06 Feb This one’s about fear

This post is a perfect example of having to interrupt your scheduled marketing posts to insert current experiences. January’s theme for me was restructuring and getting the company lined up for HUGE movement. I have been running operations pretty smoothly, but last year I knew I needed to adapt my current plan in order for it to continue to run smoothly and a few key people at that time helped by listening to me when I voiced concerns about hiring/HR.

Things I spent a lot of time thinking about in 2015:
• Hiring versus outsourcing
• Figuring out what my obstacles were both internally and externally
• Asking for help with understanding some of my “time sucks” (the things that I spend entirely way too much time on and need to hand off)

I came across Kaylee by accident. One of those “right place-right time” or in this day in age, “being online and seeing a post at the moment I needed to” that struck me. I looked at her company, some of her ethics and values and decided…I should reach out to her. It took months for us to coordinate our schedules. But it was all worth it. We met on a Sunday, her little youngin’ and husband in-tow…me straight from the gym trying not to sweat all over the leather seats in Panera. Sorry, Panera…it was a Sunday and that means beast-mode for me at the gym. Struggling to keep my 1 pull-up, 2 push-ups and 1.5 burpee shaking arms from spilling the less than 500 calorie smoothie I convinced myself was healthy because it had a fruit juice in it…I was immediately struck by her professionalism and ability to multi-task.
Kaylee had one eye on the baby snoozing, while telling her husband what she wanted to eat, and opening her portfolio in front of me. She asked the right questions with the right amount of professionalism and rapport. She shared previous projects with me and lit up when I told her I encouraged creativity and outside-of-the-box graphics. I wanted her to be just as excited working on my projects as she displayed when she was showing me the amazing work she has already done so far for her clients.

Alas…I get to the part no one warned me about. The fear of losing a partnership. Kaylee is going to be huge. A force. Her work speaks for itself. What if Kaylee can’t take on my work anymore? She’ll move on, adapting to her business needs and personal goals and I will be left admiring her work from afar and praising her to all I come into contact with.
I read and study all these articles on retention, strengthening professional relationships, creating a healthy work culture…the list goes on. But I suppose this is one of those times that I’ll keep moving with a mixture of how I feel combined with what I learned the most in grad school…show my appreciation with respect, referrals, and supporting Kaylee however she moves in life. And I am learning what it feels like to be extremely proud of the community I am building for my company.

Germono Advertising Company launched December 2013 as an advertising agency specializing in traditional media buying and placement in the Norfolk , VA market and focuses on helping local businesses succeed. Services include media planning, marketing coaching sessions, advertising consultations, and public speaking on advertising-related topics. Basically, I’m a marketing & advertising ninja. For more information, visit www.Germono.com, like the Germono Advertising Company Facebook page or call 757-777-3780 to learn more. You can also follow via Instagram
but that page is managed by company mascot, Athena so all you’ll see there are bullmastiff-selfies.