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Stephen Rathjen
4x Certified Saleforce Consultant
Professional Background
Stephen Rathjen, a deeply passionate musician and dedicated social advocate, has expertly navigated a multi-faceted career. Born in the beautiful city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Stephen's musical journey began at a young age with piano lessons. His love for music blossomed further when he picked up the trumpet during high school, igniting a newfound passion for composition. This pivotal moment directed his path towards pursuing music academically at the prestigious University of British Columbia (UBC).
At UBC, Stephen excelled as a music major with a focus on composition. His dedication and talent culminated in his senior year when he composed his first Symphony, which earned a coveted spot in a competition hosted by the renowned Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO). His ambition did not stop there; after graduating, a memorable trip in Thailand inspired his second Symphony, which too was performed by the VSO during the 2005 competition. These significant achievements established Stephen as a competent and creative composer in the music realm.
Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Stephen transitioned from the arts to a role in the corporate sector by joining Scotiabank. Over the course of five years, he rose to the position of Branch Operations Manager, where he effectively developed his leadership, administration, and managerial skills. Simultaneously, he managed to juggle his passion for music by composing original soundtracks for a variety of independent films during his evenings and weekends, showcasing his dedication and capacity for multitasking.
In his late 20s, Stephen’s focus shifted towards social justice and outreach work, particularly aimed at Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a community often overlooked in mainstream society. His journey began in 2007 as a volunteer in a morning drop-in program for street-involved individuals. This initial experience deepened his commitment to invest in meaningful relationships with the marginalized population of the city. Ultimately, Stephen embraced this newfound purpose, leading him to a full-time position as the Program Director for the Saint James Music Academy, where he effectively advocated for and supported underprivileged youth in finding their voice through music.
In May 2018, Stephen embarked on an exciting new chapter by joining Traction on Demand as a Non-Profit Consultant. This role allowed him to merge his extensive experience in both the music and non-profit sectors to empower charitable organizations throughout North America. His journey as a Program Lead for Small Nonprofits at Traction on Demand further highlights his commitment to making a tangible difference in the lives of those served by non-profits.
Education and Achievements
Stephen Rathjen's educational background lays a solid foundation for his diverse career. He attended Rutland Senior Secondary during his high school years, where he first started to cultivate his musical talents. His formal education continued at the University of British Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, focusing on Music Theory and Composition. This academic journey not only refined his skills but also prepared him for a future filled with creativity and purpose.
Stephen's significant achievements span across both music and community engagement. His first two Symphonies being performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra are a testament to his compositional talent. Additionally, transitioning from a corporate background into a non-profit leadership position illustrates his dedication to social justice. These accomplishments not only mark pivotal milestones in his career but also showcase his unwavering commitment to music and community service.
Achievements
- Composer and Musician: Created two Symphonies performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, representing significant milestones in his musical career.
- Corporate Leadership: Developed essential leadership and administrative skills during his tenure as Branch Operations Manager at Scotiabank, where he effectively managed customer service operations.
- Non-Profit Leadership: Served as the Program Director for the Saint James Music Academy, driving social change and giving underprivileged youth opportunities to engage with music.
- Empowerment in Non-Profits: Currently serves as a Non-Profit Consultant at Traction on Demand, where he empowers organizations across North America by leveraging his extensive background in both music and non-profit sectors.
- Film Composer: Successfully composed original soundtracks for a variety of independent films, showcasing his versatility and passion for music beyond traditional performance.
- Community Volunteer: Committed to social outreach, dedicated volunteer work in the Downtown Eastside highlights his deep commitment to social justice and service.
Stephen Rathjen’s impressive path reflects a harmonious blend of musical accomplishments and a steadfast commitment to community upliftment. His journey from a young aspiring musician to a prominent non-profit consultant underscores a life dedicated to creativity, leadership, and positive social impact.
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.