When it comes to attaining career aspirations, it often helps to borrow the roadmap for the journey you’re about to embark upon from someone who has successfully traveled that path. It’s not enough to only visualize being in a role; the path to actualization can be brought into stark focus when you can garner the insights, tripping points and caveats from someone who has been through the gauntlet and achieved their goal.
Alex Cribby picked up a valuable piece of advice in a brief but meaningful chat with someone who emphasized the importance of not being afraid to ask for help. The now-CEO of DXone ERP was told to seek out someone who inhabits the professional throne that he’d one day love to occupy and pick his/her brain to gather those keys to success. It was a seemingly obvious suggestion, yet it’s rarely capitalized upon.
“Ask them how they did it,” said Cribby, a 2024 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “Successful individuals are willing to lend insight and help, but people rarely just ask. So don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Cribby may now occupy the chair, but the line of work keeps him on his feet. He loves collaborating with individuals who share his passion for making a difference for their companies and the industry as a whole.
“I love waking up every day, knowing that we have the opportunity to make change happen, and I have the privilege of working with some incredible people, partnering with some of the most influential leaders and companies in the office technology and office equipment space that share the same goals and vision for the future,” Cribby said. “That drives me and fuels a fire that makes me excited to get up and go to work every day.”
Software took center stage at the outset of Cribby’s career. His first foray was at Mediagrif, a large organization that built ecommerce platforms for various verticals, including computer hardware. Cribby later spent 10 years with Environmental Image Solutions, a startup dealer in the office equipment arena. But software development called out to him, and ever since he’s been focused on driving software-as-a-service solutions for the office tech universe, enabling dealers to manage their processes more efficiently with enhanced technology.
Sharing Insights
Cribby feels blessed to have encountered a number of men and women along the way, including many influential industry leaders who have been generous in sharing their knowledge and insights. He cited three impactful takeaways gleaned through the years: pay it forward, operate with care and for the right reasons, and understand that waiting is not self-generated.
Some of the aforementioned elements undoubtedly found their way into Cribby’s business approach. He surrounds himself with the right people in life and in business, which in turn shapes the way he impacts and interacts with others on a daily basis.
“Being more interested than interesting (i.e. listening more and talking less) and consistently pursuing knowledge and experience will ultimately lead you to a successful pursuit of your potential,” he added.
The 2023 launch of DXone Cloud ERP was the culmination of several years of development, not to mention an immense commitment of work, time and sacrifice. As he seeks to continue growing the customer base, Cribby hopes to “continue building upon the solid foundation of incredible individuals and expanding the network of industry-leading partners we have had the opportunity with which to get involved. [They] share the same vision and mission of making change happen for this industry.”
In the world of software, evolution is perpetually ongoing, and Cribby seeks to operate with a customer-centric, industry-first approach. The path to continuous improvement entails listening, collaborating, partnering and working with industry leaders to carve out solutions that address their needs.
Beyond the office, Cribby and his wife, Beth, are the parents of a 9-month-old son, Cameron. The young family can often be spotted on the beach when not spending quality time at home. Cribby is also looking forward to the day when he can resume improving his golf game, but cautioned it “may be 17 years from now.”
