Junction 32 Blog

I’m a huge fan of word searches. There’s just something about finding words hidden within all the letters that makes me feel accomplished. After scanning the page of letters intently, it’s as though the words literally jump off the page. I quickly highlight them and move to the next word hoping to complete the entire puzzle in under 90 seconds.

Project management is basically a giant word search.

There is a method to the madness; it’s all about identifying the key parts of the process to bring order to the chaos. Since I love doing that, I’m here to give you all the hints to the puzzle! After 4+ years of experience in project and resource management, these are nine steps I follow when helping my organization choose and complete projects. Whether you’re a PM by trade, a small business owner managing all your own projects, a volunteer project lead for a nonprofit or just researching the industry, these tips are for you.

If you don’t have marketing experience, you might feel like throwing your hands in the air and proclaiming: “I’m just not good at this!” We completely understand, but we promise that you have the power and talent to write your own, amazing messaging. 

This brings us to Kid President. Ever heard of him? The sweet and hilarious 9-year-old has 2 million subscribers on YouTube, has given a TED talk and lives by the motto “treat everybody like it's their birthday.”

If you could write down the best version of yourself and insert it into others’ minds, would you?

Would you believe me if I told you it’s possible?

Crafting a strong personal brand can push your influence to new heights and set a lasting impression with those around you. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, intrapreneur, volunteer or homemaker, a strategic personal brand will set you apart. It isn’t a question of whether your personal brand exists—it already does—but, does it say what you want it to say?

Remote work has a lot of perks. Our daily commute is usually just a few steps, we haven't experienced rush hour traffic in years, and on days when we just don't feel like getting out of our pajamas, well, that's okay.

But with all the perks, it can feel isolating at times. We don't have funny ugly sweater competitions at Christmas, office potlucks or even the casual "good morning!" greeting to our teammates when we walk in the door.

To combat the all-too-easy habit of isolating ourselves, we believe in investing in tools that keep our team connected. Here are our favorites:

In September, Jules and I had the pleasure of representing Junction 32 at Hubspot’s Inbound Conference. As customers, content consumers, and raving fans of Hubspot... our expectations were high.  

As soon as we stepped into the conference center, I realized I had done Hubspot an injustice. My bar for them wasn’t high enough! From signs welcoming me to Boston in the airport to my first entrance into Club Inbound, my expectations were immediately overshadowed by the presentation of this beautifully orchestrated and organized event.

A company can put on an aesthetically captivating event, but does the content match? Environment, perks, and attractions are great, but what will I walk away with to use tomorrow? The answer: inspiring content. When Brené Brown hit the stage, I became a true disciple. Boy, did Brené deliver to kick off Inbound in an impactful way. Since you weren’t able to join me to see the lights, the sets, the energy that is Inbound Conference, let me give you 3 takeaways from Brené Brown that will truly change the way you work, live, and connect with others in America today.

Have you ever sat at your desk, trying to force yourself to think creatively, and your mind was coming up with nothing?

Yeah, me too.

Have you ever heard the phrase “herding cats”?

Normally it’s delivered with sarcasm, an eye roll, and a knowing laugh from those listening.

I play the role of cat herder for Junction 32; but, I say that with affection and you’ll read why.

They say “knowing is half the battle.” I’m not entirely sure who “they” are, but I believe they are onto something. As a business intelligence analyst for Junction32, I have the opportunity to dig into data to draw conclusions about what’s working and what isn’t to help organizations make better fact-based decisions. I love getting to constantly learn new things, both about the businesses I’m striving to help and about how I can do my job better to further leverage the data for maximum impact. The more I know, and the more the business knows, the more we can use that information for continuous improvement.

I’ve always lived in the middle.

In my writing courses at college, I felt more business-minded and bottom-line driven then my creative and artistic classmates. In business courses, I felt way too creative for the black-and-white world of numbers and data. I thought the middle was a bad place to be. I thought the middle meant that I had no real speciality. Thankfully, as I’ve refined my passion and skill for content marketing, I’ve learned this: Living in the middle is my greatest strength.