We’re delighted to announce that this week’s collaboration is with Digital Notion, a friendly, dynamic team who specialise in all things digital. They work with some truly amazing tech professionals from different parts of the world to deliver high quality and intriguing projects. Here, we speak to Digital Notion’s Director, Dunja Rombouts to find out how she launched a digital company and why she feels that encouraging women into the profession is important to her.
Could you tell us a little bit more about Digital Notion and how you stand out from your competitors?
Digital Notion has become truly a one-stop shop for all your digital needs – whether it is building an app, developing your website, managing your socials, or anything in between, our team can take care of it. We are a “people first” company, which means the way we treat our team and clients is much more important than making quotas or even generating income. We want our clients to be satisfied with the services we provide and are willing to go the extra mile to do so.
Let me give you an example – have you ever had a contractor in your home, who just criticized the way you had something installed, or was frustrated with you for not understanding exactly what the problem was? Or you go to a business not quite sure of what you want, or maybe, you want something very specific! – But the problem most of the time isn’t whether or not someone knows how to give you what you’re looking for, it’s how they interact with you while doing so.
We stand out from the others in our field because from start to finish, you will be working with kind, warm, and helpful people, that want your business to be successful and do well. The way it starts is from top-down; as the founder, I want to give my team a lot of freedom in the ways they need to work and an open seat at the table to pitch ideas on how to make the company better. When you are happy at your work, it carries over to the way you treat and see people.
You’re predominantly a female team – is this important to the company’s structure and do you feel that you stand out from the crowd in what is an arguably male-dominated industry?
In a way, it was a bit accidental in how that happened – there are definitely men that work with the team that are integral to its function and very appreciated for their efforts. However, as our company is very future-focused, we wanted to be a part of the shifting landscape for women in tech. Our lead developer, Stacey, is the technical wizard of our team, and truly without her we wouldn’t be as successful or as efficient as we are. Just the same way we take a chance on the ideas that our clients bring to us, we want to take a chance on those super-talented, incredibly hard-working, and passionate individuals that don’t often get the recognition they deserve – which often times, ends up being women. It is our hope that as more women get opportunities, the more that the environment changes, and that having a nearly-all female team won’t be something that is so unusual.
You’ve worked on a number of exciting projects and worked with some amazing clients. How do you keep yourself and the team motivated, especially during the past year or so?
As I previously mentioned, I take a different approach to the way that people put in their time at work. Considering that many of our team is distributed in different locations around the world, there is no real “clock-in” or “clock-out” time, so if you do better working at 2 am or 7 pm, that’s entirely up to you. With the last year, we saw many businesses try very hard to stick to the traditional methods of work as much as possible, in a completely untraditional and truly scary time.
Not only that, many individuals were inadvertently working overtime or didn’t have a life outside working as they now were accessible outside of the office. We want our team to feel excited, eager, and passionate – which means giving them the freedom to build their own structure and the trust in them that they will maintain it. Very rarely do we have to “chase” after anyone to respond to emails, follow up on tasks, and the like. When you are treated with dignity, trust, and respect, it makes putting the time in much easier.
It’s no secret that the digital world is ever-evolving and is set to completely dominate how we all work. How do you stay updated with current trends and ensure that you’re the leader within the industry?
Being consciously online helps – and we do this by subscribing to newsletters and forums that inspire us, whether they are tech-focused or not. Some of the things we read about include art, the evolving world of crypto, even politics and pop culture. The reason for this is to understand how are people interacting right now? What is motivating people to do certain things? The fears that COVID brought up for many has seen a surge in delivery apps, as well as a larger online engagement between brands and businesses. Where can our clients fit in within that? How can we better serve them, as well as find ways to continue standing out? Our team has weekly brainstorming sessions and sometimes the conversations just revolve around what we notice others doing right now. When I say that we are “people first,” I really mean it in all aspects of our business.
What’s your favourite thing about working within this industry and how do you keep yourself motivated?
I think that I truly enjoy seeing someone’s ideas come to life. So many come to us with nearly similar introductions, “I always had this idea but didn’t know if it would be worth anything,” or “This is something that I wish I had, so I wanted to create it.” Those two concepts are what helped me create Digital Notion – I saw a market for a business to build apps, I had many of my own ideas of how we could get started as well as how we could help others, and I just dived right in. Every day I get to work with wonderful and motivated people, all around the world. I get to help others bring their visions into reality. I get to give back to my community and to underprivileged youth with some of my ideas. Just recognizing how many life-changing opportunities I am given and that I can give, is what inspires me to work hard every day.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in business and what advice can you give anyone looking to start their career within the digital landscape?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned in business is that it’s okay to fail, and it’s okay to start again. What might feel catastrophic in the moment, is just another opportunity to rebuild into something better. In my life, I’ve had things completely fall apart whether they were creative pursuits, relationships, or long-time positions. The less that I attach the meaning of “failure” or other negative connotations to these incidents, and the more I seek the silver linings, the better off I was. When we trust that we are smart, worthy individuals, and start to look for the openings the “bad situations” provide, everything in your life can change.
The advice I would give to someone in this realm is to focus on what makes them passionate to do the work they do. There’s always going to be a bumpy road on the way up, but if you’re able to find the joy in your work, it makes those bumps much easier to manage.
Tell us a little more about the courses you’re offering and why you’ve decided to target the younger generation?
Digital Notion Academy is an online training program geared towards providing youth from ages 16-24 an opportunity to learn coding, website design, media management, and app development. We want to give this advantage to teenagers and young adults so they can build their entrepreneurial mindset while developing skills that will help them get a leg up in a competitive industry. If the last year has shown us anything, people, especially young people, are incredibly adaptive and can make a business out of a good idea. We want to help jumpstart these individuals into thinking about what they can build, and how they can do it.
How important do you think relaxing and taking time away from your business is for keeping productivity and creativity flowing?
It is very important to take some time off from the business! I try to keep the weekend to myself, and encourage my team to take days off as well. In this age, many people feel as though they must “power through” illness, fatigue, or burnout to simply create a result, and that isn’t something I agree with. I want my team to feel recharged and excited to come work, so they are able to produce their best while enjoying the process. I also want to show up as my best, and I am not able to do that if I don’t get to have normal evenings or a day or two to just focus on myself and my family. We don’t need to be working 24/7 to create amazing things – I think we need to do all the things that make us feel good and happy, so we can come together, eager to create again.
You can find out more about Digital Notion here.
