Tropic Spotlight: Iral Curtis

Meet Iral Curtis, who joined Tropic as an Account Manager in February. 👋

She manages her book of business with ease and efficiency, and works alongside our customers to tackle problems, coordinate solutions, and guide them through their Tropic journey. She joined the team because of her desire to grow professionally. After seven months, she says Tropic is "the highest-ROI position I’ve ever had."

How else would she describe her time at Tropic?  

My job is intense, and that’s what I love about it. I’m constantly pushed to go outside of my comfort zone, try/learn new things, and ultimately grow from those efforts. By month three at Tropic, I felt that I was in a similar place as I had been after 7+ months at other jobs...

Learn more about the significance of Hispanic Heritage month to Iral, her backpacking trip of a lifetime, and more.

What does it mean for you to be a Latina in tech, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month?

To me, it’s about celebrating my cultural identity while also embracing my role as an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech space. Latinas are vastly underrepresented in tech and I feel very lucky to be able to say I work in this industry. For me, it's a time to reflect on the significance of what it means to be a part of this small community, and a time for me to connect with other Latinas who are either in the space or who want to be. 

What has been your most memorable moment here?

Definitely our recent company retreat to Costa Rica. I had never been before, so it was extremely cool to get to travel somewhere new thanks to Tropic. The best part though? Meeting all of the lovely people I work with every day. It was the first time I had met about 99% of my coworkers and it did not disappoint (Sport Bar, anyone?).

Although I’m a huge proponent of remote work, it truly made a difference to spend time with other people in-person and it was particularly cool to see the entire leadership team there as well. Our company dinner was a great time for us to come together and celebrate the work we’ve all done.

What is a project that you’re most proud of working on?

When I was asked to present one of my renewal success stories to the entire company at our all-hands meeting after only being here for a few short months. It was memorable for me because it spoke to the impact you can make at Tropic in such a short amount of time and how all of our individual efforts are very meaningful to the success of the business. It made me feel like an important part of something great and it validated my reason for joining the team.

How have you grown professionally since you joined Tropic?

I think the better question is: how haven’t I grown professionally since I joined? 🤓

Honestly, this has been the highest-ROI position I’ve ever had. My job is intense and that’s what I love about it. I’m constantly pushed to go outside of my comfort zone, try/learn new things, and ultimately grow from those efforts. By month three at Tropic, I felt that I was in a similar place as I had been after 7+ months at other jobs–which speaks volumes about the kind of work and development we do here.

The AM team is so collaborative and helpful and I find that they’re a giant part of how I’ve been growing during my time here (shoutout to Drew, Nathan and Kev!). Our CRO, Isaiah, is an absolute beast when it comes to training and development and I have to credit so much of what I’ve learned so far to him–he’s ramped up my learning exponentially. He’s always in the trenches with us teaching us how to get better at every single aspect of what we do strategically and tactically, from building effective sales decks to creating account plans and more. Jordana and the SolCon team have helped me amp up my product knowledge too–they’re an invaluable part of our org that has helped me grow.

As an account manager, what does exceptional service look like to you and what’s your favorite part about working with our customers?

Exceptional customer service comes from a combination of empathy, strategy and execution. It requires a highly entrepreneurial approach to my book of business and it means that I have to address every customer in a different way depending on their needs. As an account manager at a high-growth startup, it can be easy to take a blanket approach to your customers–but the real value lies in really listening to them, getting to know their unique business problems, and creating customized approaches to deliver the most value possible.

My favorite parts about working with our customers: The relationships I build along the way and getting to that beautiful “aha” moment when our customers fully realize the value of Tropic. There’s nothing better than hearing that we not only saved a company a ridiculous amount of time and money through our services and platform, but also that we literally helped them optimize (and sometimes, create) an entire arm of their business. Tropic is creating real impact in the tech world and I absolutely love that.

What's a fun fact people would be surprised to know about you?

In 2021, my husband and I fell in love with backpacking & the outdoors. We spent nearly every single weekend that year driving hours all over California to visit every single forest, mountain and national park that we could. We camped at the base of the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, did a ~12 mile hike to see an incredible alpine lake in the John Muir Wilderness, got eaten alive by mosquitoes in the Sierra Nevadas, drove my Honda Civic through terrain no Honda Civic should ever attempt (and somehow made it through), saw giant sequoias for the first time, and got a chance to visit the breathtaking Yosemite National Park (highly recommend for anyone who hasn’t gone). It was a really fun and adventurous year. I can’t wait to get back out there all the time again now that my son is old enough to join us. ⛰️

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my almost-2-year-old son, my husband and our dogs. We love being outdoors, hiking, exploring, going to parks, and just enjoying nature. During the time we’re at home you can almost always catch us listening to music (Noah Kahan is on heavy rotation), dancing, playing in the garden and/or popping bubbles from the bubble machine.

We recently moved to Northern California, so on at least one weekend day we usually head downtown to grab food & beer at one of the local breweries (Sierra Nevada, anyone? 🍺) and check out new places or hit up our current favorite, the children’s museum.

If you could choose 2 celebrities to be your parents, who would they be?

• Bill Murray: Hard to think of anyone that would be a cooler dad to have than Bill Murray. I love his quirky personality and his unique sense of humor. I love that he’s remained relevant across generations and continues to make appearances in projects that span many different age ranges. I also particularly love that he’s a pretty private person despite his success. Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou are three of my favorite movies of all time (please don’t @ me, Caddyshack fans 🤭)
• Frida Kahlo: I can’t say for sure what kind of mother she’d be, but I’m so intrigued by everything about her and I love her creative personality. Not to mention, her passion, boldness, and unapologetic/fearless approach to art and life resonate deeply with me. 

What are three items you cannot live without?

• La Croix: I’m an absolute La Croix addict. I drink it all day, every day. It’s basically like having a fizzy, calorie-free disco party in your mouth–and who wouldn't want to be the life of that flavor-filled dance-off? 🕺💃😄
• Blundstone Boots: My ride or dies. I literally wear them pretty much every day throughout fall, winter and spring. They’re so easy to slip on, great for all weather and all terrain–oh and they’re stylish too. Can’t go wrong.
• Huckleberry App: We’re slowly transitioning away from this as my son gets older, but for the first 15+ months of his life it was the only way I could effectively keep track of naps, meals, diaper changes, sleep, etc. It seemed like such a big change at first but within a few weeks, I was unable to live without it. We still use it today to track his night time sleep and his bedtime, specifically. 

What’s one thing on your bucket list in life and why?

Backpacking in Patagonia. ⛺🥾 The landscape is stunning and I think it’d be incredible to get to see it. Plus, they have tons of penguins and wild horses in certain areas. Afterwards I would also try to make it to Ushuaia because it’d be cool to say I got to visit “the city at the End of the World”.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Slow down, focus and believe in yourself. I spent much of my younger days trying to grow up as quickly as possible and doing too many random things that weren’t productive for me or contributing to my growth. If I could, I would tell my younger self that everything will work out just fine, so there’s no need to rush.

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