Meet the Ripplers: Hannah explores the world—while selling a product she truly believes in

Name: Hannah Smithmier

Role: Senior Manager, Solutions Consulting

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Rippler Since: 2020

Roles + responsibilities

I’m a manager on the Solutions Consulting (SC) team. Day-to-day, our team partners closely with the sales teams to give deep-dive demonstrations of Rippling products to current and prospective customers. 

We also work closely with product leaders on new product launches. Over the last couple of years, I’ve supported sales for our Global Payroll products by helping build our demo and go-to-market strategy for new country launches.

The SC team is composed of experts across each of our product clouds: HR, Finance, and IT. My team specifically supports Rippling’s HR & Global Payroll products.

The Rippler's journey

I grew up in this industry. When I was in high school, my after-school job was processing payroll over the phone. 

I remember watching all these different payroll and HR tech companies pop up, each claiming to be better than the last one, but they always relied on integrating with another solution. When Rippling launched, I was blown away by the first demo I saw, but more than anything, I was just shocked that no one had thought of it before. It felt so obvious to finally have a solution connecting different business functions to employee data. So, in 2020, I reached out to a few friends who worked here and asked them if the product was as good as it looked—and they all swore by it. While I was interviewing, I learned more about the culture and saw just how much everyone I talked to believed in the mission to free smart people to work on hard problems. For my entire career, I worked with companies whose most vital business systems forced more work on them, so joining Rippling was a no-brainer for me.

I’ve worked with quite a few teams at Rippling. When I first joined, I was on the Technical Account Management (TAM) team. About a year and a half in, I was able to join the Technical Account Consulting (TAC) team, which focused on helping our customers through major milestones and projects—think mergers and acquisitions that need a lot of time and planning before making changes in a platform like Rippling. 

In 2022, I had the opportunity to join the Solutions Consulting team, and I had to take it. The pivot to sales after a decade in customer experience was terrifying, but the support that I felt during the transition was the biggest reason I made the leap. 

I’ve really loved being on the technical side of sales; it’s like I’ve unlocked a new level in my career. I’ve always enjoyed building new things, but with all of the opportunities Rippling has given me, I’ve been able to lean into and learn more about what I enjoy doing professionally. More than anything, I’m really proud of the career I’ve been able to build. I’ve been able to come into my own here, and because of that, I’m much more confident in what I love to do—and even what I don’t enjoy doing. There are not many other companies that allow you the opportunity to change career paths from CX to sales, and I’m really grateful to have been able to do that here.

I'm also really proud of what I’ve accomplished while working at Rippling. I’ve had the opportunity to build multiple teams from the ground up and support other teams through significant growth. Kim Glatzer and Xan Gentile took a chance on me joining the brand new TAM team, which helped set me up for my success at Rippling so far. This year, I’m focused on building out our international and global Solutions Consulting teams, which feels a lot less daunting when you’ve had that kind of experience before. I’m incredibly grateful for the support and opportunities I’ve had so far at Rippling. I can’t wait to keep it going in 2024!

Memorable Rippling moments

• Building the TAM/TAC teams from the ground up with Kim Glatzer, Zack Lord, and Emily Liu
• Navigating a new career with support from Charlie Ng, Paul Barber, and Zach Lawryk
• Attending Rippling’s Circleback event (first company event post-COVID) and finally meeting all of my coworkers in person
• Winning the inaugural ugly jumper party at our Dublin holiday party
• Moving to Dublin to help build our EU teams

Work + life

Rippling has given me the opportunity to take chances and learn what I love to do professionally, but it’s also allowed me to build the life I want. Early last year, I had the chance to move to Dublin, Ireland, to help start our first European office. Living abroad is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I was able to accomplish that because of Rippling. My wife and I now have the opportunity to easily travel to the places we’ve always wanted to go.

Something I’ve always appreciated about Rippling is that I’ve been able to define what work-life balance means to me and my family. I’m able to take the time off that I need to (and actually be offline) or work remotely if I want to travel somewhere without taking time off. This has been vital to my growth at Rippling, and it’s been something that’s fostered from the top down. 

When I'm not selling Rippling

When I’m not working, I spend almost all of my time taking pictures. I got really into film photography last year, so this year, I want to try developing my own film and learning more about the dark room. My wife and our two dogs, Frank and Hazel, are very tired of being my models all the time, but I think they secretly enjoy it. When I’m not taking pictures, we love exploring our new home in Ireland, traveling anywhere we can get to, or relaxing at home playing video games.

Tips for future Ripplers

There are so many opportunities you can take on here, regardless of your background. Don’t be discouraged from trying something new or asking questions—we believe in our people here and support each other through growth. Lastly, network! Rippling’s superpower is our people, so take advantage of the brilliant minds working here and get to know each other!