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Welcome to The People of Work, the podcast where we explore the unique journeys that bring people to their careers. Every episode is a deep dive into the twists, turns, and surprises that shape how individuals find their career paths—whether they’re engineers, artists, baristas, CEOs, or anything and everything in between.
It’s not about the destination; it’s about the story. Through honest conversations, we’ll uncover the moments that define careers, the challenges overcome, and the lessons learned along the way. These are real stories from real people, celebrating the diversity of work and the individuality of the people behind it.
Join us as we break down stereotypes, embrace the unexpected, and shine a light on the human side of work.
[00:00:00] Abby Thompson: I would really encourage people if you're searching for something new, to just take a deep breath and just do it and be brave and be a little honest and open because people typically really wanna help you.
[00:00:12] Ami Graves: You are listening to The People of Work, the podcast that dives into the real stories behind what people do for a living and how work shapes who we are.
[00:00:26] Ami Graves: Hey friends. Welcome back to The People of Work. I am really excited today to bring on my friend and guest, Abby Thompson. Abby is the founder of Bloom Marketing, and we are gonna dig into Abby's journey today from Young Abby to school age Abby College, Abby to founder of Bloom Marketing. You've got an amazing story, Abby.
[00:00:49] Ami Graves: We're gonna showcase it today. So thanks for coming on the show.
[00:00:52] Abby Thompson: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited.
[00:00:54] Ami Graves: Yeah, we're glad to have you here. Okay, so let's dig in. I wanna take it all the way back. So growing up, what shaped your first or earliest memories about work and or career?
[00:01:06] Abby Thompson: Sure. I think like probably most people, it was my parents, right? And I had two full-time working parents who worked really hard. But also did a great job of, not letting us feel it, I would say. And we had a really balanced life. So my dad was a firefighter, which comes with a unique schedule, you know, so he was on for 24 hours to off for 48 hours.
[00:01:31] Abby Thompson: he loved his profession, loved the comradery. and he was a captain in the fire department and. Just complete operational excellence. You know, on his end. I don't think he took a sick day. For like years at a time, you know, so just loved what he did, was really committed. my mom came from really humble beginnings and, dove into her education and then kind of rose up to run multiple associations, healthcare and nonprofit associations in her career.
[00:02:03] Abby Thompson: So I always really looked up to her. She's a complete rockstar and just. Smart. so both of them just really kind of instilled that hard work ethic in me, but kept it light at the same
[00:02:16] Abby Thompson: time,
[00:02:17] Ami Graves: Okay, so a random question I have to ask because I'm just curious myself as a child of a firefighter, did you get to go to the fire station and ride down the pole? I just have to know
[00:02:26] Abby Thompson: Oh, great question. So, most of them didn't have polls actually. and the ones that did, we were not allowed to write down. However, one of them had a slide.
[00:02:35] Ami Graves: Oh,
[00:02:36] Abby Thompson: So that's really fun. but we went there frequently and I would say we did get the VIP treatment, so we got to go up in the bucket.
[00:02:43] Ami Graves: What's the bucket?
[00:02:45] Abby Thompson: the ladder truck,
[00:02:46] Abby Thompson: you know.
[00:02:47] Abby Thompson: Yeah. The bucket on the end of the ladder
[00:02:49] Ami Graves: got it. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
[00:02:51] Abby Thompson: We would get to go inside the medic. when I was younger there was a dog named Sparky, a Dalmatian of course, And so we got to see Sparky. And generally the guys and gals that worked there were like the most fun, you know, they were so good with kids and so fun with us.
[00:03:07] Abby Thompson: Like we had a blast
[00:03:08] Ami Graves: Yeah. That's amazing. So were your dad and mom like talking to you about what you were going to do in terms of a career or work? Were they pushing college? Were they just pushing work? Obviously you had great examples. What, what was the conversation around work?
[00:03:23] Abby Thompson: Yeah, that's a great question. So it was always sort of a given that I was gonna go to college, it was just sort of an expectation. so I didn't ever question it and I worked toward it and I, I worked hard for good grades and in school and tried hard, you know, I didn't get all straight A's or anything, but did pretty well.
