People ask me these days what I’m doing and I have to laugh. I want to say what aren’t I doing, but of course don’t want to sound fasicious! Technically I am Director of Strategy & Insights for an incredible marketing activation agency called Capital C. Cap C is led by one of the most dynamic and fast moving entrepreneurs I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and has an amazing array of clients ranging from Pepsi and Unilever to Andrew Peller Wines. Now my ‘second’ job as I currently refer to it is as a Partner with my husband for www.parkingspots.com; a startup service designed to help connect people with parking and people in need of parking. My background in marketing strategy and communications is lending rather favorably to the business from a branding perspective while my husband holds down the fort on the day to day operations and overarching Sales strategy. We really have become quite the dynamic duo!

1. What does a typical Thursday look like for you, starting from when you wake up – to heading to bed?

My husband and I have just launched www.parkingspots.com so every day is rather hectic. Thursday would likely resemble this:

– Get up at 6:30

– Check and respond to any pspot inquiries and post new listings

– Race to pilates for 7:30 class

– 9:00 arrive at work

– Dive right into meetings (could be at our office or at clients)

– Typical day may be include running a brainstorming session, working through business strategy for a new product launch, developing a brand platform for a new service, helping a client plan their in market strategy for the following fiscal

– Work through lunch and tend to wrap up around 6:30 in the evening

– My husband usually picks me up from work, we debrief on way home as to how his day managing our company went and that usually continues until after dinner – brainstorming/strategizing etc.

– I then may put another hour or so of work on the company and then exhaustion sets in around 9:30 or 10 and will curl up in bed with a good book

– Yep. That’s pretty typical these days  (and looking at it, I can’t believe I haven’t gone insane yet!)

2. What was your first job out of school?

First job out of school was an internship in Hong Kong with Virgin Airways. Just before graduating with my BA from King’s College at Dalhousie, I suddenly realized that I had no clue what I wanted to do. I saw a posting at my university for internships abroad and on a whim applied. I was shocked to receive acceptance and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to Hong Kong with no experience and a Sales Coordinator position at Virgin Atlantic. Seven months later and a whole lot of life lessons learned I returned to Canada with the inspiration of having worked for one of the greatest brands in the world – Virgin.

3. What are the 3 skills you require most to do your job well?

The ability to listen, process and then to formulate an opinion or solution. It may seem basic but it continues to shock me how many people just speak for the sake of speaking. I think one of the most important things anyone can do is to listen and not just hear. It may sound absurd but there’s a big difference. Often people don’t stop to process the information they’re given thereby not allowing them to fully comprehend and thus solve the issues or problems at hand. Never be afraid to pause before responding – we need those extra seconds to help us digest and process. Only then can we offer back sound direction and solutions.

4. What do you love most about your career?

I think the thing I love most about my career is that any role I’ve ever taken has always been rooted in the understanding of consumers. Why they do what they do, and how they do it. Whether it be the marketing communication agency I’m at right now, the company my husband and I just launched or any of the numerous other roles I’ve held, if you don’t understand what motivates and inspires your consumer, you won’t be able to connect with them. I’ve learnt so much about myself through the process of understanding others that I feel a constant sense of reward and fulfillment.

5. Do you have any warnings?

Yes, for the next generation of young ladies out there, don’t forget that you control your destiny. IF you’re not happy, make a change. If you’re nervous about making that change, that’s normal and healthy. Don’t be complacent. Don’t let others tell you what you can or can’t do. It’s your life. Your choices. Start with the things that you’re passionate about and then figure out how to make money doing them.

6. If you could try a different career on for a year, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to own/run a small luxury hotel on some remote island. And who knows, maybe I will one day!