Laura is our go-to person for literally anything at Rocketship HQ. She is known to be resourceful and efficient on all the projects that she handles.
Must be all those memoir books she reads and learns from.
What’s worth mentioning is that Laura manages the dynamics of the team and makes sure that all our birthday, work anniversary and holiday gifts reach us on time, even though our team is distributed across 10 countries!
The spotlight is on Laura and we’re super proud of all that she does to keep us together.
The work at Rocketship HQ
Q1. What are 3 words that you would use to describe yourself?
Curious, Thoughtful, Responsible
Q2. What drew you to RocketShip HQ originally? How has the company changed since?
Curiosity, really. This is a completely new space for me and I was also looking for a new experience.
Q3. What do you like about your job?
That I get to interact with people from different continents with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. This has broadened my worldview and I feel like I get a taste of the different parts of the world through my interactions with the team.
Q4. What has been your proudest moment at RocketShip HQ?
This is tied to the previous question about what I like most about the job. My proudest moment was getting the entire team and clients their holiday gifts in 2021, considering my teammates are literally in every corner of the world. I was especially happy when I got a notification that the order to Bosnia had been delivered! In my mind, Bosnia was so, so far away! And I did this from my apartment in Nairobi! Mind blowing!
Q5. What is a typical workday like for you?
Wake up, do my morning routine which involves meditating and praying. Listen to a podcast/preaching to get psyched up for the day. When I turn on my computer, the first app I open is Skype, and then Slack to check for any new notifications from Shamanth or the teammates, since I am aware that even though it may be 9 AM in Nairobi, in India, it is already lunchtime! I plan my day’s work according to priority from Click-up, which we use for project management.
Career journey
Q6. What was a key inflection/turning point in your career?
Meeting and working for my former boss, Jason Eisen, was the turning point of my career. I joined his company when he was just starting it; in fact, we had no office, his dining room area was the office! We were 6 teammates, three co-founders (CEO, CTO, Creative Director), a developer, a sales/fields rep, and me, an intern. Yes, I started as an intern – an unpaid intern, if I may add.
We would sit around the dining table working on our computers, and since the office was a residential house, we also had a garden where those who did not want to sit indoors would work from. Working for a growing company broadened my knowledge of how businesses work and run. I got molded into a well-rounded professional.
Having direct access to the CEO, the CTO and the Creative Director, I got a lot of mentoring. From the CEO I learned about strategy, leadership, treating people right and problem-solving, and he also introduced me to financial reconciliation using Excel.
Working directly with the CTO, Bastian Blankenburg, gave me a better understanding of the technical side of the business. This would come in handy during customer service when I was explaining to clients why a certain feature wasn’t working.
From the creative director, Polina Kazak, I learned about the importance of branding and staying true to the brand theme, be it the fonts and colors, or how we wrote the company name. All this was happening when I was an intern and six years in, the company had grown to 40 employees and I had been promoted to Head of Operations. That was the turning point of my career.
Q7. Tell us about a mentor or a person who has inspired or influenced you significantly.
Jason Eisen, my former boss. He is from the United States. He came to Kenya and started his business at just 29 years old. Starting and running a company is not easy, more so for a foreigner in a new country. Over the years, he carried the company and its challenges on his shoulders. What inspired me most about him was how he put people first. He encountered a lot of setbacks but somehow managed to keep the company running.
Q8. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Emotional intelligence is really important in dealing with the ups and downs of the corporate world.
I once attended a conference and was introduced to another form of intelligence – cultural intelligence. This is really important, especially in this age we live in. The world is now a global village and it is important to be able to relate to people from diverse backgrounds who have beliefs different from mine. Rocketship HQ epitomizes this very well, since the company is made up of teammates from every corner of the world.
Lastly, when you are willing to learn, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
Behind the scenes: Who is SERGIO?
Q9. Tell us about your favorite travel & food spots or experiences (feel free to include more than 1).
I haven’t traveled much apart from countries in Africa. My favorite destination so far has been Rwanda. Although it is small, the country is very beautiful and is making great strides in technology.
Q10. What do you do for fun?
I am an introvert. I like reading, and my favorite reads are memoirs. The most memorable ones I have read recently include Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Becoming by Michelle Obama, More than Enough by Elaine Welteroth, and I am currently reading WILL by Will Smith, just to mention a few.
I also love TV. I watch a lot of cartoons, my favorite being Spongebob Square Pants (Spongebob is a cook who has a strong work ethic to a fault!). I love police procedural TV series. I am learning to incorporate fun things into my life that do not involve screens or books, like traveling, baking, and learning new recipes.
Q11. What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
To visit all countries in Africa in the next 5 years. I read the Bible a lot and would like to visit Israel and explore all the places in the Bible.
Q12. What is a fun fact about yourself that not many people might know?
I love writing. I have written a few articles on topics of the Christian faith, and these have been published in my church’s monthly magazine and website.
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Connect with Laura on LinkedIn.
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