We are building more sustainable communities with a small but dedicated team. In this rubric, each member of our team gets the chance to introduce themselves to you. This week, it is Yara’s turn, our Marketing Developer.
Although we have shortly introduced our team members on the “About us” page, we thought it was about time for you to get to know us a bit better. This week, Yara will take you along on her journey at Byewaste, sharing her vision on sustainability and our company.
Hi there! Who are you? Tell us something about yourself!
Hello! I’m Yara, the marketing developer of Byewaste. I’m 24 years old and I live in Breda, which is not that far from our headquarters in Rotterdam.
I share an apartment with a good friend of mine, my cat (who is often an unexpected guest at our online meetings) and two guinea pigs. I grew up in a small forest and have always loved spending time in nature, but I am also into many other things.
Amongst my personal interests are music and events, photography, writing and travelling. I also enjoy learning about new things – I’m highly interested in psychology and philosophy and like to read about these topics in my free time.
Why do you think that Byewaste’s mission is so important?
Almost everything we need we already have. However, we keep producing new items at the cost of the environment. Therefore, I believe that there is much to be gained in optimizing our waste management and giving discarded items a second life.
What is the nicest item you have ever thrifted?
That’s a hard one! I’ve always bought most of my clothing and furniture secondhand. However, I think that I have gotten the most joy out of my lava lamp projector that I bought of Marktplaats once – I have it on almost every evening.
What do you do at Byewaste?
I make sure that everyone knows about our awesome service and that the wishes of our users are being heard. My daily tasks include the creation of social media and blog content, researching the habits and preferences of our target audience, outlining advertising strategies and much more.
Moreover, I always try to share any new insights with the rest of the team so that we can better cater to the needs of our users.
When would have benefitted most from our service yourself?
I think I would have benefitted most from our service when I moved out of my parents’ home, we had to drive to the recycling center many times. However, that was a while ago – before Byewaste even existed!
How did you end up at Byewaste?
For one of the courses at my university, we had to solve a real company’s challenge. Byewaste was one of the companies that participated. Together with my team I worked on a marketing strategy for Byewaste, which enabled us to apply our academic knowledge in real life. After I graduated we reconnected, and I joined the team shortly after.
Why did you want to work here?
I strongly believe that we provide a convenient solution to a problem that many of us experience in our everyday lives. I also joined Byewaste in the hope of contributing to a greener future. Our environment is way too precious to trash it!
How do you contribute to a more sustainable future in your personal life?
I think that my main contribution is the fact that I switched to a vegan diet this year. I have actually never eaten meat or fish, so it wasn’t that big of a change to be honest.
Which sustainable habit would you like to apply in your own life?
I think that I have the most to gain out of planning my meals. I am quite organized, but somehow, I have never been able to motivate myself to do this yet. As a result, I sometimes have to throw away ingredients that I did not end up using at the end of the week. Therefore, planning my meals on a weekly basis is my biggest new year’s resolution for 2022!
What do you like most about your job?
The thing that I like most about my work is that it aligns with my personal values. I could never market something that I do not believe in myself. Moreover, it feels nice to have joined the company in its early days, it makes me feel even more connected to the mission.
And what do you like least about it?
Sometimes it is slightly challenging to work with the limited time and budget of a startup. However, this makes it feel even better when you manage to come up with a creative solution and overcome a challenge.
