I get asked what it’s like to work with my mom, the boss of Front Porch Marketing, Chief Rocker Julie Porter. Well, let me tell you. It’s a lot harder than you would expect. Why? Because she expects so much more out of me and she knows that I’m capable of doing almost anything and everything.

Is work easier when your mom is the boss?

A lot of people usually say “oh she definitely lets you slack off” or “oh I bet it’s so easy”, but they couldn’t be more wrong. It adds a lot of pressure on me when I do work for my mom’s company, because I want to do my absolute best in order to impress my mom. I want to live up to her expectations of me. But, it is also very comforting to know that my mom is the boss and CEO. 

The boss always has your back

While she is always challenging and expecting the most out of me I know that she will always have my back and be the most understanding when it comes to work. No matter what, there will always be someone in my corner. She also tends to have a great support system.

She surrounds herself with the very best team members which makes my situation a lot more comforting. Seeing her support all of her employees, and create a successful remote working environment makes it a lot easier and more fun for me to do work for her, and the other Front Porch Marketing team members. I don’t say it a lot but when it comes to working with and for her sometimes, I can be a little excited. While she has taught me a lot about marketing, she’s also taught me about running a business. Because she is good at this.

Takeaways from a summer internship with a parent

All in all, this summer has been great so far and it has been a pleasure to heighten my business relationship with my mother. I’ve learned so much from my mom the boss, that I can apply to college and my future job endeavors. I owe it all to her and I love her so much. Thanks mom!

Our new high school interns Abby and Anna will be joining us on the Porch this summer.

Everybody say hello to our interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. Every summer we host interns from this high school, and give them a little taste of what a professional marketing career might look like. They’ll be visiting clients, creating content, researching topics, preparing branding documents, learning some analytics and PR skills, and we’ll even have them write a blog post here on our blog. We are proud to support and mentor the next generation of Ursuline Academy students, as we have for the past seven years.

We asked our Ursuline interns Abby Sanders and Anna Wilson a few “get to know you” questions, so y’all could learn more about their GenZ perspective.

Ursuline Intern Abby Sanders

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I have always been really creative and have a playful sense of humor. I believe that marketing may be a good way for me to be able to express these traits while pursuing a career I enjoy.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? During the pandemic, I learned the value of not stressing out over the small things and how much I should value the time I have with others. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? Friendly, Optimistic, and Hard-Working 

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? I am really excited to learn about what a profession in marketing would look like and develop skills that will be helpful throughout my life. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would choose Walt Disney because he followed his dreams and pursued his passions to become immensely successful doing what he loves. My family and I love to go to Disney World, so I would love to meet the man that made those bonding experiences possible. 

6. What is a fun fact about you? I love to travel with my family and I have been able to visit 7 different countries!

Ursuline Intern Anna Wilson

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing? I want to have a career in marketing because I love social media and understanding people. Marketing is always growing, especially with the influence of social media. It allows people to gain so much information all in one place. I also find it fascinating the way people consume information and how one Tik Tok can immediately make someone buy a product.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that balance is a necessity is all aspects of my life. Whether that be between school and my social life, or making time for myself, I feel the best, and do the best work when I do not overwhelm myself with one thing. 

3. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be? In three words, I would say I am enthusiastic, caring, and determined.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing? My main goal at FPM is getting exposure to the marketing world. Seeing as marketing is not a class in high school, I want to learn as much as possible through real world experiences. 

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead, who would it be? I would go to dinner with my grandma to hear her advice and understand her life from my current, older perspective.

6. What is a fun fact about you? One fun fact about me is that I love cows and think they are really funny!

Two Rockin’ Additions to the Front Porch Team!

This week, we’re welcoming Andrew Porter, our newest intern rocker, to the team!

1. What makes you want to have a career in marketing, Andrew Porter?

I’ve grown up watching my mom create this awesome company from the ground up and achieve so much in little time. It really motivates me to be successful seeing her achieve her dream and work so hard to obtain it. I want to be able to do what I want in the future as well and achieve my dream. Marketing has a special place in my heart and really does interest me in my future career endeavors.

2. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your life?

There are many obstacles in life, but you end up gaining more from these obstacles than you have lost, if you choose to conquer the obstacles.

3. If you could describe Andrew Porter in three words, what would they be?

The three words I’d use to describe myself would be hardworking, funny, and committed.

