Laura is the Chief Operations Officer here at AMZ Pathfinder. She is originally from Oldham, Manchester, and now lives in western France.
Before embarking on her career, Laura attended Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester University where she studied for her undergraduate degree and Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Genetics. In her spare time, Laura enjoys cross-stitching, reading, and crocheting. Her hobbies also include baking and gardening.
We caught up with her to find out more about her career, and life outside of work, and to share her advice for anyone interested in pursuing a similar career.
Laura, tell us about your role and what you do day-to-day…
“My role has evolved a lot over the years. Presently, my role mainly involves a lot of general management. I keep an eye on all the different departments including client satisfaction and communication as well. I ensure our processes are efficient, and that everything is working well across the business to ensure client success.”
How did you embark on your career?
“I started working in sales after finishing my Ph.D. I knew I wanted to work remotely so that I could travel more, so after leaving my sales job, I looked for remote roles and began working at AMZ Pathfinder in client communications. In honesty it wasn’t a planned move at the time! I was drawn to the fact that AMZ Pathfinder embraces remote and flexible working. Throughout my time at my company, I started getting more involved in the processes and operations side of things and realized I had a passion for this type of work. From there my role grew into what it is today.”
What is the most valuable advice anyone has ever given you?
“That companies generally follow a people, processes, and technology system. The advice being that the area that you put the most emphasis on is the one that will determine what kind of a company you will be / become. The person who gave me this advice said the more emphasis that you put on the people, and making sure they’re happy and that the culture is strong, the more the company will thrive compared to companies that put more emphasis on processes or technology, because with the best people you can do anything.
The second piece of advice is when working remotely, take time to process before responding to instant messages and emails. Literally close the window and give it 10-30 minutes. It can be easy in the world of remote work to respond to things instantly before you have had time to think your response through thoroughly.”
What is your favorite part of your role?
“I enjoy working on processes, learning new systems, and setting new systems up.”
What is the most valuable thing you have learned in your career?
“Never stop expanding your skills and learning every day, be curious and ask questions. If you work hard every day, and combine your hard work with your expansion of knowledge, you can’t go wrong. Don’t let others determine your worth but stay humble.
Hard work gets you places, believe in yourself, and you will get where you want to go.”
What advice would you give to others who want to embark on a similar career journey?
“I would say that it’s your responsibility to build your skills. Go above and beyond what is required in your role, don’t just stay in your lane, but explore things attached to your career. Go down rabbit holes, expand your skill set, and you might find other things you enjoy more. We spend a lot of our lives working so finding something you love to do is important.”
As the world becomes increasingly more digitally-led, what is your best tip for companies selling on Amazon?
“Make sure you have a strong base of company structure and operations because if there isn’t a strong base and something goes wrong then everything falls apart. Make sure you understand the metrics around profit and how much you can afford to spend on advertising at the product level. Having this understanding will allow you to expand.”
You can read more of our blogs, and stay up to date with AMZ Pathfinder, on our website: https://www.amzpathfinder.com/
