Background and Professional Journey

Education and Early Career Foundation

My path into digital marketing began somewhat unconventionally. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 with a degree in Communications and a minor in Statistics—a combination that seemed odd at the time but proved invaluable as marketing became increasingly data-driven. My senior thesis examined how social media algorithms influenced information spread, a topic that was fairly niche in 2010 but became central to digital marketing within just a few years.

My first role was at a mid-sized advertising agency in Chicago, where I started as a junior account coordinator making $38,000 annually. The agency handled traditional media buying for regional clients—television spots, radio ads, print campaigns. But even in 2011, clients were asking about Facebook and Twitter, and nobody at the agency really knew how to answer. I volunteered to figure it out, spending evenings and weekends teaching myself social media advertising, search engine optimization, and Google Analytics.

By 2013, I was managing the agency's entire digital department, which had grown to handle 40% of client budgets. I learned crucial lessons during those years about client communication, budget management, and the importance of tying marketing activities to business results. The agency environment taught me to work efficiently—when you're managing eight client accounts simultaneously, you develop systems and frameworks out of necessity.

In 2016, I made the jump to work client-side as Marketing Director for a healthcare technology company with about $12 million in annual revenue. This experience showed me marketing from the other perspective—the pressure of being responsible for the entire growth function, the challenge of limited budgets, the frustration when agencies didn't quite understand the business. I grew that company's revenue to $31 million over four years, primarily through strategic content marketing and a complete overhaul of their sales funnel.

Transition to Independent Consulting

I launched my independent consulting practice in January 2020, though the timing was entirely coincidental with global events that year. The pandemic actually accelerated digital transformation across industries, and businesses that had been hesitant about digital marketing suddenly recognized it as essential. My client roster grew quickly through referrals—former colleagues, satisfied clients, and professional connections who knew my work.

The decision to work independently rather than continue climbing the corporate ladder came down to impact and variety. As a Marketing Director, I could deeply influence one company. As a consultant, I could help dozens of businesses while maintaining the flexibility to choose projects that genuinely interested me. The financial model also made sense—I could earn more while clients paid less than they would for a full-time senior marketing executive.

Building a sustainable consulting practice required different skills than marketing itself. I had to learn business development, contract negotiation, financial management, and how to scale my time effectively. The first year, I worked with 12 clients and probably put in 60-hour weeks regularly. By year three, I had refined my processes enough to serve 40-50 clients annually while maintaining better work-life balance. The key was developing frameworks and templates that could be customized rather than creating everything from scratch each time.

I've invested significantly in continuing education throughout my career. I hold certifications from Google (Analytics and Ads), HubSpot (Inbound Marketing), and Facebook Blueprint. More importantly, I dedicate roughly 5 hours weekly to staying current—reading industry publications, testing new platform features, analyzing case studies, and participating in professional communities. The digital marketing field changes too rapidly for anyone to coast on knowledge from even two years ago. For more details on how I work with clients, visit the FAQ page, or explore my strategic approach on the main page.

Philosophy and Approach to Client Relationships

My approach centers on partnership rather than vendor relationships. I'm not interested in clients who want someone to simply execute their ideas without question, nor do I work well with businesses looking for the cheapest possible option. The clients I serve best value strategic thinking, are willing to invest appropriately in growth, and understand that meaningful results require time and consistent effort.

Transparency is non-negotiable in how I operate. If a strategy isn't working, I say so clearly and recommend changes rather than continuing ineffective work to preserve billable hours. If I'm not the right person for a particular need, I refer clients to specialists in my network rather than attempting work outside my expertise. This approach has occasionally cost me short-term revenue but has built long-term trust that leads to multi-year client relationships and consistent referrals.

I'm particularly drawn to working with businesses at inflection points—companies that have achieved initial success and are ready to scale, or established businesses that recognize their marketing has become stagnant. These situations allow for meaningful transformation rather than incremental optimization. According to research from McKinsey & Company published in 2023, companies that invest in strategic marketing during growth phases achieve 3.2x higher returns than those who wait until they're struggling.

Outside of client work, I contribute to the broader marketing community through speaking engagements at industry conferences, guest lectures at local universities, and occasional articles for marketing publications. I believe professionals have a responsibility to share knowledge and help elevate the entire field. The quality of marketing overall improves when practitioners are generous with insights rather than hoarding them as proprietary secrets.

On a personal level, I'm based in Denver, Colorado, where I moved in 2019 for the outdoor access and quality of life. When I'm not working, you'll find me hiking, skiing, or exploring the restaurant scene. I'm an avid reader, consuming 40-50 books annually across business, psychology, history, and fiction. I find that diverse inputs lead to more creative solutions—some of my best marketing strategies have been inspired by concepts from completely unrelated fields.