports grow. 

“No matter what role I’ve held at this company, I’ve always been guided and pushed to be as successful as possible by every manager I’ve had,” he said. 

Kuliga-Tredway and Corey have both found themselves on unexpected career journeys at Simply Business in which every twist and turn opens up new avenues to evolve, whether that’s through one-on-one support from a manager or a complex teamwide undertaking. Learn more about how each team member has found space to thrive on their own terms. 

Freedom to Explore and Thrive 

Kuliga-Tredway believes there’s something “freeing” about the way Simply Business prioritizes long-term career goals. 

“It makes it very easy to create milestones within long-term goals and work with managers and peers to keep on pushing towards these smaller stepping stones,” he explained. 

When Kuliga-Tredway joined the company five years ago, he had no idea how many stepping stones he would cross. He shared that, after working on the sales team for a little under one year, he moved to the product side of the business, where he held roles as an insurance product development specialist and insurance product development lead before landing his current position. 

“Over roughly four years in product, I’ve seen my role grow from a sole focus on delivery to leading a workflow, managing the growth of team members, overseeing my team’s code space and helping bring new capabilities and responsibilities to the team,” Kuliga-Tredway said. 

Amid this ongoing evolution, he has honed a wide range of skills, such as technical development and project management, while receiving support from higher-ups who always ensure he has the resources he needs to grow and make progress toward his goals. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to have managers at Simply Business who’ve always had my career growth top of mind and have been there to support me the whole way,” Kuliga-Tredway said.  

“I’ve been lucky enough to have managers at Simply Business who’ve always had my career growth top of mind and have been there to support me the whole way.” 

And with this empowerment comes a focus on exploration. According to Kuliga-Tredway, he and his peers are encouraged to check out new areas of technical focus that pique their interest and get involved in complex projects. 

For Kuliga-Tredway, this exposure to skill-building, managerial support and high-priority projects reflects an overarching commitment to empowering employees to achieve their professional dreams, regardless of where those ambitions take them. 

“If someone’s career goals really cannot be met by Simply Business, that’s OK in the eyes of the company,” he said. “The company will still help and support you as much as possible so you can get to that next step in your career.” 

Poised For Continued Progress

When Adam Corey graduated with a degree in marketing, working in product development was the last thing on his mind. 

Yet years later, that’s exactly where he has found himself, thanks to Simply Business’ unique approach to career growth. 

So what makes this approach so outstanding in Corey’s eyes? For him, it largely comes down to the company’s emphasis on allowing its employees to dabble in different business functions. 

“Almost every team has a member who has made the transition from a different department,” Corey said. “Department managers and leads are always open to discussing how their teams work and what skills you would need to be able to make that transition.” 

“Almost every team has a member who has made the transition from a different department.” 

Along with this companywide focus on departmental moves, there are many opportunities for him and his peers to prioritize their own growth. Corey shared that his team has dedicated “level-up time” each week, during which they can work on improving a certain skill. 

“This has helped me take the time to learn our programming languages more and has helped me understand our product at a higher level,” he said. 

According to Corey, this team initiative goes hand in hand with all-around support that extends beyond just managers. He said he has benefited from the company’s mentorship program, through which he gets to meet with a senior software engineer on a biweekly basis to discuss how to improve his existing skill set and move closer to achieving his goals. 

Guided by access to the right resources and help from others across the company, Corey feels confident that he has what he needs to continue building a professional journey that he once never imagined possible. 

“This company has allowed me to start a career in something that I never thought I was qualified to be in,” Corey said.