A Year at Social Star: The Story of How I Found My Place

If I look back on this past year, the first thing that comes to mind is how unplanned it all was. Moving to Melbourne felt like starting from scratch. New city, new people, new career direction. I didn’t know what landing a job here would look like, let alone finding one that would stretch me more than any role I’ve had before.

Social Star became that place without me even realising it at first.

When people ask what I do here, I usually smile before answering because the truth is a little messy. Technically, I’m the Brand and Marketing Coordinator for both Social Star and BYOB. In reality, I’m across almost everything these two brands touch. Strategy one moment, content the next; then I’m deep in funnels, automations, reports, events, CRM builds, community calls, product launches and whatever “next thing” we’re testing. Being part of a fast-moving team means your role expands whether you expect it or not.

And strangely, that’s where I feel most myself.

Where It All Began

My relationship with marketing didn’t start in an office. It started in a school classroom in Year 12. We were told to create a product, build a brand and present it. I made a honey brand with different flavours - honey with orange, honey with rose, and I still remember the examiner’s reaction when I walked her through the concept. She looked at me like I had created something thoughtful. Something people would actually buy.

That moment stayed with me. The idea that you could take something simple and make it meaningful through storytelling and positioning became the thread that kept pulling me back into marketing.

From there, my path wasn’t linear. I worked in my dad’s business. I learnt sales. I took roles in agencies. I eventually co-founded my own skincare brand. That experience - the pressure, the emotional investment and constant adjusting, I learned the true cost of building something from scratch.

It’s probably why I take my work at Social Star and BYOB so personally. I know what it feels like to have a brand that keeps you awake at night. I know what it means when someone trusts you with their ideas. And I know how hard it is to make anything succeed in a busy market.

The Work That Matters Most Happens Behind the Scenes

If it touches the Social Star brand, the experience, the operations or the funnels, I am somewhere inside it. That includes everything from content, reporting, campaigns and email strategy to building automations, designing customer journeys and supporting internal initiatives.

I manage weekly marketing rhythms, run planning cycles, handle cross-brand communications, create reports, coordinate shoots, draft messaging frameworks, build landing pages, restructure pipelines and test new tools before rolling them out to the team. I write everything from captions to case studies, manage internal projects, juggle deadlines, and help guide the brand voice across multiple channels.

Most of this work is invisible, but invisible doesn’t mean small. It means foundational. Social Star moves quickly, and it’s my job to make sure nothing breaks as we build.

Learning From Andrew: Strategy in Real Time

Working closely with Andrew Ford is one of the most defining parts of my role. Our weekly planning sessions have become mini-masterclasses in brand psychology, product development, personal branding and growth strategy. Every conversation becomes an opportunity to reshape an idea, refine a direction or turn a spark into a full offer.

People see Andrew’s energy on the outside, but not the systems required behind the scenes to turn that energy into outcomes. That’s the part I manage. I’m the person translating ideas into campaigns, frameworks, sprints and deliverables. And working this closely with him means learning to think like a strategist, not simply a marketer.

Learning the Work by Living It

My days unfold like a continuous loop of building and refining. There’s always something to draft, something to test, something to improve. But it’s not repetitive. It’s alive. Some days I’m deep in content and messaging. Some days I’m building funnels from scratch. Some days I’m managing events or webinars or setting up intricate automations. And some days, it’s all of the above.

Working on BYOB, which is our program for corporate escapees, has been one of the most grounding parts of my job. It feels less like “marketing a course” and more like helping people take back control of their lives. You watch someone arrive lost and leave with a business that aligns with who they are. That changes you.

The BYOB Events: The Project That Grew Me

If there is one moment that defines my year, it’s the BYOB Showcase events.

Before this job, I had never run an event in my life. Suddenly, I was responsible for full-scale showcases across Melbourne and Brisbane, covering everything from learning a new system, ticketing and catering to speakers, schedules, funnels, landing pages, comms and post-event nurturing.

It terrified me at first. But I learnt quickly. I learnt by doing. I learnt by failing. And I learnt by realising that even when it feels overwhelming, you can still figure it out one decision at a time.

Seeing a room fill with people - people who wanted to build something real made every late night and every stressful moment worth it. That feeling stays with you.

Learning GHL: The System That Changed Everything

One of the biggest turning points this year was learning Social Star Hub, our CRM powered by GHL. I briefly used a CRM before this. And the timing was brutal - a new product, a new system, and new responsibilities.

But it ended up becoming the backbone of everything I do.

Landing pages. Event flows. Membership sign-ups. Automations. Nurture campaigns. Lead pipelines. Webinar registrations.

It forced me to think like both a marketer and an operator. I had to understand not just what we were building, but why, and how the pieces connected.

Now, we’re turning Social Star Hub into its own product - something I’m genuinely excited to help build and launch next year.

The Mentors Who’ve Shaped How I Think, Build and Lead

When I look back at this year, one of the biggest shifts hasn’t just been in what I deliver. It’s been in how I think. And that change didn’t happen alone.

Every week, through my 1:1s with Tish, I’ve had the chance to deepen my strategic thinking in a way I hadn’t experienced before. She took me from focusing on constructive feedback to actually sharpening my judgment, my planning, and my ability to hold two brands with clarity and intention. What started as “here’s how to fix this” slowly turned into “here’s how to elevate this”, and it’s changed the way I approach everything I do at Social Star.

Tish Tambakau has become a mentor to me in the truest sense. She helped me turn Andrew’s raw ideas into real products we could build, launch and scale. That rhythm became our engine. Andrew ideates, Tish helps me shape it, and I bring it to life. I’ve learned how to think ahead, structure problems, and back myself when making decisions that affect the entire brand.

And when I think about the people who’ve shaped me, there are a few women who sit at the centre of it all: my sister, my previous agency owner, my previous manager, and now Tish and Melanie White. Each one taught me a different part of how to lead, how to communicate, and how to stay grounded even when everything around you is moving fast. I’m forever grateful for them, because the person I am in my work today is a product of every conversation, every hard piece of feedback, and every moment they believed in me.

What This Year Taught Me

If I had to name one core lesson, it would be this:

You never “arrive” in marketing. You are always learning.

Marketing changes too fast to ever feel like an expert. One update from Meta and everything you thought you knew becomes irrelevant. One shift in consumer behaviour and your entire strategy needs rethinking. AI changes the game every six months.

When I was 19, I thought I was great at marketing. Now I know the truth is the opposite: the more you learn, the more you realise how much you don’t know. Being open, humble and curious has helped me more than anything else.

Looking Forward

Right now, my focus is on scaling BYOB, strengthening our internal engines and preparing for the full launch of Social Star Hub as a SaaS product. There’s a lot to refine, a lot to test and a lot to build. But I’m excited. I like the feeling of creating something that didn’t exist before.

And most of all, I’m proud of the work. Proud of the growth. Proud of the chaos I’ve learnt to navigate and proud of the role I get to play in two brands that mean so much to me. This year changed me. And I’m ready for whatever the next one brings.