4. What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing?

I really want to get my foot in the door with this marketing internship, and get some real life business experience for the future. I have 5 specific goals that I’d like to conquer while at Front Porch:

1) I will be able to professional handle myself according to the certain business or personal situation that is present. And learn from those that have more experience than I do.

2) I will be able to communicate with clients and strangers effectively for the benefit of me and others.

3) I will be able to effectively navigate the internet accordingly while also being proficient in Microsoft 365.

4) I will be able to successfully balance the many activities that go on in my everyday life with my multiple jobs, hanging with friends, and sleeping.

5) I will be able to build a basic understanding of marketing principles to assist clients in attaining their long-time goals.

5. If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

One person I’d definitely want to go to dinner with would be Chris Farley. He is my favorite comedian and is literally so funny. I’d love to see him in person do his Matt Foley: Van Down by the River skit from SNL.

6. What is a fun fact about you?

I am currently the Vice President of Recruitment of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Rollins College and the Brotherhood Chair of SAE.

Setting up and running a successful marketing internship program is an important step to the future success of both your company and the next generation of marketers. Bottom line: what’s in it for you as a company is the creation of a skilled employee pipeline. You’ve taught them, you’ve trained them, and they know your business. All of those attributes will most likely make these interns your best next employees.

How to start your internship program? Start small with the intention of hiring one intern for one semester. With a 5-6 month window for the internship, you can more easily structure what the intern will do during their tenure with you. Be sure to ask your intern what they want to learn, and what they would like to get out of the internship. Also, take the time to coordinate with their college if need be, so that they receive college credit for their internship if that is an option. And most importantly, pay your intern a fair hourly wage for their contribution to your business.

Marketing Internship 101 – Training.

Begin an intern’s employment with introductions and training. Have a blog and/or website? Add them to the team and write an introductory post so clients, customers and the general public can get to know your talented intern. This also gives the marketing intern a link that they can include on the LinkedIn profile, legitimatizing their career before they graduate. In turn, introduce the intern to each person in the company, and ask them to explain what they do and how it fits into the big picture.

Ideally you’ll want your marketing intern to spend some quality time shadowing different people in your company to get the full picture of marketing: PR, copywriting, design, social media, analytics, etc. Encourage the rest of your company to be supportive of your intern in their language and actions. Make sure their first experience in marketing is a positive one!

Interns learn by doing, so show them how to do it.

Then, help your intern get comfortable on the platforms you use to do business, whether that’s WordPress, Google Analytics, Buffer, or any of the social media platforms. For a marketing internship, shadow days can help with this learning. After initial shadow days, interns can be given compartmentalized parts of jobs to complete: image search on a stock site, compiling social media stats monthly on an Excel spreadsheet, and even writing blog posts on topics that they are learning in school. The more you teach them, the more they can run with something and help you!

Set them free and watch them succeed!

Once your intern has mastered some tasks, give them something that they can own: a specific client report, a research project, a white paper, or an organizational project. They could also own a role like proofreading or coordinating employee content for blog posts. Your intern could then teach everyone what they’ve learned at the end of the project.

When you help the next generation of marketing students gain access to a “real” job by offering them an internship, you are paying it forward for everyone that helped you in your early career. And at the end of the internship, you’ll most likely have a successful full-time employee ready to hire. At Front Porch Marketing, we regularly hire one or more college student interns all year long, and add high school student interns from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. We love working with interns and highly recommend adding them to your staff.

Recent readings over Spring and Easter Breaks provided four great reminders for me as a business leader. And I hope they do the same for y’all too.

For those of you who do not know, one half of my heart – my son – attends Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, right outside Orlando.

We stayed at one of my favorite beaches over Easter, New Smyrna Beach, which is a hour drive from my “son~shine.” And, where I purchased a beach condo, aka short-term rental investment property, earlier this year. It is affectionately deemed the “money pit.” But that is a blog for another day. I digress.

Reminder One: Be a GD Cheetah

A beach read was Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. She shares a visit to the zoo and the Cheetah Run. The cheetah, Tabitha, is tamed. She performs on queue.

A little girl asked, “Doesn’t she miss the wild?”

Zookeeper comes back with a BS answer.

Doyle writes that Tabitha would sigh and say, “I should be grateful. I have a good enough life here. It is crazy to long for what does not even exist.”

“I’d say: Tabitha. You are not crazy. You are a GD cheetah.”

