Jennifer Nunez

Growth begins from within, which is why Jennifer Nunez is helping others with Growth Empowered Marketing, or GEM. She not only provides marketing services, but has created a community for marketers to support one another.

Read on to learn more about Jennifer, her business, and why she’s passionate about helping others.

Hustle Amsterdam (HA): Where are you from? And what brings you to Amsterdam? 

Jennifer Nunez (JN): I’m from Sunny Southern California and I’m here because my partner is Dutch and I chose to move. We met in Peru four years ago and I’ve been living in Amsterdam now for over 2 years. 

HA: Tell me about your business? What is your mission? 

JN: My mission is to raise the marketing bar! Marketers get put into the working world with only some book knowledge for the most part. The real learning process begins with the first job in their industry with hands-on experience. The marketers community is being built to help each other get through challenges, meet others from various industries, and support each other. This is done by both in person meetups as well as online training sessions with experts in various fields within marketing such as product, design, and SEO.

HA: How are you handling our new “normal” due to the coronavirus outbreak? What impact has it had on your business? How has the transition to working remotely been for you? Are you being strict with a routine or taking it day-by-day? 

JN: I’ve actually been working remotely for three years now so my life hasn’t really changed much fortunately (except for not being able to go hang out with friends or go to events, of course). Which means I already have a routine of sorts and things that are very important to me like a work/life balance. Being freelance means you’re almost *always* “on,” so I make sure to shut down by a certain time every night, get exercise at least three days a week, and get plenty of sleep. These ensure I stay healthy and sharp so there’s no wavering for me on these!

HA: Why Growth Empowered Marketers? What brought you to marketing?

JN: I started in marketing originally to help businesses (including any I potentially would start) to be known in the digital world. It’s evolved into so much more and only happened because I’ve been open to exploring both what I enjoy and what I’m good at.

The focus for the community is growth. I found that there was a huge gap in Marketing to get new entrants on a solid growth path. The focus is to help each other grow, increase our skills, and grow “from within” as I say, to constantly learn more about what you love and even what you don’t love. This comes best from asking questions, experiencing it yourself, and having someone help you through that process. In essence, training new marketers to empower themselves to constantly improve, but not alone.

HA: What is the current state of Growth Empowered Marketers? Do you have six and 12-month goals for your business? 

JN: It’s currently in build mode. I’ve built a small community here in Amsterdam so far as well as a few others throughout Europe to help support each other. I do have a goal to launch a mentorship platform in the next six months and to have a growing, consistent community in the next 12. So join up if you’re in marketing. 😉

HA: What kind of obstacles do you face in your company? How do you handle them?

JN: I face competition like any other business, so I strive to ensure my community, goals, and values are unique to what I’m passionate about and what the direction of the company should take based on what people need. 

I also face being found by the right audience, so I try to put myself in their shoes and see what their day is like, what their needs are and where they might find solutions to them so that I can be there when they need it.

HA: What has been your most successful moment so far? And how do you celebrate your wins? 

JN: Launching the training sessions was a great deal of work, research, discussions, and planning and I feel very proud to have started them and to be helping marketers. I celebrate these wins by planning more and improving upon them! I always ask for feedback (either in person or via survey) so that I’m sure to be listening and constantly evolving the services.

HA: How have you accomplished what you have? Did you go to business school? Did you wing it? Fake it till you make it? Get really lucky? 

JN: Funny you ask... just when you think you haven’t accomplished that much, you’re forced to consider what you’ve actually accomplished. I did actually go to business school — for marketing in fact. I’ve been in the industry for over eight years, but didn’t have much success in the corporate world, so I stumbled upon/was forced into the “gig economy” three years ago and couldn’t be more grateful. It’s made me more passionate about what I do, helps me to own it, and be much happier in the long run. The trick is to find out what actually makes you happy that you really enjoy. If you enjoy the stability of the corporate world or the drive of writing your own stories, put your heart into that!

HA: Did you fundraise for your business? If so, tell me about your experience.

JN: I didn’t, but I have spent a LOT of my own time and energy which is also very valuable, so I ensure that every task benefits the business in a positive way.

HA: How big is your team? And where are your team members located? 

JN: For now the internal team is just me, but everyone that I come into contact with contributes to my knowledge, experience, and research as I go along my career. I do consider my trainers and mentors as part of my team as well since without them, these sessions definitely wouldn’t be possible. I’m not an expert in everything so I find that lifting up the real experts in their areas is a much better experience for the Marketers.

HA: Do you have a favorite motivational quote? 

JN: A lot of things inspire me; when I read certain lines in books, attend certain events with a great quote from a speaker, or have a great conversation with a friend. But nothing motivates me more than what happens to be my kind of motto for Growth Empowered Marketers: Growth begins from within. The whole idea behind my company is to help others grow and in turn, it helps me grow as well by listening and constantly learning. 

HA: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? What do you wish you had known before you started? 

JN: First, have a plan and include lots of research. Starting a business is extremely time-consuming so you want to be absolutely sure it’s the right thing to start at the right time. 

Second, there is no guide book. Take advantage of that when you can and invent your own guide to fit your own personality and goals. 

Third, ask as many questions as you can; both before launching, during, and after. Always listening to what people need and want and constantly learning in general is much more important than your opinions. This includes making it a point to schedule time for events to meet new people. It’s been extremely important to my advancement and growth of myself and my network. You really have to be visible and out there constantly if you want to grow.

HA: How would you describe your working style? 

JN: Organized. I set up a schedule for as much as I possibly can so that I can determine priorities. I live by my calendar and set up a Calendly link to schedule in all of my calls with a Zoom link for example. I allow certain things to be flexible for my own sanity and forgive myself for things I didn’t get to. 

HA: When you’re not working on GEMs — where can we find you? 

JN: Exercising in some way or with my partner enjoying the city and spending quality time together.

HA: How do you find work-life balance while being an entrepreneur? 

JN: IMPORTANT! Related to the working style of being organized, it helps me put my life priorities in order as well as business ones. Vacation time is just as important as working for clients - it benefits everyone’s sanity and the quality of my work. This includes sleep and exercise as well. If I don’t get enough of either, I end up doing the work either more slowly or not as high of quality.

HA: What is your passion? 

JN: Helping people. I do a lot of volunteering, but I also didn’t get a lot of help throughout my career so it’s very important to me both personally and professionally. 

HA: What inspires you most about Amsterdam? Do you have any favorite spots to work or hang out?  

JN: Its beauty. Just taking a walk in the park reminds you how much care is put into keeping this city beautiful. I prefer to work at home personally though because it’s quiet and the internet is reliable, but if I’m in need of a little distraction or inspiration, I’ve enjoyed Zoku in Amsterdam East and small cafes. 

HA: Anything else you’d like to add?

JN: If you’re a marketer who would like to participate in the monthly in person meetups or the bi-monthly online training sessions with experts, follow GEM Eventbrite, or you can check out all of the resources on my website and sign up for the newsletters here: GEM resources.

Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn, follow GEM Services on Instagram @g.e.m._services, follow the GEM marketing community on Instagram @growth_empowered_marketers, give GEM a like on Facebook here and Marketers here, and follow Jennifer on Twitter here.