A Platform is Born

Two years ago, I was disheartened: unclear direction and poor leadership left me feeling disconnected and frustrated in my role. I wasn’t chasing a bigger title or shiny perks, I just wanted to be part of a team where decisions made sense. I’d grown tired of the “fail fast” culture that seemed to forget the importance of learning before leaping.

When I started interviewing with Paylocity, I was cautiously optimistic. I had questions; not just about the role, but about the way they worked. Did they really value agility, or was it just another buzzword? Would I have room to lead, or would I be following a script someone else wrote?

To my surprise, I found something rare. Instead of rigid rules and top-down mandates, I found flexibility, trust, and a real sense of ownership. There wasn’t a fixed tech stack. If I had a reason for choosing a different tool or approach, I could make my case, and people would listen. It was a refreshing shift from the checkbox mentality I’d left behind.

When I joined, part of the team was already in place. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. Many managers prefer to build their teams from scratch. But I got lucky. Not only were my new colleagues incredibly talented, but they were also kind, collaborative, and just genuinely good people. I was able to grow the team and put to use the leadership lessons I’d carried with me from past roles (ones I’m still grateful for, even if they came from hard experiences).

Then came the real challenge and opportunity: we were tasked with building a brand-new audit trail platform from the ground up. That kind of blank slate is exciting, but also a little daunting. I braced myself for the possibility of heavy guardrails around architecture, tooling, and design. But those constraints never came. Instead, I was trusted to lead.

We started small—spikes, tests, conversations—and slowly built toward something meaningful. I brought in my own technical experience, but more importantly, we built together. Every design decision was discussed, debated, and shaped by the team. And when it came time to present our plan to senior engineers and stakeholders, we were met not with roadblocks, but thoughtful feedback and support. One call. One conversation. And we had the green light.

Looking back, I realize how rare that kind of experience is, especially in a company of this size. We weren’t just building software, we were building trust, collaboration, and something that actually worked. Something we could be proud of.

Building a platform from scratch is never easy. Go too fast, and you cut corners. Go too slow, and you lose momentum. But with the support we had—from leadership, from each other—we found that balance. We delivered something stable, scalable, and smart. And we did it the right way.

What’s stayed with me most isn’t the technology, though. It’s the people. The trust. The sense of being valued not just for what I do, but for how I lead, learn, and contribute. At Paylocity, I’ve experienced what true agile looks like. Not just in ceremonies or tools, but in mindset. In the belief that if you give people ownership, they’ll build something better than any process ever could.

I came here looking for a fresh start. What I found was so much more.