That had such a profound effect on me. I later cried as I read the excerpt aloud to my daughter. Without the GD, of course. And I asked her to promise me to always be herself. To be a cheetah.

Reminder Two: Finding Leverage

Not as an emotional experience for me, but profound none the less. Reading the latest issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.

Time is our inventory.

An article by Adam Bornstein explores business growth by not necessarily adding more people. Rather, exploring this. “Smart growth is not about spending more time, nor is it about maxing out your time. It is about finding leverage.”

Reminder Three: Damn the Sycophants

I cannot remember what the article was about. It was the word. The word I had to look up.

I was reminded, although sometimes painful, I treasure those around me who are not this.

Surround yourself with talented people. Those who are smarter than you. Formidable team members push back. They may not think like you. But they make the organization better. These folks fill in for your short falls.

Reminder Four: Being Too Efficient

In a past life, I was ultra-organized. I am a Franklin Covey Planner Training Course graduate for heaven’s sake. Organized all the things in my office and life.

Then, I started Front Porch Marketing. And, had my second child at an “advanced maternal age.”

Words quoted from Edward Tenner in another Entrepreneur Magazine article spoke to me. In summary, big business always has the advantage. However, entrepreneurs combine technology with connection to people. Something big companies cannot do.

Jason Feifer, author of the article, cited Blockbuster and Netflix as an example. Early in my career collaborating with folks at Blockbuster and Viacom shaped me into who I am today. And I am eternally grateful for those experiences. I saw how they tried to evolve. As well as saw what was attempted and did not happen. These learnings were invaluable.

So I hope these four reminders for business that I learned this spring will resonate with you too!

As an account manager, I love the beginning of a new year.

In account management, a new year means a fresh start, not just personally but professionally! It’s an opportunity to put the struggles of 2021 in the rearview mirror and focus on what you want to accomplish in the year ahead. Maybe you’re committed to getting healthy or decluttering. Or, did you a pick a word that you want to embody in 2022? Like “Present”. Or maybe “Accountable”. Perhaps, “Grateful”.   

The start of a new year at work means a chance to re-energize yourself and get better at doing your job. If you work in the agency world managing accounts like me, maybe you want to focus on a few core skills that will make 2022 your best year yet as a successful account manager.  

Recommitting to excellence.

Where do you start? Well, we know the traits of a successful account manager are many. But I think we can all agree that no matter your career level or personal management style, there are skills that every effective account manager should possess.  So what are they?

1. Excellent Communicator. And Excellent Communication. Plus, Excellent Communicating. Saying it once isn’t enough. First, we are responsible for balancing the needs of clients with the resources of agency partners. Next, we communicate in every aspect of our job whether it’s through writing creative briefs, submitting change orders, or managing timelines and budgets. And most importantly, we understand our clients’ needs by actively listening and asking the right questions. Clear and consistent communication is invaluable in every aspect of our job.  
2. Organized. If you’re in this field, chances are high that you love a to-do list. I know I do! You’re always equipped with your favorite note-taking tools. You jot down important pieces of information all day long. You will undoubtedly glean insights others miss, with your excellent notes. In addition, you’re simultaneously juggling multiple clients. And your projects move forward while you make sure you keep everything on-brand, on-time, and on-budget. Whatever method of organization you prefer, exercising organizational skills is critical.  
3. Resourceful Problem Solver. It goes without saying that marketing is fast-paced and change is inevitable. So you’re not afraid to address problems head on. And you don’t leave any stone unturned to resolve a situation. Better yet, you’re always thinking ahead and proactively working with your clients to head off any roadblocks before they even occur.  

Get started on your account management reset!

Whether you choose to focus on all of the skills above or one or two, chances are if you stay committed and focused the possibilities are endless for a successful 2022 as an account manager. What are you waiting for? Get out there and ‘Rock Your Relationships.’  

How do you describe a mom who is ready to re-enter the workforce and the marketing world after spending the past two years almost exclusively at home with toddler twins? Nervous. Excited. Anxious.

Will my sleep-deprived brain remember what to do? The marketing world is so fast-paced – is my skill set still relevant? How will I juggle all the things? As the self-doubt crept into my brain, I sat down to make a list. What do I need to do to be successful in my next workforce venture?

Ready to e-enter the workforce? Prioritize. Then, prioritize. And prioritize again.