[00:03:41] Abby Thompson: and then I had jobs throughout high school. You know, I worked at Dairy Queen, so I can make a mean blizzard.
[00:03:47] Abby Thompson: Um.
[00:03:48] Ami Graves: I did you leave the too much vanilla ice cream on the bottom without it being Mick? Why do they
[00:03:53] Abby Thompson: No. No. I don't know. But you blend it all the way
[00:03:56] Ami Graves: All the way to the
[00:03:57] Abby Thompson: All the way down. So that was a great start. I worked at the Gap. I worked, you know, all sorts of places.
[00:04:04] Ami Graves: You and I have worked at a couple of places. I've worked, also worked at the Gap as a young person, and we also worked at, at Rolls Royce together in very different, you know, areas. But, uh, interesting.
[00:04:14] Ami Graves: So talk to me about your first dream job when you, at whatever age, you kind of started thinking about, I wanna be X when I grow up. What, what was that for you?
[00:04:22] Abby Thompson: I really wanted to be a marine biologist. I feel like maybe a lot of people did. I thought it'd be really fun to swim with dolphins and play with turtles. And I was sure that that's what you did as a marine biologist,
[00:04:34] Abby Thompson: but then I think as I got into high school and further along in high school.
[00:04:39] Abby Thompson: Junior, senior year, I kind of thought about a business degree, kind of heading more like where my mom where she went. and I always loved the creative side of things, so I didn't start majoring in marketing, but combining that business with the creative side really kind of sparked my interest.
[00:04:57] Abby Thompson: And so eventually I just kind of zigzagged there, if that makes sense. I majored in actually international business, at university. So. I took more marketing classes 'cause I wanted to concentrate in it along with languages.
[00:05:11] Ami Graves: that's great. what made you choose the school that you chose? You went to iu, right?
[00:05:15] Abby Thompson: I went to Butler.
[00:05:16] Ami Graves: Oh, Butler. Butler. Butler was your undergrad?
[00:05:18] Abby Thompson: yes. I did go to IU for my master's. I grew up in Ohio, in Columbus, which as you know, has a gigantic university, Ohio State. I went to a smaller school, so the size honestly kind of worried me.
[00:05:32] Ami Graves: I felt like I'd get lost, so I wasn't. Interested in staying there? So I kind of looked all around, mostly the Midwest, a little East coast. And when I went to Butler to visit, it just was so welcoming. It's a beautiful area, yeah, the beautiful campus, everybody was so kind, you know, that Midwest kindness.
[00:05:54] Abby Thompson: I just felt really. at home and welcomed. you know, it wasn't too far from home. It was its own little pocket, but within a city, which I felt like kind of gave it a little more opportunity for internships and, other resources that were around. So those were the things that, that kind of drew me there.
[00:06:12] Ami Graves: That's great. So when you were at Butler, were you obviously full-time student living on campus? Did you have a job during college or were you a hundred percent focused on just getting through all the
[00:06:23] Abby Thompson: Yeah. Yeah. I did have a job and it was the best job on campus in my opinion. I worked at the info desk, so the info desk was in the union, and the amount of time that I actually had to work during my shift was about like one 10th of the shift.
[00:06:38] Ami Graves: So you just did your homework the
[00:06:39] Abby Thompson: So I did my
[00:06:40] Abby Thompson: homework. Yes,
[00:06:41] Abby Thompson: It was really efficient time for me,
[00:06:43] Ami Graves: I love this.
[00:06:44] Ami Graves: the lesson is college kids work at the info desk,
[00:06:48] Ami Graves: please.
[00:06:48] Abby Thompson: It's the best.
[00:06:49] Ami Graves: So talk to me about your first job outta college. What were you targeting looking for and where'd you land?
[00:06:54] Abby Thompson: Butler's Business School is really unique in that they require two internships for credit while you're there and there's a class that goes along with it.
