Ballet + Spanish + Ambulance Chasing = ?
Hi, I’m Lauren Pawell, and when I tell people that I love helping businesses grow through strategic marketing leadership as a Fractional CMO, there’s often a bit of confusion about how I got here and why it excites me so much. /p>
So let me back up a bit and share more about my journey. It’ll help you understand why I’m so passionate about providing expert marketing guidance to businesses like yours.
Throughout my life, I’ve always pursued interests where I can get clear, immediate results and make a tangible impact.
While my varied activities may seem all over the map, there are some interesting similarities. Each of the major paths throughout my life, whether personal or professional, has always involved:
- finding a way to communicate with others, or
- gaining a specific result in a way that can be immediately and accurately tracked and then improved upon.
For instance, when I was 2.5 years old, my mom took me to see a performance by a local ballet studio, and I instantly fell in love. I wanted to learn how to dance as beautifully as the ballerinas on stage.
And for the bulk of the next 22 years, I devoted 40+ hours per week toward what I thought could eventually be a career as a professional ballerina.
You might be wondering what on earth this has to do with my business.
Let me explain.
For me, ballet was a beautiful, creative outlet to express myself within very strict rules and constraints. Also, I was able to track my improvement each day based on my teacher’s feedback, as well as whether or not I was able to turn out my foot further and raise my leg higher than the day before.
As I got older, my parents allowed me to continue devoting most of my free time ballet because I kept my grades up. Consequently, I became a decent student as well.
While I was in high school, my Spanish teacher, Ms. Levitre, pushed me in a subject I excelled at. She showed me how new languages allowed me to learn an entirely new set of constraints by which to both:
- express myself and
- learn about people who saw the world differently than I did.
In college, I ended up pursuing a major in Spanish, which led me to study abroad in Spain for my entire junior year. I loved that I was able to measure how well I mastered the language by my ability to converse (or not) with locals. As a result of all this, in addition to acquiring a new language, I also developed an empathy and a love for learning how other people live.
During this time, many of my extracurricular pursuits (outside of dance) were related to Spanish:
- I made money tutoring local high school students.
- I got a summer job taking students to Costa Rica and helping them immerse themselves in the local language and culture.
- I volunteered at low-income schools where many of the students’ first language was Spanish.
Well, as you probably noticed, once I become interested in something, I pursue it fully.
My passion for foreign language eventually propelled me to pursue a trilingual MBA program in Europe. Eventually, I landed in Brussels, Belgium, to work in sales and marketing for a European medical device company. I had a wonderful opportunity to juggle 3 different job responsibilities at once…none of which I was remotely prepared for: EMEA product specialist, distributor support, and CRM assistant.
While I learned quite a bit at this job, I was consistently working 60-70 hour weeks for 3 years, and to be honest, I burnt out.
I distinctly remember when it happened. I was on the train coming back from a really tough heart attack case at a hospital in Ashford, England. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. Including an intern mistakenly instructing me to grab the patient’s family and bring them to the operating room so they could break the news that he wasn’t going to make it. Talk about high-stress.
On my way home, sitting in that train car alone, I first thought: “F*** this sh**.” (Pardon my French, but that’s truly what came to mind at that moment.) This thought then led to “Why on earth am I doing this?” and I immediately broke down sobbing.
It was my 24th birthday. What a celebration, right?
Little did I know, this moment was a huge gift as it pushed me toward becoming a business owner.
The reality was, I was tired of working my butt off, as one of the top performers in the company, only to have very little control over my destiny — financially, professionally and personally. Not to mention, there were a whole host of challenges that come with having a corporate job, that quite frankly, I was no longer willing to tolerate.
Wanting to stay in Europe and figure out my next career move, I moved to London and trained for six months at a digital marketing agency. During that time, I discovered a love for the digital marketing world, which was fast-paced and very results-oriented. However, when I completed my 6 months of training, I received a job offer that was far from appealing — I wouldn’t have been able to live on the salary in London, let alone pay for the required flights back and forth to the US every 3 months because the agency was unwilling to sponsor me with a visa.
Frustrated that working for others wasn’t providing me the freedom to pursue life the way I wanted — professionally, personally, or financially — I didn’t see any other choice than to create my own business and finally find the path that worked for me.
While working with large, global brands at the agency in London, I realized that the strategic marketing insights I was developing could make an enormous difference for small and medium-sized businesses as well.
I saw a gap in the market – these businesses needed high-level marketing expertise but often couldn’t afford (or didn’t need) a full-time CMO.
This realization led me to move back to the U.S. and start my own company over 13 years ago, eventually evolving into the Fractional CMO services we offer today.
What sets our Fractional CMO approach apart is our commitment to education and true partnership. I view my role not just as a service provider, but as a strategic advisor and collaborator in my clients’ success.
This philosophy often surprises prospective clients. Many are used to working with marketing agencies that focus on upselling services rather than providing tailored, strategic guidance. Our honest, transparent approach – sometimes even advising that our services aren’t the right fit – is often a refreshing change.
One common misconception I’ve observed is that businesses often invest heavily in surface-level marketing assets (like websites) while neglecting strategic audience building and nurturing. As a Fractional CMO, I help clients flip this formula. Instead, we focus a majority of our efforts on strategic marketing initiatives that drive real business growth.
This approach ensures that our clients’ marketing efforts are always aligned with their business objectives, delivering measurable results and sustainable growth.
After 13+ years of working with clients as a Fractional CMO, I’ve observed a clear pattern.
Businesses that focus the majority of their resources on exploring and implementing strategic marketing initiatives – rather than just surface-level aesthetics – are the ones that thrive long-term. This insight forms the core of our exploratory and adaptive marketing approach.
Clients often express relief when they realize they’ve found a marketing partner who’s not just selling services, but is genuinely interested in exploring their unique business landscape. As your Fractional CMO, I’m committed to embarking on a journey of discovery with you – listening to your objectives, understanding your challenges, and exploring strategies that align with your specific needs.
I’m innately drawn to exploration, both in my personal life and in my role as a Fractional CMO. This spirit of exploration drives me to continually seek out new strategies, technologies, and approaches that can benefit my clients. It’s about guiding others on their own path towards entrepreneurial freedom through innovative marketing leadership.
As your Fractional CMO, I channel this exploratory spirit to:
– Uncover hidden opportunities in your market
– Translate complex marketing challenges into clear, actionable strategies
– Develop comprehensive, yet flexible marketing roadmaps
– Help you navigate the ever-changing digital landscape
My ultimate goal for every client is to instill a sense of confidence and excitement about exploring new marketing frontiers. With expert guidance, you can pursue your unique version of success – whether that’s personal, professional, or financial freedom. We’ll explore uncharted territories together, focusing on the most effective strategies, saving you time, money, and frustration.
Ready to embark on a transformative marketing journey? Let’s start with a complimentary Exploratory Call.
During this call, we’ll:
– Explore your current marketing challenges and opportunities
– Discuss your business objectives and vision
– Outline how our Fractional CMO services could guide your marketing exploration
It’s time to set out on an adventure towards strategic marketing success. Let’s partner to elevate your business to new heights, so you can run your company and live life on your own terms.