Hello everyone! My name is Nicole Martel and I am the Design Team Leader for Clique Kits. Many of you probably recognize me, but since we have had several new subscribers in the last few months, I thought it would be a great idea to re-introduce myself; share a little about myself, what I do for Clique Kits and why I enjoy being a part of Clique Kits!
I live in Maryland with my husband of 12 years. We’ve been together for almost 17 years! We have a six-year-old son named Edward, our one and only miracle child. According to Edward, we have 3 pets, 2 Betas and a 1 and a half year old Potbelly pig. Does fish count as pets? Haha. I work for a credit union five days a week and have been there for 8 years. Prior to working for a credit union, I worked in the mortgage industry for over 10 years. In July 2010, shortly after giving birth to my son, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
Last year, in April, Clique Kits posted a call to fill in the Design Team Leader position. I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to apply. I literally thought about it for a week straight, listing pros and cons on why I should or shouldn’t do it and I couldn’t think of a reason not to. I WANTED to be a part of Clique Kits. And this wasn’t an opportunity to pass up. How often do you see a Design Team Leader position opening? Not often. I thought it would be cool to help CK grow. And it is such a rewarding experience. I do not regret it one bit. I even got to meet the CK girls at CHA 2016, my very first time going and it was such a great experience! We really are a fun group of girls.
I hope Gia, Lacey and Erica know how much I like them… I totally freaked out about flying solo to California. I’ve only flown solo once and that was years ago and ended up being a bad experience… So I was freaking out that I wouldn’t make it there or something would happen. Well, something did happen, I got really sick in the shuttle on the way to the hotel (I get motion sickness) so when I showed up at the hotel room, I am sure I looked like hell. LOL. They should feel special, that is all I’ve got to say. 🙂 oh, and if given the chance, I’d do it all over again.
It took a little bit of time for me to manage the Design Team smoothly. I had to learn Clique Kit’s process, dates when things needed to be done, where to post, what to do. It was a lot to take in at first. I was a little nervous, I didn’t think I would ever get the hang of it, and I tried to quit because I just didn’t think I’d be cut out for the job and Gia threatened to kick my ass, but I am a fighter and I refuse to give up. And after about five months, I got it. LOL. Everything clicked together. A year and a half later, I am still here, managing the team and looking forward to many more years with these girls.
I have been scrapbooking for over 15 years. Yes, I know how to design gorgeous scrapbook pages and I am very organized, but leading a team is a little challenging because not everyone plans ahead and works the same way. Some designers work better at the last-minute, some do better getting projects done early and some need a bit of nudging (if you know what I mean). Even though managing the team can be a challenge, I enjoy it. I enjoy leading the team, challenging them to step out of their comfort zone and pushing them to submit those gorgeous projects to different Scrapbook Magazines for possible publications! I am a team player at home and work and that is how I’ve managed to successfully lead this year’s team. At least, I think so.
I do my best to treat the team with respect and common courtesy. We are all human and we all make mistakes and I understand that things happen with our families etc. I want my designers to be proud of designing for Clique Kits and I want them to have a good, positive experience with their leader——-that’s me!
Although, it might not look like I do a lot for Clique Kits, I do a lot behind the scenes with the design team and I help plan the kits. Every day, I use my planner to keep me organized! It’s literally, my bible. I create the blog schedules, check blog posts, create the Pep Rally events and blog posts. Other things that I do is create the Pinterest Boards each month and pin the layouts to those boards. When we get new products for the shop, I pin those to the CK Store board to help drive in more traffic to the store.
Not only do I have a planner with stuff filled in, I also have a small binder where I keep other stuff in. I admit, I may be a little OCD, but that’s how I get shit done… I cannot function without a list/planner. How do you like my new MAMBI planner? I LOVE IT SO MUCH. 🙂
During the week, I am checking to make sure the girls are sharing sneaks of the current CK Kit on their social media, juggling last-minute schedule changes and emergencies. Messaging the girls where their blog posts are. Some of them like to drive me crazy by waiting until the last-minute to post when all I want to do is review the post so I can go to bed. I am not a night owl. I like to sleep, right Gia?!
And that is really what I do for Clique Kits. Most days, I am a busy girl, but I love being busy and I love being a part of this fabulous leadership team. For those of you who would like to follow me so you are up-to-date on Clique Kits inspiration, giveaways and exclusive kits, please see the following links:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Blog
Come back at noon to hear some exciting news that will be posted to the blog! You do not want to miss it!
Thank you Gia, Erica and Lacey for having faith in me… I love you all.
Clique Kits 