A strong community can promote new ideas and ensure accountability. It can also act as motivation, support, and even provide a little friendly competition. The power of community is undeniable and the Okanagan tech community is no exception.

Our community is strong and growing with record speed and maintaining a connection through a period of growth like this can be a challenge. Nobody panic, we’ve got a plan.

We are #OKGNtech is a showcase of Okanagan tech entrepreneurs, partners, supporters, and cheerleaders designed to fuel more connection, more growth, and more excitement. Follow along on the blog and on Instagram @OKGNtech to learn more about our growing community and what makes them awesome.

Meet Natalie. Natalie Chew is a Marketing Strategist at Cheeky Monkey Media. When she’s not taking the stress out of website development, you’ll find Natalie tasting wine, tending to her vegetable garden, or treating her home as a B&B for her friends.

Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Victoria, BC, and moved to Kelowna around 2011. I loved the island so much, and I probably would have stayed there, but an opportunity came up for me in Kelowna so I took it. I’ve loved being here ever since. It feels like I’ve only been here for 2 years, not 10. When I first moved out, I thought I’d feel homesick and miss being near the ocean. But, being out on the lake reminds me so much of the Broken Islands.

Where do you work in the Okanagan?
I work for Cheeky Monkey Media. We’re a web development, digital marketing, and SEO agency. What sets us apart is our use of WebOps, an approach that turns the traditional web development cycle on its head. We incorporate agile methodology which emphasizes a focus on extending the life and value of a website. This means lots of ongoing upgrades, measurement, testing and iterations. You never have to do that long-term, stressful, budget bagging, huge rebuild. It really is the better way to build websites.

What do you do there?
I’m a Marketing Strategist, which means that I help the team figure out the best content to create and how to reach our audiences to better engage with them online. I’m really enjoying where marketing is now. It used to feel like a fluffy, unnecessary thing, but now we have analytics to demonstrate the impact of marketing and what makes a successful website. People’s opinions matter, but the data has a louder voice. There are always people wanting to make changes or suggestions to what we do, but our data can prove that we’re taking the right steps.

What do you enjoy most about your role?
As a lifelong digital marketer, I always enjoy the variety. A marketing person always has 8 million things to do, each of which has 5 steps to complete. I enjoy that organized chaos. The psychology behind it is really fascinating, too. When I was pursuing my post-secondary education in business, the psych portions were always my favourite. You need to apply the right approach and language to highlight why someone should use a service or product.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a job like yours?
Try everything before you commit. We don’t all know what we want to be when we grow up, so try a bunch of stuff out and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. What you want to do for the rest of your life will change. Do a lot of exploration, use the community, and maybe see if you can do some interning. As long as you’re enjoying your day-to-day, you’re doing the right thing.

What do you enjoy about the OKGNtech community?
It’s grown a lot but it’s one of the most well-run and inclusive communities. That’s something I really like about it. You always know that there is somebody you’re able to connect to quickly. There are no egos and everyone is looking to help. It’s a positive and helpful vibe, so it’s nice that people who are moving here and joining the community are adopting that mentality.

The best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Even if it’s uncomfortable, let everyone know about the good work that you’re doing. A lot of marketing tasks may look easy from the surface, but there is a lot of background dirty work that doesn’t get seen. Communicating the steps and time it takes can set expectations and help your team understand what’s involved.

Is there something you want to be remembered for?
If I can be remembered for helping a workplace be more light and funny while still getting sh*t done, that’d be good. I don’t like attention, but I don’t like awkward silence either. So, I often inject humour into a situation. I like building something from the ground up and having fun while I do it. That’s how I want my colleagues to see me.

Connect with Natalie. Learn more about Cheeky Monkey Media. Ready for more? Meet Eryca.