We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Boschke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Being successful first means defining success on your terms. Not what society says. Not what your parents want. Not what you think you should be or do. Success means living your life exactly as you want to based on your rules of what a successful life looks like. If that means picking your kids up from school every day, or getting that C-level title, or taking care of your aging parents, or putting as much joy into this world as possible… The definition of success is exactly what you want it to be. And nothing more.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a marketer, a professor and a firestarter. After a 22 year run in the corporate world, I decided to start my own strategic marketing consulting business. And that was never the plan. I thought I would be a W-2 employee for the duration of my career, but I kept getting what felt like invitations from the universe to try a different path. So in the fall of 2021 I started Vogel Venture, a strategic marketing organization, with the mission to help small and mid-sized organizations drive growth and engagement regardless of team size or budget. The name Vogel means bird in German, which speaks to my heritage as well as my strategic (bird’s eye) approach combined with the tactical planning I bring to clients.

I’m is passionate about helping brands realize the power of marketing through storytelling backed by data. My approach is centered on putting the marketing building blocks in place to create a foundation that allows any size organization to quickly benefit from marketing.

I’m also a big believer in building a life by design and remembering that what we get paid to do is only one part of who we are as humans. Since 2008 I’ve been an adjunct professor at Metro State teaching an undergrad marketing class, and I sit on the board of directors for Breakthrough Twin Cities, a non-profit organization that helps high potential and under resourced kids get access to college. I started drawing birds as a creative outlet during Covid lockdown, and I’m using my illustrations to publish a children’s book. You can see my birds here: www.buddhabirdie.com

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivots are the best. They are the u-turn that puts your life in the direction it’s meant to be in. One significant personal pivot came when I ended an engagement to a person 6 months before we were supposed to be married. And then I ended up marrying my younger brother’s best friend from college, which was without doubt the best decision of my life.

My professional pivots have come after being thrown off the professional hamster wheel many times. I have been straight up fired twice and let go due to a restructure once. I’ve heard that you aren’t a true professional until you’ve been fired, so I’ve got that covered. After I left the corporate world, it felt like I took the red pill and exited the matrix. Let’s not forget what a job is… what you get paid to do. Do good work. Feel valued for that work. Get fairly compensated for that work. And never forget that your job is but one part of who you are. The key is not to align your identity with your job. We are so many wonderful and beautiful things beyond what we get paid to do.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

This may sound simple, but being your true self has been the best strategy for growing my business. When you start to craft your point of view and speak your truth, you will attract people to you and your brand. And when you step into the power of who you are, the right people find you. Tactically it’s also important to network, go to events, and show up on social media… but do it with your authentic voice and unique perspective. Because you are the only you that will ever be, and that is your superpower.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vogelventure.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vogelventure/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vogelventure
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vogelventure/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/VogelVenture
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDpaae8ld2YOV_5ySvFu7fQ