[00:07:02] Ami Graves: Do you have to be a junior or senior, or is that like at any time during your,
[00:07:07] Abby Thompson: Yeah, it's junior or senior
[00:07:08] Abby Thompson: year. You can do additional internships earlier, but these internships sort of have to be a certain level of rigor in order, and then you have to pair the class along with it. my second internship, which I worked really hard for, 'cause I wanted, it was at Rolls-Royce, which you and I, you know.
[00:07:28] Abby Thompson: Worked at the same place, which is crazy. so I got that internship my senior year. I worked in the defense business there and I really enjoyed it. So I was doing marketing, I was doing some communications, I was learning a ton about this international corporation and I was lucky enough to get a full-time job out of it.
[00:07:48] Abby Thompson: So I stayed,
[00:07:49] Ami Graves: Yeah, you were there eight years I
[00:07:52] Abby Thompson: yeah, almost a decade.
[00:07:53] Ami Graves: lots of good promotion opportunities and even a little like dip outside of marketing for a little bit too, I think.
[00:07:59] Ami Graves: Right?
[00:08:00] Abby Thompson: Yeah.
[00:08:00] Abby Thompson: Good
[00:08:00] Ami Graves: I'm interested in hearing about that little
[00:08:02] Abby Thompson: Okay. Let's see. So I was in marketing for a couple roles and then I had the opportunity to take a role called Business Executive. And what that was is essentially, someone who runs the defense leadership team, so helps run. Everything they do, all of their activities, all of their reporting, the communication and coordination between all of those leadership team members,
[00:08:29] Ami Graves: Almost sounds like a chief of staff type
[00:08:31] Abby Thompson: Almost like a Yeah,
[00:08:32] Abby Thompson: chief of staff type role. so I brought in more of the communication side with that and actually worked for the VP of Communications. was kind of my official, director at that time, and she was a complete rockstar to this day. She's my very, very favorite boss I've ever
[00:08:48] Abby Thompson: had.
[00:08:49] Ami Graves: That's great. So eight years at Rolls Royce. Great company. were you traveling internationally in at all?
[00:08:55] Abby Thompson: Yeah, I went to the UK quite a bit. Yep. So got to have the opportunity to go to Bristol quite a few times. Darby London. I did a training program for, I think it was two and a half weeks straight. there, so kind of immersed in the culture and I loved my co coworkers, you know, the British culture and the people are lighthearted and warm and it was just a great environment.
[00:09:20] Ami Graves: It's funny, I was actually spent some time in Darby too. I don't know if you remember, and maybe they did this a lot.
[00:09:25] Ami Graves: I wasn't there as long as you were, but at Rolls Royce for me. I was working in the strategic recruitment center, and talent acquisition.
[00:09:33] Ami Graves: I was participated on a volunteer team where we did these volunteer projects around the city it wasn't just us in Indianapolis, it was like all several locations across the US and whoever won the volunteer project, that particular team went to Darby to kind of have this,
[00:09:48] Ami Graves: Amazing celebration of all of the volunteerism and the work. Well, my team, we worked on, a project at the Harrison Center for the Arts, downtown Indianapolis, off Delaware. And, completely remodeled the place. It was amazing. It was such a great thing for, obviously for students there. and our project ended up winning.
[00:10:06] Ami Graves: So, we got to go to Darby and I got to take, they were like, you get to take two people. I'm like. What is this? So me, my husband, and my brother, all got to go. It was an amazing trip. And of course that facility's amazing because there's those turbine engines right there that you, I mean, of course you're taking pictures in front of gigantic and just so it helps connect the work that you do to the purpose of Rolls Royce overall.
[00:10:28] Ami Graves: So it was just an, an awesome trip. I am curious, Abby, so from. Marketing perspective. I'm just thinking about our listeners. For anybody who might say, Ooh, I think I might be interested in marketing, but I don't know that you generally think about marketing as a role that also could have international travel.
[00:10:45] Ami Graves: So can you explain like, why were you traveling internationally? What were you accomplishing when you were traveling internationally for Rolls RoCE?
