I’ve been laid off twice in my 20-year professional career.In 2014 my role was absorbed by a different department.In August 2024 I was cut as part of a workforce reduction of nearly 50%.Both instances came after 10 years of pouring everything I had into doing great work and helping to drive forward the mission of the organization. After the second time of being let go (or pushed out of the nest as I’ve come to see it), I finally decided it was time to bet on myself and take control of my own destiny. Ten years in one place, even with a steady progression of promotions and raises, makes it easy to get comfortable. It’s also easy to find your impact limited by the constraints of the company’s needs. As an independent SMB marketing consultant, I love the opportunity to bring my experience and expertise to all different businesses helping them maximize their marketing impact through my proprietary methodology and frameworks. After 15+ years in marketing leadership roles for startup technology companies, collegiate athletics programs, and small businesses, I know the struggles SMBs face with their marketing.- Strategic direction- Resource limitations- Inconsistent execution- Limited in-house expertise- Alignment with the rest of the companyIt’s been my pleasure to apply what I know about the challenges of small and midsize businesses and help them maximize their marketing efforts and achieve their overall goals. Uncertainty is a common challenge that business owners and executives face, and I’m no stranger to it.Throughout my career, I have never had a role or title that someone else previously held at that company. I have never had the luxury of following someone else's path. My responsibility has always been to analyze the situation from scratch and find the best way forward. This comfort with discomfort is a key element I bring to all my client work.If you have daunting marketing challenges at your company, I’d love to hear from you. Send a DM or visit www.mefirst.marketing for more information