9,490 days ago, I started Image Quest with a creative director and one client after a ten-year career at Channel 10 (CBS and FOX). There have been so many changes in my professional and personal life since then: one divorce, one marriage, 14 PR Directors, six digital directors and six creative directors, 13 marathons, and hundreds of spin classes.
In the course of time, we changed the agency name to IQ, almost went with Platypus 7, and then settled on Knoodle. We found an office 25 years ago at 12th St & Camelback upstairs, moved to the ground floor 21 years ago and renovated the agency. We added a Spanish language division, closed it two years later, added digital in 2016, and built a production/podcast studio two years ago.
Every day has been different. Every relationship has been worth having. It’s been exhilarating and rewarding. And now there is one more change: Next year, I will pivot from CEO to Founder. My business partner Sandra Guadarrama Baumunk takes the CEO seat and company ownership, and thankfully the day-to-day operations and personnel. I continue to grow cause marketing, oversee media, develop strategy, conduct research, connect new prospects to the agency and change roles.
I’m not retiring, downsizing or striking a yoga pose. I initiated this change because it’s time. Sandra will bring a fresh perspective to running the agency and I look forward to watching her embrace it.
What will I do? I’ll take vacations, sleep in until six and not check my phone every five minutes. I’ll spend four or five months a year in Sicily, speak fluent Italian, and consider personal training. It’s never too late for a six pack. Or another marathon. Or a new way to look at the world.