Ellen Rataj

PolishUp, Inc.

We help B2B sales teams hire more A players.

Co-Founder & CEO

nReach.io

VP of Sales

Closed Won Revenue

Helping Series A & B startups scale their teams to grow revenue

Fractional VP Sales & GTM operator

Commsor 🦕

Advisor

FreeWill

Managed a team of 60 people, I successfully turned around FreeWill's revenue engine by 36% YOY growth in 2023 (after an 8% YOY rev decline in 2022) by leading and scaling the 60 person sales organization to help nonprofits expand & accelerate their impact.

Rebuilt the FreeWill Sales Team through setting a strategic vision, implementing repeatable and scalable processes, and focusing on execution, accountability, and performance management that led to:  

+ Doubled PPR (productivity per rep)
+ Doubled win rate from 6% to 12%
+ Decreased sales cycle from 100+ days to a median of 45 days
+ Quartered new hire ramp time
+ Held ACV steady

HubSpot

As Head of Sales, I developed & ran the Ramp Acceleration Program for HubSpot's global sales org. Every sales segment (eg Corporate, MidMarket, SMB, etc) is assigned a Ramp Acceleration Manager to turn new AEs into fully productive reps as quickly as possible, measured through segment PPR and ASP metrics.

Founder - Head of Ramp Acceleration, Sales at HubSpot

I built the Sales Enablement (now Revenue Enablement) function from the ground up, focusing on coaching and developing global sales leaders through recurring programming, skill development playbooks, and 1:1 mentoring.

I also built the executive communication and strategy execution model for sales, to ensure cross-departmental alignment, through consistent change management efforts.

Founder - Head of Sales Leadership Enablement, GTM Enablement

As one of the original four SMB Sales Managers at HubSpot, I managed a team of 10 direct sales reps. I onboarded, coached and developed 22 sales reps over two years, many first-timers, and built programming to expand the segment to 30 sales managers and over 250 sales reps (as of H2 2022)

Sales reps on my team learned how to successfully position the HubSpot platform through a highly consultative and evangelical sales process.

Sales Manager

+ Received Brian Halligan's (HubSpot Cofounder) "Heavy Hitter" sales award
+ #1 Direct Sales Rep in 2014 at 181%
+ #4 Direct Sales Rep in 2015 at 154%
+ Attended every HubSpot President's Club annual recognition trip for top sales performers

I helped companies rethink the way they do business & how they compete within their industries.

Principal Account Executive

Vodafone Global Enterprise

I actively managed local relationships within the Netherlands for 25 multinational Vodafone customers.  As a customer-focused team player that influences & leads through strong communication and concise decision-making skills to achieve results, I drove profitable sales and increased Vodafone's market share of integrated products, services, and solutions.

National Account Manager

Verizon Wireless

I was hired as an Account Executive.  As a top performer, I was promoted into Sales Management and lead the Boston B2B sales team targeting mid-market accounts.

Sales Manager, Mid Market

AT&T Mobility

I was extended an offer to join AT&T's on-site, intensive five-month Business Sales Leadership Development Program.  Finishing #1 of 24, I transitioned into an Account Executive role responsible for net new business growth measured through monthly quota targets.  I also was responsible for maintaining all relationships going-forward and measured on install base, upgrades, add-on, and retention metrics.

Business Account Manager

In 2022, FreeWill's net new revenue unfortunately declined by 8% YOY. 
I was hired in Q4 2022 as VP of Sales to lead the 60 person team.
15 months later, we finished 2023 at 36% YOY net new rev growth. 

Why was I able to do this? How was I able to do this? 

I rebuilt the FreeWill Sales Team through setting a strategic vision, implementing repeatable and scalable processes, and focusing on execution, accountability, and performance management.

Within 12 months, we: 
+ Doubled PPR (productivity per rep)
+ Doubled our win rate from 6% to 12%
+ Decreased our sales cycle from 100+ days to a median of 45 days
+ Halved new hire ramp time
+ Held our ACV steady 

I am a people-first Sales VP, dedicated leader, and executive strategist with GTM enablement experience scaling global sales teams.

