In the book of life, there are many chapters. Today, I willingly close one of the happiest chapters of my life and certainly the one I’m most proud of from a professional perspective.
By now you may have heard the news that brandivate has been acquired by PromoCorner and that I will serve as president of the same organization. As with any major life change, I’ve experienced a range of emotions leading up to the public announcement today that brandivate will no longer exist as it has for the past two and a half years. As I’ve been supported by so many on my “accidental” entrepreneurial journey, I wanted to dig a little deeper and share how today happened and the lesson I learned.
Most of you know, I initially created brandivate as a vehicle to find a job. Prior to forming the company, my career was sagging and my confidence was in shambles. In other words, I was the quintessential rudderless ship from a professional perspective when I began to build a website that I hoped would showcase my professional talents and skills to the industry. But a funny thing happened on the way to finding a job – brandivate became much more than my initial vision of an online resume; it became a vehicle for my voice and, more importantly, became a self-sustaining and profitable company.
In mid-2016, I lost sight of my goal: to find an organization where I felt I could form a long-term partnership that would allow me to grow professionally. I lost sight of my goal because I did the one thing we warn all our clients not to do – I fell in love with my own brand. This was dangerous because it took my focus off my goal and I became known more as an industry speaker and writer than a business professional with sales and marketing skills. A good friend said it best at EXPO this past January when I shared my concern about my career crossroads: “You know what your biggest problem is? You’re known only as a thought leader – and there’s not a lot of money in only being a thought leader.”
It was an eye-opening moment for me as it was a tremendous compliment that also served as a huge reality check. At that moment, I stopped loving brandivate the brand. Instead, I looked back at my long-term goal and rededicated myself to its achievement – a HUGE learning moment for me.
As I did when I started brandivate, I laid my cards on the table for all to see. In every blog post, podcast, and conversation, I made it very clear that I was looking for an organization where I would have the opportunity to create long-lasting impact. Candidly, I was amazed with the people and organizations that expressed interest in not only what I do, but how I do it. I’ve been truly honored by the outreach of many in this industry.
After careful evaluation, I felt that the best long term partnership for me was with PromoCorner. I’ve long admired the work done by Joel Moore and his team and I feel that I will be able to augment that work. I’ll still send out a blog every Monday, but it will be housed at PromoCorner. Yes, there will still be an Adult Beverage of the Week every Friday around 4:00 PM EST, but it will be displayed on the PromoCorner social media channels. I will continue to speak at industry events, advocate for the industry in every way I can, and seek partnerships that add value to our industry.
In other words, you’ll continue to get the same Bill, just at a different address.
Yes, there is a bit of sadness as I say goodbye to brandivate – it’s always hard to say goodbye to something that is meaningful. But that sadness is tempered with an enthusiasm for the challenges that lay ahead and an excitement to work with an already great team at PromoCorner.
I look forward to writing the next professional chapter in my life and I want to thank each of you for your support of me, brandivate, and now, PromoCorner.
Bill is president of PromoCorner and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. In 2014, he launched brandivate – the first executive outsourcing company solely focused on helping small and medium sized-promotional products enterprises responsibly grow their business. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, developing operational policies and procedures, creating and developing winning RFP responses, and presenting winning promotional products solutions to Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.