Meet Tiffany Welty. Tiffany is currently the business operations officer and has been a part of the MN Daily Media team for over a year. She started her journey within the organization as an account executive in the sales department. After gaining some sales experience, she took on more administrative responsibilities and became the sales manager, where she led the sales team and all of the department’s essential functions. Now, as the business operations officer, she oversees the sales, marketing, digital media departments, and ensures that things are running smoothly for the business side of the organization.
I sat down with Tiffany and asked her some questions about her time at the MN Daily and got her perspective on what she thinks people can take away from being a part of the team. Here’s what she said . . .
First of all, what are the main responsibilities of the business operations officer?
I would say I have a lot of different responsibilities, but mostly I have to make sure that my three departments are running well; so the sales reps are still doing their sales, the ongoing training is happening, and my managers know what the day-to-day tasks are. So basically, I have one-on-one’s with my managers each week and they talk to me about all of the projects they are doing and I help them prioritize based on the urgency of what we need. I also meet with the OP, which consists of myself, the general manager, and the editor-in-chief. We all come together and talk about what’s going on in each of our divisions and what’s coming up.
What I’m working on right now is our publication calendar and our rate card, which is something that our salespeople have which goes through all of our different products, so we basically redesign that and reevaluate it each year. I do a lot of the big decision stuff too like what we can and cannot implement, I have to create the whole budget for the next year based on what our projections were from last year, and I also deal with payroll.
What are your career plans after the MN Daily?
Having been a sales rep I did a lot of client management stuff, so I realized that sometimes I’m not a ‘huge group’ person. I do well in small groups and one-on-ones, so I’ve found that I really enjoy client management. I really want to work at an agency after the MN Daily, so I’m hoping to get a job starting out in Minneapolis at an ad agency. I’m hoping to do client management because that’s what I would prefer, or something like an account planner or strategist; because I am creative but I’ve learned that I like doing the business stuff and I like to travel and I like to talk to people. Ultimately I want to be working in the ad industry or in the marketing realm because I really love what I’m doing right now.
Do you feel like working at the MN Daily has expanded your network or given you more opportunities?
Yes, definitely. Initially going into it I just thought “oh it’s sales, it will be a good experience” but I got to go to San Francisco this year and I met a lot of people from student media, and not just students; I got to meet a connection who does advertising for Amazon, she’s really successful in sales and has worked for different startups. I built a lot of connections there and that’s just one example. I can reach out to them now and do training with them, like if she wanted to do a training session for the sales team or something.
It will also help later on in my career when I’m looking for jobs. I’ve built a lot of connections through different workshops they’ve had and I’ve met a lot of people from the Star Tribune like the sales manager, who actually worked at the MN Daily as well. Networking is so important because it can lead to a lot. Even if you just have a conversation with someone, they can teach you something and they may have something to offer you.
Has working at the MN Daily helped develop your professional skills?
Definitely communication-wise, like how to write emails and speak to professionals within the industry. I’ve also learned how to be a better leader in general; I’m not always the loudest person in the room but I think I’m well organized and approachable when it comes to being a leader that you need to talk to about a problem individually. I’ve learned how to manage people on a team. I’ve learned how to deal with budget stuff and things that spring up every so often that can stress people out. During this pandemic, I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned: little things come up and you just have to roll with the punches because that’s just everyone’s situation right now, unfortunately. I’ve really learned how to prioritize things and deal with urgency.
What are some of the things that someone can expect to learn from working at the MN Daily?
I would definitely say how to collaborate on a project, which seems obvious, but I think learning how to properly delegate different tasks to different people who are working across multiple departments is important. We also don’t always work in our teams: lots of the time our meetings consist of different people from various departments, so you definitely learn how to successfully manage a project in a team as well as independently. Any person who gets the chance to be involved at the MN Daily learns how to be a leader; everyone will learn how to speak to professionals and how to present themselves in a professional manner.
What’s your best advice for someone who wants to apply to the MN Daily?
I think my best piece of advice is just to be really passionate about the job and filling out the application to the best of your ability, and when you have your interview making sure that you present yourself well and are prepared. Knowing what you’re going to talk about and making sure you’re knowledgeable on the topic and the organization is really crucial. Also, be sure to know what questions you will ask and be confident.