By Heather Hall
I’m Heather Hall, and I’ve been Director of Finance at FreeConferenceCall.com for the last two and a half years — it’s taken me almost that long to decorate my office (priorities, people). I came to the company with nearly 15 years experience in the telecom field. Industry-speak would probably refer to me and other long-term telco folks as “dinosaurs” — there aren’t many of us left!
But at FreeConferenceCall.com, I don’t feel like a dinosaur. I feel like an innovator. And that’s because our company feels like a startup, constantly adapting to consumer and carrier trends and needs, and consistently driving both visibility and growth.
My Daily Grind
So what do I do every day? A lot of calculations and analysis. Directors of finance have to love math, accounting, spreadsheets, reporting — and, of course, MS Excel. It’s my daily work buddy! My responsibilities include managing financial aspects of FreeConferenceCall.com. That could be analyzing overall financial performance of the company, developing financial forecasts and plans, reviewing sales, profitability or tax compliance.
Basically, I try to figure out different ways to evaluate our financial data to help us improve how we do business. It might sound dry, but to me it’s really exciting! As a side note, I also interact with a lot of random visitors — my office is the company’s free candy hub. Come on by!
Let Me Guess What You're Going to Ask Next
Working at FreeConferenceCall.com goes hand-in-hand with one persistent question that arises every time I talk about my job. “I don’t understand, how does FreeConferenceCall.com make money when the customer doesn’t pay a fee?” I guess that’s a valid question to ask, especially to a finance person. Since we’re talking, let me give you the easy answer: We partner with phone companies to share toll minute revenue. The company keeps it simple and keeps it free to the customer — and that vision stands strong. Our loyal customers are the proof.
Ultimately, working at FCC is so rewarding. The everyday challenge is what makes it fun, and being surrounded by smart people helps me grow. Maybe the most fulfilling aspect of my work, however, is knowing that my accomplishments have a positive impact on the company’s growth.