Having started as an intern at JustPark in the summer of 2023, Jenny Cooper has built her way up as a key member of the Commercial team - now working full-time as the latest Business Development Executive hire.
On the professional side, she spends her time bringing on new clients while supporting the wider team in their day-to-day initiatives. In her personal life, she has ambitious goals to make unique creations, travel and stay athletic.
Get to know Jenny while following her career journey below and learn more about her goals in life and work:
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m Jenny — the Business Development Executive here at JustPark! I grew up in Worcestershire (home of the sauce, pears, and plates), but I went to the University of Birmingham where I did both a BA in philosophy and a MSc in Global Ethics and Justice.
I’ve always been really keen on playing as much sport as possible, whilst I was at school I played a lot of field hockey, which then somehow turned into ice hockey whilst I was uni. I played for the Birmingham Lions for all four years of my time at Bham and was the president of the club (I don’t know who agreed to give me that level of responsibility).
Nowadays I love going to the gym as much as possible, and I love cooking.
During COVID I also taught myself how to sew and crochet, and so I spend a lot of my evenings watching films with my housemates whilst making clothes for myself.
What does a day in the life of a Business Development Executive look like? Walk us through your 9-5.
My typical WFH day in the life:
- Wake up around 8 AM (As much as I wish I was up at 7 AM and making the most of my day, it’s just not my brand as I am so not a morning person).
- After I wake up I usually make a coffee, spend an embarrassing amount of time on TikTok (probs 30 mins) and then read as much of whatever book I’m currently reading - at the moment it’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
- At 9 AM, I then clock on, the first thing I look for is the ‘Joke of the Day’ Slack channel by Benjamin. After that, I dive into answering emails I’ve received from prospects over the evening.
- After I’ve answered any emails which have come in, it’s usually around 10-ish and so I make another coffee. At this point I then look on HubSpot to check up on which tasks I need to complete to keep the pipeline moving forward. I schedule tasks for myself on HubSpot as a way to make sure that I am keeping contact with everyone I want to reach and so I don’t forget anything.
Once this is done (around 11:30), I then start on some cold calling. This is usually the scariest part of my day - but also the most rewarding when I have a good chat - so I often promise myself a coffee and a small sweet treat for when it’s done as a way to incentivise myself to do it (lol).
- Then lunchtime hits, and I always go to the gym during my lunch break on a wfh day as I find it really helps me concentrate if I’ve been able to get out of the house and away from a screen. So I will immediately head there for either a cardio class or a weights session.
- Once I get back I then eat whilst I check over any emails/ missed calls which may have come in over lunch.
- For the rest of the afternoon, I usually sit in on any meetings which are in my calendar, or I start completing any admin tasks which need to be done. This can range from researching potential sites and prospects, through to helping pick up any tasks from the sales team.
- Once work is done, I usually either hang out with my housemates watching a film, spend time cooking a really nice meal, or go head straight to the pub to see some other school/uni friends.
What would you say your biggest accomplishment was this year, both personally and professionally?
Personally:
- Moving to London and being able to keep my head above water whilst I established myself in a new city.
- Literally even getting a housing contract lol - London is crazy.
Professionally:
- I think getting the Rising Star Award at the JustPark Christmas party as I really was not expecting it as I still felt pretty new and under the radar.
- I also think actually managing to secure a full time position off the back of my internship with JustPark felt pretty major.
How did you choose your current field of work?
My dad and step-mum really helped me to find which field of work I wanted to enter.
My step-mum used to be a HR Director, and so whilst I was at university we had a lot of conversations around what my personal likes and dislikes are about work and what types of employment would align with my values and personality. It was from these conversations around my desire to spend my time with people and researching that we thought sales would be a good fit.
I spoke to one of my dads colleagues who was a Commercial Director and I realised that sales seemed like something I would enjoy doing as well as something I thought I could be quite good at.
So after uni I started working as a Business Development Executive at EntourageBD. This job taught me the fundamentals of sales and cold calling, and it was from there that I wanted to push myself into more end-to-end sales and this led me to JustPark.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work I love going to the gym, cooking, reading new fiction, crocheting (I ran a crochet session in the JustPark office - which I think went down well), sewing, and hanging out with friends.
What (or who) inspires you?
I think I find inspiration from a range of places, and so I’m not really able to say one person/ book that I find inspiring.
That being said, here are a few to start with:
- The Psychology of Your 20s Podcast
- Stella McCartney
- Sohee Park
- Mary Woolstonecraft
- Iris Murdoch
- Dolly Parton
- And basically anyone I can see who has succeeded in what they put their mind to and worked hard to get it.
What goals do you have for 2024?
Personally:
- Spend time travelling around the world
- Make a new piece of clothing each month (at the moment I’m working on a jacket for my partner)
Professionally:
- Keep developing and learning new things from those above me in the company.
- Have more confidence to close more deals and explore more of the industry.
How do you define a successful day?
If I manage to get to the bottom of my to-do list and get everything done to a good quality.
Also if I win a new client that’s always a bonus!
Interested in joining the JustPark team? Explore open roles and learn more about our company culture on our Careers page
