Let's get raw and right to it - who the heck is running Barebone? An accountant turned marketing strategist, weird right? You might be wondering what qualifies a former tax consultant to be running a marketing service.
Dude, same.
The truth is, I wasn't supposed to be a tax consultant. I just... took a wrong turn!
Somewhere along the way, I chose to study accounting because I thought that by understanding the financial statements I would be better at making business decisions. While that logic isn't entirely wrong, it's not hitting the bullseye. But I took the accounting route, volunteered with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and found myself working tax seasons for a small firm after graduation. It wasn't until I enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Colorado Boulder and took a marketing course that I discovered that marketing is more than just salesmen and obnoxious commercials.
Marketing touches all areas of the business, from pricing and promotions to product design and everything in between. The purpose of marketing is to continue improving business performance by making strategic decisions in all areas of the brand. Social media decisions, partnerships, distribution points, missions, values, and so much more. Everything a company does reflects the brand, so every action or decision needs to be thoroughly evaluated, and that is the role of marketing.
Many (if not all) times, these decisions are based off of data, costs and returns on investment. So I wasn't completely incorrect to want to study the numbers in order to improve business success, but accounting doesn't get the fun part of making decisions and creating from scratch. It was marketing that I was looking for all along! Luckily, I found this career path quickly.
Marketing is a perfect combination of creativity and data-driven decisions for the purpose of increasing business success. Being good with numbers from my time in accounting and with my naturally creative personality, marketing is the right fit for this gal - the owner of Barebone Marketing.
I grew up wanting to be an artist, then I knew I wanted to run my own business, then I worked in tax, and now I operate my own freelance marketing company. In a way, it kinda makes sense.
I have the creativity. I have the analytical mind. I love brainstorming. I am goal-oriented. I am good with numbers. And now, I love marketing.
Do I regret working in tax? Absolutely not, it's such a useful area to have even a basic understanding of. But I am finally working in an area Marie Kondo would appreciate - because working in marketing "sparks joy" and I can't wait to help small businesses reach their own goals.
So.