[00:10:52] Abby Thompson: Sure. So some of it during that business executive role was more kind of that team coordination and meetings and all of that. But when I went, before and then after that role, I went to a global marketing role and that was a lot of team coordination. So our marketing comms team was kind of split on.
[00:11:11] Abby Thompson: Half in Indie and half in Bristol. And so some of it was just that team coordination and comradery and team building. and then some of it would be trade shows. I helped kind of plan and execute a lot of trade shows, some of them internationally and uh, so some of it was coordination for that as
[00:11:29] Abby Thompson: well.
[00:11:30] Ami Graves: Okay, so after Rolls Royce, by the way, eight years, almost 10, like you've left, left the company. Tell me what you did next and what was the, precipice for leaving Rolls Royce?
[00:11:39] Abby Thompson: sure.
[00:11:40] Abby Thompson: In 2013, I had my daughter. It was my first child. And traveling internationally for me at that point felt like full of anxiety.
[00:11:51] Abby Thompson: so I was still at Rolls Royce. They were fantastic. but I was recruited by Butler School of Business for a role and. It's my alma mater.
[00:12:04] Abby Thompson: It was people I already knew.
[00:12:06] Abby Thompson: It was a purpose that I loved, at the time, it just felt right. so I went for it. So it worked out incredibly well.
[00:12:13] Abby Thompson: and you were there how many years?
[00:12:15] Abby Thompson: I was there about five years. Yep. So I supported the school of business the whole time. It was an amazing time to be there because Butler rebranded.
[00:12:24] Abby Thompson: So from a marketing standpoint, Butler rebranded at the university level, and then while I was there, we had a donor, a name naming of the school of business. Which is a huge deal. it was the college of business before
[00:12:39] Abby Thompson: And then Mr. Lacey donated and, and made it the Lacey School of Business.
[00:12:42] Abby Thompson: And that process was one I had not been a part of before. So, the whole process in itself was really interesting. And then we rebranded the entire school of business, huge events around that. And then the school just exploded with all sorts of new programs and opportunities for the students.
[00:12:58] Ami Graves: was your role Abby more focused on Marketing Butler to the public, or was it more creating marketing and business courses for the students or a mixture of both? I.
[00:13:12] Abby Thompson: It was marketing to the public, I was not, a faculty member or an
[00:13:16] Abby Thompson: instructor.
[00:13:17] Abby Thompson: but I supported the school of business, so, so. Undergrad recruitment was done at the university level, and I supported in some ways, but I didn't, I didn't run that.
[00:13:26] Abby Thompson: I did support marketing for the grad programs for the Lacey School of Business. and then the school also has executive education, uh, programs. At the time they had an actual consulting, company
[00:13:38] Abby Thompson: within
[00:13:39] Ami Graves: I'm I'm very familiar with that. I forgot all about that.
[00:13:42] Abby Thompson: Yeah, it was really interesting to market them. we had a small business development center that was there.
[00:13:48] Abby Thompson: so all sorts of programs that, that I was able to help support along with kind of the general undergrad and, and one of my favorite things that I got to participate in was to help start a student run marketing agency while I was there, which was so fun. because I got to interact directly with the students and they did actual work for actual businesses, and it was, an internship for them,
[00:14:11] Abby Thompson: so it was really fun to be a part of.
[00:14:13] Ami Graves: What was the name? Did you guys name the marketing agency? Of course you
[00:14:15] Ami Graves: did. Your marketers
[00:14:16] Abby Thompson: Yeah. Bright blue.
[00:14:18] Ami Graves: Bright Blue. I love
[00:14:19] Ami Graves: that. That's cool.
[00:14:20] Ami Graves: Okay, tell me what's next after Butler? Why the change? What, what happened and where'd you go?
[00:14:26] Abby Thompson: Well, COVID hit in 2020, as we all know, and, a really good number of marketing staff were cut from the university. And I was one of those layoffs, unfortunately. And man, I was really sad. and so I was lucky enough to find a role in a few months at automatic pool covers, which is up in Westfield.
