RESUME

Marketing is one of my niche interests and passions. It is what has driven my love for experiential design in physical spaces. From the science and psychology of purchasing behavior, color, design, and overall experience, to building campaigns that drive intrigue and sales – marketing is the lifeblood of any business. Its the challenge and the thrill of creating things that people love that drives my passion for marketing. 

I have over 15 years experience of successfully overseeing and directing the  marketing for both my own businesses, as well as other companies, organizations, special events, and more. 

Let’s be honest, AI is changing this landscape at a blistering pace. But the majority of my experience is in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Much of my work has been designing and building high quality brand assets and social media content. The majority of what you see from Black Flag Armory is of my own creation. 

Additionally, I design all the artwork and cut files for Black Flag Armory’s laser engraving and laser stippling services. You can check some of those out here 

Having a fast, functional, mobile-friendly website is the bare minimum. If it can’t compete, especially against your local competitors, and you don’t have a strategy in place to crush the competition, then you missed the point. I am comfortable and capable with Google Analytics, Google My Business, SEM Rush, Yoast, Rank Math and other tools for SEO.
I use research and data to test and back my assumptions about my specific market, trends, demographic, and all other available data points to build a comprehensive plan for optimizing my content across the web. And to be frank, it shows. Just have a look at how Black Flag Armory performs as a local business against our competitor’s online presence. Not only does good SEO increase market share by positioning you as the leader in your area, but it also helps to future-proof your company by making it that much harder for a new competitor to take you on. 

Whether you like him or not, when Gary Vaynerchuk said that, “Every single one of you is a media company” he wasn’t wrong. We live in a digital world, which forces all businesses that want to thrive to have strong visuals. But the kicker is that they need to be yours. Today’s audiences grew up on the internet and we can spot a stock photo or a low resolution pic in a heartbeat. 

So I learned photography. I love full frame mirrorless cameras for photo and video. Planning, shooting, editing, and delivering useable content in a quick, cost-effective manner for business has been my focus. So while I’m not going to shoot your wedding, I can shoot your business, and I can definitely make sure the marketing content that your team is providing is making the impact you are looking for.

Project management is one of those key areas that really sets capable entrepreneurs apart from those that wake up and wing it every day. The totality of planning, the execution, and adaptation of a good plan on the fly is one of those things that really fires me up. 
One of the most recent examples would be Black Flag Armory Grants Pass. From concept to opening, I designed and managed the entire project personally with minimal staff. Opening the store on-schedule, in just over 90 days, and under budget with a fully trained and ready staff. Setting up the new store for immediate operational success. And best of all, in a low-stress way for the employees who to this day still tell me, “it feels too easy, like things are running too smoothly” And that, is what I think a good project looks like.

You remember those key areas that I mentioned set capable entrepreneurs apart? This might be one of the top areas. Second only to self-education. 
Process is everything. Even from the planning phases, building SOP’s for your business, your staff, and yourself will provide the structure needed to succeed and to scale. I have developed, codified, trained, edited, and retrained multiple staffs on SOP’s for my businesses. Having good, defined, process is what builds culture and allows it to pass from one generation of staff to the next. It is what makes your company consistent. Good process and the ability to create it and teach it to your staff effectively is your ticket to freedom as an entrepreneur. The ultimate ‘hack’ for you to scale your business and your own personal capabilities. 

I love constantly analyzing and refining business processes in a way that benefits the owner, employees, and customers alike. 

The finances are where the rubber meets the road. I have managed the finances, bookkeeping, and accounting for all of my businesses. I am comfortable with Quickbooks and other accounting tools as well as just handling things the old school way through spreadsheets. I also manage payroll and benefits through Gusto.

What is experiential design? Simply put, the art and science of shaping the customer experience. Today, customers have instant access to information, pricing, technology, and your competitors. A carefully crafted experience that immerses the customer, giving the best possible service and experience of your company and employees is often the deciding factor when it comes to deciding where their money will be spent. 

I specialize in this area. Carefully crafting every detail of the business, training, design, layout, sounds, smells, personnel…everything, to communicate your businesses value to each and every customer in an unforgettable way. 

If you’ve read about my passion for designing great experiences, then event planning should be no surprise. I have designed and managed special events for churches, my businesses, and professionally with the City of Albuquerque Special Events Department.  From themed weddings and renaissance faires, to city sponsored 4th of July festivals with over 70,000 people in attendance, I’ve done it all. 
Planning, permitting, event rentals, booking musicians, vendors, food services, coordination with emergency services, cell providers, volunteers, and staff. Running events and creating unforgettable experiences and memories for people is one of the aspects of work that brings me the most joy.

Running my own brick and mortar businesses has given me a deep level of understanding of inventory management and control. Using POS systems as well as building my own systems of data collection and analysis has allowed me to craft an inventory with a turn rate that is far above the industry average, while closely monitoring associated KPIs. Such as our turns, days in inventory, aging inventory, seasonality, carrying cost, average value per square foot and more. Using this data, I have been able to successfully manage my store’s inventories as well as create SOPs that have allowed me to train managers and transfer my knowledge successfully. 

Crafting a high-performing team that enjoys their work while crushing their goals and competition is one of the things that I find the most fulfillment in at work. I believe that we spend a lot of time at work, and it is our leader’s responsibility to make that time as effective and enjoyable as possible so that the employees and the business can thrive together.

I am consistently critical in my thinking and approach to problems. I firmly believe that, when it comes to business, nothing is sacred, and tradition without thought can be a massive stumbling block to success. Constantly evaluating why we do what we do and how we can improve it is paramount. 

Sometimes problems seem too big, too complex, and too disjointed to be solved with any solution that may be considered simple or elegant. That is the type of challenge that I love. Finding invisible threads, new angles of analysis, and outside the box solutions.

Business moves fast. Small business moves faster. The adaptability and agility of a business, its leaders, and staff, are what gives smaller businesses an edge against our mega-corporation counterparts. 

My education and experience has given me a deep respect and understanding of the complexity and importance of communication. From interpersonal communications to company-wide. Clear, effective communication that gets what needs accomplished done is an art with just a dash of psychology and science thrown in. 

Being an entrepreneur, I have always had an over-developed sense of creativity. Asking what is possible, what if, and why not. Dreaming of possibilities with my head in the clouds, but my feet planted firmly enough in reality to execute on the best of those daydreams

As a Millennial graduating college on the tail-end of a recession, I wouldn’t exactly call the first days of my professional life a booming success. In fact, I was a poor kid with nothing but ideas and time. Enter a public library, a deep-seated desire to be excellent, and you have the start of my obsession with learning. I am an avid non-fiction reader and absolutely obsessed with learning as much as possible in every relevant area. It is this obsession with learning that has helped make me as effective as I am at so many different aspects of business. Either years later and 173 books later (for now), I’m still loving every little nugget of wisdom.