Tom's Origin Story - Part 1

A client recently asked how I got into customer research.

Since I haven't told my story publicly,

I thought I'd share the short version:

As my Mom says, I was blessed with the curiosity gene.

I was the kid who was always asking WHY?

And not taking "that's just the way it is" as an answer (sorry, Dad).

I had this need to understand how things worked in the world.

Looking back, I had a very real pre-disposition for research.

But the big lightbulb moment happened largely by accident.

During my sophomore year in college, I took an Economic Geography class.

Not expecting much, I was immediately captivated.

The course melded business, sociology, politics, religion, and the environment.

Learning about the interconnected factors contributing to social and economic activity was eye-opening.

Everything in the world started to make more sense.

From there, I gravitated toward the human aspects of commerce, including market and customer research.

My first job out of grad school was doing consumer research and site location analysis for a publicly traded retailer.

My work, which I had to defend, supported multi-million dollar investments.

That set me on an eventful career path - doing interesting work that makes a difference.

I'm thankful every day to have found a profession that perfectly matches my interests and wiring.

Thanks to Dr. Joe Butler (1926-2012) for helping me find my path.

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Without a deep understanding of your ideal customers, growth (and stability) is a struggle. We help leaders and their teams gain customer clarity to capture and keep more business.

Questions? Reach out - I'm here to help.