Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa (Missie) Wilcox.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in New York, but Maryland has been my home since 1993. I arrived in Baltimore thanks to a mentor who believed in me and offered me the great opportunity to lead commercial marketing for USF&G when I was just 24 years old. I took advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow, asking many questions and saying “YES!” to every chance to stretch myself and bolster my skills.
After a few years, I was named the training team lead – something I didn’t know much about but was willing to learn. Little did I know that this would set the stage for my entire career in marketing and training. USF&G was sold around the same time that I was president of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and it was another opportunity to leap. MarketWorks was co-founded with a friend and great marketing leader, and we hit the ground running in 1998. The business experienced tremendous growth thanks to the network we built in Baltimore.
People call me the energizer bunny because I multitask and channel my energy to balance personal, professional, and community. Every day, I awaken with one question – what difference can I make today?
I currently serve on three nonprofit boards and have been a board member and volunteer for more than 10 different local nonprofits over the years. I believe it’s important to give back to the community that has given me so much. Personally, my husband and I live in Westminster with our two bulldogs. We raised two amazing daughters, who are not only talented but most importantly very kind. In my spare time, I am a lacrosse official and an avid Buffalo Bills fan.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve faced several challenges, especially given my career path. Marketing and Training happen to be two line items that find themselves on the budget chopping block when times get fiscally tough. My business has weathered the aftermath of 9/11, two recessionary periods, and most recently, the COVID shutdown. I worked to be flexible during those times and identified new ways to support my clients. I know that my continued stewardship of my clients, even if it didn’t always generate revenue, would come back to me when times rebounded. And thankfully, my clients stuck with me!
COVID taught me to pivot. My training practice delivers experiential training, with fun, interactive exercises. The pandemic lockdown took away that element, so I needed to develop new approaches to enhance participation from behind the screen. I became an expert in Zoom and Teams – and even picked up new clients as a facilitator of building a remote workplace culture.. These online trainings have become interactive webinars, granting both my clients and me more efficiency.
The biggest challenge for me is the work/life balance of being a working mother. Owning a business, being married, and raising two daughters who were involved in academics, arts, and sports is a huge balancing act. I am usually in my office by 5 am every day, to get my work done for the day. I set the expectations with clients about my availability and have only had one client in 20 years balk. As a result, I am fully present for BOTH my clients and my family. I didn’t miss a game or a performance – or a client deadline.
As you know, we’re big fans of MarketWorks. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Thanks for that! We are a marketing, training consulting firm known for both branding and leadership training. We established ourselves in the Baltimore area as a consulting firm relentlessly pursuing ideas to make our clients better. We have provided consulting to clients of all sizes, ranging from start-ups and nonprofits to Fortune 500 firms. The biggest compliment I receive is that I treat clients like they are my only one.
MarketWorks has retained clients that began with us back in 1998, and we continue to learn and grow with them. We also proudly were named a top 100 MBE in Maryland and the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s small business of the year.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting.
Be patient. I had great opportunities early on in my career, but I was still impatient. Hard work gets noticed, and your time will come. We are all on our own timetable. And always be willing to learn. Without seeking new competencies, I would not have been given the opportunity to grow and lead.
Be willing to take a risk. I always tell my girls that turtles only make progress when they stick their necks out. I was a horrible public speaker, but I took classes and relentlessly practiced. Did I crash and burn sometimes? Absolutely! But now motivational speaking is my favorite thing to do.
Get a mentor. I have had the privilege of having three mentors in my career – Glenn Anderson (USF&G) Tom Neubauer (Erickson) and Terry Neimeyer (KCI). All three pushed me to grow, held the reigns when I needed to slow down, had the hard conversations to get me over myself, and provided me with the chance to shine. The best way I pay them back is to pay it forward, and mentor others.
Contact Info:
- Website: MarketWorksMD.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-wilcox-a61ab9/
