My Name Is Tim Warson — This Is Why I Joined Aha!
What was your most memorable job? Mine was working at a bookstore throughout college. For the first time, I was surrounded by coworkers who were intellectually curious and open-minded. We shared a love of words and were passionate about sharing that love with customers. The camaraderie was obvious to anyone who entered the store.
Our strong bond and genuine enthusiasm directly impacted customers — they enjoyed engaging with us and became loyal to our store.
I graduated from college with a degree in international affairs. But as I looked ahead to my career, I kept thinking about my experience at the bookstore. I began reading about organizational design and employee engagement — how companies create a culture of shared values. Human resources seemed like a natural direction for me.
So I joined a recruiting agency in Washington, D.C. where I scouted technology talent for startups. This was perfect — I had always been interested in how technology can impact our lives for the better. It was exciting to serve companies at the forefront of innovation.
The agency world was tough. There were long hours, aggressive quotas to meet, and extreme turnover with placements. Yet I succeeded because I built authentic relationships with my clients and candidates. And I truly enjoyed helping organizations hire amazing people who shared the same vision and values.
But I wanted to be back on the inside — to be part of a team and watch the people I helped hire thrive.
After my wife and I moved back to our home state of Colorado, I transitioned to in-house recruiting at a SaaS startup in Denver. I loved the fast-paced nature of the work. Over the next few years, I supported the company as it scaled from 30 to more than 100 employees.
My focus had always been on software, but I was eager to explore hardware products too. So I joined a startup that manufactures commercial supersonic jets. I hired everyone from aerospace engineers to business operations folks. And I learned a ton about propulsive business growth — the company raised more than $100 million dollars in funding. But I missed the faster pace of delivery in the software world.
I was ready to find another SaaS organization that moved quickly and valued its employees and customers. Aha! was already on my radar. I had used it in previous roles and knew the value of aligning company and product strategy. The more I read about Aha! the company, the more intrigued I became. I devoured Brian de Haaff’s book, Lovability. His view that you can build a business without venture funding and put people first really resonated with me.
Everything clicked during the interview process. Each conversation I had with the team was organized, thought-provoking, and fun. I felt confident that this was the right company for me. Since joining the People Success team, I spend each day reviewing job applications and talking with outstanding candidates.
The caliber of talent at Aha! is higher than anywhere else I have ever worked — the people we hire are all experts who are exceedingly genuine, kind, and humble. These qualities drive our interactions with customers (who really do write us love letters about how much they enjoy interacting with our product and team).
I had never worked on an entirely remote team (or recruited for a distributed company) before. So I wondered if it was possible to maintain a strong human connection. But I have found that our team is probably more connected than most in-person ones. We all prioritize transparency, communication, and collaboration. We share an incredible bond and it is a joy to recruit others into such a special culture.
Every day I see firsthand the positive impact that real teamwork has on customers and the quality of what we deliver.
It is rare to find a company that is self-funded, profitable, strategic, and cares about the long-term happiness of its employees and customers. Aha! embodies the power and humanity of technology. And we continue to grow and hire across the company. I love being able to recruit new teammates to a company that I truly believe in.
That is why I joined Aha! — and why you should too.
