for the Heck of it

I just read Angie Holmes’ blog, and I was very impressed at how forthcoming and honest she was. I, too, have become very accustomed to change in my life — for one reason or another.

I’ve worked for nearly 20 years in one form of creative marketing organization or another. I spent 8 years in the account management areas of Cedar Rapids-based ad agencies, then went to the “client side” in a marketing communications role, probably one of the most pivotal changes I made. Landing in the marketing area gave more opportunity to my career growth.

Then I became aware of an open category direct marketing manager position with a software company called The Learning Company (previously called Parsons Technology and subsequently called Mattel Interactive), and I HAD to apply for it. It looked challenging, fast-paced, and FUN. It was. And I worked with a great team of people who were energetic, empowered, and had high expectations of one another. The three Es… 

I loved my job there.  Howe ver, when faced with the threat of yet another sale of the company, something to which the veterans had become accustomed — I panicked somewhat. I had been recently divorced and had two little girls. I was worried about the chance of losing my job, especially when I was one of the “new additions” to the crew. So I looked for something else and was given a decent offer as the director of marketing for a telecommunications company. They were impressed with my online marketing experience and wanted me to help them grow their data business.

I quickly found out I’d made the wrong move. So I contacted Cindy Huber, my former boss; and Dave Bader, then a VP with the Learning Company, and told them I’d made a mistake — and if they ever had another spot open to consider me. Boy, talk about timing… turns out I was laid off just a few short months from then, with about 40 other people. In truth I was relieved; I felt very under utilized and UNempowered in that job.

I had been on unemployment for a few weeks when the phone rang, and it was Dave, telling me that someone he knew was looking for a marketing director. Turns out it was Bob Parsons, who’d tried to retire and failed at it — so he started this little company called Go Daddy. Of course, having worked with lots of folks who were mentored by Bob, I was thrilled with the opportunity. I spoke with Bob over the phone and emailed him my ideas for revising and marketing their web site, which centered around selling domain names. I was hired as Go Daddy’s first director of marketing. And since Bob was in Arizona and I was in Cedar Rapids, as were a few of his development team at the time, he told me I was the first person he ever hired without first meeting them in person.

 I knew that it would be a hefty challenge to work for Bob; yet regardless, I’d learn a lot. And I also knew there was risk in dealing with the emotional highs and lows of the epitome of an entrepreneur. He was known to make changes in his organization on the fly.

I lasted two months. The first time.  Bob was annoyed by my copywriting. I cried for a full day. I had never lost a position due to failure to produce, and I was stunned. Then I called my dear mentor and friend, Barbara Green, a gutsy woman in her own right with whom I’d worked on the Professional Women’s Network (PWN) board. She told me I should call him and tell him he made a mistake. I laughed. “I’m serious,” she said. “What do you have to lose??” Well, she had a point there. So I did it. It didn’t take Bob long to say something to the effect of, “Well, I realize it takes some balls to call me and tell me that. And we need people like that. I will think about it and we’ll work out a plan. But you have to realize you are going to have to work like hell to prove yourself again.”

So on Monday, after being fired on Friday, I went back to work for Bob. I started handling the online advertising elements to drive traffic to the site, and I loved it. Through direct marketing and online analytics I found the “outlet” for those math skills I always had as a kid.   From 7th grade forward I worked a year ahead in science and math — yet didn’t ever want to become an accountant, actuary or math teacher.  When I decided to major in English at Cornell College I figured out I wanted to go into communications of some sort.  And, wow — direct marketing finally tied my two worlds together.  How cool is this to measure every move we make? And how much difference can a single word in a headline make? A LOT.