Make a daily to-do list. First, what has to be accomplished today? Second, what can wait until tomorrow if the day doesn’t go as planned?

Set an alarm, and don’t hit snooze.

Whenever possible, wake before the rest of the house. Enjoy an early morning workout, or get a head start on work. Maybe drink a cup of coffee in silence. Then, get yourself mentally prepared for the day ahead.

Always prep the night before.

School lunches, snacks, clothes – the list goes on. Nothing is worse than waking up to realize ALL THE THINGS need to be done. So doing them the night before relieves this particular anxiety.

Learn to say ‘No.’

There are only 24 hours in a day. It’s ok to politely say no, I don’t have the bandwidth for that project or school activity.

Ask for help.

You can’t do it all, and you shouldn’t have to.

Re-enter the workforce by refreshing your marketing skill set.

Learn something new! Take a social media course. Or, follow a new marketing blog. Perhaps do a tutorial or a webinar.

These are just a few of the things that made it onto my growing list. After a few sleepless nights making this list, I then realized it was missing something very important. Probably the MOST IMPORTANT!

**Choose an employer who values my commitment to my family as much as my commitment to my job.**

Because the truth is without this, I can do all of the other things extremely well and still be unsuccessful when I re-enter the workforce. Since this item became super important on my list, another more meaningful list emerged describing this dream-employer.

• Choose an employer who doesn’t care when I clock in and out.
• Stick with an employer who understands life happens. Sick kids happen. Doctor’s appointments, house and car emergencies, and extracurricular activities all happen too.
• Work for an employer who values what I bring to the table, and my encourages my professional development.
• Value an employer who values me as a person. This would be an employer who cares what is happening in my life and wants me to be as successful at home as I am on the job.

At the end of the day, valued and trusted employees are happy. They do great work. And, they tend to stay at their jobs. It doesn’t matter if that work is getting done at 8:00 am or 8:00 pm.

I’m happy to say I have found that employer with Front Porch Marketing.

I’m new to the team, but I can’t express how excited I am about this opportunity to re-enter the workforce.

I want to do great work for myself, my team, and my clients, but Front Porch understands I’m a mom first. And with that, every day comes with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Is it going to be hard? Yes. Will it mean some late nights and early mornings? Sure. But moms tend to just figure things out. Woman-owned companies get things done! So, pour me another cup of coffee because I’m ready!

Meet our new favorite Fellow

Romania Johnson comes to us from Dallas College this semester, and is part of the inaugural cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows Program. Julie, our Chief Rocker, has been a part of the 10K for awhile now often shares what she learns with us, so she couldn’t wait to be part of this next endeavor of theirs, the 10,000 Small Business Fellows Program. We asked Romania a few questions (like we do) so y’all can be as excited as we are that she’s part of the Front Porch!

What do you think the biggest misconception about marketing today is?

That it’s a commercial with a jingle.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient, everything’s a process.

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far in your career path?

Write, write and write. Write things down. They help you learn and remember.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

Somewhere warm and tropical but not Texas hot.

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

My mother. I have so many questions.

If you could describe Romania Johnson in three words what would they be?

Silly, dependable and tenacious.

What is your favorite thing about college?

Learning! I’m glad I’m older because I now appreciate the value in education.

Tell me about a major milestone in your life?

Going back to school after 40 years.

What is a fun fact about you?

I’m a great grandmother of two.

What’s in store for Romania Johnson on the Porch?

We hope she likes it here! We’ll take a cue from her and set her to writing, writing, writing straight away. Look for a blog post or two from her this fall. Welcome to the Porch, Romania!

It only takes one person to believe in you.

These words truly resonate with me and are greatly exemplified in the connections I’ve made, both professionally and personally. From being an intern to an associate to now a coordinator, this past year and a half has been an introspective journey that I wouldn’t have changed for the world. 

During the peak of COVID last year, I thought that my plan to gain work experience before graduation would result in a dead end. Originally, I had an internship to work for Eatwith, an authentic culinary experience company, in Barcelona. Then that internship was cancelled due to the national travel ban – one that was completely understandable. Since the summer was about to begin, internships were filled and I worried that I would have a huge gap in my resume.  

Then the best thing happened.  

I shared my story about my internship falling through on Facebook and a friend of a friend led me to Julie Porter, CEO of Front Porch Marketing. From day one I felt like I was an equal to an empowering group of women. A team that truly embodies the meaning of fostering growth in one another, professionally and personally. I couldn’t believe my luck!

