Tyra and her road to becoming a Digital Account Manager.

I have known chị Trang (Tyra) for the past four years. Back in 2017, we started working with each other fast growing digital marketing and marketing technology companies – Interspace Vietnam and AnyMind Group. With our nearly four years hand-in-hand to cope with multiple challenges, Tyra has proved herself as an excellent communicator, innovator, and thoughtful manager. Her perseverance and solution-oriented ability also make her stand out as a competent business developer and account manager. Besides work, she is a caring friend, wife, and mom. Her capability to tackle all professional and personal hurdles is just insane to me. 

Well, without further ado, I proudly share my talk with Tyra here.

1. Hi Tyra, could you introduce more about yourself? (Where do you come from? What do you do? What do you do in your free time?)

Hi guys, my name is Trang, people usually call me “Tyra” or “Lê Lê”. Most of the time I live and work in Ho Chi Minh City, because of the Covid-19 epidemic, I have returned to Nghe An – my hometown. I’m working as a Partnership Manager for a tech video platform company. And I’m also a mom of 2-year-old Bum, my little angel. 

Over the last 10 years, I have had splendid journey in the Marketing industry, with 4 years learning marketing at University and 6 years (still counting) with Marketing-related roles. I feel very fortunate to experience many aspects of the Marketing industry from various environments regardless of companies’ growth stage and sizes. I have come across roles to work from different client types and products of the Marketing industry, ranging from advertisers to publishers, content creators, and marketing platforms.

If I am not busy working, you might see me reading books or taking care of Bum, my little 2-year-old boy. Interestingly, I’m embarking on making TikTok videos about my daily life.

2. I was lucky to know you in advance and also knew that your decision to digital marketing was very fascinating. So, could you elaborate further regarding your turning point to embark on this field?

Since I was a high school girl, I have been intrigued by advertising. Not many people my age have a strong desire to do and love something from a young age, and thus I feel that I have been very lucky for such privilege.

The advertisement that stuck in my mind most was the one that prompted people to wear helmets. It printed in my subconscious the image of a little girl living a happy daily life. That happiness didn’t last long as her parents got into a traffic accident. Her Mom and Dad, unfortunately, didn’t wear their helmets and got into serious brain injuries. Her smile from the beginning lit off at the end of the advertisement. 

Well, the advertisement was quite simple, but the emotion and its message ignited me. It was years ago before we did marketing with performance and measurement like right now. I believe that it has changed Vietnamese people’s awareness, and increased the rate of people wearing helmets when driving motorbikes. There is much upvote and downvote to marketing and its effectiveness, but I strongly trust what advertising and marketing can do and their mission. It brings a lift of faith to people about the products, promotes the product from unknown to a popular one, and adjusts consumers’ thinking and behaviors. The impact of advertising has led me to study Marketing and follow this field.

3. Could you share further about what led you to a Business Development & Account Management Manager in the Digital Marketing field?

The road which I started to study Marketing wasn’t easy. Growing up in a small province, the notion of being a marketeer seemed to be vague here.  My family suggested that I should pursue other familiar industries like Agriculture. But I decided to embrace my dream in Marketing. The truth was that I was very self-deprecating, worried, and doubted my decision like other youngsters. I questioned myself a lot whether I had low self-efficacy, I was not suitable for this industry, should I switch to another industry. Those thoughts constantly haunted me. But, perhaps I have lingered with my choice as I recalled my childhood memory and my advantage of knowing what I wanted at a young age. It has been a source of endless motivation to help me keep trying this path.

After graduating, I have decided to continue on the marketing path. Marketing is a broad field. I was uncertain of which job I would do. I was young and full of energy. Instead of spending hours thinking, I did all that interested me and what I got given. In 2016 – the year that I started working, I took on different jobs, from organizing events, writing reporting articles, and taking an account manager role. I have chosen Account Manager as my key focus until now.

4. Well, let’s go deeper into your challenges and opportunities in choosing this career. What do you think is most important to pursue a career an Account Manager?

