Greetings in this New Year!

2008 is a special year for me as it marks the 20th Anniversary of my business, Quality Service Marketing.

I began Quality Service Marketing in 1988 for a number of reasons.

Here are excerpts from my notes that year when I contemplated leaving my job in bank marketing. I wrote that I wanted:

• Less frustration in a corporate environment I was not happy with*
• More control over my career
• More opportunity for greater achievement
• More time and flexibility to be with my family.

*I also found this note: “Reminder: Yes, it really was that bad!”

Making the Big Leap

I weighed the pro’s and con’s of being self-employed (I’m not a risk-taker by nature), talked with my colleagues who had taken the plunge, and tried to figure out how I could start a business focused on internal marketing and services marketing. (Back then, most self-employed marketers specialized in advertising/marketing communications, public relations, or market research.)

My first deliverable was a service quality management development seminar. Over the past 20 years, my client work has evolved to include more marketing training and marketing/strategic planning facilitation – with an emphasis on employee-customer care through internal marketing – for nonprofit and for-profit service-based organizations.

Going out on my own 20 years ago was one of the best decisions I ever made, next to marrying my husband. Seriously, I couldn’t have done any of this without his love and encouragement. (Although he’s getting impatient waiting for the big bucks to pour in … ).

Thanks, Michael. Thanks, also, to Jason (my son and primary source of tech support) and to my clients and colleagues, who continue to teach me so much.

Here’s to Quality Service Marketing’s next 20 years!