Answer: She was recruited by and joined an up-and-coming boutique tech agency founded by two women. Their mix of clients suited Angela since her client contact was frequently one of the top officers (or the head of the company). This was a wonderful opportunity for her to quickly develop her capability as a counselor to senior execs. She was also able to develop a network of confidential sources revealing industry shifts when only a handful of insiders knew what to expect.

Her perspective and judgment were spot on. If that were not the case, her career would have taken a different track. She was innately curious about technology, followed trends and identified businesses that were “hot.” She became an industry “insider” trading the latest “intel” with industry analysts

She was there for almost four years which is normally the critical time for agency executives to decide if they are interested in moving to a corporate position. The agency Director title translates to a mid-level corporate role so there is a natural fit for a transition and an adjustment to corporate values.

For Angela a corporate job was not an option. She was an entrepreneur at heart. She would never have been happy working in a corporate setting. It would have been constraining, too slow-paced and too bureaucratic. She needed to run a race and the Valley was the right place to see if she could “win.”

She loved the variety, complexity and intensity of working with agency clients. Instead of looking for what she considered a “safer” corporate job, she saw the potential to build a firm based on her values and the solutions she could offer start-ups as well as more established companies. One of her insights was about the scope of services to offer. She understood the power of PR as a tool for her clients but was not limited to one solution. She was an early adapter of digital and social media to contribute to an overall strategy.