[00:14:47] Abby Thompson: and they have three businesses. So the manufacturer, they have cover care, which is a national installation and service provider. And then while I was there, we started an e-commerce business as well. So it was really fun to kind of. Pivot from, you know, kind of the big corporate to higher education to kind of manufacturing and service and e-comm.
[00:15:09] Abby Thompson: and so I learned a ton, you know, just kind of marketing for, for those businesses.
[00:15:15] Ami Graves: I'm really curious because I think that I don't wanna, pass over. What happened with Butler, because I think that happened so much, and in fact right now, I mean this is kind of the market we're in, right? I mean hearing even in 2025 that the layoffs we continue to hear about and read about in the news, so, it's impactful, right?
[00:15:33] Ami Graves: When that happens to you, what was that self-talk like in that moment or in those moments and how did you process and overcome kind of any of those negative feelings That I think can kind of come along with that naturally to kind of. Move on to the next thing.
[00:15:48] Abby Thompson: there are a lot of feelings that come along with that. I think at the time, because it was during COVID and there were so many layoffs, I didn't feel as guilty. but I definitely was sort of grieving the loss because I, really loved working there I loved the environment.
[00:16:06] Abby Thompson: and I just didn't see it coming right? Nobody, nobody did.
[00:16:09] Abby Thompson: and at the same time, like the job market in general was just not great. And I was kind.
[00:16:14] Abby Thompson: Oh gosh, how am I gonna find a job? You know? so my husband was incredibly supportive, and luckily he still had his job was working in the basement. You know, we're all hooking up our
[00:16:27] Ami Graves: All
[00:16:27] Abby Thompson: remote work environments that we
[00:16:29] Ami Graves: You're in the dining room. You're over here. That's
[00:16:31] Abby Thompson: Yes, yes. All the kids' toys came up from the basement. They're everywhere.
[00:16:38] Abby Thompson: So he was really supportive. my parents were really supportive. I remember my mom telling me one time, sometimes bad, bad news is good news. And so you can look at it, it might turn into something like the next big thing, the next big opportunity that you'll enjoy. And she said that a few times and I finally kind of started believing
[00:16:58] Abby Thompson: her.I did have a ton of support. I will say like. I posted on LinkedIn and all of these people were connecting me or reaching out to just say they were thinking of me or, I mean, it was just this incredible response that I just didn't anticipate at all. it felt like, okay, it might be okay.
[00:17:18] Abby Thompson: I might find something. And so through a connection, I found my next role. it worked out. It typically always will, but it, when you're in it, it does not. It feels
[00:17:27] Ami Graves: it does. And there's big feelings, and those are absolutely real feelings. I mean, it, it hurts your ego. It, it is impactful. And then you have to be so careful not to like accept those feelings as truth and then take them into your next interview or job because
[00:17:43] Ami Graves: it could really impact you. Right.
[00:17:45] Abby Thompson: yes, of course.
[00:17:46] Ami Graves: one of the things you just mentioned, and I again, I just wanna hone in on this, is you said you found your next role through a connection and. I had a girlfriend reach out to me just earlier this week, and she's talking about, looking for a new job. She kinda wants to pivot out of the space that she's in to do something completely different.
[00:18:02] Ami Graves: She's applying the jobs, she's applying to a lot, and she's, she's very talented, has a really strong resume. She's had lots of promotion, lot of opportunities, lots of taps on the shoulders, come work here, but right now she's applying to roles and, and you know, like
[00:18:18] Ami Graves: hearing nothing or. An immediate no. You know, so she's frustrated and I've told her, like I'm telling a lot of people is, is it really is about connections.
[00:18:28] Ami Graves: I mean, yes, you can find jobs by applying, of course. That's why companies still post roles. That's how we attract talent. But I really do very strongly believe that often our next role. Can come, should come, will come through an interaction or a connection through your network. So talk to me about the importance of that network and how that helped you land that next role.
