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Jade Bawa, Sales Exec Europe and Australia – Lovehoney Trade

By on December 20, 2018

In 2015 I joined ABS Holdings as I was attracted to the fun and different nature of the industry. When an opportunity came up at Lovehoney in 2016, I jumped at the chance: I’d admired the brand for many years and relished the opportunity to work with the inspirational co-founders, Neal Slateford and Richard Longhurst.

A typical day
As I work with customers in Australia, my day starts early at around 4am – 5am with a coffee or two to help me along! I then work a full day with my European customers, finishing around 6pm. It’s difficult to define a ‘typical’ day as our days are very varied: not one day will be the same in any one week. It goes from Skype calls, to face to face customer visits to checking in with the marketing team, day-trips to stores in Europe, and so many other things besides. That’s what I love the most about my job – the variety: it keeps me on my toes!

As an international jetsetter, tell us about the travel part of your job
So far in 2018 I’ve been to fourteen different places multiple times. In November, over a period of two and a-half-weeks I went to six places including Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth (where if I’m lucky I get time to see family friends), and the Gold Coast. I caught up with stores for customer training, merchandise, planning for Valentines and Christmas, as well as distributors.

The most significant influence in my working career is
Our sales team manager Kate Hodgson-Egan, who I worked with previously at ABS. Not only is Kate a great friend, she is a fantastic manager who will always look out for the team and give the best advice. My proudest moment was when we won the ETO Award for the Best Sales Team 2018. The most memorable moments are usually at Erofame 2017, but I’m not telling you about those: what happens in Germany stays in Germany!

What do you like best about your job
We have a great team and work hard, but we still have a good laugh in the office: it can be really fun.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in Adult retail today
Really research the market you’re looking to go into, know what trends are out there, know what customers to look for and prepared to spend and know what they’re prepared to invest in. I think a lot of customers start up a business and get a bit lost. So before you get to setting up shop, think of the demographic of the area: is it a university area full of young people, or are there older, wealthier people who live or work nearby? All this will affect which products to buy and how much of each product to buy: there’ll be a different ‘target spend’ for different products depending on the type of geographic area the shop is in.

Last book I read
Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed. An excellent read, very insightful and entertaining. I also keep up with industry news on my iPad via Synergy’s weekly newsletters. And no, I’m not just saying that! Additionally, between us on the Trade team we tend to read Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, Popsugar, Women’s Health because they publish a lot of articles featuring our products.

Favourite movie/TV show
Keeping Up With the Kardashians- It is such a funny show and I love how crazy and dysfunctional they all are. Kim is definitely my favourite, as not only did she start in our industry [laughs], but she’s just as much of a diva as I am! Not forgetting that Kim features a Fifty Shades Riding Crop in a Valentine’s blog post, and the Fifty Shades handcuffs were featured on the KUWTK program as well.

My favourite place
My house in Bournemouth! When you travel so much (probably about half my year is spent abroad) you really appreciate your home comforts and where you live. I am especially lucky to live on the South Coast of England where the beaches are so beautiful.

My favourite meal
I try to eat healthily most of the time, I do love grilled salmon and vegetables, usually from a Jamie Oliver recipe! Although I am partial to a bar of chocolate (and a few Tim Tams when I visit Australia)!

What I wanted to be when I was growing up
I had lots of different ideas but I did want to be a lawyer…maybe I liked all the arguing. And the Legally Blonde movie!

What would most people not know about me
I have been learning French in my spare time for the past two years to complement the languages already in the Lovehoney Trade team. Hopefully I’ll be able to converse fluently with my customers in France soon!
When I’m not working I’d rather be doing

Regardless of all the travelling with my job, I am still a real home girl at heart and I love having downtime with my family and friends, catching up over a cocktail or two.

If I could change one thing
There’d be no time-differences. Or jetlag! As I travel often, jetlag can really hit me. I’ve been doing this job for two years and I’ve learned that the worst thing to do is to give into sleep at the wrong time of day. I’m always on the lookout for jetlag remedies, so do feel free to get in touch with any top tips!

Being a busy woman working on little sleep and across different timezones, have you got any life hacks you’d like to share with us?
I use fake eyelashes in my morning make-up routine, because once you get good at using them it’s easier and quicker than applying mascara. I also have tattooed eyebrows.
www.lovehoneytrade.com

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