Meet Zuzana Lálová, Bamboolik's Strategy and Project Manager

This time, we chatted with our second most important Zuzana in Bamboolik, apart from Bamboolik's founder. Zuzana II., if you will :)

Hi, Zuzana! So, what brought you to Bamboolik and how long have you been working here?

I’m one of the oldest (figuratively speaking :-)) staff members. I think I might be the second „oldest“ right after another Zuzana, our founder Zuzana Hloušková. I started with Bamboolik when my daughter was about 6 months, which would be spring 2013. I became a cloth diaper consultant first but very soon (some 6 months later) I started doing other work apart from consulting because Bamboolik needed help with invoicing and customer care (Sales Department in evolution :-)). After that, more work came my way which I could do (and wanted to do!). I work full time now but mostly from home (I live pretty far from the company’s premises – approx. 100 km). 

The whole Lála family in Hight Tatras, Slovakia

What do you do in Bamboolik? 

I’ve been through many positions, especially in the Sales Team. Right now (and I hope it will stay like that for a while!) my job title is Strategy and Project Manager. I’m also one of the five people that are considered Bamboolik’s highest management. 

It’s the strategic part of my job that I enjoy the most – deciding where to go next, which direction would be the best for us. And I also like to oversee that we are actually moving in the right direction. You know how it is – big projects sometimes tend to be put aside because of all the little things that have to be done on a daily basis. We need somebody who asks questions and pushes the projects forward. „My“ last project was our mobile app – Smart Diapers. That was certainly a challenge - very different project from everything we’ve done before.

The most important reason you’re still here?

Bamboolik is my life! Sounds pathetic, but I really feel that way. I like that my job has a purpose; not all jobs have that or it’s not that apparent. And I really love our team! It’s a bunch of people who share very similar values and principles and I like spending time with them. Even if it’s just virtual.  My entire family is freshly out of quarantine now, so we hadn’t had much social contact lately.

Šimon and Apolena, Zuzana's children

How many children do you have? And would you say it’s demanding to work and be a mum at the same time?

I have two kids, Šimon, who is 10 and Apolena, who is 8. 

Regarding the balance between family and work – when there’s two of you to take care of the children, it’s not that difficult. My husband does half of the job. And my children are pretty big now, they’re not pre-schoolers any more, things get easier with older children. 

However, truth be told, when I started in Bamboolik, I had the most wonderful baby at home, my daughter was a total darling! My older son would never let me work at 6 months of age, that would have been absolutely impossible. Luckily, he’s outgrown that phase and is a darling, too, now :-)

Most favourite Bamboolik product?

With our children, we don’t use diapers any more of course. When we used to, my favourite product were definitely our Training Pants. I used them with little Apolena all the time because we successfully practised Elimination Communication. 

Currently, the product I use the most are our Washable Organic Cotton Cleansing Pads, I use them on a daily basis. I also use our Menstrual Pads. On a monthly basis though :D

Thematically, a photo from a business trip to Paris (summer 2019), From the left Zuzana Lálová, Monika Fiantová and Zuzana Hloušková. The story with the suitcase is not documented on film :-)

Some recent funny episode from work?

I always start to laugh when I remember my boss, Zuzana, on our way to Paris a few years ago (it was for a work trip). Zuzana came with a cabin luggage that belonged to her husband (who used to fly all over the world for work) and she claimed that this piece of luggage „passes every security check and has the right measurements for all types of planes“. Well, David apparently didn’t fly with lowcost airlines :D At security check, they asked her to put her suitcase in one of the metal frames that are there to check the right measurements of cabin luggage, which she confidently did. But at that point the suitcase got stuck and she couldn’t get it out, not-so-confidently all of a sudden :D For a while it looked like we wouldn’t board the plane or would have to board with the metal frame :D Luckily, after a lot of pulling and tugging, Zuzana managed to free her luggage, her face completely matching her red hair. I will never forget this sight :D