Olia - Senior Brand Designer at Resourcify

?? Hey there! Can you please introduce yourself and your role at Resourcify

I’m Olia, the Senior Brand Designer for Resourcify. I’m part of the Marketing team and am the owner and creator of our new brand, which was released earlier this year! I’m from the south of Kazakhstan, and I spent the largest part of my life here. I moved to Berlin 6 years ago and worked with multiple B2B companies before joining Resourcify in February of this year.?

I’ve had a passion for design, and even as a kid, I created a lot of crafts and even made special paper houses for my dolls. I also sewed a lot of clothes for my Barbies or reused items from my granny’s wardrobe. My mother said I was always occupied by drawings, designing and interior design.

When I’m not in the middle of creations, I love doing yoga, it gives me some peace of mind and helps recharge my batteries.

?? What do you think makes Resourcify an attractive place to work for Brand Designers or anyone who works in Design?

For me, the main thing when I joined Resourcify was that I would be the owner of the brand and that I’d be able to create it from scratch. And for me, as a designer, this is the biggest inspiration as I’d be able to contribute a lot of my ideas and be the main creator for this company.

When you work for larger companies, there are already guidelines that have been created leaving little room for creativity, and this is why I enjoy working in startups as there’s more room for creativity and freedom. Also, you’re trusted to take ownership and you can learn every day about technologies, new companies, and new teams.

I also really love my job as I get to interact with people from across the company every day and I feel really connected with them and inspired to provide them with new content and my work.

?? What qualities do you think a Resourcian should embody?

I believe you should be interested in what we’re doing. Without inspiration and interest, it’s hard to work on anything at all. It’s not just about money, and for me in general for any of my jobs, money hasn’t been a focus as I prioritised my inner interest in my work and found companies that could align with it.?

You should also be a creator, an innovator and not afraid to take ownership and lead. A lot of our teams are small and you have so many responsibilities, so you’re in a more active position which requires initiative.

?? You have experience working in startups in general, and circular economy-focused businesses, including Resourcify. What are the most valuable lessons you've gained from your time across these companies?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my experiences is not to be afraid to try something new and always support companies that are doing something fresh - e.g. Vinted is one of my favourite resources.?

Think about how you can add more value to sustainability by supporting companies that are actively doing something new or innovative. This is one of the ways you can help make our environment cleaner and better. Even if you’re just one person in this big world, just try to do something whether you use your work to align towards sustainability, or maybe you can resell your clothes. Every small step counts.?

When focusing on startups in general, a valuable lesson I learnt from my experience is understanding when you have to say no. As you have more freedom in startups, this also means you have a lot more responsibilities. So, it’s important that you understand the business goals and order of priorities, so that you have less time on smaller topics but instead, serve the greater purpose.

As you develop in your position, gain more experience, more knowledge and eventually seniority, you can then prioritise better. That way you can understand if you can work on a certain task at the moment or need to prioritise something else.

Also when you communicate with members who aren’t part of your direct team, they might not understand the background of your work and the goals you follow, and this is why you have to be patient and spend some time teaching and educating people on your work. By providing reasons and finding compromises, you can solve problems help give reasons and communicate why you’re saying ‘no’ when necessary. It could also help transform your no to another form of yes.

?? What advice would you give to younger women just entering the tech workforce today?

I mentor people from all backgrounds on how to find a job in Germany, Berlin specifically, and I want to help them because I have my own experiences and struggles. I also currently hire designers for projects and positions so I can also see it from another perspective too.

But my biggest advice is to always stand up for yourself, and always try to sell your best version and honestly, only this works best. Sometimes in the interview process, the hiring managers aren’t able to see all sides, even if we’re all human and have different journeys and backgrounds, but in the interview process it’s all about self-presentation, so it’s necessary to sell yourself from the first interaction.

Another key advice is to always ask for more than what you’ve had before in previous positions, and this is advice I give especially for women. I once had an interview process for junior and senior positions and I remember that the women always asked for less compared to their male counterparts, and the differences were huge. And I was surprised when I went through their CVs and portfolios and I couldn’t understand why women would ask for less when their experience and work could outshine other applicants.

So, this is why I value the idea of always standing up for yourself, and having confidence. If there’s a table filled with people and no chair (no room) for you, then you should bring your own chair to the table and start speaking for yourself.?

Also, don’t be afraid to ask more questions. It can be scary sometimes, as we feel like our values will be questioned, but true professionals aren’t afraid to ask silly questions, but rather, you should ask questions as it’ll help you develop and grow in your career.

?? How has your transition to living and working in Germany been??

Honestly, I can’t say that we have such large differences between cultures, as I have an Eastern European background, but I can say that there are huge differences between finding a job in Germany and the company/working cultures.

It was hard for me, as any immigrant’s journey isn’t straightforward. You need to adapt every day and you should learn how all systems work in this country and learn new things every day about your new home.

Germany has taught me how to practise a lot of patience and to slow down. People in Kazakhstan are always rushing and on the go and are super talkative and loud - even super fast on the road! But Germany has taught me how to be patient and how to plan and create order.

?? Who are you inspired by and why?

My grandmother inspires me, without a doubt. She’s an Engineer and a super-smart woman, who has always cared about the environment. I remember when I was two years old, she always practised eco-friendly habits, even having these reusable bags, which weren’t popular in Eastern Europe and across Asia back then. I remember she always told me to buy good things cause we’re not too rich to buy cheap things, as you can’t use them to last.?

I’m also inspired by how she treats her belongings and the environment. She has a (datscha) small countryside home in Kazakhstan with a big garden and she cares for this garden so lovingly and has her own veggies, berries, herbs and she always supports her family with her products and is willing to share.?

She is also a reason why I joined Resourcify as I told her that I also want my work to serve a good purpose and to work in a company where the reason and mission are valuable.

I’m proud of my grandmother.

At the same time in our family, we also have 4 generations of beekeepers. My family works with bees as they are the biggest part of the environmental chain and we want to save the bees and so we need to increase the number of beekeepers who care for bees and my family keeps this tradition alive. I’m so proud of my family who all work with bees - my cousin, uncle and grandfather do this every day.?

?? Are there ways you implement circularity and sustainability into your daily life?

I try to embody more and more sustainable habits each day. For example, I started my own Vinted account to sell my clothes and I’m really happy that the company has become profitable because you can find amazing quality clothes and items on Vinted. I’m also surprised by how many nice things you can resell, reuse and buy, and actually, it helps me tackle my overconsumption habit. I know that I contribute to over-consumption, as it’s the easiest way to create dopamine, to have a nice feeling. So I’m working on this and learning to find new ways to find dopamine to replace this habit of mine, e.g. doing more yoga or doing more helpful actions like gardening instead of just buying to feel satisfied. Gardening has been a great habit I’ve implemented, as I can create a nice atmosphere for my apartment and continue the path of my grandma and her care for our planet. It’s also a great habit that makes me happy and is good for my mental health.

?? Is there something you pretend to hate but secretly love?

I love shopping but I’m working on this every day! As I stated before, I know I have habits that are based on overconsumption, but I’m trying to build new habits to combat this.

Thanks Olia for sharing your story with us!

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