The Humans of smrtPhone

Our “smrtie of the Month” is an organized, musical wanderlust who’s anything but boring.

Name

Grace Maturana

Title / Role in the Company

My job title is Marketing Coordinator. It’s a new role for the team and for me. For the past year, I’ve been supporting our content creation efforts, especially social media. Now, I will be shifting to work with the team to oversee the building and publishing of campaigns.

Right now, everyone in the marketing department is responsible for a different area, and my job will be to bring them all together and make sure everyone has what they need and everything stays on time. Our goal is to develop and implement marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness, to transform prospects to users.

How long have you worked for smrtPhone?

1 year and 4 months. I first joined to help out with the That Real Estate Tech Guy podcast and social media management.

What’s your background? 

I have a Bachelors in Education with a major in English. I’ve worked with students of all ages – elementary school, high school, and ultimately at university where I taught college students. 

I left the teaching profession because of its workload and uncompetitive compensation. During the pandemic, I got used to working from home. I decided I wanted to keep working from home while having time to dedicate to my other passions and activities that are genuinely fulfilling for me. I had also moved and had a new house at that time, and starting at a new school would have been hard. 

I was looking for a field where I could continue to use my English skills. A friend of mine worked as a Virtual Assistant, and she told me all about it. That inspired me to give it a try. Through that, I got a chance to work with the smrtPhone team, and it’s been a good fit since! 

What was your first job? 

Working as an English teacher in an elementary school.

What do you like about working for smrtPhone? 

I admire that smrtPhone is always trying to be better. We know what the goal is; the company is fueled by a vision. We are all striving to give people the best of our service to help them reach their business goals. We know what we want and we work hard to achieve it. 

I also love the people at smrtPhone. I love the culture and I’m learning a lot. Everyone is passionate about their jobs. We are so open – not just about achievements but also failures and where there is room for improvement. 

Describe smrtPhone in 3 words: 

Dynamic. We don’t settle for where we are now. We offer great service and great features, but we respond to the industry and the needs of our customers. We want to stay ahead, so we are always looking for the next solution. We have a track record of evolving and a willingness to change. 

Goal-oriented. We know what we want. We plan. We prepare. We execute. 

Collaborative. The power of all of us together – I’ve experienced this first hand with my marketing teammates and with the entire team. smrtPhone is strong, and we’ve come so far because of the strength of our team and how we come together.

Is there a particular moment/project at smrtPhone that stands out and makes you feel proud?  

Definitely the podcast [That Real Estate Tech Guy]. That project was what I was originally hired for. Everything was new to me. It was challenging and fulfilling at the end. For Season 2, I was working on all kinds of things: episode descriptions, YouTube captions, website content, and video editing. I learned a lot during the process and I got to know everyone really well, as we all rolled up our sleeves. And, when it was finished and all episodes were released, I felt really proud.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I love to read. I used to read a lot of books, but now I read a lot of articles. I have a deep interest in science and in inventions, so that is the content I gravitate towards the most.

Recently, I started playing badminton with my friends. My goal this year was to have more physical activity. I used to be very active, but now that I’m working from home I have to be more intentional about it. 

I also love music. I sing and listen to music, and I’m part of the choir at my church. 

I’m learning piano and violin. I restarted playing the piano after a 5-year break, and violin is totally new to me. I use a lot of my free time to practice playing these musical instruments.

Name something that is on your “bucket list”

I love traveling, but I haven’t been to many countries. I’ve only been to Thailand and Indonesia. If I could travel more, I would love to go to Japan. I love their culture and their food. And I want to go to New Zealand for the natural beauty.

Hiking is one of the things I love most. I’ve hiked over 20 mountains, mostly from near me. In my country, there is a mountain called Guiting-Guiting that is considered the most difficult to climb. That is the ultimate goal for people who love to climb, and I would want to climb it, too.

What is a fun fact people might not know about you? 

I always tell this to my friends, “I’m not a fun person. I’m a boring person.” During the pandemic, there was a lockdown for two years and it didn’t phase me. I was okay with staying home for two years. I didn’t get bored. I enjoy my own company.