5 Year Milestone

Like 95+% of blogs out there, I’ve been sporadic at best with updates. Though I consider myself a pretty good writer, I’m not phenomenal like my good friend Paige Worthy so great ideas to write about don’t always come to me. Figured it was time for a few reflections though, now that I’ve hit my five-year milestone at ER Marketing.

Five years ago, I had just finished my 90-day full-time “trial” at ER. I interned throughout second semester, graduated in late May and started on the trial then. My first day was July 17, 2005 and I already realized that I’d just graduated from a highly-rated school of journalism and I knew…next to nothing. But thanks to Rachel Hack, my former boss during my internship for AAF-Kansas City (it was the Ad Club then), I’d landed at a perfect spot to start my career, with two bosses that gave me the opportunity to learn, succeed and grow…as well as failing when necessary.

I failed big time in May of 2006, enough that I met with my two bosses on that Monday morning and told them I couldn’t meet the higher expectations they’d set, and I left the company. For the next eight weeks, I searched for jobs, sat around being lazy far more than I should have (short-term vision and a generous severance will do that to a foolish 23 year old) and, eventually, started thinking about what I really wanted to do next. About that time, desperation began to sit in as the new opportunity I thought was just around the corner didn’t happen. I stayed in touch with my former bosses at ER throughout those eight weeks, and when they asked me to return to the company, I was relieved and optimistic that things would be different this time around.

For the past four years, they have been different. And as my sixth year at ER Marketing begins, I’m excited for what comes next and I know that, when/if I ever leave ER, telling Renae Gonner and Elton Mayfield I’m leaving will be harder than anything I’ve done so far. The respect & admiration I have for them is tremendous, and continues to grow. Thanks Elton & Renae.

With that, I’d like to share ten things about this business I wish I knew five years ago:

1. You know nothing…and that’s ok.
2. Be curious, every day.
3. It’s ok to raise your hand and say, “I can’t do this” or “I don’t understand this.”
4. Yes, we have the Internet, iPhones and social media, but the business hasn’t changed that much since David Ogilvy penned this classic guide to advertising – the core truths still hold true.
5. Find a way to measure it, whatever it is, whenever possible.
6. Ask somebody to grab a beer and learn something new – your peers are always ready to help.
7. Big clients & big agencies aren’t the only way to have fun in this business.
8. B2B can be as fun as B2C.
9. An internal campaign that unites a company can be more valuable then the greatest Super Bowl ad you’ve ever seen.
10. Manage Expectations of your peers, your bosses and your clients…every day.

Here’s to the next five years – cheers.