"Marketing? Me?"

I started my business right at two years ago. There was never a thought in my mind that I would ever be an entrepreneur. See, I didn't go the normal route of graduating from high school, going to college with a dream of what I wanted to be, then starting a career in an office with the same lunch and a Diet Coke every day. My story is a little different. I actually graduated high school from a homeschool program, so I could graduate early and move to Brazil a month later. I lived there for 6 months and traveled around the country learning about people and the Bible. When I moved back, everything was different in me, but everyone back at home was the same — just had moved forward. I wasn't sure what to do, so I managed a coffee shop and started at a community college. After getting my eyebrow pierced and jumping into coffee culture, I decided I needed more money and went to work at an insurance company taking care of people who got into accidents. That was a wild time.

I was 19, working with a bunch of people in their late 30s in cubicles, then driving straight to community college for night classes and weekend classes day in and day out. This was such an incredible learning experience. After 2 years, I started putting neon palm tree lights in my cubicle, and I knew it was time for me to move on. I went to college full time and worked 3+ jobs to make it work. College I did, and I did it the most. My first big-girl job was teaching elementary school. No, I was not a babysitter growing up. There were adults in my life at an age where I was questioning what I should do that said "you are so patient, you are fun, you should be a teacher," so that's just what I did. It is important to pay attention to who is speaking into your life. I always wondered, "What if they would have told me to be a doctor or work in the music industry?" But they didn't. I graduated and taught in inclusion elementary classrooms for 9 years. There was just something that did not fit. I loved the teaching part, I loved data, but I knew this would not be where I settled in until retirement. After a lot of prayer and so many details in between (let's get coffee and talk about it), I was asked to come be a Kids Director at a megachurch. My job was to recruit, train, and care for 150 volunteers. I was in that role for 4 years, then was asked to go to our broadcast campus and be a Guest Experience Director. Similar play, different role. After reaching 250 active volunteers, I started to feel that nudge again. By then, I knew the nudge. God was about to make me move, but this time I knew He would have to push me. Sometimes a nudge is clear but still hurts. We can't be mad when we have been praying for clarity and God is clear. Again, there are so many details in between. I went to the Dominican Republic on a trip I led and came back different. I was open to being pushed because there was a trust I could not explain. 2 weeks after that trip, I was asked to be an artist manager for a country artist that was on the trip with me. We were working after I got off of work until 1AM on my back porch. 2 weeks after that, I put in my two weeks notice to start my own business. September 1, 2024, was day one. No clients. No leads. Just a website that I started 9 months prior with general information and a whole lot of faith. On that first Monday, I had a call with a business mentor and he said something I will never forget: "Everyone 'trusts God,' but it is so rare that people get this opportunity to truly trust God." From that moment on, I knew that if He takes care of the birds, He will take care of me (Matt 6:26). I started the business consulting businesses on teams and culture. That changed to helping entrepreneurs offload anything causing pressure. Then, after having a role with a marketing entrepreneur, I realized how creative I loved to be, the connections that I had built over time, and all of the skills honed into this one business. It has only been 2 years. No, I do not have all of the answers. I learn new things every day. One thing is true. "I am not there yet, but past the start." It is such an honor to be a Fractional CMO for a range of businesses and industries that want to grow and impact the spaces they are in. It is a joy to create beautiful work our team can be proud of. It has been a journey, but we are just getting started.