It makes my pulse race and I get a surge of adrenaline when I’m doing it well. It has held my passion for over 15 years with no signs of losing interest. And I keep learning new things so I’m never bored! I’m passionate about what I do and I hope it’s a long and happy relationship! It’s been a roller coaster getting here and I think the journey is part of the fun. My personal journey lead me all over the map…
When I started out, I landed an internship role at a corporate foundation. I was still completing my degree at the time and I had two jobs that helped pay for school and rent, and put food on the table. I didn’t get to do anything too strategic, it was mostly learning what ‘marketing’ really was and picking up administrative abilities. My biggest role was planning their annual fundraiser where we would secure $250,000.00 every year. It was complex and allowed me to communicate to senior executives across the company – very exciting for my first corporate job! It exposed me to Enterprise level corporations and the hierarchies.
After I graduated, I tried my hands at a few things in sales but found my footing when I accepted the role of Marketing Assistant at another corporate charity. I loved my team, admired my boss (VP of Sales), and really got to stretch my wings and see what I could do. It was a great job at a great company and gave me an excellent foundation of skills on which to build. The company was small but the job was big and the role grew with my desire to take on more.
Years later my marketing interests took me into the ‘start-up’ and small business sector and I learned quickly about business growth, budgets, and ROI. I worked more with technology, learned growth hacking, managed bigger clients, and managed programs. I began taking additional courses and worked hard to develop competitive skills. I became adept at building awareness, website optimization, and planning and implementing campaigns. There was a lot of growth happening in these years and I rode the wave to see where it would take me.
Turns out it brought me to starting my own company – WindWater Marketing! This long-term relationship has helped me try a lot of different avenues in my field. And by gaining such wide exposure, I have a wonderful understanding of how these pieces fit together! I also know which pieces I love doing more, what is necessary for success and what isn’t. I have a strong understanding of traditional tactics and an insatiable passion for modern ones. It’s a balance that my client’s appreciate and trust. And I still continuously take courses to master new tech and develop more skills. When you’re interested in what you’re learning and can apply it straight away it doesn’t feel like a task at all!
I know that not everyone’s path to job satisfaction is the same. I often hear of people turning their hobbies into careers – that’s amazing! And there are so many young entrepreneurs who have hit success head on and straight out of school – incredible! My love and curiosity of marketing has kept me excited to continue developing in the field. And that doesn’t mean it’s been a cake walk. I’ve had my fair share of micro-managers, poor work conditions, ridiculous requests, and more. But my passion (and confidence in my abilities) allows me to see past my current state to where I want to be. Loving what I do is an important part of my happiness, what about you?
