Ana and her journey at Click & Mortar
It is with immense pride and pleasure that we announce our partnership with our very own Anastasia who officially becomes the newest Partner at Click & Mortar!
What does being a Partner at Click mean? Being a shareholder, sure, but it’s so much more than that. It means naturally seeing further than oneself, seeing to the growth of the business and building it over the long term. It means prioritizing work and being involved in difficult strategic decisions in order to ultimately have a positive impact in the lives of every single person that comes through the agency.
We had a chance to sit down with Anastasia and talk about her beginnings, her journey with Click and her vision for the future of the company.
Let’s begin at the beginning
Contrary to many people, Ana very quickly knew what she wanted to do in life. Indeed, the stars aligned when she realized that all the amazing ads she was seeing everywhere were actually the fruit of marketers.
Count that as a conversion for the world of advertising!
That being said, marketing quickly had to share the stage with another growing interest : management.
One of Ana’s childhood traditions was dinner time with her family : no distractions, only conversion! Everyone at the dinner table would talk about their days and it is through these exchanges that she was exposed to the challenges that her mother was facing in her professional life. Hearing her talk of the dynamic between her colleagues, issues she was dealing with, and of her accomplishments intrigued and amused her:
“I would hear about management issues and I was already trying to find solutions to them despite my young age! It was like a game to me,” she told us.
Naturally, she geared her studies in a way that would allow her to combine both her passions : management and marketing.
After studying Business Management in CEGEP, Ana went on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree at HEC Montreal in Business Administration, specializing in marketing before undertaking a career in Event Marketing. From there, she had the opportunity to work for a few companies and marketing agencies before jumping into the world of Click.
“I have no regrets. It was one of the best decisions of my life,” she admits.
When things just Click
With solid corporate and agency experience, Ana arrived at Click as a Digital Marketing Specialist.
The only issue : the world of online and digital marketing was not as familiar to her and she anticipated a steep learning curve.
Knowing that Click valued attitude over aptitude, Ana was confident that she possessed the fundamentals that she needed to get up to speed with unfamiliar tools and concepts. She gave herself a challenge : develop her skills and knowledge by completely immersing herself in the world of digital advertising to become fully autonomous within 6 months.
“We quickly noticed that Ana had these natural leadership qualities. She quickly became a reference and resource not only for our team but for our clients,” explains Olivier J. Bergeron, Partner and Co-Founder of Click & Mortar. “In the first 3 months, we knew that she was going to be someone we wanted to build Click with.”
Once the concepts of digital marketing were fully grasped – organic search engine optimization, search engine advertising, user experience, social media marketing strategy, anyone? – she was promoted to Team Lead within the timeline she had set for herself.
Within this new role, she was able to actively participate in creating a system of multi-talented teams that is still used today! Her new position also allowed her to flourish through three main aspects that she admits define her day-to-day. Indeed, project management, client management, and team management all culminate in a way that allows her to develop and strengthen her managerial qualities.
It’s easy to see then how Ana became an example for the rest of the agency in terms of what is possible when one takes one’s career and professional development seriously as well as embraces (or even creates) the opportunities that come one’s way.
Partner – a marriage of values
Ana views her partnership not only as the result and recognition of disciplined work guided by instinct, but also as a marriage of values.
It obviously allows her to exercise her entrepreneurial side, but it goes beyond that. When we talk about having fun at work, with people with genuine goodwill, and with whom we develop a true sense of camaraderie, combined with innovation, continuous learning, and the idea of working with impact, that’s what we mean when we talk about a marriage of values between individual and business.
More personally, Ana promotes life-work balance (that’s right, in that order) and psychological wellbeing in the workplace.
“I work in an environment in which I believe and in which I feel truly comfortable. On top of matching my ambitions, it allows me to bridge my professional and personal life,” says Ana.
Tangibly, her leadership qualities and her emotional intelligence have helped create processes that promote individual wellbeing and personal development for our team. Ultimately, these initiatives have in no small measure contributed to Click’s overall success.
Ana, as a result, represents a large piece of Click. This manifests itself not only through her contagious energy but also through the values that the agency puts forward and lives by every day.
What does this all mean for Click & Mortar
We often say that we are the sum or average of the people we hang around with.
“Gab and I are very complementary and work so well together. However, that often means that after 6 years of partnership, we always know what the other’s opinion is going to become decision-making time,” admits Oli.
“In difficult moments or when strategic decisions need to be made for Click, having a new voice at the table allows us to look at things from an angle we may not have previously thought of.”
Olivier explains that each new partner comes in and adds their own personal attributes to the mix. This ultimately translates into the attributes and culture of the business as a whole.
“Ana adds a touch of empathy as well as a long-term vision that is particularly organized,” he explains. “As a partner, Ana will have an impact on the rigorousness of our internal processes in a way that will allow us to achieve our vision. We honestly believe that our work methodology will be a milestone in people’s professional careers.”
What’s next?
Grateful for the recognition, Ana considers herself lucky to work in an environment that recognizes good work.
Having learned that happiness and professional satisfaction can be felt every day of the week, Ana wants to inspire and motivate others to thrive doing what makes them happy.
“If you find yourself in a work environment that rings true with your values, where you feel comfortable, and where you can discover your true potential through the opportunities that are offered: go all in! If you don’t, think about applying here!” Ana advises, laughing.
So what future does Ana see for Click & Mortar?
“I think that Click will continue to be a pioneer and avant-garde in the digital space. I hope to have a positive impact on society at large by contributing to the evolution of work and bringing the notion of “working” into the 21st century,” she tells us.
Click can be the prime example of a company that delivers amazing results and accomplishes important projects while also putting the wellbeing of its employees at the forefront.
Yes, concepts such as ROI remain important but for Click, but being ambitious and happy in life aren’t mutually exclusive. By valuing the personal lives of our employees and allowing them to re-energize and revitalize by giving them the time to do what they love, we can look at it in terms of “sustainable productivity”.
Our goal then becomes to redefine the future of work today: for example, by welcoming Ana as our newest partner. If we can have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our team, what is the ripple effect that it can cause not just in other businesses that we can inspire but also in our society at large and for our planet?
Interested in getting to know Ana or discussing with her? She welcomes you to connect with her on LinkedIn or to email her directly at ana@clicketmortar.com.
