“Work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen.”
Conan O’ Brien
The most common question Sonika always gets, “Why would you leave Fiji?” It’s the thing most people need clarification on when learning about her life. Leaving what most would consider paradise to live stateside is baffling to others, but to Sonika, it’s just been a journey following her heart. After marrying her husband in 2016, she joined him in Los Angeles and became part of the CFI team in November 2018.
Bringing fifteen years of accounting experience, Sonika started in the accounting department, and it didn’t take long for her to feel right at home.
“From the start, it was a good experience with a lovely team and lots of support. I enjoyed coming here each day. This department offers a lot of flexibility, and my colleagues are a pleasure to work with. We come here every day, and it means a lot to enjoy the people you work with while maintaining a professional approach to work. Nobody wants to dread their job.”
In the smaller accounting office, the team works like a family who is dedicated to helping customers. Because many of the issues they face are solvable in a few minutes, it’s almost a positive feedback loop when someone ends an interaction happier than when it started.
“Management knows our strengths and gives us what we need to be successful. When we need help, they empower us. When we talk to customers, we can better relate to that because we treat them the way management treats us. It’s a culture of helping.”
At CFI, it’s essential that the atmosphere is positive and people enjoy their work. With so many different customers worldwide, having a team with patience and knowledge means everything. Sonika refers to shared opinions and thoughtful consideration:“As the saying goes ‘treat someone the same way you want to be treated.’ I use this philosophy as much as possible to help the customers and vendors I work with. I try to put myself in the customers shoes and use my knowledge and experience to help them with their issues, questions, and payments. “A happy customer is a repeat customer.” We can tell it makes a huge difference, especially when we get handwritten cards and notes or little gifts of thanks. That’s why CFI is so successful. We’re committed and dedicated because we’re happy.”
When she’s not busy helping customers, Sonika and her husband are parents to two South American Conures. While the female Conure adores Sonika’s husband, the male, Rocky, is especially bonded to Sonika as they share a love of dancing around to music. While she hasn’t been back to Fiji since 2019 due to the pandemic, she’s excited to finally go back and see her family. Make no mistake, though; she’ll be back, doing what she loves, energizing and creating positive feedback.
