I was sailing before I was born. Even nine months pregnant, my mother was crewing for my dad aboard a Pintail. Just weeks after my birth, my dad secured a strap-on infant bicycle seat to the back of the boat; I literally dangled over the water. Our summer vacations wer...

Determining your target audience is critical to your marketing success. And that determination is about a lot more than just a label of “donor” or “business owner.” Effectively reaching your target audience requires that you understand who these people are. What motiva...

We’ve all heard the old adage that “perception is reality” (whether that perception is accurate or not). In order for your organization to have its greatest impact and success, you must fully understand your relationships from the perspective of the other side (your cl...

Out of college, I worked for the Andrew Jergens Company (now known as Kao Brands). I rose through the ranks quickly to oversee claims substantiation, which is a fancy term for making sure we could legally say what we wanted to say about our products in advertising and...

We have long shouted from the rooftops about the importance of positioning statements as the foundation for all marketing initiatives. (After all, a message worth shouting is a lot more effective.) Girl on the Roof is routinely asked to assist with projects that are fu...

I was speaking with a client a few weeks ago about the appropriate order for developing and implementing a marketing plan. To me this is common sense, but it was a bit of a revelation for the client. He runs a large organization and has countless areas of expertise; ad...

I recently counseled a client through a difficult human resources issue. Like most human issues, it was not cut and dry.  I spent weeks evaluating, assessing and analyzing expectations, responsibilities, processes and performances. What I discovered is that while there...

I’ve often told people who work for me, “I don’t expect you to be perfect. We all make mistakes. It’s about how you respond to a mistake that matters.” 

I had a Project Coordinator named Melissa who was my eyes and ears at the main office of an ad agency in Louisville w...

Over the course of my career, I have served actively on eight nonprofit boards. Some of those organizations have had a pretty high profile, which enabled me to make some professional connections that helped strengthen my own business and expand my client base.

When peop...

On a walk one morning, my husband and I came across a deer that had been struck by a vehicle and lay on the side of the road. It was mortally wounded but still alive, terrified and suffering greatly. Having no control over its back legs, it thrashed with the front of i...