Karin is an experienced b2b marketing expert with over 15 years' experience: from working for a creative agency to agile start-ups to FTSE 250 companies across the data, events and information sectors. She has worked in various Industries, including Retail, Telecoms, Healthcare, Education Technology, Energy & Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas, Mining, Manufacturing and Shipping.
Karin worked her way up the ranks to build and lead large global teams across different regions including Russia, Turkey and Brazil in brand marketing, digital and customer success. She joined the Connectd platform to share her knowledge and expertise with early-stage startups and broaden her advisory skills.
I want to see what's out there, learn and absorb what's happening in the startup world with the help of Connectd. It's already paying dividends. Connectd has really provided me with the chance to build my network and expose me to lots of people from many sectors.
What I've enjoyed most throughout my career, has always been building something from scratch. By that, I mean building teams, creating processes or writing blueprints to allow me to show the business how to change the way they operate and improve practices. I always had the thought I might one day do this for smaller companies, helping them to get the strategic support that can be hard to come by for early-stage founders. It seemed like the right time to leave permanent work, enter the world of freelance and build out my portfolio career at the end of last year.
When I left my last full time role, I planned to work with lots of different clients across different sectors but I also wanted to reserve some time to work with startups. I came across Connectd and immediately thought it was exactly what I was looking for: a platform where I could find startups that have a specific need, and then easily start conversations with them.
I've spoken to about five startups so far; I was quite surprised by how many interested founders there were. I'm now working with one out of the five after six months on the network. One aspect that I really enjoyed is meeting so many different people, and learning skills and knowledge that I can use with other businesses in other sectors. I'm gaining new transferable skills and also finding out that I already have knowledge and experience outside my marketing specialism that is useful for small companies.
I want to see what's out there, learn and absorb what's happening in the startup world with the help of Connectd. It's already paying dividend. Connectd has really provided me with the chance to build my network and expose me to lots of people from many sectors.
By building out a network now, it can open doors further down the line through recommendations and contacts. As an advisor that's something you should be doing for the startups you have connected or worked with. Particularly younger founders might not have a large network - I've already referred someone I know for technical web development, as that's not my forte.
When you get on board with a startup to help and give advice, there's so much you learn and so much you take away for your own personal life and for your career. So the learning aspect is something that shouldn't be underestimated. And the connections you make - who knows when they might come to fruition later on.
In the past, I've found one opportunity often leads to another and the Connectd platform should really help with that, making those connections that could lead to the next role or engagement.
Make sure you let people know - reach out on LinkedIn, make the announcement and people will get in touch with opportunities and support.
It's not three words, it's five! I would say 'fast tracking growth' and 'connecting people'.
‘Curious’, ‘wanting to make a difference’ and ‘positive’.
