I believe that innovation and entrepreneurship are the keys to thriving economies and everything I am and do in my life aligns with this core belief.
At the same time, I could never have foretold my entrepreneurial rise within an industry that has been dominated by men since the ascent of “Mad Men” and the inception of the Internet.
In 1997, it was an Insight and a Vision.
In 1999, it was a Dream.
In 2004, it was the start of a Company
In 2006, it started to look Real.
In 2011, you could see its Emergence.
In 2014, it was the start of a New Reality.
And today, the Technology is now catching up with the Vision. You see, I get to help small businesses and other companies grow by making it easy for people to buy and consume their products, services, and information online through my marketing automation firm, Integrated Marketing Werx. This involves integrating proven strategies and relevant communications with a variety of digital technologies: from websites and social media, to marketing and sales platforms and customer relationship management databases, as well as text and mobile apps, chat bots, webinar platforms, scheduling software, and more. This is not where I started out. In fact, my goal out of college was to become a Clinical Psychologist.
Yet, during my thesis work in grad school, I quickly realized that, being a person who likes to eat, I could change bed pans for a living and make more money than I would in my chosen profession.
Fortunately, this was the first project I “killed” and since I had fallen in love with statistical analysis and PCs at the time, this helped me find my love for database marketing when I chanced upon the career as a temp for a financial institution. Early in my career, as a “geek” with social skills, I soon became a “rising star” in several companies including a Fortune 100 financial institution, as I developed critical thinking, leadership, and collaborative skills that got things done. Yet, during those years and far after I started my company, there had been a false barrier in corporate environments that suggests one is either strong in technology, marketing, or leadership — not all three.
Fortunately, my willingness to make things happen and my M.B.A. in Executive Decision Making provided me with business and financial acumen to communicate with executives and business owners and bridge the business-speak |tech-speak divide.
That said, I must say, it is fun to help people make money while they sleep — getting more out of their online marketing technologies and streamlining their processes.
Over the years, I have become a trailblazer (aka “Instigator”) in the marketing automation industry; I am captivated by the world of behavioral economics, incentive systems, and decision making as well as buying processes. Creating hightouch communication processes using high-tech solutions that help companies grow is my gift to the world.
Yet, in a word, it took a lot of resilience to make this happen in addition to know-how and a lot of calculated risks; especially as so many marketing and advertising firms dealt with closing their businesses or being acquired during the recent recession.
In return for that resilience, my willingness to be more for the people I serve has given me several blessings along the way, including:
- In 2016, I became a best-selling author with my book “Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money-Pit into a Money-Making MACHINE!” which is available on Amazon, Kindle, and my website. It’s a “why-to” book that cuts through all of the marketing jargon to simply sharing with businesses and entrepreneurs what makes marketing automation work from a business perspective.
- Receiving the honor of being a finalist in the Innovator category recognized by the San Antonio chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners at their 2014 and 2015 Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards.
- Serving on the San Antonio Food Bank’s Communications Advisory Committee.
- Recently speaking as part of a panel of other fabulous women entrepreneurs who align their technical, marketing, and leadership prowess for their own companies at the Keap 2019 Partner Conference. This presentation to a standing room only audience detailed the alpha testing we had completed in anticipation of a new software rollout that allows partners to bundle their services with a free trial of the technology.
Founder, Expert, Author, and Speaker — I have found out that I am wired to have several additional entrepreneurial outlets which currently include AdoreBodyCare.com and another new venture aligning with the other two coming soon.
A servant leader, I have been involved in leadership roles within various organizations. Yet, I also love giving back to my community through Kingdom For Kids playground builds and judging FIRST Robotics Competitions in support of the teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership skills these young women and men are developing alongside STEAM skill sets.
Making the complex simple and driving solutions is what I do every day. At the same time, I am inquisitive and enjoy “instigating” thought leadership in a welcoming, collaborative, and mutually beneficial way. It is my “secret sauce” and I am fortunate to be living in such wondrous times surrounded by amazing colleagues, friends, and family.