Firstly, you should consider learning a lot every single day.  Account Manager is a job that requires obtaining a wide range of knowledge and skills, such as negotiation, communication, presentation or data analysis. It’s even more challenging when you are taking an Account Manager role in a Marketing Technology firm. It requires a vast understanding of both sides, marketing and technology/performance to consult clients with a holistic marketing approach, planning, and execution. 

Secondly, this job is very demanding. For the knowledge side, you have to constantly supplement your knowledge to work with colleagues, consult, and gain the trust of customers.  At the same time, you should be well-prepared for receiving a lot of questions from customers and departments internally and externally, and thus it is very important to understand the needs and wants of both my customers and colleagues. The ability to organize your work, prioritize what matters, and control each party’s expectations plays a crucial role to succeed in the role.

More importantly, Account/Business Development is an on-demand job. In many ways, it’s not like an office-hour job. Work can come at any time (even when you’re least expecting it). Depending on the customer’s request, it is a challenge for me to balance my work-life time.

Well, I don’t try to scare you (laugh). But the above suggestions are what I have experienced. Those things are what sparks me and leverage my capability. I would love to wake up the next day to learn, work, and grow. Also, for the most part, the job is quite stressful, however, the rewarding feeling is after overcoming all the obstacles, achieving our projects’ objectives, and getting recognition from customers. Therefore, if those challenges are what you are seeking, this career is for you. 

5. If you have to pick one key turning point to where you are today,  how has it changed you?

The moment that changed my life was when I gave birth to my little baby – Bum. It is a sacred and important time for most women. It marked a new milestone in my life, challenging my perseverance and efforts. My life completely changed when Bum was born. Before, my life outside working was relaxing. I focused solely on working, spending time going out, and doing what I loved. Having Bum in our life, my whole world has turned 360 degrees. During the first few months of having Bum, I only spent 2 or 3 hours a day sleeping. Because there is a lot to handle like housework, baby care, and reading to gain knowledge on how to take care of a newborn.

The truth is that most of the first couple of months I feel tired, sleepless, stressed, and exhausted. At my most depressed times, I often think about quitting my job to become a mom and a housewife. It was too much for me to handle both roles, which required me 100 percent of dedication and endless building of my knowledge pipeline, full-time work, and a full-time Mom. They’re very hard to handle, although I received support from my husband and parents, it was not enough compared to the huge amount of work that I had to shoulder.

At those difficult times, Bum is like a ray of sunshine that illuminates my dark times, seeing his smiles, his daily growth is a source of positive energy for me. I regained the confidence to decide to continue with the work. This is a feeling that surely all parents can understand, when going through a tiring day at work, with a lot of frustration, and at the end of the day when they see the angels of their life again, the fatigue is overwhelming. It seems to have disappeared.

Thanks to Bum, I was able to continue doing my job, and discover my limits. After a while back to work, I feel my strength is greater than I imagined, somehow now I can handle 2 jobs, take care of Bum, and I can continue with my work.

6. You are also an avid reader, can you share with us about your interest in writing & reading. 

I have gravitated towards reading since a young age. Before being a Mom, I used to read books regarding marketing and psychology. Lately, I have shifted my reading topics to children and parenting as I’m very demanding to obtain knowledge from different perspectives.

I used to write a lot, too. Those stories were either related to romantic feelings, the pursuit of happiness, and what I considered as being and fulfilled. As you guys can see, my life has changed and my concerns have evolved over time. Once I return to writing, I will write down further about modern women balancing with working and parenting. 

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P/s: Though we have known each other for years, listening to Tyra’s story has brought me to various stages of feeling. There are always ups and downs, challenges and opportunities. But your resilience and constant growth have led the way. I couldn’t be proud of being your friend, sister, and aunt to Bum. May all the best to you and your family!
If you are interested in Digital Career, check the link: trinhthai.com/category/digital-career-talk/. There are a lot of stories waiting for you.