Today, I lead the 60 person sales organization at FreeWill by balancing execution across both short-term and long-term growth plans. I believe in motivating sales teams to perform at their best by running a repeatable and scalable GTM motion, which has increased FreeWill's revenue and driven company growth. 

As a company, FreeWill has raised over $10 BILLION dollars through the creation of over 1 million wills and supports a customer network of over 1500 non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining FreeWill in 2022, I spent a decade at HubSpot. In 2022, I built out a brand new global role within HubSpot Sales as "Head of Ramp Acceleration". I supported 25+ Managers and 4 Directors as I created, executed, and scaled a segment-wide program to decrease "time to ramp" for new hires, which has since been implemented across the global HubSpot sales footprint to all teams and segments.

From 2018-2022, I co-founded HubSpot's now 45+ person Revenue Enablement team. I built and lead the growing Sales Leadership Enablement team, focused on developing and coaching sales managers & directors across all our global offices as we scaled from 40 managers to 200 managers, through implementing net new global programs, processes, and playbooks.

From 2016-2018, I was one of four original SB Sales Managers for HubSpot. Over these two years, I coached and lead a high-performing sales team to exceed our monthly quota targets while simultaneously ramping 22 new hires, which positioned me to step into the challenge of cofounding our Sales Enablement team in 2018.

From 2013-2015, I joined HubSpot as an Account Executive. I was the #1 Global Direct Rep of the year in 2014 and the #4 Global Direct Rep of the year in 2015.

Responsible for scaling the FreeWill revenue engine.
Leading 65 exceptional sales people.
Helping nonprofits expand their impact.

Accelerating the success of nonprofit customers across the country by providing increased software adoption and strategic guidance leading to increased results in fundraising effectiveness.

Senior Customer Success Manager

Freelance 

I work with individuals and companies to write copy, produce design elements and layouts, and provide portrait and landscape photography for personal and professional use.
- Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, and Illustrator.
- Customer-centric copywriter

Copywriting, Design, Photography, Marketing

Upwell Realty

Real Estate Sales Agent

Nathaniel's Hope

Marketing & Communications Director

Communications and Graphic Design Coordinator

Creative Community Outreach Leader

National Mobilization Coordinator

Executive Assistant to the US Human Resources National Director

Campus Minister

United Abolitionists

Associate Director

I believe in leveraging our resources to make our world a better place. I have seen this happen by utilizing gifts in communication, strategic leadership, fund development, and creativity to increase the impact of non-profit and social impact organizations. 

I am a strategic leader highly skilled in communications, design, and program management. I have done this with Cru, Florida Abolitionist, Nathaniel’s Hope, and FreeWill where each organization saw a result of increased engagement and organizational growth. 

I am able to arrive at solutions quickly and then explain the logic behind those solutions clearly and persuasively. I also enjoy being a part of a team where I can specialize in my own unique contribution. 

I attended Virginia Tech where I studied Science & Technology and Music. Throughout my career, I have utilized both the organization of science and technology while balancing it with the creativity of my musical background. For example, creating new programs requires both creativity and organizational planning. This background prepared me well for many roles throughout my career where I have utilized both sides of my brain to see dreams come to fruition and lives changed as a result. 

While working with Cru, I honed my communication skills by writing and speaking regularly. I built relationships with donors, raised funds, and developed graphic design and storytelling skills to produce needed marketing and communications pieces. I then enhanced and leveraged these skills in my partnerships with both Florida Abolitionist and Nathaniel's Hope making a lasting impact in our community. Now, I rely on these abilities heavily in customer success. 

I am committed to giving my customers the service they deserve so they can achieve success. I have a reputation for being honest and fair and will go above and beyond to reach each customer's goals. 

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family. An avid outdoorsman, I love running, swimming, kayaking, camping, and hiking! I also continue to enjoy making music singing and playing guitar. When I am in nature, you will often find me with a camera in my hand ready to take an epic landscape. 

Proficient in Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, WordPress, Mailchimp, Blackbaud Database, Churn Zero, and Confluence.

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The Battle

Ellen Rataj

Blair Pippin

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