Meet the Pathfinders

Matt Maxwell

Matt Maxwell is an OnBoard veteran, but his current tenure run is only in its eighth month. He’s in his second stint with the company, having originally started in 2010 and worked his way up to director of business development. He left in 2019 but returned in April to his current role as account manager.

Meet Matt

Role: Account Manager

Department: Sales

Tenure: 10 Years

What He Loves About OnBoard

“We’ve always progressed. We’re always going to figure it out, with a good team, with everybody chipping in. In the past four months, I’ve seen more transformation. I can honestly say in the next three years we’ll make more progress than we have in the last 10.”

“Don’t look for a job title or a job description. What do you want to do?..Hop in and get your hands dirty.”

What Prompted You To Leave, and What Prompted You to Return?

I was part of the leadership team at that time. Paroon (Chadha, co-founder and CEO) said it’s your turn to start a business. I’d always wanted to do that. I met Paroon through the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at Purdue University, and he came as a guest speaker. About a month later, Paroon needed help with photos at an event. I’d always done side stuff. I was flipping homes, had my real estate license, volunteered at the Entrepreneurship Department, he said go do it, so I did. Unfortunately, Salesforce developed what I was getting ready to build, and Paroon and I stayed in touch. He said ‘I need help, could you come back?’ So I did.

What are the biggest differences between business development and your current account executive role?

I was selling the employee intranet, and that was our main product line at that time. I continued to be that sole person selling it for four or five years. Then I took over partnerships and business development.

It’s actually very similar. I am taking over a lot of the partnerships I initiated like AGB. It’s perfect timing for them as well. My job is to take the unique, the funky, I’m-not-sure-your-product-can-do-this conversation and making it work.

What did your time Away from OnBoard/Passageways do for your perspective?

Not everything’s a fire. If you put in the right amount of calories, they add up. You don’t have to get everything done in a day. If you do the right things, you get exponential value. The startup experience helped; I also worked with another startup in the meantime. The teams I worked with were very accomplished. Make a checklist of things to do each day and cross those things off. Cross off those two or three things that really matter.

As a Purdue graduate, how Would you describe your relationship with your school's arch rival, Indiana University?

It’s been wonderful because I’m a Purdue season ticket holder in basketball and we beat them all the time. In business development, you wear the sport jacket with a button-up. When I started wearing a Purdue shirt, that was more of a conversation-starter than when I was dressing formally. Eventually, you do root for the Big Ten because we all stink at something.

What Advice Would you Share with new or aspiring Pathfinders?

Don’t look for a job title or a job description. What do you want to do? If you want to solve a problem, is it within your scope to do that? 20% of your time should be devoted to making the company better. You’re part of a team and you get to produce. You get to try new things. One day, you might be unloading snacks in the office. Hop in and get your hands dirty.

What Stands Out About OnBoard Compared to Other Places You've worked?

One of the most exciting things is we’ve always progressed. We’re always going to figure it out, with a good team, with everybody chipping in. In the past four months, I’ve seen more transformation. I can honestly say in the next three years we’ll make more progress than we have in the last 10.

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