Commercial Spotlight: Mike Komor
‘Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith’
At first glance, Mike Komor might come across as ‘that typical sales guy.’ Talk to him for half an hour, however, and you’ll see him quite differently. He builds genuine relationships. Mike has made a career quickly in Mollie. Starting out as a business development representative, he became team lead after only eight months. Now, four years later, he is Mollie’s Global Head of Partnerships. We asked him about his career and the lessons he learned.
Joining a small family
The first question we always ask is ‘why Mollie?’ ‘It was actually a coincidence that brought me here’, Mike answers with a big smile. ‘I always had an interest in e-commerce, but never thought of working in payments. While managing e-commerce projects, I missed the ‘new business’ part, the sales orientation. My brother, who works at Adyen, said: go check out Mollie.’
‘So there I was. I entered the elevator with this guy and had no idea who he was, only to realize much later that it was Adriaan Mol, the founder of Mollie. I was all dressed up for my interview, but everyone else was wearing flip-flops and shorts, Mike laughs when he thinks back to that moment. ‘It was just the whole company vibe, it was like a small family. We had lunch at a big dinner table, where a personal chef prepared the lunch every day. Even though we have grown a lot since then, that vibe is still part of Mollie. It still feels like we’re all part of the same team.’
From local sales to international partners
Mike stood at the very beginning of Mollie’s sales expansion. ‘There was no marketing or commercial department, there were no processes in place. Being the second sales representative that joined, meaning that everything you accomplished was a real win.’
As Mollie was growing, more ‘sales reps’ joined and Mike developed into the team lead. Not long after that, he made the switch to partnerships. ‘It was an opportunity that came along. I had my experience in e-commerce, so I had a view on where the industry was going. I also wanted to work more internationally. Back then, we were mainly doing business locally, but there was so much more potential. Soon the mentality within the company changed and we started expanding into Germany, France, and other markets.’
Building relationships as key to success
As Head of Partnerships, Mike is responsible for large deals, which have a direct impact on Mollie’s growth. The question is, how did he end up here in only four years? What is his formula for success? ‘Haha, well, I think the key is to embrace your colleagues, and to build relationships and friendships. I believe that has been a success factor. Of course, you don’t need to be friends with everyone, but building relationships with colleagues makes your work a lot more fun.’
The promotion to Head of Partnerships has been a highlight in Mike’s career. ‘It feels like a privilege to work with such talented people and to be responsible for partnerships across all markets at such a young age. I started helping Mollie grow as an individual contributor, but now I am enabling my team members to contribute to Mollie’s growth. That means that we, as a team, can achieve more in less time. Really, I’m enjoying that every day!’
‘Be ambitious’
Besides building relationships, Mike learned one big lesson in the past couple of years. ‘The one thing I’ve learned is to not be afraid to take a leap of faith. Sometimes you might think you are not ready for something, but once you try, you will succeed. A lot of people are not aware of how talented they are and how fast you can adopt new skills in a new role. So don’t let your fears get in the way of your success. Be ambitious and go for it.’
