"Tell us a story."

They say if you pay attention, you learn something every day.  The more I do this work, the more I learn; and the learning makes me crave the work all that much more.

I had finished with a group of entrepreneurs early, and I opened the floor for discussion.  Expecting Q&A on the material we had covered during the course of the day, I was surprised when the request was, “Tell us some stories.”  What kind of stories, I asked.  “Tell us how you got involved in the work you do today.”

This was an interesting question, because it became a kind of self exploration for me.  Without a game plan, I grabbed a marker and headed to the white board to map it all out.

Telling stories in Kazakhstan.

The short-ish version of my story is that I created a program for an NGO is Washington, DC in about 1999 called the US Market Entry Program (USMEP).  The group that approached me wanted a simple bundle of marketing communication deliverables that foreign entities could use to help them prepare for doing business in the US.  A rep in Tunisia—good friend and frequent collaborator Rym Bedoui Ayari—jumped on and sold the program to several Tunisian companies.  And though the NGO group I originally designed the program for has ceased to be, lots of others see its value and promote it through their in-country reps.  It has led me to work on USAID-funded projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Tunisia and the Palestinian Territories, and allowed me to visit lots of other places, too.

I often now work as a trainer to help governments, trade organizations and companies ‘up’ their marketing game for the US and other growing market opportunities.  Recent trips include working with entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan interested in developing business relationships in the US, and abattoirs and live animal exporters in Ethiopia who want to increase their market share in the MENA region through an upcoming appearance at the 2014 Gulf Food Show in Dubai.

Working with abattoirs & live animal exporters in Ethiopia.

As I said, the explanation of the program was a journey of self discovery for me, and a validation that marketing fundamentals are still the basis for strong business growth and international development.  It also reminded me of my passion for my work, and why I do what I do.