We are talented, we are discoverers, and nothing is impossible at Bitrise! Meet Mustafa from the US. Read about his journey to Bitrise, what is possible to achieve at Bitrise and beyond, and his most-defining career moments.
Why did you choose to work at Bitrise?
I was at Apple for almost my entire 20s. Yes, that is right — I was there when the 3G came out and the stock was less than $5! Working there and seeing how important culture was to a healthy work environment really showed me a new way to see technology! Over the many years, I learned how to be a Swiss Army knife of skills, and to really hone in on my people skills to become who I am today.
When I learned about Bitrise (from another former OG Apple employee), I knew right away that this place was special. From the first interview to today, Bitrise gives me the same feeling I had when I first started at Apple — excitement, opportunity, a strong sense of positive culture, and many more things! I feel the rocket ship I know I’m on with Bitrise; it’s the same feeling that I had with Apple back then.
I have been writing a book for many years now: the premise is that if you try to perfect selflessness, you will always be growing. Because your mind will never let you perfect it due to it will always try to protect yourself. Bitrise has shown me there is so much room to grow professionally and personally and I’m excited for the road!
What’s your role at Bitrise? How does your role contribute to your wider career journey and provide opportunities for the future?
I am a CSM (Customer Success Manager) at Bitrise. One could argue that the CSM role is the backbone of the entire organization and the face of Bitrise to all clients! My role contributes to my future career in more than one way. It gives me a deeper look into what the world looks like with technology, and it really enhances my ambiguity skills. Using my skills everyday with my clients and colleagues strengthens my mind and career path.
A CSM role is a very unique one because every organization uses them differently. At Bitrise, we are trusted to be the face and voice of the partnership we are growing with every client! The relationships we create with our clients means more than people sometimes realize. They trust us and trust our vision of how they can succeed. Because at the end of the day, if our clients are booming then we are doing our job with the partnership we have created!
What was the lesson that you learned along the way, that you wish you had known right from the start?
A lesson I learned along the way is that it’s okay to fail. If you are going to fail, you want to fail fast and be ready to learn from it rather than sit and sulk over it! Time is the most valuable thing and every moment can teach you something about yourself — about how you react to a situation and how you capitalize on the situation. When I was growing up I could not fail, it was not an option. And I wish I had known that it was okay to fail and try something new!
Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Risers?
I have many tips! I think the main one is to remember that every person you talk to is a person first, whether it’s someone from IT or the CEO of a company. Yes, they have different jobs and needs, but at the end of the day they are a person first — so treat them like one! Ask them how their day is, see how the weekend went, or even just check to see how they’re doing in life!
Not every call need to be pure business. Building strong relationships relies on one main aspect; trust. And you won’t build that by just asking for a withdrawal from the person without depositing something first. You will end up in the negative real fast!
What kind of skills do you need to have to work effectively at Bitrise?
I think some main skills are being able to deal with ambiguity, understanding that we are a worldwide company so be mindful of your colleagues’ times, and don’t be afraid to speak up about something you think could be better!
What’s your favorite method of learning?
My favorite method of learning is by doing! I love getting in there and seeing it done. We live in a fast-paced world and reading how to do something can be very effective, but things move by us very fast. Something you read today can be obsolete tomorrow so I believe doing it first hand will give you the skills for that task to have a strong historic outline of where it came from.
If you want to join Mustafa and the rest of the team at Bitrise, check out our job openings.
