Meet Maja Gjorgievska, Our Head Of Accounting

You’ve been part of Native Teams for almost 2 years. You started as an Accountant, then Senior Accountant and 2 months ago, you were promoted to Head of Accounting. Congratulations! Can you please tell us more about your journey at Native Teams?

Wait, I need to pinch myself to remind myself that this is true 🙂. Yes, I started working back in June 2022, when Native Teams Finance team was forming, so I’ve been part of the team from the very beginning, having the ability to participate in building the accounting department from scratch. As the company was growing, we were growing in parallel, as individuals but as a team as well and we got to this point. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies, but it’s been a remarkable experience so far and, as cheesy as it sounds, it is a life-changing experience that I’m so passionate about and so grateful for.

What does your typical working day look like?

Now that I think of it, I don’t have a pattern or routine or a classic typical day. Usually, I have meetings in the morning, and I’m trying to have a clear priority list before beginning with work so I can know where to focus more. I’m a person who loves being organised and well prepared but working in a start-up sometimes means having the priority list changed so many times during the day, so every day there is something new, atypical that needs to be resolved. It’s not typical, but it’s always fun, and I love it.

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Maja Gjorgievska, our amazing Head of Accounting! In this interview, Maja shares her journey at Native Teams, her passion for accounting, and her tips for balancing work and family life.

Read the whole interview below!

Hi Maja, we’re so happy to finally catch up with you! How are you today?

Hi there! I’m excited to finally catch up with you too, and thank you for asking, I’m doing great. Winter is finally over and for me, an eternal lover of warm, sunny weather, it’s an energy booster. So you picked the right time to chat, I’ll be positive and not moody or boring. 🙂

Who is Maja? What can you tell us about yourself?

I always liked to call myself a nerd, because it’s true. I’ve been living in Bitola, Macedonia for my whole life and I was always into books and studying. I’m a person who loves to talk a lot (and trust me, I talk and I laugh really loud), I was a dancer in Macedonian traditional dances for more than 15 years, so I travelled a lot (and loved every minute of it) and I enjoy spending time with my family (and when I say family I mean the given and the chosen one). But hey, this is not a Miss Universe speech, I’m also a person who cries a lot and overthinks a lot, so don’t be surprised by my grey hair, it’s all from worrying for the wrong reasons.

What accomplishment are you most proud of within the accounting department?

Having the perfect synergy within the team. I’d be lying if I said I did something only by myself. We did amazing things together and I’m so proud to say that I’m part of a team that you can always count on. I always say that we are more than just a classic bookkeeping team and each and every one of them has a part in every process that we created, every improvement that we placed and every goal we achieved. So having a group of extraordinary people, who share the same values and working together with them every day is something I’m beyond proud and extremely grateful for.

Before Native Teams, you worked in the bank industry for 8 years. What made you decide to change careers?

The feeling that I can do more. The corporate world often comes with established processes and structures that one must follow blindly without a space to be creative and innovative and I reached a point where I didn’t feel challenged enough and stuck in a routine. One day, one of my favourite people sent me the ad for an accounting position at Native Teams and there I was, at the beginning of my thirties, on a crossroad. As I said, I’m an overthinker so making the decision was not an easy step for me, but from this point, I’m happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and made the right move. 

What tips can you share for staying productive and managing a remote team?

One of my secrets (whoops, not a secret anymore) is that I’m adding my deadline one day before the actual deadline for some tasks – that way I can push myself to finish the task but feel comfortable enough when I know there is one day left. Also, I always try to make a list of priorities and things I need to do – I think all of us feel some satisfaction after we mark some tasks as done, so I remind myself of that feeling whenever I struggle to finish something.

When managing a remote team, it’s important to get to know your colleagues, even if it’s only through video calls. I want to learn about their passions, hobbies, problems, and lifestyles so that I can build a strong relationship with them. I always start our calls with questions about their day or sharing some personal fun situation that happened. When you know the person you are working with privately and professionally, it’s easier to know what approach to take when organising the job.

You’re also a mom, and juggling work and family can be tough! Does working remotely give you more flexibility to find balance compared to an office job?

Yes, I’m a mom of a 4 year old boy and being able to work from home with a kid at that age is something that is on every parent’s wishlist. Having the flexibility helps me to find the right balance between work and family, and I can adapt my work to fit my kids’ needs. I don’t have the pressure of missing any doctor’s appointment or kindergarten show; I know at the end of the day, I’ll finish my job. But one thing I need to warn you about if you are working from home with a kid: in every meeting, they always steal the show and your coworkers will be best friends with them instead of you.

What would you recommend to anyone wanting to get into accounting?

Understand the basics. If you manage to succeed at that, nothing is too hard or complicated and you will fall in love with this profession. Numbers are always fun.

Where can we find you when you’re not working? What do you love to do the most?

Probably in a sweetshop or in a supermarket next to the shelves with chocolates and ice-creams 🙂 I’m a huge fan and sugar addict, so don’t be surprised if you see me having chocolate for breakfast. Ok, if I’m being totally honest, in the last couple of years, you’ll probably find me at a park, yelling to my son a hundred times: No! Don’t go there! Watch out! Come here! 🙂 I’m always trying to spend as much time as possible with my family outside so it doesn’t have to be a fancy trip or far destination, but the three of us are always planning to do something together in nature.

What’s the one app you couldn’t live without and why?

Viber. Many of my friends live abroad, so we communicate constantly via Viber. Hopefully, they won’t start charging per chat since I’ll be broke in a day.

What’s your go-to song to get hyped?

In the past couple of months, I’ve been addicted to Imagine Dragons songs, so whenever I hear “Believer” I turn into a music diva 🙂

And lastly, if you could give one life advice to your younger self, what would you say?

Don’t settle for less than what you dream of. You will make it and you deserve it.