Isabel: Hello and welcome back to ED Going Digital! Today I am joined with a couple of members of our fantastic team here at Englander Davis Stacey and Max. 

Stacey: Hi!

Max: Hi Izzy!

Isabel: Our team all work collectively to provide our clients with the highest possible level of service. So to begin with would you be able to tell me the importance of having a strong team?

Stacey: The main importance of having such a strong team is to have the ability to create the best possible service and content for our clients. To be able to grow the company moving forward.

Max: And what underpins that is the fact that we can support our team who are providing that to our Englander Davis clients. It’s pretty much a two fold thing. The end result is the service for the client but also it’s helping our team to provide that.

Isabel: Definitely it’s like a cycle. Our strong team is essentially the backbone of Englander Davis. How do you deal with the pressures associated with this?

Stacey: Well I meditate and I drink a lot. No, just kidding! I do meditate. Honestly, there’s so much positivity out there like posts, self help and little tricks of the trade that you can do now. Reaching out to friends and family. We are so close here we also talk to each other and help each other through it but positivity is such a big thing now. But if you let something get to you, it falls worse. 

If we actually think about it in our positive and growth mindset then we can deal with what has to happen and most of the time it comes out better than it was before. Because we are thinking of it with a clear, positive mind and if something was to happen we are able to get feedback from the team. I’ve never completely blown up and someone, yet. But being able to address things that happen in a positive way and move forward with it.

Max: You are spot on with that! I think it helps that a lot that the Englander Davis team in general all have pretty good lines of communication between us. Obviously in a work environment things can get a bit heated at times with deadlines and everything but we’ve all got such a good connection that we’re able to say how we feel or nut things out without anyone you know…

Isabel: Taking it too personal. 

Max: Yeah, that’s right the communication and support between each other.

Stacey: And respect too. We know we have people above us but knowing that every single person that’s part of our team is a wheel to help the business grow. So it’s not so much seniority complex, we don’t have that. We help each other out and as General Manager I am there to help and guide everyone. It’s not me walking around with a seniority complex. 

Max: There’s definitely a hierarchy that any business needs or any organisation needs to follow but you don’t feel that so much here. Two weeks ago I had a session with one of our most junior members, Taylah, who showed me how to do Social Media. It’s great around here. That’s the sort of thing you don’t feel scared to say or voice your opinion and also when you are wrong about something you’re still supported and given that opportunity to grow. With Social Media stuff I’m terrible and we’re in a digital marketing company but I’ve gone to the youngest member of the team. 

Isabel: The willingness to learn about it though and Social Media isn’t specifically your role or your area but the fact that you have a willingness to learn and even what you’re doing with the videos and putting Seth to shame. Like, that’s amazing! We do all have a joke and a laugh here but I feel like people don’t push it too far and we can read people pretty well. So I think that’s really great too. I do yoga, outside of work I exercise. Although we are in a high pressure environment, as a team we’re so light hearted and like to have jokes and even outside of work we’re sharing memes, we’re sharing videos.

Stacey: We’re always in communication.

Isabel: There is so much support there. So even though it is high pressure and we have to get a lot of things done we’re supported through it all, which I think is great!

Max: I mean how many times in this office has there been an eruption of laughter that has gone on for 10 minutes and then for the next half an hour it’s like you’re in a ghost town because everyone’s got their head down, bum up doing what they need to do. That’s just invaluable for your own sanity at the end of a work day. 

Isabel: How was the transition from other roles at other companies to your roles at a digital marketing company?

Max: I’d like to say that digital marketing is a whole new world for me and I’ve come from more of a traditional admin role. I’ve been totally out of my depth but I’ve never felt so alive and I’ve loved it and I guess that comes back to the fact that our team is willing to help and support you to understand. There’s a certain amount of willingness to be open to learn new things, which I certainly am and I’m absolutely loving it. 

