Cloud9 Advisory, Inc.

“ My time at Cloud9 was nothing short of amazing. Being able to learn from two experts in Chad and Sarah was a privilege and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to intern at such a great company. I came into the Cloud9 Summer Internship Program looking to develop some key accounting skills as well as further my knowledge with financial statement recognition. Not only was I able to learn these principals but I also became familiar with the world of tech and starting a brand. Through my first two weeks of the 8 week program, I completed onboarding training where I learned the values of Cloud9 and the core meaning on CFOaaS (CFO as a service). I also finished two Google certifications which taught me about the cloud system as well as strategic sales techniques. As I became more familiar with the hybrid workstyle, I began to realize how beneficial and effective this strategy truly was. On Mondays and Fridays, I had deep work days where I would work from home and complete any tasks necessary. Then in the middle three days, Chad, Emily and myself would collaborate and do some innovative thinking to ultimately keep helping the company grow. It was a great opportunity to be able to sync with my manager Emily and an even bigger bonus to consistently sit in on meetings with Chad, the CEO of the company! As time went on, I became tasked with more responsibility and felt that I was positively contributing to the company. On top of the accounting and financial principles, I devoted a significant amount of time into researching and reviewing how to help build a culture of continuous learning. Along with applying my interests and courses at school to this internship, I also helped launch a marketing campaign. I constantly worked with the social team to help grow the brand and attract as much of a viewing as possible. I became extremely familiar with the world of tech and all the different intangibles that could help us become an emerging company in the technology industry. My two favorite parts of the internship were working on a Mass DoR Audit and sitting in on acquisition meetings. Both of these opportunities really exposed me to real life examples of what I am ultimately interested in: finance. While sitting in on these acquisition meetings, I realized how important collaborative thinking and attention to detail are. I also got to look through a company’s financials and give my own input on what I thought would be a good move for Cloud9. I received expert advice throughout these processes and learned a ton! Cloud9 helped me become more of a critical thinker and see things in more than one way. Being able to recognize a situation and pivot on the spot is a hard skill, but Chad was able to successfully do this on a consistent basis. Seeing how committed Chad was everyday to growing Cloud9 was motivating and it inspired me to do everything in my power to help the company evolve. My work at Cloud9 felt valued; as I was able to voice both my ideas and opinions in meetings. I was given responsibility from week one and was respected by everyone at the company. Chad and Sarah always made sure to check in and ensure that I was getting the most out of what I was working on at the time. They gave me constant feedback which helped me become more knowledgeable in areas with which I was unfamiliar before Cloud9. Another incredible feature that I was lucky enough to encounter during my time at Cloud9 was their variety of offices. Not only did I get to work in Boston everyday, but I was able to get a feel for all different parts of the city. Whether it was Beacon Street or the Seaport, I truly felt that fast paced work lifestyle. I took the train to work three days a week and grabbed lunch with people from surrounding companies such as Deloitte and The Connor Group. Not only did I benefit from the work aspect of this internship but I also realized how a great boss treats his employees. Whether it was going for lunch or a game of ping pong, Chad was a pleasure to work for and served as an incredible mentor throughout my time at Cloud9. Cloud9 cares about its employees as people and is a thriving company that I believe will be successful for years to come. ”

““If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life”. This is the best way to describe the employees of Cloud9 Advisory’s mentality and how it feels to work there as an intern. Cloud9 Advisory’s Winter Internship Program was incredible. C9 is composed of innovative people who care about the development of their employees and interns. The tasks that I was given were carefully curated to help me apply the knowledge I accumulated from classes at college. The experience and mentorship they offer for people are priceless and taught me a lot. I worked very closely with Chad, he was the person I reported to and is also the co-founder of the company. To be able to work with the former CFO of a software company is worth its weight in gold. He has a gift for explaining extremely complex concepts in digestible ways, and understanding the way he thinks and approaches tasks is something I will forever try to use myself. Everyone at the company is friendly, motivated, and extremely experienced, and gifted in what they do for the company. It is the perfect environment for a determined intern. The tasks that Chad as well as everyone at the company gives are important to the company's success, not busy work that is boring and unimportant. My work felt valued here, and being allowed to express my ideas was an element of this company that is rare to find in an internship. I was working to solve real issues/problems clients had. The tasks for the entire internship are organized at the start and have clear due dates for each one. Communication is one of the many strengths that this company has. It is easy to set up meetings with others, express any issues or problems I am facing with tasks and find solutions. Overall, this Internship was the best experience I have ever had with a company. The determination, innovation, excitement, and pride this company breeds should be an example for all companies. Thank you for everything.”