Meet the Maker: Funmi Ajike, Social Media Coordinator
Funmi launched her marketing career by onboarding the Wealthsimple rocket ship. This is her journey to being the change she wants to see in the world — online and offline.
Our team of Wealthsimplers work collaboratively to build the best possible experience for our clients and then make it even better. Everyone is a maker and an owner. What does that mean? We take ownership of our own work. No one here is a manager that doesn’t contribute to any hands-on work. We question the status quo and when we want to update, change or fix something — we take initiative, involve others and #shipit, then improve it. Get to know the team with our Meet the Maker series.
When did you join Wealthsimple? What did the company look like at the time?
I joined Wealthsimple in August 2020 as a Social Media Coordinator on the Communications team. To put that into perspective, that was way back when we “only” had ~300 employees (compared to 1000+ now) and Wealthsimple Invest and Trade were our only fully established products (compared to Crypto, Cash and Tax now too). We’ve grown and changed a lot since then, and I’m glad to be along for the ride on this rocket ship — and especially to have buckled in before the meme stocks mania, IYKYK.
Funmi, since this is your first job after graduating university, what did you expect vs. what was your reality?
I’m always tickled by people’s reactions to learning this is my first job. As you can imagine, kickstarting my career in a pandemic meant that I couldn’t have any “normal” expectations. I quickly came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to have the bustling tech office experience, or the chance to work with my colleagues in real life — at least not to start.
And yet despite the odds, I’ve had such an amazing experience so far. Wealthsimple was swift to adapt to the remote-first environment, and that meant being able to onboard, learn and have real business impact from the comfort of my home office. Being part of a fast paced startup has its challenges, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because it has allowed me to grow and experience change in a unique way.
Why was Wealthsimple your top employer of choice after graduation?
I was inspired by everything I read. Literally. I read every piece of copy on the “Work With Us” page and Culture Manual. It was different from anything I had seen during my 2020 pandemic job search — everything about the culture and mission resonated with me.
Wealthsimple stood out because it was a tech company with a mission I could get behind — financial freedom for everyone no matter who they are or how much they have. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have such a meaningful impact in that way.
And of course, since I’m a brand marketer at heart, I obsessed over everything on its social media channels and in the Wealthsimple Magazine. I ultimately wanted to learn and work with the people who were behind creating such a human marketing brand.
Working in social media, you know better than anyone that things move fast around here. What types of projects have you owned and shipped?
In all this time, I’ve been part of a small (but mighty!) social team of two. This means that I’ve been able to embrace the value and role of a Maker Owner and have direct ownership and impact within the Marketing org.
In the day-to-day, this has looked like ideating, planning and shipping social content in partnership with internal teams like Editorial, Employer Brand and Product Marketing. More specifically, working on major projects and go-to-market launches including our first-ever holiday and influencer campaign to launch Wealthsimple Cash as well as our brand announcements for anticipated features like fractional shares on Wealthsimple Trade and new tokens on Wealthsimple Crypto.
I’ve also become the point person for social community management. Having such a close pulse on our social community has allowed me to be a key owner for planning and executing social-first activations like #CashDrop giveaways for Wealthsimple Cash, and the host of our first-ever employer brand event on Clubhouse.
At Wealthsimple we demand diversity, create inclusion. How would you describe inclusion?
I’ve recently relearnt what it means to experience inclusion by knowing the first-hand feeling of exclusion. To me, inclusion speaks of the company culture in the day-to-day experiences of its people. It’s the atmosphere that makes me feel comfortable and confident in bringing my whole self to work. Demanding diversity is great, but really it’s creating inclusion that makes me feel valued, and more importantly, add value. That said, inclusion doesn’t happen by accident or by coincidence, it’s an intentional effort that takes a whole village.
We’re in the final stretch of Black History Month, what does this month mean to you?
For me, Black History Month means recognizing and celebrating Black achievement, (although I’m convinced this should happen all 365 days of the year). It also means recognizing the unique challenges or systemic barriers faced by Black people in different spheres of society today (and throughout history) and actively working to be the change we want to see in the world (and in this case, the workplace).
In honour of Black History Month, do you have any words of advice for fellow Black professionals looking to enter tech?
Two words come to mind: be curious, and be intentional. There’s so much to discover in the world of tech, so it comes down to being curious about the opportunities and being intentional about pursuing them. I know there are often challenges but my hope is that every Black professional with an interest in tech would get their seat at the table, and if it means building your own chair, know that you’ve got a village cheering you on, me being the first.
Are you ready to get on the rocket ship? Visit our “Work With Us” page to learn more and view open roles.
Wealthsimple is a new kind of financial company. Invest, trade, save, spend, and even do your taxes in a better, simpler way. “Maker Stories” is an inside look at how we get things done.