[00:18:52] Abby Thompson: Hundred percent. I think, one of the hardest things is to be vulnerable during a time when you kind of feel awful about yourself. Even if you just wanna pivot, being able to be transparent is sometimes really hard. But it's that, honesty that people really respond to,
[00:19:11] Abby Thompson: And so whether it's people, you know, friends that you're maybe texting or calling or reaching out to just to say, Hey, I'm just putting feelers out there, you know, and I'm kind of interested or thinking about this or that, would you keep your ears open kind of thing, or, I think LinkedIn is a really strong community.
[00:19:28] Abby Thompson: I mean, I. Have seen it in so many different ways for myself, for my friends, for my
[00:19:32] Abby Thompson: family,
[00:19:33] Abby Thompson: I've just noticed when people are, are kind of honest or vulnerable out there, people respond and they'll connect you and think of ideas or tag you and this and that. So. I would really encourage people if you're searching for something new, to just take a deep breath and just do it and be brave and be a little honest and open because people typically really wanna help you.
[00:19:57] Ami Graves: I find the same thing, and I think that. It can be discouraging whether you've been laid off or whether you applied for a job and you, you were certain you were gonna get it and then you didn't. And that is a confidence shaker as well. It's like, wait a minute. I thought for sure I, I was a perfect match.
[00:20:13] Ami Graves: How could this happen? I think, you know, you touched on it earlier with advice from your mom is what's meant for us won't pass us by. Right. And I think that we have to remember that in those tough times when our, inner dialogue is saying. What's, what's your problem?
[00:20:28] Abby Thompson: Yes. What's going on? Why can't you get something, you know?
[00:20:32] Ami Graves: Exactly. So, let's talk about Bloom Marketing. I wanna jump to Bloom. You are the founder of Bloom Marketing. I love this. I'm so excited to talk about Bloom Marketing. Tell me how this all came to be.
[00:20:44] Abby Thompson: You're sweet. I mentioned when I was at Butler, they had a consulting group in the business school that I was able to interact with a bunch, kind of understood their business model. I helped market them some and it kind of sparked this interest in consulting. And at that time it, you know, it wasn't the right time for me, but.
[00:21:04] Abby Thompson: Later on in my career, I just kept thinking about it. what I liked about the idea was the ability to work with different clients, and mix it up a little bit. The fact that that teaches you new things so quickly. and I also, at some point, I needed that flexibility
[00:21:23] Abby Thompson: just to be transparent,
[00:21:25] Abby Thompson: I have two, two young kids and they've got a lot going on so ending at 5:00 PM every day just wasn't working for me anymore. it was just sort of the right move for, for me and for our family and allow a little more flexibility. After some long, you know, conversations with my husband, we just kind of decided, let's, let's try it.
[00:21:47] Abby Thompson: Let's just give it a go and so I did,
[00:21:50] Ami Graves: Yeah. I love that. It's one of the things that, When I have a, a client that I'm coaching, like doing some like life or career coaching with, is we talk about what we call like a values exercise in coaching. Right. Which is kind of determining what's really important to you. It sounds like maybe without calling it that that's exactly what you and your husband were doing, which is what's really important to us and our family and, and me personally as Abby right now, and it's not so much.
[00:22:17] Ami Graves: Climbing that corporate ladder to the top CMO position, it's, I want to enjoy flexibility and autonomy, but also still provide value and use my skills. which is exactly what you were able to do by founding, uh, Bloom Marketing.
[00:22:32] Abby Thompson: Yes. and I think I would say to anyone, you know, who's struggling. 'cause I would, when I look back, I mean, I was really going gangbusters, right? When you work a full-time job and you've got kids and every evening is just activities and laundry and dinner and bath and bedtime and like, there's just no stop at all, you know?
[00:22:53] Abby Thompson: And. You're kind of like, how is it like this? How am I not, how am I not managing this better? How can I, why don't I feel like I can do this?
