Hayfa is our super creative, uber-talented marketing intern. She joined the company in July this year, hitting the ground at full speed, and has been the driving force behind Aveni’s social media and cultural activity. We catch up with her as she walks us through what a typical day at Aveni looks like (besides just enthusiastically spending all our money on top-notch merch…)
7:00 am
I wake up at around 7 am and freshen up before going for my morning jog. This really wakes me up and gives me energy for the rest of my day! Once I’ve jogged around the meadows and enjoyed the glorious Edinburgh scenery, I dash home to get ready for work!
8:45 am
After a quick shower and a cup of green tea, I switch on my laptop and prepare for the day ahead. Fortunately, I don’t have to travel very far to get to work – a short commute from my bedroom to the living room and voilà, I’ve arrived! Before really tucking into my tasks for the day I also check news headlines to stay on top of current affairs.
9:00 am
The first thing I do once I’m logged on is check Slack, the communication platform that we use daily to keep track of what’s going on. I especially love making full use of the emojis :P
I’ll then scan our social media channels and line up some posts for the day. I’m currently focusing on ways to build our following by developing content that our target audiences will find useful and interesting! As Aveni is a relatively new company, I need to ensure we’re easily found and visible on search engines and social media. I really enjoy managing the social media channels as I get to be creative with content, both in terms of the mediums used and the topics we cover. This also means I need to keep up to date with the latest news in the world of finance, start-ups and technology.
9:30 am
We then have our marketing meetings. We discuss what we’ve been doing and share new ideas to take forward. It also gives us the opportunity to catch up and see one another (virtually) which is always nice!
Working at Aveni has been different from my previous roles as projects move at such a fast pace and you need to be flexible and ride the waves of change as they come. But because of this, I’ve been able to learn so much more in a short space of time. Also, the smaller size of the company allows me to have more autonomy to experiment with new ideas and challenge current situations. This truly makes me feel like a significant part of a growing company and a key part of shaping its development.
I’ve also been intermittent fasting for some time now and it works well for me, so I usually eat after 12pm. I’ll make a bowl with yoghurt, granola, peanut butter and a banana, with some snacks on the side. I also top up my tea! I continue working on the team webpage layout up until lunchtime.
13:15 pm
I usually switch off around this time and enjoy my lunch break. I made a trip to the post office to send our merchandise goodies off to my fellow team members!
14:00 pm
After lunch, I update the monthly marketing report. This helps us to keep track of what we’re doing and access where we want to be the following month. I also use the afternoon to research LinkedIn groups and how we can best use this site to network and reach out to potential clients.
16:00 pm
We have a sprint meeting in the afternoon to run through what the development team has been working on. This is new to me but it’s a good way for me to familiarise myself with all the engineering lingo! It’s also where I have the chance to virtually catch up with the rest of the team and hear what they’ve been up to.
17:00 pm
Towards the end of the day, I’ll finalise what I’ve been working on and start to ‘pack up’ for the day. I’ll also leave a little note on Slack of what I’ve done for the day as it helps me to recall all my tasks and keep me on track.
17:25 pm
I get ready and leave the house for some fresh air. Depending on the weather, I’ll decide where I’m heading. Some of my favourite walking spots in Edinburgh are the Union Canal, Arthur’s Seat, and Dean’s Village.
18:15 pm
Once home, I start preparing dinner. Today I’m having one of my favourites, salmon with veggies. Once dinner is done, I relax and spend some time with my family.
20:00 pm
After I’ve eaten, I catch up with some friends on Zoom. Thanks to technology, I’ve been able to stay in touch with friends more often than usual. I’ve even been lucky enough to attend a virtual wedding which was special!
22:00 pm
By late evening I start getting ready for bed. I do a little bedtime reading before I switch off. I’m currently reading Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. It’s different from what I usually read but it’s fascinating! I’ll read till around 11 pm, then that’s me for the day!
To find out more about Aveni and my lovely teammates take a look here
