Employee in the picture: how storyteller Magali gets the word out

This month we’re pulling back the curtain to spotlight the lady behind our blogs and posts, Magali De Reu. Magali is the copywriter and storyteller who makes sure we have snappy insightful content to share on various platforms every month. Here’s what she has to say about collaborating with Qcify:

Shared values

Magali first got to know our CEO Raf in the summer of 2019. They connected on LinkedIn and Raf admired the way Magali openly and honestly aired her grievances in a post about clients who didn’t pay on time. “I’m a good judge of people, and my intuition told me right away that Raf is an entrepreneur with a big heart,” says Magali. “He liked the way I communicated my opinions so expressively, and that I clearly stand for something. That also happens to be what strikes me about Raf: what you see is what you get.”

That sincerity helps ensure an easy collaboration between the two: through direct, but good-natured communication they really get things done together. Magali uses her extensive copywriting expertise in the tech sector to develop the content we put out on our website and social media every month: coming up with ideas, drafting the content, overseeing native English editors and shaping our communications strategy. The values Raf and Magali share are reflected in the work Magali delivers. “To start out with I was responsible for the website texts, which was also a kind of test to see if I had a good feel for the business,” says Magali. “Today I still work intensively with Qcify, so mission accomplished!”

Working independently

At the beginning of each month, Magali and Raf go over the content planning together, and she shares her ideas and strategies for what to communicate on as well as the best formats and channels to use. “Not only can we quickly get on the same wavelength, Raf also grants me a lot of freedom,” Magali vouches. “It’s really refreshing to see how open Raf is to new ideas, and to new ways of communicating. The “Employee in the Picture” column is actually one of my ideas. I didn’t have to wait too long for approval: I proposed it to Raf and he just said ‘go ahead’!”

Magali is convinced that Qcify has so many loyal and happy employees and customers for just that reason. “Raf is absolutely not a micromanager and puts a lot of trust in his team, and he gets a lot back for it,” she explains. “Not only does everyone who works for him get the feeling that they can make an impact in their own way, that enthusiasm also extends to the contact customer-facing team members have with customers.” Magali even posits that a lot of other startup founders could learn something from Raf’s way of working. “A lot of founders still think that strict monitoring and hierarchy help them retain their talent better, but actually the opposite is true,” she says.

The American dream

Since Raf lives in California and Magali in Belgium, their contact is completely digital. Under normal circumstances the two would have met each other in person for the first time this year in San Francisco. “But COVID-19 threw a wrench into things,” sighs Magali. “Right now Qcify is my only American client, and you really feel they’re situated in the American business landscape. That direct way of communicating, and the desire to make progress quickly is something I really appreciate. If more US clients come my way in the future, it will be thanks to Raf – and I hope they will be great companies like Qcify!”

In any case, Magali is looking forward to devoting herself to Qcify and continuing to help us communicate in the future. “If Qcify keeps growing at this rate, I think there will be plenty of opportunities for someone with my expertise. At least I hope so!” Magali laughs.