Mailtech celebrates its 8th year, and we are here to go back in time and meet its forerunners.
In the last article, we learned about Edison Avendano Jr.'s journey in establishing Mailtech. We found out what is behind the company's success, the process, and the plans. This month, we sat down with its pioneers – Sheryl Monzon, Rogel Monzon, and Michelle Avendano for a walk-through of the memory lane to talk about the things they learned, still learning up to this day, and their view of the future of the industry.
What is it like to be a pioneer member of a company? For Sheryl, Rogel, and Michelle, it takes a lot of trust and willingness to start over to be the first members of a newly established company. Sheryl, Rogel, and Michelle are currently the Network/Compliance Officer, Senior Email Marketing Specialist, and Creative Director, respectively.
As we talked with the trio, we found many stories that left them amused and nostalgic, especially during their first years with the company. Being part of Mailtech is not just a turning point in their careers but also in sharing knowledge, and vision for the industry.
First, congratulations on another year of being with Mailtech. How were your past eight years with the company?
SHERYL: For eight years, many changes happened, improvements, and friends turned into family. Since Day 1, I have taken the responsibility of learning the new tasks and I still do the same now. I learned a lot of new things in my workload. It was a challenge for me to handle not just one or two but a group of counterparts in the US, Amsterdam, and the UK. But with the help of my team, I managed to assist them all. My team is always there to help me whenever I get multiple requested tasks.
ROGEL: Yeah, thanks for another year at Mailtech! How was the company eight years ago? I can say that it was difficult at first but became more enjoyable as time went on. At first, I was adjusting to working in a new environment. Now, I have learned my new responsibilities. The number of officemates and friends is also increasing up to this day. I am happy with Mailtech!
MICHELLE: It has been smooth sailing ever since. We have adapted to the work-from-home setup quickly and for us who invest in creative juices, this has been plenty healthy for us. On the creative side, we’ve moved from project to project but the composition has been steady. We are currently a team of 3 with different assignments, a small elite team, I might say. A lot of things have changed but it is all for the better. Came from small, humble beginnings but have been improving non-stop, thanks to the amazing family we have formed through the years.
The three of you are known to be the pillars of Mailtech together with Sir Edison. So how did it start? How did you decide you wanted to be with the company when it was just beginning?
SHERYL: Mailtech started because of TRUST. Our big bosses trusted us, and we trusted them. I started working with two clients in my previous company in 2008. Edison is my partner in one of my client’s workloads, and Rogel is my partner in the workloads of the other one. In 2015, we decided to work directly with them, and that’s how Mailtech was born.
ROGEL: Pillar of Mailtech? Wow, that's sweet. Mailtech started with a conversation between Edison, Sheryl, and one of our clients. In that conversation, they plan to form a new team that will benefit both parties. I decided to join because the work environment and the goals of the admin align with my own goals and principles. I also saw that being part of the new team would make me happy. Well, it became a successful and happy company.
MICHELLE: First off, it is always an honor to still be considered one of the pillars of Mailtech. Anyhow, it started with Edison and Sheryl, together with our clients that they would like to build a small office here in the Philippines and that they would be delighted to have us as they have highly valued our work ethic. As me being in a relationship with Edison, it is a no-brainer that I am 100% and would support him all the way.
Can you give us a walk-through of your job when you first entered the company and what you are doing now?
SHERYL: At first, all of us were Email Marketing Specialists. Then, I transferred to a team that works on operational tasks. It was a challenging role because everything was new to the whole team. We were trained and studied all the materials our client gave to us. And I still use the same materials and notes given to us up to this day every time we have a newly hired member.
ROGEL: When I started at Mailtech as an Email Analyst, my daily task was to send out offers, schedule every day, and help fellow analysts. At first, it was a bit difficult for me to adjust to the work because I was doing something different from my previous company. I came from being an HTML editor, but with Mailtech, I learned what a "mailer" does. When I was able to adjust, I started to enjoy it even though I still encountered some difficulties. After two years, I transferred to another team, where my workload differed. I generate revenue in the Affiliate Network where we have and load the offer in the AN. My work also includes resolving the non-working tracking URL and offer pixel, and managing the unsubscribe management of the team.
MICHELLE: I was a Team Lead for the Creative team in my first few years in Mailtech. We are mainly in charge of all design-related tasks for the other teams. Email campaigns, banners, blog posts, and some design projects for the company. Now that I am the Creative Director, I am more involved in web structure and design projects and mostly monitoring the local design team. I still have my fair share of working in email campaigns and banners, but my team mostly handles those sides of the job.
Tell us your core memory when you were starting at Mailtech.
SHERYL: The time when we were waiting for Rogel & Michelle to join the team because they were still rendering for two weeks in our previous company.
ROGEL: The blessing of the first office on the second floor was the most memorable for me. It was a typical day, and I expected our newly hired officemates to arrive but it was only the three of us - Edison, Sheryl, and I. Michelle had a schedule that day, so she couldn't join us. Even though it was just the three of us, the office blessing continued. And the priest said, "This company will be lucky because it will help many people in terms of jobs." Then Mailtech occupied the other vacant office at the building after a few years.
MICHELLE: I started as a Team Lead, and it was something very new to me at that time. It taught me a lot and brought me out of my comfort zone which is having to communicate with others… I'm not a people person you see (laughs). I learned that friendship between co-workers is possible, and it can be great to look forward to when going to work.
You’ve witnessed Mailtech grow from having 8 team members and now for over 50 team members. From a pioneering perspective, why do you think many young talents choose to be part of the IT industry?
SHERYL: They choose to be part of the IT industry because it’s growing, and many opportunities await them. We have to remember as long as there are consumers and businesses, the tech will never die.
ROGEL: I believe that young talents choose the IT industry because it is more in demand like in other countries, they can choose a flexible work option, and it is also easy to learn industry concepts. And in this field, a person becomes more creative, such as out-of-the-box thinkers.
MICHELLE: The IT industry offers a wide range of opportunities that can be attractive to young talents, including high demand, competitive salaries, career growth, creativity, and flexibility. These factors contribute to why many young talents choose to pursue careers in the IT industry.
How do you encourage your team members to pursue specific career goals in the company?
SHERYL: I keep telling them not to stop trying. Step out of their comfort zone to try new things in the future, even if they may lead to an unsuccessful attempt.
ROGEL: By sharing what I learned at Mailtech and pushing them to work hard. I encourage my team members to continue pursuing their specific goals within the company. In reality, there is no such thing as an easy job, everyone must work hard, follow the process, and everyone will succeed.
MICHELLE: As a leader, I actively encourage and support my team members in pursuing their career goals. First, establish open and transparent communication channels. Communicate the skills and qualifications needed then provide advice on how they can work towards their goal. Also, they need to know that skills can be developed through continuous learning and effort. Take challenges as an opportunity for growth. Lastly, we celebrate milestones together to get more inspiration in pursuing our goals.
Mailtech continues to encourage young talents in pursuing career goals that are relevant to their skills and push them to challenge themselves with endless discoveries. If you are interested in widening your horizons in the tech industry, you may visit Careers and be part of the growing team.