Stacey: For me, well I’ve gone from another industry which is the automotive industry that is high pressure, high stress. I did digital within the automotive industry too so coming to a digital marketing company isn’t completely different to me but it is in certain ways. Everyday you learn something different, if you stop learning you’re dead. It’s as simple as that. So even though we are highly pressured here it’s in a completely different way because like Max said you really enjoy it and you enjoy what you’re doing and I love the creativity behind it. I think you suck in learning different things when you really enjoy it. It’s almost like kids are sponges that soak everything because they’ve never seen it before. 

I think that the environment that we have here you’re able to learn and suck it in and be pumped to learn the next thing. With Kirsty the founder, the way that we have meetings with her and training sessions with her. We are just sucking all the information in, out of her and it’s just great. It’s true that we can train anyone. It comes down to the person and the willingness to learn and change industries.  

Max: I just want to say too that Kirsty is the absolute embodiment of Englander Davis, she knows her stuff, she’s open to creativity, willing to give anyone a go, treats the whole place like it’s a family orientated thing but at the same time very professional and if what we put out to our clients if it’s not on the money you’ll get pulled up on it. In a nice way! We might sound like we’re having a lot of fun but at the end of the day Englander Davis standards have to be there.

Isabel: On that note we are a very fast paced agency that is constantly growing in size but we also know how important it is to look after the team and ourselves. What is your favourite way to relax after a busy week?

Stacey: Honestly, I think relaxing for me is in my own time. I’m creating content because I enjoy it so much. It’s my time at the computer. Then I get ready for the weekend with the kids and my husband. But I’m always turned on when it comes to work. 

Isabel: For me to relax it’s flipped, because I’m creating content all the time I also love consuming content. I think that’s great too because when I’m consuming content I’m a sponge getting all different ideas for content as well. So I absolutely love consuming different podcasts, Instagram content and occasionally Facebook content as well but I reckon Youtube, podcasts and Instagram is the content that I love consuming, especially you know in the evenings when I have a little bit of time for myself I will choose consuming content over watching Netflix or watching a movie because that’s what I like, that’s what I enjoy, that’s my time. 

Green tea, I love having my green tea whilst watching, a bit of dark chocolate and I’m set. Then obviously trying to stay active as well. I do Zumba, yoga and body pump but that’s really hard so I prefer Zumba and yoga. 

Max: Well, I don’t do anything that rigorous but I do meditate. My stress relief is my stupid, funny husband and my fur baby.

Stacey: I exercise too, I run after two children.

Isabel: What makes our team unique to that of another social media marketing agency Australia?

Max: I don’t have enough knowledge of other digital marketing companies. This is my first taste. There is definitely a uniqueness here. I have worked for a lot of companies and the support that you get here. Not only through management but everybody here. I know that’s not the norm when you get into companies and especially ones that have more than 10 employees. That’s pretty rare from what I can see. Definitely as an organisation we are unique.

Stacey: And when it comes to us as a company and our clients we’re digital marketing partners. We work closely with our clients to grow them as we would ourselves. I’ve seen other digital marketing companies and it’s like sharks in a shark tank. The quality and the standards of Englander Davis are by far the best in the industry as far as I’m concerned. If you ever read Matters Magazine you will actually read a column on the growth of Englander Davis and Kirsty Englander and how far we’ve come in such a short time. The information, the knowledge and experience that Kirsty brings to the digital marketing world is incredible. So much experience from so many different industries brought into the digital marketing industry is amazing. 

Isabel: I think from my experience in our company there is so much drive from all our individual team members who are constantly wanting to improve themselves. Having a little look at different areas of the business and expanding their skills. Whereas I’ve seen other digital marketing companies, especially over Social Media and I just don’t feel that connection from them. But for us I see the drive, I see it on Social Media, I see it in the office. I can just feel it, the opportunities, the drive and like we always say it’s exactly like a family here. 

Thank you so much for joining me today talking about all things ED! We have such a strong team here at Englander Davis, which is amazing to see. I think that any client can rest assured that they are backed by a fantastic team of digital marketing professionals here. Thank you again!

Stacey: Thank you so much!

Max: Thank you Isabel!