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Michelle Heffner
The Origin Story
I entered college like many Gen X’ers. I always knew I was going to college, but my only real academic role models were found in National Lampoon’s movie Animal House. Although, ever since I was a kid, I idolized Darren Stevens, Samantha’s husband on the television show Bewitched. Yes, one of the few characters with no magical powers. 🙄
I had all these big ideas of going into advertising. And because I was pretty good at art, I plotted my trajectory to world dominance like so:
Fine Arts degree âž¡ Madison Avenue âž¡ Success!
(Cue record scratching)
But mom and dad had a different idea. They said if they were going to continue to help me pay for my degree I had to become a business major, but they would let me pick which discipline within “Business.” Gee thanks! Turns out, that was probably the best use of parental controls in my young adult life. (Mom, Dad, if you’re reading this, don’t let it go to your heads.)
Turns out, Marketing was a pretty good choice. It satisfied my creative passion while also allowing me to flex my analytical affinity, which in the early days, I didn’t even know I had! Fast forward through the years — a couple of relocations and career changes, internet bubbles, great recessions, life — and those dual aptitudes have blended into what I like to call my secret sauce.
