You’re only as young as you feel or think. I’m reminded of that daily here at Mustang Marketing. While the owners of Mustang are in the same decade as me and some of our regular freelance staff remember what business was like with typewriters, the full-time staff I work with daily are a lot younger. I find it exhilarating and fascinating at the same time. They are a remarkably talented group that grew up with computers and the Internet as part of their daily lives, which has only enhanced their creativity and knowledge. And anything they don’t know is usually only a few keystrokes away. The office is filled with various musical tastes, and they even indulge my love of 70s classic rock occasionally.
I like to think we learn from each other. I know I learn from them each day. First, I will stipulate that none of them are the typical generation “whatevers” you might read about that don’t have a plan and are waiting for life to hand them something. They all bring their A-game every day. We challenge each other, openly disagree, freely exchange ideas—and this generally helps us. But it really benefits our clients. From a small agency, our customers reap the results of exuberant youth, energy and creativity balanced with the experience and polish that comes from many years in business.
It didn’t take long to establish this balance. My co-workers assumed that because I was old, I must know something—I had children their age! And by the same token, I assumed they knew everything there was to know about the latest technology in web and social media. Fortunately, we were both right. I could look at their work and it was evident that they knew a lot. And what they didn’t know, I could help with. As a result, Mustang has a slew of satisfied customers. We are busier than ever, so something is working. I think it’s Mustang’s unique mix of the old—ahem, “experienced”—and new; and, more importantly, the willingness to look beyond age and see talent. This is the mix that keeps customers happy and the office jumping. Lucky us!
When my co-workers look at me confused when I complain about how horrible thermal fax paper was or the inconvenience of pagers and pay phones, they tell me there’s an app for that now.
-Dianne McKay
Director of Business Development