Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Dempsey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lindsey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After graduating from U of A in 2005 (Bear Down!), I was extremely lucky to get my first job out of college as a Marketing Project Manager for Apollo Group (parent company to University of Phoenix). From there, I worked my way to the PR department where I where I joined the team starting the Community Relations Department. After my time at Apollo, I landed a dream job as the head of Marketing for Yelp Phoenix. There I spent five amazing years planning large parties to raise awareness for local businesses, coming up with out of this world ideas to raise brand awareness for Yelp (Take a look at the #YelpSnackStadium during the Super Bowl!) and wearing every Marketing hat as the solo Marketing representative for Yelp Phoenix. PR, Writing, Training, Media Spokesperson, Event Planning, Social Media Specialist…you name it, I did it for Yelp Phoenix!
In 2015, my husband and I welcomed our first daughter and it was at that time that I realized I would like more flexibility with my schedule and that it was time to start my own business where I could use my experience in Marketing to help businesses grow. At that moment, Elite Market Savvy was born! Since then, I have had the honor to work with incredible businesses throughout the Valley and connect them with their audience through Social Media, Community Awareness Campaigns, Experiential Marketing Events and by working closely with the influencer community to connect businesses with the bloggers. But what I really love to do is come up with out of the box ideas that will make a business stand out and I love to find businesses who are willing to take that chance to try something different! To learn more, visit my website.
While Elite Market Savvy is my day job when I’m not running around town being a tour guide for my two little girls, I still love connecting people with all the latest and greatest happenings around town, so now I focus that passion towards family-friendly fun around town. You can follow my adventures on my Instagram handle at @MyKidsTourGuide. I am also proud to share that I recently checked off a bucket list item and published my first children’s book, Tales From Harley – Licorice Lane! https://www.amazon.com/Licorice-Lane-Harley-Lindsey-Dempsey/dp/0692941460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536380991&sr=8-1&keywords=licorice+lane
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely, everything worth fighting has many, many bumps in the road! If it didn’t, then everyone would be able to do it! The day I decided to leave my job doing something I absolutely loved for a company I adored, was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. However, I wanted more flexibility to be able to watch my children grow up. I wanted to be there at music class. I wanted to take them to the Children’s Museum on a random Wednesday without taking a “vacation day.” I wanted to be able to take them to school, pick them up from school and do everything in between. It was incredibly disappointing that the corporate world still doesn’t trust the employees with a proven track record of success to take on the responsibility to meet work goals while still being a parent and I discovered that being my own boss would be the only way I could achieve that flexibility. However, it also gave me a whole new set of challenges. I took a leap into a dark ocean without knowing what was swimming underneath and I just started swimming and have tried to stay afloat ever since! It was the best decision I ever made and the scariest one at the same time.
What I’ve come to learn is that at the very moment you think it’s too hard and you want to quit, that is the moment you are on the verge of something great. During that time, if you can just stay strong, stay focused, have faith and keep on swimming, you will be so very happy you did. My advice to any woman, whether they are just starting out or have been doing something for years is the same. If you have a passion and you want to pursue it, do it. Don’t let anyone stand in your way. If you want to be both a working Mom and a stay at home Mom and a corporate job won’t give you that chance, then create your own opportunity. If you have a passion that you want to share with others, then create a blog and social media handles and start sharing it with the world. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Don’t be tricked into thinking every other woman has “got it all figured out.” We are all the same. We are all putting a big smile on our face and keeping that smile on our face through thick and thin. My hope is that women go out of their way to support each other. If you see a Mom post about the desire to find a job remotely so she can stay at home with her kids, take a couple minutes and message her any ideas that might come to mind. If you see a woman has just started an Instagram handle with only 50 followers, go out of your way to like and comment on her posts to give her the encouragement to continue. Everyone deserves someone smiling at them each and every day.
Please tell us about Elite Market Savvy.
A colleague of mine recently told me that my biggest attribute that makes me stand out from the rest is my ability to come up with some wild, out of the box ideas for businesses. I laughed because it’s true and it’s my favorite part of my job, but I never really thought of it as a leading attribute to my services until she said it!
When I started my own business, I wanted to create a service that was custom to my client’s needs. Every business is different. They have different missions, different goals, different offerings, different budgets, different opinions and different hopes and dreams for their growth. Taking this into account, I work with clients to identify their realistic goals and work with them to achieve them through Social Media strategy and management, creative campaigns, community engagement, reputation management, out of the box ideas and connecting them with the group of influencers (bloggers) who will share their story with the target audience they want to reach.
I am incredibly passionate about helping businesses succeed and it’s not only my job but also my hobby. If I see a new business opening up, it is my passion to want to share it with everyone who is interested. If I see a business with a missed opportunity to reach their target audience, I give them some tips during my visit. I just love helping others succeed. I love telling their story. I love putting them on the map. I love connecting bloggers with these businesses so they can work together to achieve the common goal of keeping businesses alive!
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
If you have the confidence, an open mind, humility and the drive, you will succeed. Don’t walk into a new role expecting to take your boss’ job or think you should have their job. They worked really hard to get to where they are and it takes time to get to your end career goals. Instead, walk into that role with a passion and willingness to learn everything you can from someone who can act as your mentor. I take every moment in every day as a learning opportunity and 13 years into my career, I am still eager to learn and happy when a colleague shares their knowledge or experience. Be humble, be willing to work hard, be eager to help and you will learn so much and get to your career goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elitemarketsavvy.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mykidstourguide
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/elitemarketsavvy
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mykidstourguide
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Licorice-Lane-Harley-Lindsey-Dempsey/dp/0692941460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536380991&sr=8-1&keywords=licorice+lane
Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
