IN THE SPOTLIGHT THE EXCHANGE Benafsha SPRING 2022 HOW DID WEST COAST CONSULTING GROUP GET INVOLVED WITH SALESFORCE? When we started in 2004, we were based in San Francisco, and we OUR FAVORITE TRAILBLAZERS: wanted to be part of something real that involved new technology. Marc Benioff had these “no software” stickers all over the city, and the entire team was curious to see how this software company could have Benafsha “no software.” We went to hear Marc speak and were immediately hooked. It was a broad-thinking strategy that wasn’t just about Irani software sales — he wanted to bring communities together and also incorporate nonprofit work into the industry. Not only that, but it was an agile platform that really works! There was so much we could do with just the click of a button. West Coast signed up to be a partner right then. WHAT WAS THE FIRST APP YOU EVER DEVELOPED? That’s an interesting story. We kept hearing “AppExchange is the thing!” so after some encouragement, we launched our very first AppExchange app, called CloudCollect. We also now have a medical device sales app called MedTech SalesTracker, and we’re launching a marketing dashboard app soon. It’s all been a very fun journey, and I feel like Salesforce has really helped us do some exciting things along the way. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP ON APPEXCHANGE? WHY DO YOU LOVE IT? My favorite app on AppExchange is from Salesforce Labs, and it’s a dashboard app. I feel like most people don’t even know it exists, but it’s an app that helps you get started on some of the most powerful features of Salesforce, which are dashboarding and reporting. It’s a great place to see the power of Salesforce, and it’s free! WHAT DOES BEING A TRAILBLAZER MEAN TO YOU? I think a Trailblazer is someone who is creative, doesn’t shy away from doing new things, and is always doing their best. It’s about giving your whole self and trying it all with a passion. For me, it’s less about the materialistic outcome, and more about the experience. Always be Benafsha Irani is a force to be reckoned with. As the founder of innovating and learning new things. That’s the fun part about being Founder of West Coast part of the Salesforce community. Consulting Group West Coast Consulting Group, Benafsha has traveled the world, launched innovative apps on AppExchange, and helped grow WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO THOSE WHO ARE JUST and scale her business — all with a smile on her face. STARTING OUT ON Understand the power of the platform! Many times people don’t even “I feel like without Salesforce, we might have been boring,” Benafsha THE PLATFORM? know what’s out there. Sometimes people have Sales Cloud and they said laughingly. “But this has been such a fun journey!” think that’s all Salesforce offers, but there’s Service Cloud, Slack, and so We talked with Benafsha about how she draws inspiration to keep much more. And it all really works together. People have to realize the learning and find joy along the path to success. power of the platform and make success happen. 13