This week we feature Deedi Brown. Deedi graduated from Syracuse in 2016 with her MBA and a concentration in marketing. She is now the Senior Editor and Content Strategist at Ellevest, a financial company built by women, for women!
What is your favorite thing about working for a company built by women, for women?
It probably goes without saying, but the company culture. I'm surrounded by people who feel deeply passionate about making the world a fairer, more equitable place. Everyone who works there is driven by the company's mission, and we know that everyone else is driven by the mission, too — which makes it faster and easier to align on goals and initiatives across departments and teams. People also tend to be much more self-aware, and they're intentional about how they treat others; you don't find yourself doing that thing (that all women are familiar with) where you have to sort of dance around people who are overtly sexist or biased. That part can make it feel like a sort of utopia, to be honest.
Do you have any tips for networking online / working online?
Networking remotely is tough, but not impossible. One thing I like to do is ask people if they'd like to meet via video call before work, at 8:30 or 9:00, And then send them a $5 gift card to Starbucks so that it's like I actually bought them coffee. I'm also the kind of person who always has my eye out for interesting articles and links, and I'll send them to people who might be interested. It keeps you in touch!
As for working remotely, my advice is to have a strong morning routine. If you can get yourself into a sleep pattern where you're waking up earlier than you absolutely need to, it's really nice to have work NOT be the first thing you do every day. I'm a morning person, so I like to spend a little time reading or writing book reviews for my personal blog while I drink my coffee. Then I might do a quick workout, then shower, and then sit down at my desk. But even if you just spend 15 minutes journaling or something, I think having a moment for yourself first is really helpful. I also recommend blocking out the time on your calendar when you want to stop working each day — mine is from 5:30 to 6:30. It's literally just a recurring event that says STOP WORKING. Being at such a fast-paced startup, and not having a commute to separate the workday from the rest of the day, I find that without a reminder I can see, it's evening before I know it.
What is the most important soft or hard skill (or skills) you think is required for your industry/ role as Senior Editor and Content Strategist?
If you want to work in content marketing — although truthfully, I think this could apply literally any job, because you always need to communicate well — get good at writing. Be the person other people turn to for grammar questions. Practice crafting clear sentences that work in rhythm with one another. Build the skill of taking a lot of complex information and explaining it in plain English — bonus points if it's also fun to read, and extra bonus points if it makes people feel seen or hits them in the heart.
Favorite book you have read in the past year!
Oh gosh, this is literally the hardest question you could have asked me. I read 150 books last year, lol. OK — people can reach out if they want a fiction recommendation, because I have a LOT of those, but I'm going to give you a nonfiction title I think everyone should read. It's called White Tears, Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad, and it's about the historic weaponization of white womanhood and how it impacts women of color today. It taught me a lot and helped change the way I see the world and my place in it.
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