I like to think of a leap year as a really special moment in time - like a spectacular comet, or a breathtaking aurora borealis, or an eagerly-anticipated rocket liftoff. After all, a leap year doesn't happen very often - only every four years - yet somehow, it doesn't seem to garner as much hoopla and waving flags and shiny metallic bling as fellow quadrennial event, the Olympics. Medal or no medal, podium or no podium, I think a leap year is like the bonus round - one extra day in the year to do something extraordinary.
This leap year of 2016 - on February 29, in particular - marks a really special moment in time for my professional career. It's the beginning of a new adventure as a local entrepreneur starting up my new communications consulting business - Maven & Mention - and I am so thrilled to embark on this journey!
Maven & Mention focuses on strategic communications and social media consulting for small- to medium-sized businesses in the Calgary area and beyond... featuring a wide range of in-house expertise in integrated marketing strategy development, content marketing, brand reputation management, social media, communications, community engagement, optimization and analytics.
It's been a long (and riveting) road to get to this trailhead - give or take, 15 years. Challenges overcome, successes celebrated, lessons learned, and many road-warrior miles traveled in the bustling arena of marketing, communications and PR across North America and Europe. This, plus schooling and credentials to boot.** Huge thank yous and high fives to my family, friends, former colleagues, classmates and mentors for inspiring me to take the leap!
I look forward to new adventures in amplifying the conversation, elevating brands, tracking industry trends and most importantly, building a community.
Feel free to reach out. Let's chat.
Cheers to the start of Maven & Mention! Happy Leap Year!
-michelle
**My credentials: BComm with Distinction in Marketing and International Business from the University of Alberta School of Business, Certificates in Social Media for Business (graduate) and Digital Communications (candidate) from Mount Royal University