Inside with CareerBuddy: Success Lawal

They say a jack of all trades is a master of none, but that clearly didn’t reach Success Lawal. How else do you explain someone who works in marketing at Women Emerging, runs her own community, Dear Digital Marketing Newbie, and is still making time to upskill at Rome Business School?

After studying Mass Communication at UNILAG and completing her NYSC in 2021, Success found her way into marketing and has since gone from earning ₦50k to working with global teams and audiences much bigger than she had ever handled before.

So how does she manage all these hats without being completely burnt out roasted?

In this conversation, Success talks about building her career, the thinking behind her career moves, the importance of upskilling, building something of her own, and the mistakes that helped shape the marketer she is today. She also shares what she wishes she knew when she started and whether it’s really possible to go from the very beginning to a thriving career in just a few years.

Basically, if you’re trying to figure out how to grow your career without standing still, you’ll want to read this one.

So, success. Let’s go way back. How did you even end up in digital marketing?

I finished from Unilag, Mass Comm and if you know Mass Comm, then you end up asking what career I should go for, as it’s not a definite part like accounting and all… so I went for NYSC in Kebbi, and after I started thinking about my career part, one of my big bros mentioned that I should check out marketing. I did, and the rest is history.

And now you’re a marketing manager at Women Emerging, an international company… a dream job for a lot of people in the industry. When you look at where you are now, does it feel like "you’ve made it?"

It feels surreal, really, and it’s a testament to how big one can become with consistency and God on your side. From a girl who started with a 50k salary… I got to a point in my career and thought that nobody would pay me more than I am currently earning until now… and being at Women Emerging, I see a lot of possibilities in the future, really.

Something I know about my career that I wished I knew before starting out? Take every opportunity to learn.

Let’s talk about how you balance everything. You have a full-time job, you run Dear Digital Marketing Newbie community, you’re constantly upskilling, and you definitely have a life outside of work too. So, do you have a superpower you need to let us in on?

As of the time I am answering this question, I had a mental breakdown on Sunday and cried to my friends, who encouraged me and lifted me up. And if you see me chairing in my team’s meeting the next day and bossing it, you wouldn’t know that I was scared the night before and overwhelmed. I have learned to see my journey as a marathon and not a sprint. I am allowed to feel everything I am feeling; overwhelmed, burnt out, exhausted, feeling of “I’m doing this right," and shouting and bragging about my wins. Because all these feelings are part of what makes Success Lawal really! And I see upskilling as a very big deal for me in my career. If you don’t upskill, your company would get someone who does. I am currently on my MBA program at Rome Business School Nigeria and it’s part of upskilling. No matter how busy work is, upskilling is you doing better with work and your career. I’ll say my superpower is the group of friends who are ready to pick me up in all my feelings, be happy for me, help me, and talk me out of everything I feel as I become a better version of myself.

I prioritized work over skilling up and it cost me some opportunities early in my career.

What’s your biggest career achievement so far? And among the campaigns you’ve led, which one stands out to you the most, and why?

My biggest career achievement right now is my current job. I work with a global team and work on marketing for an audience bigger than I’ve ever worked with before. It has helped me learn about various cultural dynamics, and I know it’s preparing me for a bigger role while also paying my bills.

And amongst the campaigns I have worked on, I will say it’s creating a community around Women Emerging and getting people to pledge to what we believe. It was a success at the first try. And we have had over 3,000 women identifying to be part of the Women Emerging Movement. We’ve had three community events with a good number of attendees too. If you’ve worked with a global community, you would know how hard it is to create a community around a brand.

Also build something for yourself that you can boldly say I built from scratch.. for me that was my newsletter on Substack, Dear Digital Marketing Newbie and I have used that as a case study in many interviews which got the attention of many of my interviewers more than what I have done for companies.

Have you ever goofed at work? What’s one mistake you made, or almost made, that you still can’t forget?

Yes ooo… Goofed a couple of times. When I first started working at Women Emerging, my line manager said that I shouldn’t be afraid to try. And trying means that there would be mistakes. I started my career as an intern with no supervision. So I goofed a lot, but those goofing made me the marketer I am today. I have burnt company’s money on ads because I was trying to learn it. I have made mistakes that I can’t make now because I have learned from them. Many times people are afraid to make mistakes so they don’t try. One of my mentors usually tells me to let it not come out of my mouth that I don’t know how to do this; I should say I can do it, learn however I can, and try to do it! That has helped me to take on big tasks and roles in my career. One mistake I made that I won’t forget is burning over a million on ads with no conversion 😂.

Don’t be afraid of many NOs because your yes comes after the many NOs. And sometimes, the Nos becomes yes when you have proven to people why they can’t say no to you.

Omo 😂. That's so interesting. Thanks for sharing...so what's one new thing in digital marketing that you’re really excited about right now?

The new thing in marketing I’m most excited about is automation because it has helped me get rid of small, small tasks I do that take up most of my time.

A lot of people who want to get into digital marketing, or eventually lead in the field, read this series. Based on your journey, what advice would you give them?

My advice for anyone building their career in marketing is to stay read up. Never stop learning because things change and evolve very fast in marketing. And please and please...be more problem-solving than tool-driven. Tools can change, but your ability to learn how to solve a problem differentiates you from every other marketer.

And don’t let anyone think they are doing you a favor for paying you for your service. You are rendering a service and should be paid for it.

Quick Sidebar...

Are you a marketing talent looking to grow your career faster?

Don’t do it alone. This is where marketing professionals like you come together to learn, connect, and grow.

CareerBuddy Can Help You Find People Like Success Lawal

Honestly, talents like this don’t fall from the sky.

If you’re hiring in marketing or any high-impact team, CareerBuddy’s services were built for this.

• Use our HeadHunting service to skip all the noise and get matched with pre-vetted, experienced people fast.