Jody Kolbee

Experience

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  Strawberry International (Spa Division)

  Oct 2008 - Oct 2010

  Buyer

  As buyer at Strawberry International, I had the task of monitoring daily sales and revenue, managing purchase accounts, sourcing new suppliers and products and doing thorough product research. With Strawberry International being in the Beauty and Wellness Distribution trade I had to up-skill myself with product knowledge, treatment knowledge and know what is happening at all times in the beauty industry in order to estimate sales revenues as well as judge purchase trends and monitor the stock exchange aggressively as I was in charge of international suppliers and purchases as well. Having been an assistant to the Manager of the purchase process for Spa and Wellness goods for the launch of the One & Only Hotel in Cape Town, I was in charge of monitoring all international shipments and product sourcing. This included coordinating Purchase Orders and shipments to the client, making regular visits to the hotel to liaise with the design team there, as well as the spa MD and Buyers at the time, and confirming every element of the spa. Show less

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  WritersHand Studios

  Mar 2009 - now

  Director | Designer

  I started WritersHand Studios in 2009 after having tapped into my other areas of expertise which was graphic design, business solutions, web development and branding; and after too many people consulted with me and requested that I formalise a way to do business with them, I had no other choice but to develop a brand of my own. WritersHand Studios is dedicated to most areas of design, both for graphic work and web-based artwork. Having had many clients and projects for front cover design and presentation design, WritersHand Studios is able to offer presentation design and solutions, as well as business development and marketing solutions, as well as advertising consultancy and corporate branding.WritersHand Studios is also equipped with sound knowledge and experience in website design and development for Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, as well as social media plugins, including working on web template designs, structure and layout, such as CSS and HTML Design, plus reference data information and SEO management and data auditing. Show less

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  Blush by JKolbee

  Jul 2010 - Dec 2017

  Director

  Blush Design is a unique make-up artistry that caters to the greener client. We are an enterprise that believe in taking care of the skin in a natural and organic way without the risks of toxic parabens, dyes, talc and lead.Blush Design caters to skincare cosmetic application, stage make-up, film make-up, as well as special effects and fashion make-up. Along with it's long history of conferences and skincare workshops, Blush Design has been part of the Standard Bank Wellness Day initiatives, and supports many charity events and organisations, and cancer awareness campaigns. Show less

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  Loot.co.za (Africa Online Retail (Pty) Ltd)

  Nov 2011 - Apr 2018

  Managing 5 categories at one of the top eCommerce players in SA is one of the biggest challenges I've faced in my career so far. And having built, grown and established a number of them has been no easy task, but has certainly shown an incredible amount of growth from having a good team, strategy and determination to succed. Some of the daily duties entailed are:- Managing Stock- Sourcing & Listing New Products- Merchandise Planning & Management- Updating Website & Shop-fronts- Setting up Marketing Campaigns (Usually limited to merchandise offers in print or digital)- Layout Planning for Print Marketing Campaigns- Negotiating and Meeting with Suppliers- Product, Range and Sales Forecasting- Reports and New Business Development Strategies- Training New Team Members- Workflow Management of current Departments- Managing thousands of products across hundreds of brands and over 100 suppliers, globally.With my wealth of knowledge in all the above-mentioned tasks over a period of 5 years, I can honestly say that the skill set gained has been invaluable. eCommerce is extremely fast-paced and aggressive, and over 5 years, it's been a few interesting bouts staying on your toes of things in the ring. Show less

  • Senior Category Manager ( Kitchen, Home, Outdoor and Pets)

    Feb 2013 - Apr 2018

  • Customer Service Liaison

    Nov 2011 - Feb 2013
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  Zappify (Pty) Ltd

  Feb 2015 - Jan 2016

  Web Administrator & App Developer

  Zappify is a Mobile Business Apps development company, established to provide apps at an affordable rate, making it accessible to more businesses and entrepreneurs. As the Web Developer and Graphic Designer, my job is to ensure that all online transactions and the entire web experience is positive and running smoothly. I also take care of the organisation's graphic design and branding needs, most of which are based on flat design. All of the organisation's artwork are original, as we firmly believe in originality and authenticity. And this ensures everything is tailor-made for us. These graphic needs are also made available to our client-base as is required (at a nominal fee). Show less

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  Hyperli

  May 2018 - Jan 2019

  Senior Buyer

  As Senior Buyer and Product Planner & Developer at Hyperli for their Shopping Division it was my role to source, develop, merchandise and promote products that appeal to a very broad customer base (+/- 1.3 million customers out of an even larger subscription base). Whilst the business structure was a little unorthodox due to it's many verticals and facets, it always presented a new, innovative and welcome challenge.Duties Entailed:Sales ReportingPNL ReportsRange PlanningProduct Sourcing & DevelopmentLiaising & Negotiating with Suppliers & Logistics OperatorsManaging Merchandise & LayoutsWeb Coding & DevelopmentTactical Marketing CampaignsData Capturing & AuditingReverse Logistics ManagementAdhoc Graphic Design & Product Shoots Show less