Anyway, over the course of the next 3 years I DID work like hell. I was promoted to vice president of advertising. On that day I received the biggest compliment of my career at the time when Bob told me, “I trust you, and I don’t trust many people.” I thought I’d reached the pinnacle of my life. Not only did I love what I was doing, I loved my team of co-workers and the office environment. And I had gotten remarried and found out I was going to have another baby.
Yet I lived with the stress. Probably because the passion and drive of the entrepreneur feeds the drive of others who “have it in them.” I worked hard; often late at night, early in the morning, after waking with an idea in the middle of the night… It was crazy, but it fed my creativity and challenged my brain. And I was well rewarded. I never would have left that job.

And then it happened. Bob re-organized the marketing department about 3 months after I got back from maternity leave, and I was out. I told myself that whoever initiated the phrase “change is good” was crazy.  I remember thinking “What am I going to do now?” I was so exhausted at what I’d put into Go Daddy and had been so passionate about. But I didn’t have the energy to go to work for someone else at that time. So I decided to put my energy into the moving company that my husband had started with an investor. It worked for a time. I had the flexibility to work from home, and more time with the kids. I became very involved in my church. Faith is what grounded me then — and still does today.  I learned that everything happens for a reason. Yet, I did miss the professional challenge.
Then my relationship fell apart, for reasons that were largely beyond my control. I decided that I would leave the marriage and would need to go back to a job full time in order to support my kids. I felt lucky that I could make enough to support myself. 

So I helped a company initiate some brand marketing and tested some Google campaigns and multiple eBay auctions, did a little consulting and then landed a position with Stamats, a well-reputed company with a lot of history in Cedar Rapids. I had seen the benefits of search engine marketing firsthand with Go Daddy, and I felt that Stamats could provide that service in addition to all of the web development work they were doing for their clients in higher education. I developed the products, set up the programs, evangelized through webinars and speaking at conferences. But it was just too hard of a sell to the ultra conservative admissions departments, and the economy was starting a downturn. Our efforts weren’t successful enough to continue to pursue with a full-time position.
So I was back looking for a job, hopefully this time the “right one.”  I networked with my contacts and landed a few rewarding consulting gigs that looked like they could evolve into full-time positions. But that wasn’t in the cards.
So, finally, I brainstormed some ideas about starting my own business. I really thought there was a huge opportunity in iowa.com and didn’t think the Gazette was really ready for the undertaking. I had met with Dave Storey and Chuck Peters almost two years before, and even interviewed with their management team before I took the job at Stamats. Chuck and Dave had great vision of where the company needed to be, and I remember asking them how they planned to “move the 125-year-old behemoth” into more progressive new media.

I thought about contacting them again. I met with Joni Thornton at the Women’s Business Center of Iowa about putting my plan for this new site (iowa.com or otherwise) into a full-blown business plan. She told me she liked the idea and would support it.  I set to work.

Within a week or two Dick Damrow, whom I’d met at Stamats, called me about some potential work. I told him about this vision for iowa.com. Of course, he wisely said, “So how are you going to make money?” He asked if I had heard anything from the Gazette on the new product position. I told him no, and walked out of his office.
No longer than 5 minutes passed and I checked my voicemail. Lo and behold there was a message from the Gazette requesting an interview. “This is too weird,” I thought.  I wondered if Dick made a phone call. But based on the time the call came in, I had been meeting with Dick at that very moment.

So I interviewed with Sara Sinnard, the new director of what was called the Niche Products team.  I was impressed with her right away, and dropped my jaw when she told me that one of the new initiatives was the possibility of re-launching iowa.com. Of course, I blew into all of the ideas I’d been mulling around anyway. I got the job.

LONG story short, there are times in my life that change has been painful. Yet after getting through it I’ve discovered what it has given me. Through my career I’ve met a ton of great people, some of whom have been wonderful mentors and great friends.  I have learned new skills every step of the way, so my very broad experience benefits me every day. And I have 4 great kids that I can’t imagine living life without.

I have had people tell me I should write this all down. I thought I would never have the time, and some of it was painful to think through. But it has been entirely worth it. Change truly is good.  Didn’t say it was easy.