When you talk about making impact within a scale-up, our colleague Rachelle is a prime example. Since her start in June 2020, she has already been able to pick up various roles and projects. With the highlight: she spent 15 months living and working in Manchester to set up our new office. Wow! Curious about her experience of the past few years? Read her story here.
Program your dreams
Rachelle has just returned from a holiday in Argentina and Antarctica, her dream of seeing penguins came true. She did this after returning from Manchester. "In September 2021, I left to Manchester to set up our new office and build a bridge in culture between the Netherlands and England. I have always wanted to work internationally and this was known within Workspace 365. The idea was to go for three months, which ended up being 15 months abroad. It really has been a great experience. I learned so much, about the culture, setting up a new location and coaching new colleagues. But also on a personal level. I can set my limits and have learned that many things may seem difficult, but you can learn a lot if you are open to them. I am immensely proud that we have made something out of nothing."
From "just" gaining experience, to an experience for life
Being conscious in life is one of Rachelle's strengths. "It really has been an adventure. I didn't think when I started writing my thesis at Workspace 365 that this was possible. My studies in International Business Studies is of course completely in line with the steps Workspace 365 has made in recent years, but I "just wanted" to gain experience. I am not afraid and went for it. For me, that has produced some really great moments and a huge learning curve. I have built friendships for life in Manchester and always have a place to sleep when I am there. I'm very grateful for that."
The familiar Workspace 365 culture
During Rachelle's time in Manchester, things continued in Nijkerk. The organisation has evolved. "The role of the founders has changed, the sales strategy has changed and, compared to a year ago, we've also added a whole bunch of new colleagues. Fortunately, things have also remained the same and that is, for example, lunch. Here everyone is still enjoying bad jokes with each other. The openness and trust from the organisation is still typical and let me not forget the bootcamp on Thursday. It's little things like this, perhaps simple things, that are very valuable to me."
And now what?
The adventure is not yet over for her. Rachelle started 1 February as a Customer Success Maker within Workspace 365. "Having started as a Sales Development Representative, I know what it's like to have to do cold calling and approach new markets. During my time in the UK, I also worked as a Sales Operations Specialist. The great thing about Workspace 365 is that new opportunities arise every time. The role of Customer Success Maker is a great next step where I get new stimuli again, but also can put my knowledge gained over the past few years to good use."