Welcome to another episode of the HIGH (How I Got Here) Series. In this episode, we have Tunji Jaji, our Offline Marketing Lead. In this article, Tunji tells us how he went from working in the marketing & communications industry, owning a creative shop, to working at Flutterwave. He also tells us what he does outside work and some interesting facts about him.
Hi Tunji, can we know you?
My name is Tunji Jaji, I work with the Product Marketing team and I lead Offline Marketing. I started my career in the marketing and communications industry as an intern and I have never looked back. I quit paid employment in 2018 to float a design and creative shop and now I am glad to be here surfing these waves.
That’s great, so what’s the most interesting thing about you?
One thing that stands out about me is that I’m constantly motivated. Growing up in a closely knit residential community where education/career advancement was the order of the day, I was never going to be a statistic for failure rate. My stint in military secondary school also contributed to this, in fact, I thought I was going to join the Army, but I guess it’s been written.
Haha! Interesting. How did you get into this career path?
Shortly after school, I got an internship role at a Bank and I was lucky enough to be thrown into corporate communications and later the marketing department. I liked what they did, presenting and selling the various products of the bank to customers. Being a marketing professional means you have to know something about everything – dealing with clients from different sectors of the economy. Being in marketing also means that your fashion game has to be top-notch, all these factors contributed to my career choice.
So it’s something that you grew to enjoy
It’s an addictive industry honestly.
What’s your Flutterwave story and how long have you been here?
Throughout my post-NYSC career, one wish I could not get off my list was working in a client environment. I mentioned earlier that I worked with agencies, always serving clients, and I yearned for that day. When the opportunity to pick up the surfboard arose, I hit the waves. It’s been over 8 months and I have enjoyed every bit.
That’s fantastic! Can you explain your role to a five-year-old?
I help present and sell the company’s products to its customers.
So tell me, what does a typical workday look like for you?
The first thing I do is check the news and updates on a couple of marketing channels to know the latest in tech and marketing in Nigeria, the UK, the US and other countries of interest. The next thing I do is check Slack to respond to pending messages. I have a session daily where I learn one new thing about tech and I am constantly on the lookout for how we can effectively communicate with customers by constantly benchmarking, trendspotting and analysing our competitors. No idea is original so I look at what people are doing and see how to improve it.
Well done! What’s been your proudest moment as a waver?
In less than a month of working at Flutterwave, the announcement of the Series D funding came and that has been my proudest moment so far.
Very relatable. What tools make your work seamless and easy?
The invention of Slack is ingenious and it makes conveying and receiving information seamless.
How has working at Flutterwave made you a better professional?
As I said, I had never done tech, I had always been on the agency side of things. Now being in the tech space makes me constantly on my feet because it’s a fast-paced industry and I have to keep learning things. Working at Flutterwave makes me lively and makes me feel like I’m part of an ecosystem that’s reinventing the game.
Fantastic. What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
I’ll say be very open-minded as there are no limits to what we can achieve as humans, try to learn something about anything and one day it’ll open a door.
Wise words. What do you do for fun outside work?
I love video games, Fifa and Call of Duty are my favourites. I love road trips, I love the breath of fresh air and calmness that other states outside Lagos and Nigeria as a whole provide. I also love to hang out with friends, depending on my mood, I could be the life of a gathering or just mind my business in one corner. I love movies and tv-shows too. I just really love a nice time.
Where can people connect with you?
You can connect with me on Twitter and Instagram
This is Tunji’s story and I hope you enjoyed it as we did.
Be limitless, absorb any knowledge you can get your hands on and that might be your pass to the other side of the door.
See you in the next article.