“Take action on your ideas. Don’t let them sit in a bottom drawer…” – Tim Tyrell-Smith.
Tim Tyrell-Smith is a marketing, social networking and business coach focusing on small business, non-profits and individuals. A veteran executive in consumer marketing, Tim is also available as a professional speaker on marketing, social networking and career strategy topics. Tim started his marketing career with Nestle USA and has since worked in product management on premium brands including Nestle Quik, Tree Top Apple Juice, Mauna Loa Macadamias and Meguiar’s Car Wax. He was most recently Vice President of Marketing for a private equity owned food company in Southern California. Learn more about Tim as a marketing and career coach at Fixbuildanddrive.com or follow him on Twitter.
Tim is also a popular blogger and author. A career strategist, he is a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report, was featured in USA Today and is the author of two career books “30 Ideas” and “HeadStrong”. Tim’s blog “Tim’s Strategy™: Ideas for Job Search, Career and Life” has more than 2,500 subscribers and is read in 126 countries. Tim’s Strategy began in September 2008 as a way to give back to the community that supported Tim during his 2007 job search. He lives with his wife and three kids in Mission Viejo, California.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
Looking back, I think my undergraduate degree was more about socialization, leadership and structure. While I learned a lot, my time at San Diego State University was much more than books and class time. It was about maturing and stretching. It was also about boundaries as I had to work two jobs my last three years so I wasn’t heading off on spring break trips to Mazatlan with the rest of my fraternity brothers. I learned that I could succeed on my own.
I completed an executive MBA part time while working for Nestle. So glad I did it part time and after a few years of business experience. It made the content more relevant and applicable.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to build your own brand?
Mine came late. And it was driven by a job search in 2007. Four months that opened up a window. I crawled through the window and began exploring 38 ideas I had written in an idea book over the last 22 years. So many ideas and so little action! I decide to pick three of them to move on and one of the three was actually an “idea blog” called Quixoting (based on the life of Don Quixote) or “A Quest for New Ideas”. While I don’t write on that blog these days, it was a place I could share the ideas I did not launch. Maybe some one else could.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
I was a bit impulsive as a young marketer. I always wanted to “do” not “think through”. During my marketing training program I was assigned a sales territory in Southern Wyoming/Northern Colorado. While there I was so excited to sell a full truckload of pet food (my biggest sale ever). Turns out the inventory was sold out. I had to drive back to the store and apologize to the store manager. So I learned how business works and how departments have to work together. Later in my training while at a plant in Missouri, I made forecasting mistake that caused a few days of layoffs for the staff there. Something I always remembered as a marketer once I got on the big brands where a mistake has a larger consequence.
How do you measure success?
I guess I measure success on the results of those brands and people I impact. As a marketing and social networking coach, I love to see people’s eyes light up when they see an opportunity and jump to it. And when their business starts to grow as a result of our time together. As a blogger and career strategist, it is helping successfully navigate a job search or career change. It feels great to hear how you’ve helped someone.
SEE ALSO:
Maximizing Social Media with Founder of Windmill Marketing – Neal Schaffer
6 Ways to Build Brand using LinkedIn; 8 Basics for Creating Social Media Strategy
What is one advice that you can offer to your readers?
Take action on your ideas. Don’t let them sit in a bottom drawer. Pick a few and take simple actions to move them forward. This way you’ll get the world’s reaction to them. And learn how you feel as you spend time on each.
What do you do for fun?
My wife and three kids lead a very busy sports life here in Mission Viejo, CA (USA). Nearly every weekend is filled with soccer, lacrosse or football. Watching my kids play sports is awesome! I also like to run and read as time allows. :-)
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive? Are you Mac or PC?
I’m a big Mac guy. I write on a Macbook and live on my iPhone. There are some great tools that keep me productive such as HootSuite , Evernote and Audioboo as well as StumbleUpon. And I am, like everyone else, a big user of Twitter and LinkedIn. Probably a bit less of a Facebook user. :-)
It has become quite a challenge to try and experience all the tools coming available (Google+). But I’m trying to stay focused on those mentioned above for now . . .
Who would you like to see featured here ?
Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers
Jacob Share of Job Mob
Heather Huhman of Come Recommended
Ways to Connect with you:
Website: http://timsstrategy.com
E-mail: tim@timsstrategy.com
Twitter: @TimsStrategy
Facebook: http://ping.fm/JzZtF
LinkedIn: http://ping.fm/ZQ6vZ
YouTube: http://ping.fm/Y5B2Y
StumbleUpon: http://ping.fm/9ENIE
From: http://ping.fm/TUceb
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