Humans of T-shirt: Meet Talina, Operations Project Coordinator

Talina Neal has been with us since September 2020. Initially as a Plan Manager, and now in a highly varied but crucial role as our Operations Project Coordinator. She shares our mission to make a difference in the disability sector, as well as our passion for working with people. Talina is a star - check out her story below!

1. Tell us about your role?

My role is the best!  

I am our Operations Project Coordinator, a role that suits my strengths and personality.  

I support business operational objectives by coordinating and executing projects as needed. The variety of work and multi-tasking various responsibilities keeps things interesting and exciting. On top of that, I get to work with all different departments and people, so I enjoy the relationship building part of it too.  

Every day looks different, but my main focuses are working on projects to improve how we operate. My largest project in this role has been working to implement Salesforce for our Plan Managers. This has included a lot of testing, communicating with internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring the software is being adapted to our Plan Managers and how we work as a company.

I’m the only one in the company with my specific role so I work across a lot of different teams. Another interesting project I have worked on was establishing an internal knowledge base for the company. I had noticed many teams asking the same questions or creating the same process documents, so I suggested and oversaw the rollout of a platform called Tettra. On this platform I have published hundreds of articles about all different aspects of Plan Management. I loved taking full ownership over the project, I felt like it was my baby! I have now been able to hand it over to a new team but seeing how it has rolled out into the daily operations of the business feels so rewarding.

2. How long have you been working at T-shirt Ventures, and what drew you to the role/company?

I've been a part of T-shirt Ventures just over a year now.

When I first started, I knew I wanted to work for a company that made helping people a priority. After speaking with CEO and Co-founder, Tom Blinksell, I came to realise they were on a huge mission to make life easier for those living with a disability beyond what I expected and thought “this is a train I want to be on”!

Before joining here, I was working at a video tech start-up. I had multiple roles there (customer experience and so on) and helped the company build from the ground up. I love working at start-ups, but I wanted to work somewhere I felt personally invested in the mission - I wanted to be emotionally engaged with my job.  

When I found out about T-shirt Ventures – and from my very first interview – I was so excited. I initially applied and worked as a Plan Manager, as I was invested in the company and wanted to get my foot in the door. After six months I pitched the idea of my current role as I had experience in process and operations roles, and then we made it happen!  

3. You’re at a BBQ with a friend who asks you: “what’s it like working at T-shirt Ventures?” What do you tell them?

It's excellent! I would 100% recommend working at T-shirt Ventures, the culture here is supportive and passionate.  

There is an air of mutual respect among staff, and genuine care for our customers and their families. There is a lot of trust and understanding between colleagues and plenty of celebration when we achieve our goals.

I am constantly impressed by how well the business is handling fast growth, and always putting people first. I also like that the team actively collects feedback in a 360° format.

My personal experience with my manager has been amazing through the leadership and support I’ve received, especially as I’m heading into maternity leave. On top of that, mental health is a priority here and everyone puts their hand up to help others.

4. What's the most rewarding part about your role and working at T-shirt?

The people! Everyone is such a joy to work with and I look forward to collaborating with everyone.  

It's a special feeling when you know you are all moving in the same direction and making things happen. I can't feel that way or do my job well without these people. I also just love talking and spending time with people at work. Everyone is so talented and gifted in their own ways - I feel genuinely connected to them, and it does feel like its own kind of family.

Everything I do is challenging and diverse, so no day is the same. I don’t know what’s coming next in terms of the challenges I get from different departments so besides the relationships, it’s the variety and the challenges that makes me feel rewarded.

‍5. You've been nominated as living our company "Grow together value". What does that value mean to you?

Our 'Grow, Together' value is very important to me.  

I never want to stop learning; I want to do things better every time. Learning from my mistakes is at my core. The T-shirt Ventures book program, where we can pick a business-related book every month, is an example of why I feel like a good cultural fit at T-shirt Ventures.

Everyone that works here encourages one another to try new things and learn more to experience new opportunities. I enjoy encouraging people to try new tasks and try things that are outside of their role and comfort zone. A good example of this was how two amazing Plan Managers have stepped in to copywrite for the business on Tettra. This type of growth and varied experiences are possible because of our culture of encouragement.  

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At T-shirt, we’re looking for people with passion, grit and integrity to join our team and ‘wear our T-shirt' every day. We look beyond just resumes and into the heart, stories and life experiences of the people we hire.

Head to our careers page to see open roles. Click here.

No open role to suit you? No stress. If you love our mission and have a diverse perspective, think rigorously and aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions... we want to hear from you!

Get in touch by clicking here.

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