Meet Oliver, our business developer and the person bringing goodbag to new markets — goodbag spotlight

Have you ever heard about the employee or team spotlight? Or read something about it? In case you haven’t, employee or team spotlight means presenting the company’s employees to the outside world. Publishing their stories or something interesting about their job and life.

We decided to do something similar with the “goodbag spotlight” series, where eventually you will find the articles about all goodbag’s team members. They will be in the interview-form and consisted of 3 parts.

1. General-intro questions (which are same for all)
2. Specific questions for each team member’s job
3. Short questions with instant answers (again, same for all)

Today, we are talking with Oliver, who will share some things about his life and experience at goodbag. We will kick off with our general section i.e. some introduction questions.

Hi Oliver, could you tell us something about yourself and your role at goodbag?

Hi, I am Oliver. I am a business developer at goodbag, currently taking care of the Swiss market and I am also taking care of some existing partners.

Besides that, I am doing my master’s in nutrition and sports and I have a huge aspiration towards that industry.

How and when did you join the goodbag team?

I joined goodbag back in 2016, and I have been working on and off ever since. From October last year (2019), I am doing work on a regular base for goodbag.

Chris, the co-founder of goodbag, is my childhood friend, we know each other for a long time. I always followed his work and he kept me updated with all the progress they were making. The whole idea and everything around goodbag impressed me so I had a talk with him and I slowly started to do certain tasks and that is how it all started.

What motivates you to be a part of the goodbag company?

goodbag goes hand in hand with my core values. Whatever you do in your life, you can generate an impact if you are willing to do so. If I can make an environmental one, that is a huge plus for me. That was one of the main reasons why I joined and why I am still here. You should go after something that you find really valuable.

What are the 3 things you like the most about the goodbag’s culture?

The first one is that all people working for goodbag come from different walks of life. We have a young and dynamic team. Secondly, it is interesting to see that we all work towards the same goal and pursue the same mission. We motivate and learn from one another.

Finally, the fact that you can work from wherever you are. Even if you have to stay at home you can still work and make the world a little bit better.

Do you manage to learn while working and how?

Yes. When I walk into a shop or call one and tell them about our goals, I get a lot of positive feedback. I get something out of each interaction I have. Moreover, throughout those conversations, I realize what great impact and influence some shops make. It is fascinating to see how much power we all actually have when we want to do something positive. This is how we can be the change we want to see in this world.

Thank you, Oliver, for answering those general questions, now we will focus more on some specific questions regarding your work specifically.

You have been with goodbag for almost 4 years now, how do you think the goodbag’s business model has evolved over time?

Well, it started really small. We were a different team with a different mindset back then. We knew what we wanted to achieve, where we wanted to go, but somehow, it was different. Now, we are at the point where we know much more about our goals and we have many important things clearly defined.

I would say that the app was some kind of a tipping point for us. We suddenly started growing when we introduced the app, although the introduction, by itself, was a gradual process. It was definitely a long way and I was fascinated to see how much effort the founders and the whole team were and still are putting into this amazing business.

I must add that our presence and performance on social media got a lot better as well. Marketing became even more professional now and we are definitely able to build lasting relationships with our clients and followers.

As a business developer, which markets do you consider to be the most important ones for goodbag in the upcoming years?

Right now, we are focusing a lot on the German-speaking markets. However, the English-speaking ones are important as well. I am not referring to the UK only, but US, Canada, South Africa, Australia… They are all really conscious when it comes to environmental challenges. Furthermore, those markets are really big, it will take us some time to raise brand awareness among people living there, but I am confident that we will get there.

Can you tell us something more about your life and work in Australia? How different is Austria from Australia? They differ by only 2 letters, it cannot be a huge difference then. (smiles)

I learned a lot about opening up when I was in Australia. The people and the culture in Austria is a bit different and more reserved in ways than in Australia. So when I came to Australia, I had to open up a lot. You need to be more of an extrovert, adapt to different situations, and of course, get used to a different language. Nevertheless, once you step out of your comfort zone, you will learn what you are capable of doing and that opens up a lot of different doors.

And we came to our final section, where we will go through some short questions to find out more about Oliver :) So, tell us:

• Where is your favorite place to be? Anywhere in Australia (especially around the coast), I just absolutely enjoy Australia’s versatility.
• What is one thing you cannot resist? Actually, two things, traveling and exercising.
• Would you like to visit space once in your life? Not for now. There is so much I still have not seen on this planet. After I do, I will think about space.
• If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you meet? I don’t have anyone particular in mind; however, meeting with people who follow their dreams and passions and don’t give up on those are people I do love spending time with because I do learn a lot about what is truly important in life.
• Do you have a favorite quote? It is not a quote, it is a saying. “What if it was a gift?” — I just ask myself this question after everything that happens to me and this way I keep focusing on the positive aspects of everything and stop myself overthinking things which are out of my control.
• Do you have an (office) nickname? What is it? Ollie.
• What is your favorite book so far? At the moment I have two favourite ones: The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma & Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great by Joshua Medcalf
• If you could choose one place worldwide where goodbag opens its next office, which place would that be? Melbourne, Australia.
• Who would you most like to swap places with on the team? Todor, our CTO.

That was Oliver, the person who endeavors to present goodbag to many new markets :). If you liked the article, make sure to follow us on our social media channels. In the following weeks, we will be talking with other team members and get to know them better. Stay tuned :)

About goodbag

goodbag is the first reusable tote bag that lets you plant trees, collect plastic waste out of our oceans, or receive exclusive discounts every time you go shopping. All you need to do is to download the goodbag app, get a goodbag, and start scanning it when you shop. To learn more about it, check our website.