Interview with Barsha, the first member of the crew!   

Barsha: I learned about an opportunity at CSBW through a colleague. I went through the company’s website because I wanted to learn more about it. I came across the company’s mission and vision, and realized right away that they aligned with my personal mission, which is to empower at least one person through everything I do/say. Seeing that this opportunity at CSBW would allow me to fulfill my mission at a greater scale, reaching more people and creating more impact, I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed. Additionally, I am an event planning enthusiast and an aspiring entrepreneur, and I was confident that this experience would allow me to have access to useful resources, while enhancing my knowledge and skills.

Barsha: I have been part of the CSBW team for a year - I joined last June 30th as a Marketing Intern. Within my position, my tasks consist of ensuring our content reaches our targeted audience through the implementation of strategic social media marketing approaches. This involves content planning and creation, creating and organizing our social media calendar, assigning tasks to other team members, and more. I am also exposed to event planning experiences through the numerous events CSBW organizes.

Barsha: Under the mentorship of our CEO, these are the top two values I’ve learned and applied:

- Adaptability: With the instability and changes the pandemic brought in, we had to adapt to many new practices. As overwhelming and frustrating as it sounds, my experience at CSBW has taught me that adaptability is crucial at all stages of life and in all situations. Whether it be unexpected hiccups at an event or adding a new team member or a sudden personal situation, adaptability is the key to keep moving forward. And while this gets overwhelming, even more importantly I have learned that one does not have to do so on one’s own, we don’t have to get everything perfectly figured out on our own, because team members are here to help.

- Humility: I am an individual driven by passion, and this leads me to be very strategic in my way of work, in almost a perfectionist way. As much as this can be a good thing, it also made it difficult for me to go with a plan or an idea I haven’t thought of or thoroughly analyzed. My experience at CSBW has taught me to “loosen up” and allow other team members to present their point of view and ideas, seeing things from a different perspective, and acknowledging that any strategic plan I work on can have better alternatives. This also helps me be a better leader, as I am more open to change, to the input of other team members, and to feedback for improvement, which not only promotes an open conversation within the team, but it also helps me grow.

Barsha: Eyes, attractive and powerful. I don’t always convey my opinions in words, but different ways of eye contact do the trick. If we’re talking physically, yes, the eye colour and everything. But on a deeper level, I find being able to express myself through the eyes is powerful and that’s something I find attractive.

Barsha: As mentioned before, my mission is to empower at least one person through everything I do or say. There are various and numerous ways to help people, it really depends on the situation - but I do my best to help them move forward and succeed. But I believe the way I have impacted lives around me the most is by being a listener. Way too many people listen to argue or to defend their point, instead of just truly listening. I am by no means a professional or a therapist, but I love creating a safe, non-judgemental space for people to open up and just talk. Communication is so important and such an important key to the path to a happy and fulfilling life. Sometimes we want someone’s opinion, advice or tip, while there are times we just need someone to be there and listen - it helps to know we’re not alone, whatever the situation may be. 

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Interview with Natalia, the second member to join the team.

Natalia: The support community established by CSBW inspired me. I wanted to be part of a team that encourages small business owners and showcases the incredible businesses they are building.

Natalia: I’ve been part of the CSBW team for a year as a Marketing Intern. I create content for our social media platforms, develop engagement and brand awareness strategies, and assist in the planning of our different virtual events.

Natalia: I would say that the top two values I’ve learned while working at CSBW are achievement - always keep fighting for your dreams and two, self-confidence - know your worth.

Natalia: I am a person who is constantly looking for new ways to create change and impact the people around me. I love helping others and creating beneficial experiences for everyone.

Natalia: At the end of the next five years, I want to have a better understanding of the business world. I would like to get into event planning and project management. I want to find a position where I can grow, develop my skills and take on new challenges over time.  

Interview with Cindy, our third member.

Cindy: I decided to join CSBW because I wanted to break out of my introverted shell, and to get learning experience that school would not be able to teach because of the time limit.

Cindy: I have been part of the CSBW team for nine months now. My role is to create content to market the CBSW’s events, and to create content to maintain the CSBW’s brand identity. I help to monitor the company’s social media platforms and virtual events. I do external social relations on Facebook Messengers by answering any questions the Facebook’s members have for CSBW. I also support my team when needed, and contribute my ideas during meetings, and in the group chat.

Cindy: The values I picked up are to learn from my bad habits and not be afraid of failing or making mistakes. I am impulsive and an overthinker and I make a lot of mistakes due to those traits. This makes me feel remorseful. Lately, I have been trying different ways to minimize those traits. I have taken on yoga to calm my racing mind and to be more focused. I have realized that if I am afraid of failing and of making mistakes, I won’t grow as an individual as I would be afraid of learning new things. In the past, I wouldn’t have admitted that I needed to learn to balance myself out so that I could be a better team member. But now, not being afraid of acknowledging my mistakes and bad habits has helped me be accountable for my actions. It also helps me be more open to explore different methods and perspectives on how I should approach my problems and life. I am very grateful that my team is very patient with my learning processes, and that they are willing to help me when I make mistakes. I am grateful for my team’s support.

Cindy: My greatest weaknesses are impulsiveness and overthinking. I would not necessarily say these traits are bad, as I have benefited from them before. My impulsiveness has pushed me to take action, and to try out a lot of things, while my overthinking has slowed me down so I can create a solid foundation of what I am experiencing before moving onto new things. I need to manage both better, especially when I am stressed or under a lot of pressure.

Cindy: Actually, I have three things I cannot do without: my family, my close friends, and my experience. My Family and friends provide me a lot of support, which I need to get through big challenges in my life. I am grateful that I have these support systems in place. This was evident especially when I pursued a public relation degree after completing my philosophy degree. Secondly, I cannot do without my experience because it has made me who I am today. I value my experience in life, the bad and good, because it has helped me to acknowledge and understand different perspectives, and to have empathy for people in my life.