Liftoff Employee Spotlight: Sofia Leonova, Marketing Manager
Sofia Leonova joined the Liftoff Marketing Team as an intern in January 2017 and was transitioned into a full time employee during her first year. She will be celebrating 3 years with us this coming January. When Sofia is not at work, you can find her exploring San Francisco’s food scene, hiking spots and various art galleries.
Background:
I was born in Russia, grew up in Prague, Czech Republic, went to college in Amsterdam, Netherlands and moved to the Bay Area in January 2017. I speak three languages: English, Russian and Czech. Fun fact: I used to be a competitive ballroom dancer.
How did you hear about Liftoff?
I learned about Liftoff through a friend who was working at Liftoff at the time and spoke very highly of the company. I was living in Amsterdam at the time and wanted to move out to California. I reached out to the VP of Marketing to proactively apply for a marketing internship and was accepted. A couple of months into my internship, I was offered a full time position and gladly accepted.
Why did you decide on Marketing? And what are some key traits that help you be successful in your role?
I’ve always been interested in digital media and enjoyed creating content from a young age. As a teenager I wrote a bilingual blog with 1000+ monthly readers and did social media marketing gigs while studying. Marketing seemed like a natural fit as I would get to exercise a number of different creative skills like copywriting and designing content, as well as strategic and analytical thinking. I’m also a big planner and very meticulous, two traits that are very useful in Marketing.
What is your biggest accomplishment at Liftoff?
One of my proudest moments here at Liftoff was giving my first presentation on stage at an industry conference in Seattle. It was a big deal for me as I’m not naturally a confident public speaker but it went very well and gave me the confidence to continue developing my public speaking skills.
On a higher level, something I’ve been very grateful for at Liftoff is the exposure I’ve gotten to the breadth of marketing projects. We’re a very lean team, which allowed me to work on a large variety of projects and develop a wide skill set, including planning campaigns, writing blogs, managing social media, producing research reports, hosting webinars and collaborating with a multitude of stakeholders.
Favorite event at Liftoff?
I have so many favorite events, but the one I always look forward to is the annual Holiday Party. Each year we come together as a company to celebrate the successes and achievements of the year. It’s great to be able to share this celebration with our coworkers but also with our families who support us throughout the year.
What do you like most about the Liftoff culture?
One of my favorite business personalities, Jason Fried, said “You don’t create a culture. It happens. This is why new companies don’t have a culture. Culture is the by-product of consistent behavior.” Liftoff has been very intentional at hiring very smart, approachable people with strong values and diverse backgrounds and interests. A very mindful, intentional hiring process has directly resulted in an amazing, supportive, hard-working, friendly and fun culture.
What could someone joining the Marketing Team tomorrow expect?
The Marketing team is very fun, vibrant and close knit. The culture is great, so be prepared to have lots of fun in and outside the office at our quarterly off-sites and dinners. Professionally, you can expect lots of responsibility, autonomy, and an ambitious and exciting marketing plan.
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