ChainXY Team - June 23 2022

ChainXY Champions
Oszkar Breti

CHAINXY IS ALL ABOUT KNOWING MORE. 

For example, we love getting to know more about our people.

We love celebrating their accomplishments! That’s why we’re so excited to debut our ChainXY Champions series to highlight our greatest resource – our people.

Today, we’re championing our Chief Revenue Officer, Oszkar Breti. He’s been a rising star with ChainXY since November 2021. So Oszkar, let’s get started!

How would you describe your job at ChainXY?

Well, I get to do a lot of different things at ChainXY, but my job is management.

Managing ChainXY’s various revenue streams is my main directive, but I also get to lead and manage the talented people on our teams. They’ve got such a diverse set of skills and it’s so interesting to work together to achieve our mission to grow and expand ChainXY into new markets.

What stimulates you about working here?

The diversity at ChainXY is a big motivator. It touches everything I do, the viewpoints and skills of my coworkers, and the needs of our clients.

Every day I toggle between a wide variety of tasks. From reviewing and working with data to collaborating and communicating directly with my clients and prospects to teaming up with the great people at ChainXY to deliver for our users.

Our users are always coming up with unique, new ways to use our data that I never would have imagined. I take their ideas back to development to make sure that we deliver on these interesting use cases. I feel lucky, because doing the same thing every day is not for me – diversity in life and in work is super important to me.

Take us through your workday – what does it look like?

I’m a keener, so I’m usually the first one in the office. 

This helps me catch up on emails and prepare for the day's meetings. These calls are a mix of ChainXY / CenterXY demos and managing client relationships to ensure everyone is happy with the product, service, database, and platform.

Another priority of mine is to canvas new markets, reaching out and researching innovative packages and offerings I can bring to the Development team. If our team faces any barriers, we work together to break them down.

I also review data reports and resources to better identify how our business is really functioning so I can see our path to new growth. Discovering growth opportunities is what I do every day – that is really one of my core values. Growing business, sure, but also growing my own skills and experience and that of my team.

I think it’s one of the most important things you can do in life is to challenge yourself and others to expand personal knowledge and push the boundaries of what you think is possible.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Most people don’t know that I’m an immigrant to Canada. I was born in Yugoslavia and my family came here in 1995 which was during the war there. My dad had three uncles that were already in Canada, and they sponsored us.

My great uncles gave us the opportunity not only to move to Canada, but to expand our lives. When we left Yugoslavia for Kelowna, we were farmers – now my family has thrived. I mean, I live in Vancouver and have a great job that gives me the chance to travel all over North America.

If you could ask industry leaders anything, what would that be?

Honestly, I think it would be, “How do you see queer businesspeople fitting into the commercial real estate (CRE) data and tech marketplace?”

As a queer person in a company that bridges this very heteronormative landscape, I want to understand the best way to navigate more traditional mindsets. With their years of experience, I feel like industry leaders would have great insights.

Sometimes, I feel it might be best if I pull back a bit so that I don’t sacrifice a sale, but then I sacrifice being my whole self. I’ve got to ask myself, “Is it worth it?”

I’m not saying the entire industry is like that – I love my clients! It’s just I am very aware when I feel there is a risk. I need to establish a certain level of trust in people before I feel comfortable revealing more about who I am. So yeah, any advice on how to better navigate that.

What is it like working with your various teams?

Let me break it down by team…

Technical
Working with this team is my greatest learning experience – I don’t come from a technical background, so I don’t speak their language fluently. There’s a lot of jargon to describe specific processes that I’m catching onto, but I’ve realized my job is to focus on the big picture while they zoom in on the details.

I come to them with the big asks from our clients. They break down their processes for me so I know what can and can’t be done. We work together to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Quality Assurance & Support
I came from a quality assurance and support background, so our communication is so streamlined. Our language is problems and solutions.

Together, we create solutions for our platform from the accuracy and accessibility of our data to user education. Some people just need that extra push to maximize their data usage. We like to offer custom solutions based on their use case.

What is a key lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Never turn down an opportunity to learn or explore – even if it’s not where you started or where you wanted to go in the first place.

I started out as an arts student – in social sciences pursuing the doctoral path. Now, I am the Chief Revenue Officer of a CRE data provider.

How did that happen? I guess everything up until this point led me here. No regrets.

What is something that you’ve done at ChainXY that makes you really proud?

We’re pushing the boundaries of what users can do with our datasets. We’ve expanded into very niche and unexpected markets. Our users are always surprising me.

Sure, I saw the path to expansion in healthcare and financial brands, but unions? They saw something I could never see coming. They use store location data to organize and maximize rally attendance. It’s really mind-opening to see what you can do with a creative approach to data.

Describe ChainXY in 3 words, and don’t cheat by looking at the website!

1) Diversity: Our team members have different backgrounds, education, abilities and experiences. That’s what makes it so special when we come together, engage and connect.

2) Creativity: When we collaborate and form new ideas, we shape where the business will go, what the platform will look like, what new products to launch and what new customers we want to engage.

3) Authenticity: Our culture is one where everyone can be themselves and be accepted. For me that means not being afraid to be who I uniquely am and speak up for what I think is right. Everyone is acknowledged and embraced.

What are the coolest (or most important) trends you’re seeing in the shopping center industry today?

I think the effects of Covid are fascinating. I’m seeing a lot more open-air shopping centers. Outdoor malls, pavilions and gallerias are gaining ground on the enclosed retail spaces we used to think were so convenient.

Franchisors and owners are now hyper-aware of the limitations of enclosed spaces from both a safety standpoint and an operational one. If the mall closes, you’re closed. Outdoor options give you the freedom to open and close on your own terms (within reason, of course).

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