Motivation

Why Marketing & Advertising?

I have always been super creative, with strong skills in innovation, design, and communication. Working office jobs, I always knew I was not working to my full creative potential. Even though I was very good at what I did, I always knew these jobs were not quite the right fit for me.

The day I realized I needed to change my career focus, I wrote a list of all the jobs I’ve ever had, then listed what I loved the most about each one to see if there was a common thread between them. There was not just a common thread, but a huge pipeline of marketing activities that connected each of my past positions. At that point I realized that this was exactly what I needed to do. Time to pivot.

As a natural planner and goal-setter, I sat down in 2014 and wrote out a 5-year plan. There were several ambitious goals on my list. “Start Finishing My Degree” was the biggest, most challenging item I planned to accomplish. Within 2 years I was enrolled at Portland State. In fact, I completed 9/10 items on that 5-year plan.

(Item #10, is “Take Banjo Lessons,” which has been moved to my current 5-year plan.)

My dream job with this shiny new degree is to help small businesses achieve success, and to coach these businesses on how to strategically compete in today’s business environment.

My inspiration to do this comes from the demise of dozens of locally owned businesses in my tiny hometown after a giant big-box retailer set up shop nearby. My hometown’s story is not unique with regards to big-box retailers vs Main Street. On top of competition with larger corporations, the incredible speed of online commerce has become another threat to small businesses.

Because of these factors, I feel an urgency to roll up my sleeves and get to work, helping business succeed in spite of today’s challenges.

Go deep. Read more about my background.