My Story

For a solid portion of my life, I was driven by a single dream: to become the chief marketing officer at BMW. We’ve all been there, right? “Chief Officer” – the ultimate leader; I’ll be that. I love marketing. I love BMWs. It’s a perfect fit. It’s the kind of dream that comes before you truly know who you are, your purpose or how you want to define your work and your life.

Suffice it to say, I am not the CMO of BMW, nor is that my goal anymore. Once I figured out what drove me, I found a new dream: to build a business centered on solving problems and helping people. That last part is key: Helping people gives me purpose, and I launched 615innovations with the mission of empowering small business owners to think outside the box, capitalize on new opportunities, and help take their businesses to new heights.

A few things to know about me:

First and foremost, I am an Aries through and through. So if you know anything about Zodiac signs, you may as well stop reading right here because you already know everything there is to know about me. But if you don’t know astrology, feel free to continue.

I never planned on being an entrepreneur — although my family is full of them. At the age of 67, my father retired from the first company he started in New Jersey. Then, at 70, he started a new one. In 2021, at 75 years old, he started yet another company mowing lawns. My mom took the plunge with him on their first company nearly 40 years ago, managing his books. She later decided to start a company of her own, while still managing his, and opened a girls’ clothing store. She saw a need in the market and wanted to fill it. I’ve followed in those footsteps many times.

I’m constantly solving problems. I don’t mean to be critical, but I’ve learned that when it comes to strategy, I can’t help it, especially when I see something that I think can be improved. Several times in my career I’ve identified areas where I thought I could fill a void or offer something new, innovative and valuable. Each time, without hesitation, I dove in head first (just like an Aries ram would), and made it my mission to figure out how to solve each challenge. And each time, “the powers that be” approved and funded my ideas.

I’m fearless. It wasn’t until one of my ideas cost me a whole lot of money that I realized what a risk taker I am. I am not afraid to go after what I want. I never settle and I certainly don’t give up just because someone tells me “no” a few times. (That part probably comes from being an only child.) I’m relentless in my pursuit of a solution — which means, if we decide to work together, I’ll be just as passionate about solving your challenges as I am my own. And, in true Aries fashion, the project isn’t complete until it’s perfect.

I love sales, and I’m competitive. I learned that in my early 20s when I started my career at Corporate Executive Board (now Gartner). Gartner provides best practices and research to C-Level officers and their teams, so it made sense that they would have the best and most exciting “sales bootcamp” culture. I embraced it completely and ended up loving the challenge of each prospect. Even more, I loved the sense of accomplishment I felt every time I made a sale.

I am rudderless without clients to help and businesses to serve. I pour everything I am into every client who works with 615i, and I have since day one of this business. Since September 2020, I have helped clients build their sales function, launch new lines of business, craft powerful stories then share them through relevant marketing channels, including local and national press coverage. Simultaneously, I’ve built training programs to bring all the experience I’ve gained in my career to more professionals here in Nashville and across the country.

I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I launched 615i in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nothing was certain. But I knew I had something valuable to share, and I knew there were people out there who needed help. Now, 615innovations is growing like crazy — our client base, our team and our network of expert partners — and once again, I find myself capitalizing on potential. When our clients grow, we grow. And that’s what pushes us forward, every single day.