Aniya’s journey from leading growth marketing at major brands like Aesop and TRIBE to her role as Growth Lead at Forever Projects is nothing short of inspiring. After a decade brand-side, she made the leap into freelancing, where she focused on growing female-founded startups—a move she calls one of the best career decisions she’s ever made.
Now, she combines her expertise in growth with her passion for nonprofit work, helping to drive impact and innovation at Forever Projects. In this conversation, Aniya shares her insights on balancing work and parenthood, making the shift to freelancing, and what excites her most about the future.
Aniya, you’ve had an incredible journey from working with innovative companies like Aesop and TRIBE to now leading growth at Forever Projects. What inspired you to transition from brand-side marketing to freelancing, and how did you discover your passion for working with female-founded start-ups?
Thank you! I’ll be honest, the transition to freelancing happened very organically and by surprise. I hadn’t seriously considered going out on my own before, but call it fate, I was introduced to a couple of start-ups who were looking for someone to lead growth a couple of days a week. I thought that they were both great, and the rest fell into place.
They both happened to be women-founded, but I think this component of the journey was not entirely unexpected. I wrote my postgraduate thesis on getting more diversity in leadership, I’ve volunteered with The 100% Project who are working to a better gender balance in Australian organisations, and recently completed the Press Play pre-accelerator, a program aimed at improving the number of female founders. I think representation is important, and growing women-run businesses is one way to get there.
I’m curious, what attracted you to the nonprofit sector, and what are some of the most meaningful aspects of helping to drive growth for an organisation with such a powerful mission?
The nonprofit sector is one I’ve always been curious about. I think it’s such important work, and in some ways can be more challenging. However, most of my career was spent as a temporary resident, and sponsorship requirements made it tricky to get a role in one!
I think the biggest aspect is being connected to the impact that Forever Projects has – sharing the stories of women in the 12-month program, who have to overcome so much and show such resilience and determination to support their families in the face of adversity.
And the other side of it is that I’ve always enjoyed working in growth, coming from a background in tech and eCommerce. Being able to apply this lens to fundraising and building a brand within an organisation that is supportive of learning and experimentation, has been both fun and fascinating.
As a mother, freelancer, and growth lead, you wear a lot of hats. How do you balance these roles and manage your time, and what tips do you have for other working parents trying to juggle similar demands?
Time is currently flying in my household! I have a 2-year-old who is at home with me, and I’m fortunate to have work that is very flexible.I’ll peek at things when I can during the day but most of that time is spent with him… then my deep work starts in the evening for about 4-5 hours.
Trying to balance paid work and full-time care is what works for me. I plan a structure for my days, but try not to stress out if it doesn’t go to plan. Communication with the team is important – be respectful of people’s time, but also know your limits and say ‘no’ or ‘I’ll get to this later or by X’ when you need to.
One thing I’ve learned about being a parent in the early years is that everyone’s situations are different – so the most generic advice I can give is that it’s not going to ALL be perfect at the same time. Prioritise giving your mind some space, even just a few minutes of meditation, and try to get in some movement.
A friend also gave me this advice when I became a parent – ask for what you need. Whether it’s space to do work, time for a break, support or more autonomy, future planning… It makes the mental load at work easier to manage when you know someone has your back. And Forever Projects really encourages this.
Having worked in growth marketing for both large brands and start-ups, how does your approach differ when working for a nonprofit, and what strategies have been most effective in driving growth for the organisation?
Working for a nonprofit has elements of big brands and start-ups thrown together. I’ve found that people respond in a similar emotional manner to a big brand, but you need to be savvy with your channels and resources and be comfortable diving into unknowns like a startup.
For us at Forever Projects, finding donors, supporters, and partners who connect with the work AND the brand has been fantastic for our growth. We’ve also got an ever-evolving list of tools and systems in place to get feedback, keep people engaged, and make the most of our acquisition efforts.
We also make space for elements like content and community, and being comfortable with not measuring EVERYTHING. I come from a digital and performance background and this is a transition I’ve been navigating for the past few years, so to be able to lead with this and find the balance is incredible.
You mentioned that freelancing full-time was one of the best career decisions you’ve ever made. What advice would you give to someone thinking about taking the leap into freelancing, especially in the marketing or nonprofit sectors?
Oof, I could write a whole essay on this one.
The biggest piece of advice would be to work on your mindset. Going from a steady paycheck and predictable career progression to being in charge of every element of your work can be liberating or frightening, depending on your state of mind.
As an extension of this, surround yourself with people who are doing the same thing. These days we’re seeing more people come into freelancing or building themselves a portfolio career, and there’s a wealth of information (and emotional support) when you find the right community.
For getting into marketing/nonprofits, I’d recommend getting clear on what your offer is – this makes it easier for you to find the work you want to do, and for organisations to know how you can help specifically and what to expect (something that will help you both in the long run).
Aspiring to one day build your own business is such an exciting goal. What lessons have you learned throughout your career that you think will shape the kind of business you want to create in the future?
The first lesson is that everything is ‘figure out’-able. I heard this somewhere and it’s something I’ve observed in all the organisations I’ve worked in, and certainly true in my own career… Nobody jumps in knowing everything. And if you can stare uncertainty in the face, check your ego at the door, and dive in with a curiosity to learn, you’ll be better for it. That’s an environment I want to foster in my future business.
And then the next lesson – somewhat related – is that if you fail at something, it doesn’t mean it’s the end. As an employee or a freelancer, I think it’s been easier for me to reframe failing as an opportunity to learn and grow because that’s my job – to test assumptions and experiment… but when it’s your own business, it’s tough to not take it personally. But I’m learning that it’s a thing that has failed, not you.
With all of your diverse experiences in growth, marketing, and entrepreneurship, how do you stay inspired and continue to push the boundaries in your work at Forever Projects and beyond?
I push my boundaries by throwing myself into spaces where I feel like a beginner all over again. This past year has been a great example of that… from doing Press Play and learning first-hand about startup-founder life, to a creative writing course, and now I’m in Cohort 5 of the Community Collective, learning how to build impactful communities and become a better public speaker.
Getting to know different environments also challenges my perspectives and enriches my own domain. When a Marketing person spends time in Engineering, or speaking with people of different backgrounds, you can get so inspired by a new point of view. So going back to what I was saying earlier about representation, look around the room and make sure you have diversity in thought because you can only benefit from it.
