Marni Shymkus Email & Phone Number

Boulder, Co, Us

We believe clean and healthy skin, teeth and hair can be achieved with far fewer products, chemicals and complexity. We make 100% natural, multipurpose, nutrient rich personal care essentials and deliver them to your door every 2 months.

Strategic Brand, Business and Website Consulting Work included: Brand and Website Strategy: I completed a website redesign and brand development project for a large regional Social Services company working directly with the CEO. I created the RFP, defined the strategy, hired an agency, directed and managed the brand development (image and tagline), information architecture and web design. I also wrote Success Stories for the website.Brand and Business: I worked directly with the Business Owner of start up music technology company on a Brand Strategy project. Along with colleague Elizabeth Wangler, we completed a Brand Platform to help guide the company's growth along with providing a Discovery Report with insights and recommendations on how to improve the profitability of the business and increase sales at the website.Strategic Development: I worked with several team members from across the country to develop, focus and write a treatment for a Reality TV show.

Along with several other parents, Co- founded a now thriving Waldorf Elementary school in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago that opened in the Fall 2009. Served on the Board for 3 years and acted as Treasurer and then Marketing Chair. Accomplishments included: changing the name of the school from The South Side School to Urban Prairie, managing the hire of a full-time Administrator, helping start the PTO. the . www.urbanprairie.org

Chicago, Il, Us

Although technically a part-time employee, I worked more like a consultant, bringing perspective, experience, strategy and consistency to the team. I worked anywhere from 5 – 25 hours a week, depending on the needs of the business.I played an integral role in helping grow the business from a 1 person start up to a thriving 14 person company, providing leadership and assistance in the following areas: financial management/advisor, inventory strategy, recruiting, marketing strategy, website usability, front-end design management, and web performance metrics.A few accomplishments:-Solved the issue of large inventory overstocks by creating a clearance section at the website and clear close-out and discontinued product strategy. Through this strategy we were able to monetize overstocks accumulated over 4 years within 6 months.-Created a streamlined financial reporting system to use for monthly meetings that brought out key performance indicators along with capturing conclusions insights and action items from the data.-Helped sell the business to a large catalog company. I was the main contact with the business broker and project lead, directing internal staff and interfacing with potential buyers.-Led the successful website rebranding project which included collecting bids from design firms, interfacing between the design team and internal staff, and hiring freelance production artists and front-end programmers.-Identified, defined and led front-end design projects to improve customer loyalty with better usability and brand consistency.

I provided freelance consulting services in small business operations and interactive project management.I was hired by the VP of Advertising and Corporate Identity at CNA Insurance to help start and lead the project to consolidate 100 disparate websites into one domain, cna.com. Along with the Information Architect, I interviewed 60 stakeholders, repositioned the goals and strategy for cna.com within the company and helped re-architect the brand online.At Tribal DDB Needham Advertising I was hired to assist the account team in the planning and management of a client's website redesign/consolidation project.For the owner of Universal Health Institute I delivered an analysis of their operations, providing recommendations for improving overall profitability, collection of receivables, efficiency and productivity.

Chicago, Il, Us

Diamond was my first corporate/large company job, and a consulting company to boot. I was hired into the new Media Lab department as a Producer/Project Manager at an Associate level to lead teams in developing human-centered, brand-focused user interfaces on client projects. Within the first year I was double promoted and became the right hand to the Partner in our group of 40, with additional responsibilities in: proposal and presentation writing, process implementation, staffing, initial project planning, services development and employee performance reviews. Client work included: Trans World Entertainment, Goliath Falls, CNA Insurance, Bank of America

When I arrived at this start-up they didn't have a specific role for me, so I created one. There were several new beauty websites starting at the time and it was a race to launch and sign up companies, the more prestigious the better. We had to offer them something special. I came up with the idea of brand rooms: account/vendor branded pages that created a cosmetic-counter type shopping experience while effectively communicating each company's brand and approach to selling their products. I hired freelancers, created content and worked with the clients/accounts - we launched 30 brand rooms within 6 months. Unfortunately, we lost the race.Accounts included Philosophy, Fresh, Calvin Klein, Red Flower, Jason Organics and several other high-end and natural beauty companies.

In charge of overall management of the company including: human resources, financial management, project management, client relationships, creative strategy development, project development process, product and services development.

Managed, led and grew a small gift accessories wholesale company from start up through $1.7M in sales with 14 employees and 5 product lines. Handled finances, production, purchasing and inventory management, vendor management as well as customer service, fulfillment and human resources.

As the right-hand to the Founder/President I did everything from client billing to customer support to basic office management.

Designed, crafted and marketed 2 lines of sterling silver jewelry sold through retail and private clients.

Sold high-end French Designer clothing and styled in-store accessories displays.

Bench jeweler for sterling silver jewelry line and advised on gem purchases for custom pieces.

Started a wholesale fine jewelry business with designer F.G. Bodinet. In charge of every aspect of running the business.

Assisted fashion photographer and ran the studio.

Sold jewelry and accessories, styled cases and supported business operations.

As a kid, sang jingles, most notably "Uh Oh Spaghettios"; also sang for the Beef and Dairy Associations and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Ba, International Studies; Concentration In French Language, English Literature

Graduate Gemologist, Gemology