Let’s start the new year with a little test.

Fact or Fiction? I worked for a tuxedo rental company pressing shirts, shining shoes, cleaning the vomit off of groomsmen’s outfits (evidence that someone had a bit too good of a time), sales, marketing… you name it, for about 8 years. It was my first job and I stayed with it until I completed my undergrad degree. Say whaaat?

Yup. it’s a fact! I worked for my family business, DuBois Formalwear (we did their website 😉) from a young age up until I moved to Minneapolis in 2012. My maiden name is DuBois and my dad owns and operates the business to this day.

What does this story have to do with this blog post, you may ask? I see it as the foundation for where I am today.  

The Entrepreneurial Spirit Runs Deep

I grew up around entrepreneurship; it runs in my family and it’s in my blood. I’ve watched many family members own and operate successful businesses. In addition, sales and marketing have always been a passion and come naturally to me. My cousin (who owns Healthy Home Heating and Cooling) and I joke that the DuBois family is fantastic at sales. My dad is the best salesman I’ve ever known and I’m not too shabby myself… it’s true that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree! 

One thing I always knew: I wanted to own my own business; whether that was taking over the tuxedo company or starting something new.

Discovering My Passion For Marketing

During my last two years at DuBois I had an opportunity to work in the marketing department where I really found my passion for marketing. Figuring out the best ways to generate leads, drive foot traffic into the stores, and ultimately book tuxedo rentals was a fun and creative challenge. I learned a ton in the early blogging and email marketing days and even dipped my toes into direct mail!

I remember asking one of my bosses at the time whether I should concentrate my college degree on marketing or management. I ended up choosing the latter because *he believed* it would be more applicable to anything I chose to pursue.

Running a Digital Marketing Agency

Fast forward to today and here I am, co-managing a company that does digital marketing for clients and my primary role is sales (or as I like to call it, building relationships and adding value 😉).

When Elizabeth came on board, I was truly able to step into my passion for building relationships and adding value to them. When I was a solo entrepreneur, I wasn’t able to do that. I was not only in charge of sourcing and building those relationships, but I was also strategizing with clients, designing and executing their website builds, and so much more. Here’s a secret: I do *not* consider myself a designer; I am much more of a big picture thinker and strategist. I know what looks good, but actually executing something that looks super stellar and is designed well is difficult for me. Elizabeth’s expertise in that area truly balances out my expertise, and we like to say we’re the perfect yin and yang partnership.

It's funny. When I take a step back to stop and think about where I came from and where I am now, I really have come full circle. Here I am living right back in the area where I grew up and continuing the family tradition of being an entrepreneur. The best part is that I get to focus my day-to-day on my passion and areas of strength and can trust my partner and team to fill in the rest.

Thanks for sticking around. As small business owners, we love meeting new people and broadening our horizons! Let us know in the comments what blog topics you’d like us to cover!

Cheers!

- Alex