Kick-starting my career in a start-up

Kick-starting my career in a start-up

Saski Collection’s Marketing Coordinator Isabella Laws shares what it’s like to go straight from uni into a full time marketing role

 

Isabella Laws is our marketing coordinator at Saski Collection and such an important part of the team. Embodying the start-up spirit that is an integral part of who we are here at Saski, Bella jumped head first into the role with no former “on-the-job” experience, and hasn’t looked back. We sat down with Bella to find out from her perspective what it’s like to go straight from the controlled environment of learning the tools of the trade at university, to actually working in a fully fledged marketing team. 

 

Q: Can you start by telling us what you studied at uni, what degree did you complete and when?

A: I graduated my double degree of Business and Communications at the end of 2016 and I majored in Marketing, PR and Journalism. 

 

Q: Were you prepared to get straight into work when you finished your degree?

A: I definitely wanted to start working somewhere in marketing when I finished uni - I was lucky enough to have this opportunity and it’s been amazing. It hasn’t been easy though, it was definitely like being thrown straight into the deep end. No university degree can prepare you for what marketing is like in a real business setting, but what greater way to learn than to be amongst it every day.

 

Q: How did you manage it? It must have been so stressful! 

A: Working for a start-up or small business I think was a great place to start because you are exposed to all different parts of the business and really become a part of it. It definitely was stressful but having Tammy and Amy as mentors has definitely helped me learn and grow my confidence and skills. Their guidance and support was so important and making me feel like my contribution is important has really motivated me to learn and excel in this role. 

 

Q: What does your role entail? 

A: Since joining the Saski team I have the responsibility of running all social media, PR, and marketing for the business. That’s a very broad overview of what I do, but working on a small team means you need to do a bit of everything and it gives me the opportunity to find out what I love doing and where my strengths lie. The experience is invaluable and I am looking forward to continuing to grow the brand. 

 

Q: What were you doing before you joined the Saski team?

A: I was working in the retail industry when Tammy offered me the role of Marketing Coordinator at Saski Collection. I knew Tammy personally and have been there to see her personal brand grow so she knew my values aligned with hers and with my interest in marketing, wanted to give me the opportunity. It was a no brainer really and I quit my retail job and moved over to Saski for the brand launch in June 2017.

 

Q: What have been your greatest moments or achievements so far?

A: Honestly I feel like everything we’ve achieved as a team since we launched last year has been amazing moment after amazing moment. The growth we’ve experienced has been crazy and we just keep picking up momentum. I’m proud of everything I’ve learned and achieved so far. I was especially proud to be nominated for a Mumbrella CommsCon award for ‘Social Media Community Manager of the Year’, which shows how quickly our social media presence has grown and it recognised the whole team’s success. 

 

Q: Do you have any advice for any recent graduates trying to break into their chosen field?

A: Take the opportunities you’re given and be prepared to put in the work. I was nervous jumping into this role because I thought maybe I didn’t have the experience but with a supportive team and the initiative to learn and adapt you will get there. I want to emphasise the fact that there is a steep learning curve and it can be overwhelming, it definitely wasn’t easy, but I can’t have imagined a better start to my career. 

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