Julie Peter joined our company as the third employee in January 2023. Today, she works in the background to ensure that workflows are clean, figures are reliable and processes are constantly improving. In this interview, she talks about her start, her responsibilities and her personal development.
Julie, you joined the company in January 2023 as the third employee – how did you experience your early days and what surprised you in particular?
A lot of things were unfamiliar to me at first, as I had previously worked in a completely different industry. So everything was new at first. I was particularly surprised by the constant need to adapt to new situations. In a small company, requirements change very quickly – and that is precisely what demanded a high degree of flexibility from the outset.
When you check work documents or results from different areas – what do you pay particular attention to in order to ensure quality and accuracy?
It is crucial for me to stay calm and focused, especially when I have a high workload and several parallel tasks. I take great care to maintain the necessary overview despite time pressure and to work with the same precision as in quieter phases.
You are often the last point of control before results are passed on – what does this responsibility mean to you?
I work in a very structured way and systematically go through documents and bookings point by point. For me, this role involves a lot of responsibility, because it’s about ensuring the quality of the work. It is important to me to maintain the trust of the company and my colleagues in the reliability of the data.
You also speak openly when something is wrong – how important is this role as internal quality control to you?
Very important. My aim is to make work as easy as possible for my colleagues so that we can work together even more efficiently overall. In the end, open information helps everyone – and avoids problems later on.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your day-to-day work?
A major challenge is the timely processing of all transactions and the simultaneous reconciliation of various accounts. Even small deviations must be recognized and corrected quickly so that everything remains consistent. In addition, changes to processes or business models – such as new services or regulations – require a high degree of attention and adaptability. Keeping an eye on many things at the same time is challenging.
How has your area of responsibility developed since you started in January 2023?
I originally started out with the aim of making cold calls and acquiring new customers. My focus is now entirely on accounting. This change has given me the opportunity to reposition myself professionally and take on responsibility in a completely different field.
What is your experience of working with colleagues from the projects?
For the most part, I experience the collaboration as constructive, but also challenging. It is particularly important that everyone is open to questions and understands how necessary a careful and precise examination is.
What qualities do you think are particularly important to work reliably in your area of responsibility?
You have to be able to do many things at the same time and remain calm. Self-discipline, perseverance and good communication skills are just as important as flexibility, problem-solving skills, organizational strength and a high degree of diligence and accuracy.
What motivates you personally in your work – even in particularly intensive phases?
Above all, I am motivated by the constant development of my own skills. New tools, new regulations and new requirements ensure that things never stand still. I am also attracted by the complexity of the content of my tasks – it is precisely these challenges that motivate me.
Why is your work so important to the company – how would you explain your role to new colleagues?
I ensure that all invoices and payments are booked correctly. Without proper accounting, we would not have a reliable overview of our finances – and that would be problematic for the company. At the same time, I am constantly trying to improve processes and make them more efficient. This saves time, reduces errors and takes the pressure off the entire team. Even though I work independently a lot, close cooperation with all my colleagues is crucial – it’s the only way to ensure that all the information reaches me in full and can be processed properly.
