I care about are happy customers and lean operations. That's what drives word-of-mouth (the best marketing tool) and keeps a high-performing business alive. I'll use a combination of software engineering, content strategy, CRM, and UX design to continuously ship small improvements and do strategic R&D.
For a full list of my skills, click here.
Backstory
In my university days, I loved business and marketing. The ability to make products people loved while running a tight operational ship was fascinating. And so was the web! I learned HTML/CSS and started making student websites and Flash multimedia while doing a Bachelors in International Business.
In my last two years of Uni, I focused on supply chain management and logistics, doing an internship at an ocean carrier in Germany where I booked containers and allotted vessel space, and another internship with a freight forwarder and customs broker. One of my favorite books back then was The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, which taught me that since making money is the end goal, then maximizing production throughput and minimizing inventory is the way. Another influential book was Lean Thinking by Womack and Jones which explained the Toyota Production System and how applying continuous improvement to product quality, process time, eliminating waste, and empowering employees to take corrective action leads to operational excellence.
In retrospect, these formative experiences were incredibly valuable because they instilled systems thinking in me and influenced how I prioritized work and searched for productivity gains, particularly when working with multiple departments to deliver shared goals.
I then went on to do sales for a few home decor manufacturers where I loved working with sales agents across the country, creating custom products for retailers like Walgreens and Kroger, and pushing to adopt Salesforce as a CRM. But after a few years, something was missing. I really missed digital and wanted to give it a second go. So I found clients, made them websites with a partner, and helped them use social media to put their brand out there.
A business media company then hired me as their community manager and video producer for conferences, interviews, and webinars. This entailed a lot of content marketing, copywriting, some journalism, and constant social media engagement including highlighting partners, community members, and network players in the larger business ecosystem.
But I needed new challenges and a fresh environment. So I moved to New York City and led the digital communications for an influential nonprofit where I implemented a CRM system and built webpages, newsletters, campaigns, event registrations, and more. This included all digital aspects of customer experience design in terms of automated emails, authentication, and helping customers manage their preferences.
After a few years of advising clients, I took a break and traveled the world, eventually moving to Bremen, Germany with my partner where I became an investor.
My itch for tech though would not rest. I casually learned web development with JavaScript and Elixir, found mentorship, and pursued projects that interested me. This led me to my first client and to Dockyard Academy where I learned to sharpen my operational and communication skills to where I am today.