Meet SJ!

As the Candlefox UK team’s first member and the country’s General Manager, SJ is responsible for leading the development of the UK company’s short and long term strategy, vision and company culture.

We had a chat to SJ about her experience at Candlefox and the part that she plays in propelling the UK team into its success.

SJ: Best part of the job has to be seeing how far we’ve come in such a short space of time – we are chasing down our competitors by working in a very different way.

We’ve built a very strong portfolio of premium providers and seeing the relationships grow and flourish has been amazing. We’re a trusted partner when working with clients, not just on lead generation, but we are now also offering consultation on the sales process, coaching sales teams, building unique content for clients, advising on courses titles, providing bespoke monthly reporting and forecasts. We make sure we’re always responsive and flexible to their needs.

We work hard for our clients and try as best we can to become an extension of their own team. There is no one size fits all approach, we’ll design a way of working based on the clients preferences, desires and objectives.

SJ: I could write an essay on this. It’s actually really hard to say just one thing… ultimately it’s the team and the culture.

Being an education marketing business means that we’re constantly pushed to learn new skills and not to get pigeonholed into a particular department or job role – people are rewarded for innovation and solving business critical objectives or challenges.

Our unwavering commitment to the student journey also makes us unique. Making sure that each partner is vetted and has good reviews, great content and good customer service is so important to us – we will pull our clients up if we see bad feedback or reviews. We’ve turned away clients who don’t make the grade. It doesn’t matter the size of the organisation or how niche the provider is, what matters is that the service and outcomes for our students is outstanding.

SJ: Watching our network and community blossom – the team, our clients, our suppliers and having fun while we do it.

We have a great team and happy employees – we’re becoming consistent lead generators and marketing partners for our clients.

I love that we make a difference and play a crucial part in something that comes full circle – when our clients offer education and training to the general population via our platform, this then leads to happier and more productive people who are now able to make that positive change that they have been seeking.

SJ: It can be tricky to get team cohesion when you have global teams who need to collaborate and we have totally smashed that. Everyone is supportive, passionate, brave and challenging, in the best possible way.

I have never worked anywhere like Candlefox – the company culture is extremely unique – we’re given every opportunity to be in control of our own destiny – we have lots of examples of people who have started in one role and then shaped their own career path and upskilled to a whole new level.

SJ: We have worked really hard on telling our story and defining what we do differently in the market and it’s been very well received. We are different from other platforms and we are increasingly relevant to more and more students and suppliers.

In terms of coursesonline.co.uk, our organic traction is growing month on month and we’re now enjoying an “excellent” Trustpilot status. We listen to our students and clients and take feedback back into the business to influence the strategy, and that has paid dividends.

SJ:The promotion of lifelong learning and upskilling in the adult space – thanks to all the technological advances we’re experiencing coupled with the huge scope of content out there, it’s never been easier than it is today to learn at your own pace, in a way that suits your lifestyle.

This is making education and learning new skills accessible for everyone.

Check out our blog next month for another interview with a Fox! 🦊