Amber was born and raised in Santa Barbara, but has traveled far and wide and lived abroad.  She is a Marketing & Communications graduate from California Lutheran University.  SBCC is happy to have Amber exploring our Entrepreneurship courses.  She is taking both non-credit and credit courses. So far, she has completed Entrepreneurship: Opportunity Analysis, Entrepreneurship Law and the Entrepreneur Training Program.  Below, she shares her perspective in our first student e-Feature!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE?

Sitting in Opportunity Analysis and brainstorming for business ideas in small groups of classmates. The creativity was really flowing!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY.

When I decided not to take a regular salaried job again I put all my efforts into building a brand that people would recognize and understand what the business is about and want to be a part of it.

All Stages Marketing (ASM) is the business I started with my husband that brings together all aspects of marketing for small and medium businesses. The business model for ASM is inclusive for other consultants that can benefit from the infrastructure of a great business brand when going after clients and projects they might otherwise pass up as individuals.

Each consultant brings with them expertise from their experiences to build a spectrum of ideas and talents that can be carefully designed to fit the needs of clients. ASM is a full service specialty marketing company that stays competitive with the latest trends including social media marketing, search engine best practices, and online public relations.

The company was founded to build a working lifestyle that fits with the objectives of people and their working passions. Life is about keeping your balance and if that balance is broken, burnout is usually the result – totally what I experienced working for other companies that were not my own!

Thanks to the knowledge base I received from the entrepreneurship classes at SBCC, I made the jump between being an employee to an employer!

WHO IS YOUR ENTREPRENEUR HERO?

I loved hearing Doug Otto speak at SBCC about building a company that revolved around the lifestyle he loves – surfing! He also spoke about building a company culture that focuses on having the people at the core of the culture. This helped me realize that ethics needs to be a building block from the ground up, which helps motivate and keep a team culture alive. So many places I have worked don’t encompass this mission. Otto is a living and breathing example of ethical drive and passion for growing a brand authentically from the inside out.

Click here to find out more about Amber’s business.