[00:23:02] Ami Graves: or we all are managing it well, but we're just so critical of ourselves in, in this kind of comparative culture. I mean, you probably were doing it wonderfully, but then you look up and it's 10 o'clock at night and you've barely ate yourself or showered, and you're like,
[00:23:18] Abby Thompson: Great. Yes. Yes. And so to just do that and do that and do that is just, it's kind of wearing, you
[00:23:24] Ami Graves: Yeah, So tell me about an exciting project that you, um, did recently for a client or you're working on now? with Bloom Marketing.
[00:23:32] Abby Thompson: I have a fractional CMO client who was actually my launch client
[00:23:37] Abby Thompson: and I'm still with them and I love them. I don't wanna say it's one big, exciting project, but what I've noticed over time is we went from them kind of not having an official marketing resource to having one, having a strategy, being able to execute that strategy.
[00:23:54] Abby Thompson: And along the lines, I write blogs for them among other things now. And one day I looked up and we have like 10 blogs. You know, on this site now, which in itself to some people might not seem like a big deal. Right? But to go from an organization that doesn't have any of that, and their website's now getting updated.
[00:24:16] Abby Thompson: they're running their social, they've got ads running, and so it kind of makes you look back over the things that they've accomplished
[00:24:25] Abby Thompson: and that they've prioritized.
[00:24:26] Ami Graves: leadership and support,
[00:24:28] Abby Thompson: Well, yes, but also, you know, they really, they took the leap so it kind of triggered me to think about all the things we've done over the past, couple years.
[00:24:39] Abby Thompson: And it's really exciting to see where, where they've come. And the foundation they have now this like really solid foundation. They've got processes and of course they're running marketing campaigns and tactics and it just feels really good to be in that place now. When you started with a lot less than that?
[00:24:57] Ami Graves: absolutely. And the fact that you get to see your thumbprint on that, that's why we do in services, that's why we do what we do. Right? And we, of course, you wanna see your clients, improve and grow and get better, but the fact that you were a small piece of that
[00:25:10] Ami Graves: it provides purpose for you, which
[00:25:12] Ami Graves: is wonderful.
[00:25:14] Abby Thompson: Love it.
[00:25:15] Ami Graves: are you working in their office sometimes or is all of your work a hundred percent remote kind of from wherever you wanna work?
[00:25:22] Abby Thompson: I'm almost a hundred percent remote. However, I will travel to clients, so I, I do go there. several times a year and kind of, you know, hold meetings and hang out for the day and, and stuff. But mostly it's video calls and remote work, and that's. Typically hiring with most of my clients, we'll meet in person if possible, especially at the onset of a project.
[00:25:43] Abby Thompson: and maybe throughout. I, I do love good in-person meetings and especially if we can meet at a coffee shop,
[00:25:49] Abby Thompson: and it seems to work for everyone. We all love coffee, right?
[00:25:51] Ami Graves: We do. In fact, you and I were just talking Let's, we gotta, let's show 'em our matching coffee. And for anybody that's gonna watch this on YouTube and not just listen, we have matching floral coffee cups. We were destined to be on the show together and be friends. Okay. All right. Abby, a piece of advice you would give to somebody who's saying, I think I wanna explore business and marketing, or go down that path.
[00:26:14] Ami Graves: What, what advice would you give?
[00:26:16] Abby Thompson: My one piece of advice would be, and similar to what we talked about earlier, is to just put yourself out there. And I've had to tell myself a lot, during, especially, you know, launching a new business is just to kind of be brave and. just put yourself out there.
[00:26:30] Abby Thompson: And then after you do it a few times, you get used to it and then people respond to it. And if you're just kind of genuinely yourself and you're not trying to be salesy, you just kind of wanna put feelers out there, right? but no one will know. You're out there or that you want to pivot in your career or whatever it is, unless you tell them.
[00:26:49] Abby Thompson: And so it takes being brave and just kind of letting your guard down a little bit
[00:26:55] Abby Thompson: just do it. I remember when I. I was gonna launch Bloom, and I finally had a launch client. And so I kind of thought, okay, maybe this is real. I don't know, you know? And as a marketer, of course, I like needed my logo and all of that.
