Ibotta Talks

An interview with Lisi Peng — Senior Product Manager, Rewards Build, Target & Match (BAM)

Elisa Faller (EF): Lisi, thank you so much for joining us! As a Senior Product Manager for?the Build & Match squad, you work specifically with Ibotta rewards on a daily basis. How does the work you are doing enable Ibotta's mission of "Make every purchase rewarding"?

Lisi Peng (LP): We are solving some difficult but fun problems at BAM (Rewards Build, Target & Match team). We maintain Ibotta’s legacy system so we can launch rewards and give credit to savers at Ibotta’s current scale. We are currently extremely focused on building out the rewards platform to closely integrate with other platforms at Ibotta and with Ibotta Performance Network partner(s). Together with our client?and operations teams, we can bring the value of closed-loop cash rebates to the Ibotta Saver and beyond —?to consumers in every corner of the world!

EF: Something we have discussed lately is the weight of expectations — both internal and external. How has this impacted your career, and what learnings have you taken away from your experience?

LP: Growing up with a tiger mom was no joke. My dear mother, an educator by profession, set my academic goals and most of my extracurricular activities up till I was 16 years old. Besides not being too scarred by such an upbringing, I am grateful that I developed discipline and grit?at a young age. I left China when I was 17, studied abroad in New Zealand, college in Arizona, then management consulting in New York, and a few career pivots later, I am with my dream teams here at Ibotta. Looking back, I saw myself shifting from waiting for expectations to be set for me (external), to feeling lost, to figuring out what I didn’t want, to knowing what I did want (internal), and to finally to going after what I believe in. Then, repeat.

I tell myself this every time when I face a drastic change in life: Embrace the nerve-racking moments of personal and career growth. Our animal instinct will tell us to back away from those moments because they are dangerous. But charge forward, because we have never been more prepared.

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EF: As a regular participant in Ibotta's Hackathon, what advice would you give to other employees about bringing forward new ideas?

LP: I love hackathons. It gives us the opportunity to be over-the-moon passionate about solving a problem and branch out to work with colleagues outside of our daily circles.

1. A great idea comes from everywhere. Be brave and be vocal about the opportunity you see. No idea is too big or too small.
2. Ask the?5 whys. Get to the root cause so you can solve the right problem.
3. Socialize the idea well ahead of the hackathon. Find at least one other person who is as passionate as you are about the opportunity and pitch the idea together. This increases the chances of you assembling a larger team to build the solution.
4. Have fun, get to know each other. Because the bonds you build in those two sleepless days will turn into partnerships forever.

EF: Burnout has been a big topic in the professional community lately, but you are someone who is known for both your positivity and excitement. What are 3 things you do to maintain your passion on a day-to-day basis?

LP: I approach this in a couple of different ways:

1. Walk away:?When negativity creeps after a long action-packed but exhausting day, such as playing-back a certain conversation or doubting a decision, I remind myself that I feel this way because I am tired and not because I am not good enough. I take this as a sign to write down some to-dos and wrap up the day.
2. Set boundaries, build a routine:?Schedule a routine activity to force a break in my day. Mine is giving my 9 year-old son’s nanny a lunch break and letting her go at 4:30pm most days. Before kids, it was a yoga class or a walk with my partner.
3. Surround myself with amazing people:?I am supported when I ask for help. Huddling with BAM is the best time of my day because we have a great team. I work with the smartest people in the industry to push Ibotta’s technology forward. Work doesn’t feel like work.