B2C – “Business to Casual”

posted 10th August 2010    Written by: Doniree    CATEGORY: Doniree, Job/Career/Work

So, we’ve established a few things.

I used to work in advertising, I’m certified to teach yoga, but have yet to actually do so, and I have a tendency to be overwhelmed by the reality that every single thing I’ve ever wanted might actually be possible.

This story is the part about working in advertising.

Business

Two years, lots of clients, and many, many bosses.  On paper, it was a really sweet job.  I had an amazing mentor, strong connections with co-workers who became close friends, and great learning experiences so early in my career.  I also got sweet freebies like tickets to concerts, great meals, and lots of happy hours. Turns out there’s a lot of drinking in advertising.

I negotiated ad rates for commercials that aired on tiny radio stations in Small Town, USA.  I managed multi-million dollar campaigns for a client on national broadcast television.  I had folders, files, binders, and bookshelves.  In by 6AM, staying until 9PM.

I was a Media Buyer.  Capital M, Capital B.

And I was exhausted.

Business Casual

Thing is, the best part of my job wasn’t even really my job at all. As sort of a side project, I was contributing to a website, writing about media trends and the pulse of pop culture.  I decided that I wanted more of that, less of the other stuff.  I loved the feeling of hitting “publish,” of seeing my byline at the top of an article I’d researched and written.  It wasn’t even my column.  I filled in from time to time when the columnist (my boss, my mentor, my most inspiring colleague ever) was out of the office.

The awesome thing about working for a well-established, 75+ year old advertising agency with national clients is that your career path is really, really clear.  Very vertical, very specific.  That’s awesome if you want to move up.

From internship to executive, there was a predetermined path to success.  The problem is, I wanted to create my own path.

There was this tension between old media (them, and what they did exceptionally well) and new media (me, and what I wanted to live and breathe), and eventually I ran out of steam trying to reconcile the two.

Casual

Right about this time, I met a kindred spirit and contemporary that became the catalyst for lighting a fire under my ass, as some might say.  Rod was an SEO specialist, also in the the Minneapolis ad agency circuit.  He saw an opportunity in SEO/SEM that wasn’t happening in the brick-and-mortars that employed us, and he left his agency to start his own business.  Within weeks of our first brain-picking, I-thought-it-was-just-networking lunch meeting, we were obsessed with encouraging each other to make a real, live run for it.  Follow your dreams, live everywhere, do everything.

I started wrapping my head around this idea of a life of writing, travel, and teaching yoga on a beach in Hawaii.

It was the first time I was really turned on to the idea of a “virtual” career.  Our cohorts nowadays are calling that “Location Independent.”  I’m calling it “I-knew-I-wanted-to-be-free-to-move-about-the-world-before-there-was-a-name-for-it-I-just-didn’t-know-how.”

It took another year or so to extract myself out of agency life, out of media buying, and into full-time everything else.

And then November happened.

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Comments (21)

21 Responses to “B2C – “Business to Casual””

  • emr1984 Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 8:38 am

    I love the idea of 'virtual career'. I have been calling it work-from-home, but truly what I want is to be location independent. Thanks for naming it :)

  • DC Princess Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 9:00 am

    I call it self-employment. When I realized I had gone from unemployed to self-employed, my mind blew up a little.

    Love this post and can't wait to read more!

    <3 you!

  • Doniree Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 9:09 am

    Thanks! I definitely didn't coin the term, but have certainly adopted it :)

  • amysjoy Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 9:17 am

    It would be amazing to have the kind of life you can pick up and move and live where you want. My boyfriend and I heard about a scuba instructor who lives in Thailand and teaches diving for a living, and when he has to leave the country every six months (or whatever it is), he just goes traveling. Amazing.

    You've actually really inspired me. I would LOVE to be a yoga instructor, but I'm not sure how one goes about it. It is DEFINITELY something I want to look into though.

  • Doniree Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 9:39 am

    Happy to answer questions if you have any – I went through CorePower's teacher training and can't rave enough about how great it was, but there are plenty of others worth checking out. It's a life-changing experience :)

  • Lindsey Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 9:43 am

    Cliffhanger!
    Location independence is totally the dream lifestyle – I called myself a "Weather Opportunist" or a "Seasonal Warrior" in the last couple years. Many names for one sweet way to live :)

  • nikkiklecha Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 11:46 am

    oooooh! what happens in November!!!??? :) ps- I want to be "location independent" too!

  • tootsiemom Says:
    August 10th, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    Always let your mother know when/where you're moving! Keep moms in the loop. We need to hear from our location independent kids…….wish you the best, am proud that you are accomplishing your dreams, and still wish you were closer….(but will come to wherever you may be…..and THAT's a promise!)

  • marianschembari Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 1:00 am

    YES! You are such a star, girl, I am so SO SOOOOOO happy you left and pursued your dreams and are rocking out. Can't freaking wait to hear the rest!

  • Manderz Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 7:35 am

    I dream of a results-based job (vs. 40-hour work weeks). Namely because the husband likes his 40-hour career. Location Independence sounds like bliss though. It’s kind of cool that you figured out what you wanted before you found out it “existed”.

  • alisha Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 7:57 am

    I love the idea of being location independent. Something I'm working on right now for myself. If only I could get something for my husband to do! Then I'd be right there in CO too. Visiting in 2 weeks and can't wait!

  • Molly_Hoyne Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 8:57 am

    My scuba instructor in Honduras went there for vacation and just never left! I think she'd be living on the island Roatan for 3 years by the time I'd met her!

    And Amy? Go for IT!!!

  • Molly_Hoyne Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 8:57 am

    Hi Doni's Mom! :)

  • erinmakesitwork Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    November?? What happened? I want to know.

  • Doniree Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

    Hi Mom! You know everything before I write about it, don't you worry :) Love you and miss you! Thanks for reading my writing here, too :)

  • Doniree Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 6:43 pm

    I love that 'results-based' idea. I know Best Buy (headquartered in Minneapolis) structures their work environment like that… :)

  • Doniree Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    Come back next Tuesday! I tell you!

  • Doniree Says:
    August 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    If you're in Denver/Boulder please let me know! :)

  • Rod Stockebrand Says:
    August 12th, 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Great post Doni! Excited to hear what happens next! Keep that fire burning and the adventures fueled by passion! God Bless;)

  • Doniree Says:
    August 15th, 2010 at 8:03 am

    Hi Rod! Thanks for coming by here, and for being such a great frined :)

  • When Long Weekends Aren’t Enough, You Up And Move | Stratejoy | Conquer Your Quarterlife Crisis through Fresh Strategies for Real Joy Says:
    August 17th, 2010 at 8:02 am

    [...] shops the locals frequent, which restaurants really *are* the best, and how to not get lost.  This idea of a career that allowed me to be mobile wasn’t going [...]

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