My studies also took me to Costa Rica for a 6 month internship. A decision that would change my life forever. It’s where I met my wife Kristin in La Fortuna on a Friday the 13th. The same day we would get married 3 years later in sunny San Diego. It’s where we now raise our two beautiful children, Theo and Avani.

That was in 2012 after finishing up my studies in Germany and then moving to Southern California. I got hired shortly after by international tech start-up Symbaloo, where I would spend almost 7 years taking my professional growth and personal development to the next level. I navigated everything from content creation, community management, and campaign strategy; to affiliate, event and inbound marketing; all the way to data analysis, partnerships & networking and the transition to a SaaS revenue model. The start-up life provided me the opportunity to learn, try, fail, iterate and succeed in all sorts of ways. I’m reaping the benefits ever since. Personally, I worked on improving my managing and relationship building skills, learning how to lead and how to learn, as well as how to see the bigger picture.

Beyond the world of marketing, branding, and business development, I’ve always been interested in the future of work itself. In 2016 I pushed to move the US operations to work remotely, and have since seen both productivity and team member happiness increase substantially. On top of that, I question the ‘productivity’ of US corporate specialists working 9-5 without agency, freedom or any profit sharing. Not to mention the current exploitation of gig workers without even basic labor protections.

I happen to believe there is a better way to do business. 

I’m a generalist. I find that long term, sustainable success stems from having a broad spectrum of skills and interests, experimenting with many different paths and seeking out a breadth of experiences. Integration is key. With my friend Tino I help others expand their horizons by publishing a weekly newsletter: every Friday rekonzept is sending out the Reminder. A weekly dose of what we looked at twice that week and thought was worth sharing. 

Now, I’m on a mission to cut the bullshit. And I mean (in) business:

• I work with clients 1:1 to do what I call no bs marketing. We locate where the business/product/service is in its life cycle, identify the added value and build a lead generation platform to deliver insights about the business/product/service and the way it solves the customer’s problem. Finding ways to connect that work for both the client and their client is key. Perhaps it’s Instagram ads, perhaps it’s a handwritten letter, perhaps it’s a landing page. There is only one way to find out.

• I co-founded Xhale Agency to deliver long lasting brand relationships through experiential (event) marketing in the cannabis industry. The pandemic cost us a lot of business and opportunity, but we have since pivoted to build another form of ‘promotional experience vehicle’. We have a bit of funding to get rolling, assembled a great team and are very excited to launch soon, hopefully by the end of the year.

• I’m actively seeking out full time, remote employment to create more financial stability for my family in these uncertain times. I offer a unique perspective with over 15 years of marketing experience and a broad skill set developed in multiple industries and markets. I know I can add value to – as well as learn from – any organization. I thrive with responsibility in a collaborative team with members that care for one another.

I’m an outdoorsman at heart, an avid reader and a committed father. When I’m not creating something on the web or working in a collaborative space, you can find me cooking, hiking, keeping up with German soccer leagues and spending time with my family. I long to create a more sustainable and generative future for our planet. I remain curious, humble and engaged.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, want to work with me or have a job offer, please find ways to reach me below.

Best,
Thomas

Last Update: August, 2020