It’s clear for anyone to see, here at Affari we have a talented group of creative minds making fantastic work. To allow them to focus on what they do best, you need a strong team behind them, this is where I fit in, the new Operations Assistant. As Affari has grown and adapted, so has the way in which the day-to-day business is run. Due to our rapid expansion, tasks that may have taken just a few moments, now need to be carefully planned and executed with accuracy. I’d like to offer an insight into my experiences since I joined Affari.
One of my roles is to look after the finances and ensure they are accurate and well maintained. I know this may sound a little less than exciting for those that are not working in finance sectors themselves, but what can I say… I love it! Recently, we have been working tirelessly to set budgets for the different departments of Affari, so we all have the freedom to invest in ourselves whilst making everyone conscious of what we’re spending.
My job is to ensure we make the biggest impact we can from our budgets, providing high quality outputs, but at a well calculated price. As many marketers know, it’s all about ROI! Having departmental budgets is a new introduction for us but it is necessary for us to continue to grow as well as prevent excessive spending. As you can imagine, this was much easier to keep an eye on when it was just five people spending, as opposed to the 20 that are now employed! This is a massive change to have happened in a little over 2 years, but something we must get used to in such a fast paced industry!
But the stringent work of the Operations department doesn’t stop there though! We are currently working on introducing a new accounting system that will make our accounts more automated than ever before (hallelujah!) We need these provisions in place across the business to cope with the rapid growth in personnel and revenue, with accounting being an obvious starting point. All this will mean we can focus on other strategic areas of the business.
Affari has always prided itself on being a great place to work, this is one thing that isn’t changing! Our staff are proud of the work we do and the people we work with; this brought about a brilliant idea from one of the team… inviting our close friends and family into the office for an afternoon to show them what we’re all about. This is our chance to let our work environment and our peers shine, and have the odd drink together too… As Affari grows, the work we produce keeps getting bigger and better, why not show that off to the people closest to us?! We are working on lots of other exciting outings together to keep our ‘Affari Family’ thriving.
This is simply a snippet of my duties as the Operations Assistant, if I went into all that I do, you would be reading this all day (if you stayed awake that long). The things I’m working on aren’t just for the present, but the long-term success of Affari. We don’t want to be reactive to change, but instead be proactive to ensure the right processes are in place so that when Affari grows, we are already prepared to take it all in our stride.
I may not deal directly with clients or create the projects for them; however, I have an important role in aiding Affari to run smoothly as a business, whilst keeping our employees filled with enthusiasm and passion to be here. In effect, I feel I have become an enabler at Affari; leaving everyone else to focus what they are good at by co-ordinating staff and suppliers whilst managing costs at the same time.
It can be a lot to juggle at once sometimes but I find it rewarding when everything goes to plan! It’s an important role for the future expansion of Affari, one that will only grow in importance over the coming years. My last observation from my first 4 months is that Affari don’t just want to do what’s necessary, but go the extra mile for both clients and our staff; creating a lasting culture as we grow further, something I’m really enjoying being a part of.