As an incoming marketing intern, I learned what felt like a million and one things about the marketing field all at once. From jargon to WordPress to branding, the marketing world was my oyster. Before I knew it, the summer was over and I had experience in working not only with one industry but over five – ranging from beauty to education to technology! 

Upon starting my senior year at Baylor University, I was honored when Julie asked me to continue working for the FPM team. As the new Digital Marketing Associate, I started working more autonomously on client’s websites, content creation, and branding documents. The workload was more intensive and my passion for marketing continued to grow with each passing day.

Those days quickly became a blur and before I knew it, I’d graduated from Baylor University with honors in May. As a graduate, the next stop was decidedly to get my MBA and hone my digital marketing skills. Although it seemed simple enough, the advice I received through my network ranged across the board:

The first connection wanted to connect me with Omni Hotel & Resorts in Dallas.

The second connection wanted me to work for American Express in New York.

The third connection wanted me to get my MBA at Baylor University. 

The fourth connection wanted me to get my MBA at an IVY League University.

And the fifth connection wanted me to re-pursue my interest in working internationally. 

What felt like initially one path, quickly turned into multiple forks in the road.  

The Fork I Took

Through reflection, time, and encouragement my future path is now clearer than ever. Although I’m truly sad to be departing from a company that has become like a family to me, my newest venture is now taking me to Omni Hotel & Resorts where I will be the new Digital Media Coordinator. I cannot wait to apply the lessons, skills, and insights that I’ve gained at FPM to the hospitality industry. I couldn’t have asked for better guidance than what I’ve received from the women of FPM. Without a doubt, I know what those who work with FPM in the future will see exactly what I have been privy to this past year and a half, a team of ladies with love in their hearts for not only the company’s mission, but for each other. 

In Conclusion

I love you ladies! Thank you for always encouraging me to find my aspirations in life. I cannot wait to take on the next step in my journey with ya’ll cheering me on. This company and each and every one of ya’ll will always have a special place in my heart.

GenZ is Up and coming

Learn GenZ marketing strategies to market to this up and coming group as they become more involved in the economy. They use social media apps to shop, care more about knowing a brand and what they stand for, and are more receptive to different marketing strategies. As a member of GenZ myself, I know the in’s and out’s of how members of my generation think and shop. I also know what types of marketing they are the most drawn to.

Social Media Changes Everything for GenZ Marketing Strategies

What differentiates GenZ from prior generations is that we have grown up in a world where technology is changing by the year. We have used social media to our advantage, especially in terms of purchasing products or familiarizing ourselves with brands. According to a Forbes article, 95% or GenZ consumers use social media as their top source of shopping inspiration; 65% use social media to find entertaining content; and 61% are specifically interested in watching more video content. The most common social commerce platforms for GenZ are Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. These apps are leading the way because of their easy checkout process, limited distractions, and ability to explore other recommended brands. Also, many members of GenZ will purposefully like and follow appealing brands so the algorithm will recommend similar brands.

Brands Have to Speak Up

Another thing about GenZ is that most of us are unafraid to take a stand about issues that matter to us. Especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic and black lives matter movement upwards of 78% of GenZ’ers have said that these events have shaped their worldview. Brands remaining neutral on these issues are no longer an option. GenZ’ers are becoming more and more reluctant to purchase from brands who do not present a stance on major world events. Additionally 79% of GenZ agreed that companies behaving more sustainably has become more important since the pandemic. This generation has an attitude that can change the world for the better and want brands to do the same.

New GenZ Marketing Strategies

GenZ kids are more receptive to video media and get their product recommendations from different places. Social media influencers have played a huge role in marketing and GenZ are very receptive to this tactic. Influencers will show off their favorite products routinely on social media and because they have built trust with their audiences, Generation Z’ers are more likely to purchase a product if a trusted influencer recommends it. Also, a brands social media aesthetic and presence are crucial. I can attest to the fact that a brands Instagram feed/aesthetic is one of the main attention grabbers for me which ultimately could lead to me following or purchasing from them.

The Change Upon Us

Businesses will have to adjust their marketing campaign tactics if they want to keep up with GenZ. They demand more from businesses in terms of usability, online presence, and advocation. Social media is playing a bigger role than ever before and change is definitely upon us.