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  • Writer's pictureTom Herman

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.

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