24 May 2023 Aspire to Tech: Partner, Jelly Marketing
Career Spotlight – Sarah Clark
What is your role? What is your title? Where are you located? How long have you been doing it?
I am Partner at Jelly Marketing and I manage all our day-to-day operations and HR within our agency. I also hold the same role with our second company, Jelly Academy. Both are in Fort Langley, and I’ve been with Jelly since 2013!
What makes your job interesting?
It’s interesting to me because I genuinely love working with people and building out and maintaining processes to ensure operations run smoothly and our company continues to thrive.
What is the most fun? What is the most challenging?
The most fun and equally challenging part about my job is the fact that our industry is growing so fast. It makes the days exciting because they’re quite literally always different, but the pressure is always on to ensure that we’re staying ahead of the curve so that we can produce the best results for our clients.
How does your role help drive the company’s success?
The way I see it, is we can bring on all the clients and new projects, but if we don’t have sound operations and a business running smoothly with team members who are thriving in their roles, things will break down. We couldn’t do half of what we do without our team and the processes that we have in place to ensure our standards are maintained.
What does a typical day look like for you? What do you actually spend your time doing?
The days are always different but for the most part, my days are spent managing our day-to-day operations which encompasses a lot: leading 1:1s with our team, building out and refining processes, cost control, writing proposals and contracts, connecting with our clients, hiring, etc. Some days are filled with all of the above and more projects through into the mix, and others I’m working on one specific project all day, it’s never the same!
What was your very first job and how did your career path take you to where you are today?
My first job outside of school was working for a small, family-run farm market where I managed all their marketing and events. It was a great experience and really threw me into the world of marketing and we worked hard to create an exceptional experience for customers that would be memorable and bring people through the doors each day. It was exciting to me because it was my first experience working in marketing, and I was responsible for managing all forms of marketing, which gave me a strong understanding of all of the marketing services we would eventually offer at Jelly. It was there where I also had my first experience working alongside a marketing agency, as we hired one that did some of our branding and traditional advertising. My experience working with them is what made me realize that I wanted to jump over to the agency life, and my next job was at Jelly.
Tell us about your career history?
My career history at Jelly is one that I’m proud of. Back in 2013, I was working for the small family run farm market that I previously mentioned, and I was their Marketing Manager. I knew I wanted to jump over to an agency, and I knew I wanted to work at Jelly because I had known Darian, our Founding Partner, for a couple of years because we both had little side-gigs working in the wedding industry and often crossed paths. When he started Jelly in 2013, I knew I wanted to work with him but when I felt ready to make the switch, the position I was hoping for wasn’t available. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to work at Jelly, so I started off as Social Media Coordinator and after 3 months, I was promoted to Account Manager. For the next 5 years I lead some of our largest accounts, specializing in lifestyle brands and real estate development. I was then promoted to Director of Operations and Personnel, and then in 2020, I became Partner. Over the years I was able to touch every aspect of the business in the different positions I held and I was always actively looking for ways to work outside of my job description so I could continue to drive growth personally and professionally. Each time a promotion came around, it felt very organic and natural because I was gradually having more and more added to my plate.
Where might you go next? What’s your next role?
I’m not going anywhere. I’m just continuing to focus on Jelly Marketing and Jelly Academy!
What motivates you for your future career? Will you stay in tech?
I will absolutely always stay in this industry, it’s always been a passion of mine. What motivates me most is seeing those around me grow. I’m inspired by our team that is always pushing the envelope, staying on top of the latest news and trends in our fast-paced industry and the desire that they have to grow both personally and professionally.
Any final words of advice, or advice for young people?
Always go outside your comfort zone, that’s where the magic happens, and where growth takes place. Use your voice, you deserve to be heard and your opinion matters.