Please join me in welcoming one of our newest Associate Account Managers, Makenzie, to the team!
With a well-rounded education in business, economics, marketing, and art, Makenzie has found many opportunities in a variety of interesting industries due to her devotion to continuous learning. She has worked as a customer service specialist, an affiliate program developer, an eCommerce channel manager, a brand developer, an advocator for non-profits, and a construction business manager. Helping brands grow has always been her guiding light, continually being the most rewarding part of her career, which is why she joined AIM in 2021 as an Associate Account Manager.
Please read on to learn more about Makenzie and see how she’s doing in her new role at AIM.
Question: What inspired you to join AIM?
Answer: I learned about AIM at my first job, shortly after graduating college. One of my old co-workers is friends with AIM’s CEO & founder Sarah Bundy, and through him, I got to connect with Sarah too. As a young professional, I remember being absolutely blown away by her story. The determination, willpower, professionalism, & talent of Sarah as she grew this company with a new baby in her home is beyond impressive. I remember thinking if I could aspire to be even half as successful as Sarah then I would be proud of my career.
At that point in time, even though AIM and Sarah left a strong impression, I wasn’t ready to join her team. The company I was at was going through some exciting growth and I wanted to see where they would go. Then, I made the decision to follow my heart and spend a winter living in remote northern Idaho where the internet signal was weak, but my connection to nature and my ski passion were strong. When COVID hit, I was nervous about where the economy was going to go, so I took a job I viewed as extremely steady and recession-proof as the manager of a roofing company. Every building has a roof after all.
Through all that time, I deeply missed marketing and working for brands in a way that makes a measurable difference in their business operations. AIM popped back on my radar, and I felt that it was a no-brainer for me to pursue my goal of joining the AIM team. With the details in my personal life settled, I’m ready to cultivate my career in an industry that I love. AIM’s people, the remote environment, and the work itself are what made me choose AIM over any other agency, and I’m so thrilled my journey has brought me to this present moment.
Question: Which of AIM’s Core Values (Delight, Innovate, Grow, and Giveback) aligns most with your own?
Answer: All of AIM’s values resonate with me, so it’s hard to pick just one. Even in those first conversations with Sarah, I remember thinking how well AIM’s values aligned with my own. But, if I had to rank them, my top one would be Grow. To me, there’s nothing more rewarding in life than helping things grow. Anything as small as a new leaf on my pothos houseplant, to something as large as growing revenue for accounts. One thing that has always excited me is watching the way revenue growth at a company overflows into team, process, and culture growth. It’s apparent that growth is actively happening here at AIM, and being a part of it excites me.
Question: Now that you’re done with orientation, what was your first impression of AIM?
Answer: Two things have stuck out most:
1. I can’t believe how genuine and kind this team is. Even with full plates and more work than hours in the day, everyone here is kindhearted and always willing to help. We have each other’s backs. Team members want to see you succeed both in the workplace and in your personal life. It’s a safe place where you can actually speak what’s on your mind to provide feedback without fear of retaliation or punishment.
2. We have one of the most unique, diverse, global, and talented teams I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of. I love the challenge of working around all of our different time zones because it means I get to work with talented people across the globe. Joining this team made my world both smaller & bigger in such a cool way that I’ve never experienced before.
Question: What aspect of your job excites you most? Why?
Answer: The most exciting part of my job as an Associate Account Manager is that the learning opportunities for me in this role are endless. There are always more publishers to partner with, new technology re-shaping the industry, and something new to test. The only constant in the affiliate/performance marketing world is change, and that’s exciting. Tiring sometimes, true, but also very exciting!
Question: Now that you’re a little more settled, do you have a goal for the next 30 days for yourself in your new role?
Answer: Feeling a little more settled is an understatement, I’m feeling the most settled I’ve felt in a while! Those were a rough couple of months moving from the Pacific Northwest to Japan, but, yes, now that I’m a little more settled there are plenty of goals I have for the next 30 days.
I’m more of a believer that a million tiny goals are what get you to the big goals, so I don’t have 1 big goal for 30 days from today beyond feeling more confident in my role & responsibilities. But, what’s next for me are a few things.
– This is my first time working at an agency. So, coming up with a personal project management process has been on the top of my mind lately to make sure none of the little things fall through the cracks. I’ve been testing a few different tools to help me get it to a spot where I feel confident I am completing all my work in the prioritization it needs to be completed. I’d like to have this process set in stone within the next 30 days.
– I want to set up the office in our new home in a way that will boost productivity and minimize distractions (including getting fiber internet set up & getting the rest of my belongings off of the boat they are currently being shipped over on).
– I also am planning on deeply familiarizing myself with the accounts I am supporting and the tools those accounts use.
– Q4 is right around the corner, so preparing and planning for that roller coaster is going to be a major focus as we wrap up Q3 here and look forward to what is next for all of our clients and our business overall.
Learn more about our AIM family here and let us know how we can help your business grow.
