We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Naomi Frank Chusid a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Naomi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
As a mom, former teacher, lifelong learner, and someone who has worked in education in the private sector I approach this question from many perspectives—and they all lead me to the same vision: an education system where students gain knowledge, build skills, and discover who they are through authentic, purposeful, and relevant learning experiences.
Motivation soars when students can make choices based on their interests, work on projects with real-world purpose, and share their work with an authentic audience. Hands-on, project-based learning helps them collaborate, discover their strengths, and build the confidence to take on challenges. Many great teachers make this happen in their classrooms, but the system could do far more to support and prioritize it.
One example of this vision in practice that I have witnessed myself was through an environmental stewardship teacher-led afterschool club my son participated in at his elementary school. Each year the group identified an outdoor area of the campus that could be used more optimally and designed and implemented improvement plans with the help of a local landscape designer. They would study how students used the space in its current form, set goals and priorities for their designs, create designs to share with the group, and eventually land on a design and landscape plan they would implement through work after school and on weekend “family work days.” The experience was rich in academic, social, emotional, and physical skill development and it was so meaningful and motivating for the kids. It led to leadership and public speaking opportunities such as developing presentations that they delivered at an all-school assembly and a district board meeting. They also met with a journalist for an article about the program.
Imagine if this kind of interdisciplinary, real-world learning were built into the school day, not left to extracurriculars. Yes, it would require shifts in collaboration, curriculum, and scheduling just to name a few areas, but the payoff — engaged, confident students with skills for life and leadership — is worth it.
I also want to acknowledge that this is an ideal vision and before any of this can happen we as a society need to be sure students have their basic needs met with food, shelter, connection, and clothing. But once a student is ready to learn we owe it to them, our communities, and our world to help them see themselves as valuable, capable contributors with unique gifts the world wants and needs.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I founded Petite Marketing in 2024 to give petite businesses and solo entrepreneurs access to professional marketing communications that fit their scale, needs, and budgets. Petite Marketing was born from a lifetime connection to small-yet-bold ventures, an affinity for engaging communications, and a passion for hands-on creating.
My earliest exposure to entrepreneurship came in my dad’s independent bookstore in San Francisco, where I helped customers and assembled direct mail campaigns. I saw firsthand how much heart and hustle goes into running a business. That experience left me with a deep respect for entrepreneurs and the resourcefulness required to thrive.
That thread has followed me into my 20+ year career. In the early 2000s, I joined Apple’s marketing team — back when spotting a Mac in the wild was rare enough to spark conversation with a stranger at a coffee shop. At the time, Apple was a personal computing underdog at the precipice of winning people over through iconic marketing, meticulous product design, and a reimagined retail experience. Working alongside some of the best marketers and designers in the world honed my skills and sharpened my design eye.
Later, drawn to more direct human impact, I became an elementary teacher. At its core, teaching mirrored marketing: engaging a specific audience, delivering messages that stick, and inspiring action. Teachers are part strategist, part storyteller, part community builder, among other things — and, in many ways, the ultimate entrepreneurs.
Ten years in education and two kids later, I shifted back into marketing at an education technology and consulting start-up, blending my expertise in both fields. This role brought me full circle — once again supporting a small, entrepreneurial team and helping big ideas find their audience.
This experience reminded me how much I love supporting new businesses as they take shape and make their mark. With a fresh, modernized, marketing Swiss Army knife of skills, I became my own first client and launched Petite Marketing.
In its first nine months, Petite Marketing has worked with seven clients, surpassing its year one goal of three. Petite has built websites, crafted brand identities, written copy, designed logos, launched email campaigns — and, most importantly, helped fellow entrepreneurs take confident steps to grow their presence and share their work with the world.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
I know this has been said before, but my best source for new clients has been word of mouth and referrals.
One of my first clients came from the sidelines of my daughter’s under-8 softball game. We recognized each other from what felt like another lifetime, and — if you’ve ever watched U8 softball — you know the pace leaves plenty of time to chat. I mentioned I was thinking of starting a business offering marketing services to “smaller than small” businesses. Six months later, she texted to to see if I had pursued my business idea and wanted to hire me to design a logo and build a website for the construction company she runs with her husband. We’re working on it now.
My advice? Talk about your business and your work — even if it feels uncomfortable. You never know where your next client will come from, and often it’s where you least expect it. Some of my favorite projects have started from a casual conversation at a kids’ sports event, a walk with a friend, or a social gathering. Even a few authentic posts on my small social media accounts have sparked incredible leads. People can’t hire you if they don’t know what you do.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Stepping away from marketing in 2008 and returning 10 years later in 2018 has meant unlearning past practices and principals and learning a whole new marketing landscape.
To set the context for how much marketing evolved in 10 years, in 2008 direct mail was just starting to give way to email—and those emails were often generic, one-size-fits-all blasts. Terms like SEO, blogs, and podcasts weren’t part of everyday vernacular. Facebook had 100 million users worldwide, Instagram didn’t exist, and “influencers” were primarily those who walked exclusive red carpets.
Fast-forward 10+ years and the marketing world had transformed. Audiences expected personalization, authenticity, and interaction. Social media had become a dominant marketing channel. Content had to work across multiple formats and platforms. Data, analytics, and algorithms shaped strategy as much as creativity did.
Coming back meant unlearning several things. Long-lead time creative development that had one shot to get things right had turned into fast-paced, multi-channel content creation. Decision making went from being informed by small cross-functional teams to performance-based metrics from mass data collection. Thinking had to shift from one-way communication to real-time engagement.
It has been both humbling and energizing to reenter the field as both a marketer and a student, learning a whole new landscape while bringing forward the fundamentals that never go out of style: clarity, connection, and a deep understanding of your audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.petitemarketing.co
- Instagram: @petitemarketing
