One week I got an unexpected raise from a long-term client. Two weeks later, I lost the contract. Then another... and another... as the pandemic quickly shut the world down.

It was time for a change. After jumping into over 32 virtual challenges, masterclasses, and webinars, I joined an amazing year-long business mentorship program.

I heard hundreds of talented growing and soon-to-be entrepreneurs talk about their businesses only to find it wasn’t quite the right fit. Others struggled with being consistent and wondered why. Plenty of others thought they lacked creativity. And I was among them with similar head talk.

Many experts say to just follow the system and you’ll be a success. But not many tell you why you have these thoughts and feelings in the first place.  

That's when I decided to bring back my 7 Stage Customer CENTERED Blueprint that I created eight years ago. In the mentorship, I was guided to simplify it and stick with what I knew to get the fastest results.

You see, my career spans 20+ years in corporate with customers like Coca-Cola, Gillette, and Warner Brothers. Through the years, I assisted in four startups.

The second startup included one of the first 3D Package Design Studios in the country at a printing company. I had to quickly stand out with confidence.

Why? because Playtex Products was one of my first clients. The very first thing I had to do was to earn their trust. In the end, we redesigned the entire Jhirmack line of hair care products digitally and displayed them on a 3D store shelf.

For the past nine+ years, I've been working in my own content marketing business with small to Fortune 500 technology companies. One of my clients was the startup of the digital publication, Customer Engagement Magazine. Simplicity, creativity and clarity were essential to growing. It became number 17 out of 350 magazines in Business and Investing.

It's all very memorable, but I'm still trading my time for money. In some cases, it can also stifle my creativity when I need to follow strict guidelines.