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Career Changer: Gloriane Yi goes from New York to LA to San Francisco
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In this ongoing series I will be featuring a variety of successful people who have made career changes in 2009, despite the bad economy, to inspire those of you thinking of making that drastic change! Gloriane Yi was a Media Supervisor at Universal McCann and worked for years in advertising in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
She voluntarily left agency life and traveled through Europe and Asia for a good portion of 2008. At the end of 2008, Gloriane was hired by her brother-in-law to head up marketing for a clothing line called Metal Ink. Now in 2009, Gloriane started providing public relations, event marketing, and copywriting services in addition to social media and marketing strategies to a few other clients. She decided to start her own business, Superlative Communications LLC, and she is now living her dream of being her own boss!
What made you desire a change from your previous career?
Gloriane: I was supervising a digital media planning team and had just transferred from the New York to LA office. The 5 months I was in LA, I was unhappy and I realized I hadn’t felt motivated for a long time, more than a year. I came to admit that my job wasn’t a good fit for my personality, and neither was living in LA, so I quit corporate life and moved back to San Francisco, the city that had always felt most like home. I wasn’t quite ready to go back to work, so I traveled through Europe and Asia, as I’d always wanted to. Even though the exchange rates back in ’08 made it a financial Waterloo, it was very necessary to do it. I was able to recharge my batteries.
What career are you in now and what attracted you to it?
Gloriane: I started my own business, Superlative Communications LLC, in July of this year. I do more than advertising now. I offer marketing, PR, event planning and writing/editing services. I was lucky enough to get hired by my brother-in-law to do these things for the clothing companies he and my sister own, Metal Ink, Key Closet, Konquest, and Rawkn Jeans. I found that I really enjoy working on my own and having a flexible schedule. Of course I also derive more satisfaction from helping companies that my family owns succeed.
How did you prepare for your new career switch to gain experience and education?
Gloriane: I had a lot of tools and knowledge to build on, but I also relied on friends who work in fields that were new to me, asking them pedestrian questions and getting lots of helpful feedback. For example, I asked one of my friends who’s a PR director at a cosmetics company to look over my press releases and she went above and beyond, proofing them like an editor would and giving me tips and insider info on wires etc. Tonie, if you’re reading this, thank you!
How did you get your first big break in your new career?
Gloriane: Again, I lucked out, getting hired by family. By gaining experience doing the marketing, PR, event planning and website copywriting for the clothing lines, I was able to see that I really enjoy having a broader scope as opposed to focusing on media planning, which is only one part of advertising. It also afforded me the opportunity to make connections with celebrity publicists and agents, to whom I initially reached out in order to dress their clients. From there, it was through word of mouth, recommendations from friends and family, that I was able to acquire new clients.
What are some of the positives and negatives about your new career?
Gloriane: More positives than negatives, of course. I enjoy making decisions and having greater control over my schedule. I like making plans and executing them the way I see fit. I like that I have the time to really immerse myself in my client’s business and delve deeply into their target market. I didn’t have this luxury, or at least not to the same extent, when I was working at ad agencies, because you’re given so much that you usually end up having just a somewhat okay grip on everything.
Sometimes when things don’t go the way you planned or when a client has to reduce their activity, it’s difficult because you’re taking a direct hit. Overall though, I try to stay positive and in the end, the fact that you’re living your dream makes it all worth it!
What would you say to others thinking of breaking into your new field?
Gloriane: I think this goes for new entrepreneurs in any field—work hard because whatever you sow, you’ll be reaping in the next year or month or sometimes even day! Also be optimistic. It’s not just gestural, it’s behavioral, and it will change the way you look at everything, not just work, for the better.
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