This past week I celebrated my one year workaversary at Candybox. I have learned a lot over the past year, and what it means to be apart of an awesome team at an awesome agency. Here are some of the things that I have learned since starting!
Make It Fun
Let’s be honest for a minute. How many people have fun at work? I’m not talking about laughing around the watercooler; I am talking about engaging in awesome conversations, being creative and finding opportunities to share a laugh with a co-worker. At our Creative Studio, we make sure that everyday is fun, whether it be filming a new video for Facebook, or going on a Creative walk and getting to know a bit more about our team members. Sure, we may run into difficulties throughout the day, but by maintaining a “fun” atmosphere we are able to overcome these challenges and even exceed our own expectations.
Trust Goes a Long Way
How many of you have ever had a boss who believed in micro-management? I’m sure we have all had that one boss or co-worker in the past who tried to control every situation, to the point that they stifled creativity and hindered work performance. Micro-management can actually hurt a business, as it extinguishes any chance to be unique and try out new things. At Candybox, we trust that everyone will make every day awesome. There is no need for micro-management when you trust your team.
Harness your Uniqueness
If you can’t tell, we are all pretty unique. Some companies try to establish a uniformity between all employees but at Candybox we are encouraged to harness our uniqueness in our work. Of course we remain professional, but we take what makes us unique and we use these traits to push the boundaries of design, content, campaigns, Facebook posts and so on. Darrell always encourages us to share our opinions and work to our strengths. Check out our Facebook page to see just how unique we can be, especially after a morning coffee run.
WordPress is the Best
When I first started at Candybox, I had very little experience in WordPress. I had dabbled in web design but was far from being an expert. After a few weeks I was working on websites and designing one of my own, using the tools, plugins and features that make WordPress great. If you have yet to understand WordPress, there is HOPE! WordPress is incredibly user-friendly and is in our opinion, the best platform to use for designing websites. If you are putting off getting a new website because you aren’t sure you will be able to manage it- put those fears aside. You will be a pro in no time. Just remember to clear your cache!
Coffee is Necessary
It’s no surprise that we love our Starbucks. From Facebook posts to tweets, we show our love for coffee almost daily. Our team is very well-known in our neighbourhood Starbucks, and we all have our own favourite drinks that barista’s know off by heart. What makes going to Starbucks awesome though- aside from the great coffee- is spending a few minutes with the team outside of the Creative Studio. Taking these coffee breaks also sparks our creativity, so that we can make every day awesome.
Post Great and Post Often
Social Media. Of course we can’t write a blog post without mentioning at least one social network. We all have our own accounts and try to post regularly, but to succeed at social media you need to post great and post often. Inspiration can come from anywhere- so take advantage of this and create meaningful and engaging posts. You are taking the time to post online already, so make it great!
Look for Opportunities
Every week in our Monday Morning Meetings, Darrell encourages us to look for opportunities in all that we do. A huge part of our jobs involves research as we learn about new social media platforms, new methods for Google Adwords, how to utilize certain plugins and so forth. We start everyday aspiring to be better and that means finding opportunities to make all that we do, fantastic!
Millennials are Misunderstood
Part of my job is reading and sharing articles on our social accounts. Over the past year, I cannot count the number of articles I have read about the Millennial generation. With everything, people have their opinions. Millennials are celebrated by some and disliked by others, but at Candybox we firmly believe in the millennial generation. Just take a look at Darrell’s blog posts to see exactly where we stand!
Working from Home
Working from home is AWESOME! Many businesses are now allowing employees to choose when to work from the office and when to work from home, because almost everything that they can do can be completed with a computer and an internet connection. Think about it- endless amounts of tea and coffee, a comfy chair of your own, and the chance to play music that you love. It’s not for everyone, but if you like working from home- take advantage of this opportunity.
Company Culture
What makes your business stand out from the rest? Company culture plays a huge role in business as a strong and positive company culture can help your business succeed by leaps and bounds next to companies that have little to no company culture. How do we establish a great culture at Candybox? We respect our team members and take time out of the work week to celebrate our successes. We also have epic team events that help us connect with each other on a greater level!
Make it Sweet
What’s your favourite candy? Why do you enjoy it? We believe in making things sweet. The internet is a vast place filled with websites and content, so why make a generic website when you can make it awesome? To stand out, we make sure that everything that we do is different and unique!
Communicate!
We have all read countless articles on the importance of communication, but do we take advantage of the opportunity to express our opinions? Darrell always encourages us to share our thoughts and ask questions. This has opened up communication channels between our entire team, so we can support, encourage, assist and get to know the awesome people we see everyday!
Let us know what you have learned from your work experience!
