Natasha Mullins, Marketing Consultant at 365 Data Science 
Natasha Mullins is a Marketing Executive with 15 years of experience in driving company growth through strategic planning and execution of marketing campaigns and programs. She has led large projects and teams at Fidelity Investments, Telerik, and Chaos Group to expand the sales and marketing funnel and post record growth. Currently, Natasha works with the 365 Data Science Team as a Marketing Consultant.
Natasha, glad to have you here as our meet-the-team interview guest. We’ve already seen how your marketing superpowers work in practice. But why did you decide to specialize in digital marketing in the first place?
Well, as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in human psychology, individual and organizational behavior and business. It turns out that I also like to build things – namely products, brands and companies that I believe in. Digital Marketing is a space where all these things can come together. There is a creative and human psychology aspect in terms of how you communicate the benefits and differentiators of your company and product; in words and visually. And there is also a business building component... Figuring out how to get your product to market and share it with people at a viable cost and then to scale that into a business. What I like particularly about digital marketing is that it’s so measurable; you have the ability to make data-driven decisions and to test and validate your hypotheses.
Speaking of digital marketing, what is the difference between a digital marketing analyst and a marketing executive?
A Digital Marketing Analyst is typically more hands-on and would be directly involved in Marketing execution which could be anything from managing campaigns and setting up tools to running tests and conducting analyses. A Marketing Executive would typically be responsible for formulating and leading the marketing strategy and plan. To do so, he or she must have a high-level view of the business, industry and competitive landscape. A Marketing Executive would be responsible for results and should be skilled at extracting the best work out of the team.
Sounds quite exciting! Natasha, as a Marketing Executive, which aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?
I love every aspect of my job. But if I have to distill it down to 3 main reasons, they would be the following:
First, the people.
We have an amazing team at 365 Data Science. I’m continually impressed by the knowledge and achievements of the people I work with. In addition to being super smart, these are highly disciplined and dedicated people. Plus, they are also great fun and are interested in a wide range of topics. It’s easy to find yourself having an amazing conversation or to discover a mutually shared interest.
Second – the product.
Online education is such a relevant field now and I believe it is the future of education in many ways. I’ve always had an interest in global citizenship and ways in which people can elevate themselves. Especially outside the circumstances they grew up in. It is remarkable that for such an affordable sum, anyone can get trained with the Data Science Online Program and from there have an excellent chance at securing a well-paying job. This is a game-changer for so many people all over the world; something I’m proud to be a part of.
And, third – the business.
The online education business is expanding, and our market share is growing. Since I joined the company, the Marketing team has launched lots of new initiatives: including numerous new courses; new videos; and several new learning resources such as the Guide to Starting a Career in Data Science and Interview Questions Guide. We’ve improved our website and the customer journey so it’s easier for aspiring data scientists to learn more about the field, study data science and embark on a career. No matter where people are in their journey, we have so many resources including videos, tutorials, blog posts and a free preview of the course to support them. For me, it’s rewarding seeing how people embrace the program, achieve their goals and share their success stories.
Natasha, you have a lot of experience working for various companies. What is the difference between working for a large and more established company and working for a startup?
Do we still qualify as a startup, with over 450,000 students? I’m kidding! I think we manage to retain the spirit of a startup in that we are self-motivated, innovative and entrepreneurial even though our user base is quite large now! The company is a nice size. It's big enough to have the resources to make an impact but still small enough to be quick and agile. The focus here is on getting the work done – communicating our data science training program, enhancing our offering and helping our students thrive. There is a purity and generosity in that undertaking that feels somewhat different than the atmosphere and motivations at bigger companies.
Apart from scoring marketing wins, you are also a mom of three with a super busy schedule. How do you manage to find work-life balance?
My three children are quite adaptive and accustomed to our busy schedules and full lives, including living and working in different locations. By now, I believe they know that my work is important to me. But, of course, that means lots of juggling and support to make it work. Importantly, we regularly take time to unplug and spend time alone together as a family. Parking our camper in a beautiful spot in nature and inventing silly games to play as a family is our favorite place to be.