[00:27:09] Abby Thompson: But once I had that together, I put together a post for LinkedIn and it, it took me two full days to press. On that post, And I do this for clients all the time. Why can't I do it for myself? Why do I feel weird? I don't know. But I did it, and then I did it a few more times, and now I'm kind of like, okay, it's okay.
[00:27:26] Ami Graves: I love that advice, Abby, because I, I really, truly believe, especially women, but I think all people at some point in time have this type of imposter syndrome or like this self-doubt that kind of creeps in, that they have to kind of override and really kind. you know, intentionally say something else positive to themselves.
[00:27:45] Ami Graves: I, when I launched this podcast was like, what the hell am I doing? I have never launched a podcast. I don't know what I'm doing. and let me tell you, the first time I heard my, my voice, it was awful. I'm like, I, I will never do this again.
[00:27:56] Ami Graves: It's the worst thing ever. And, but I just kept going because I just kept saying to myself intentionally. On top of the imposter negative things I was saying, why not me?
[00:28:07] Ami Graves: Why not? Why not me? I mean, you see all these other people doing these brave things, why not me? And I think that little sentence has kind of helped propel me even through those moments of doubt.
[00:28:20] Abby Thompson: Yes, and you shouldn't because you know what? I saw you post about your podcast and I thought, oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm so proud of you.
[00:28:28] Ami Graves: Oh, good. Well, I'm glad you
[00:28:30] Ami Graves: thought that. Thank
[00:28:30] Ami Graves: you. Yeah, that's great. Okay, Abby, some quick hits, just some fun questions. Coffee or tea?
[00:28:36] Abby Thompson: Coffee,
[00:28:37] Ami Graves: Yeah. All day. Duh. We're
[00:28:38] Ami Graves: drinking coffee now.
[00:28:39] Ami Graves: are you a reader? Do you like to read,
[00:28:41] Abby Thompson: Yes, Yes, I do.
[00:28:42] Ami Graves: favorite book or a, a book that you're reading right now.
[00:28:45] Abby Thompson: I just recently finished Fourth Wing.
[00:28:47] Abby Thompson: Have you, have you
[00:28:48] Ami Graves: not heard of this one.
[00:28:49] Ami Graves: Tell me a little bit.
[00:28:50] Abby Thompson: It is sort of Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games with a little romcom in there.
[00:28:56] Abby Thompson: Oh,
[00:28:57] Ami Graves: down.
[00:28:57] Abby Thompson: read it. So it's in a series. I think there's three of them. And I flew through it. loved it.
[00:29:04] Abby Thompson: So if you like that, that sort of genre or combination, it's amazing. The writing is a just hooks, hooks
[00:29:10] Abby Thompson: you from the beginning.
[00:29:11] Ami Graves: It sounds like a really great escape series,
[00:29:14] Abby Thompson: it's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So I, but I need to, I need to get the gumption up for number two. 'cause I think it's got like 600 pages in it, so I haven't taken the leap yet.
[00:29:22] Ami Graves: That's great. Okay, Abby, last question. Anything exciting happening? Anything, any big vacation plans? while we wrap up this summer? Anything going on
[00:29:30] Abby Thompson: I don't, have big vacation plans. we went over the summer, so we don't have anything new coming up. But,I'm looking forward to some consistency in the fall with, you know, kids back in school. I got a little time organize myself again. I'm working on a website, which I've put off for a long time.
[00:29:46] Ami Graves: for Bloom Marketing.
[00:29:48] Abby Thompson: Yeah. And so that's kinda my big me
[00:29:50] Abby Thompson: project for the fall.
[00:29:52] Ami Graves: I love that. Okay. I don't know why I just had this vision, but Abby, you're, you know, a marketing company, you're a marketer, you're so busy building websites for all your clients that you haven't built one for yourself. I feel like this is the, like the mechanic who has all the cars in the yard of their, of their own that they don't fix 'cause they're too busy repairing everybody else's cars.
[00:30:10] Ami Graves: Put your mask on.
[00:30:12] Abby Thompson: 100%. I have launched a few, websites for clients now, and I told myself that,
[00:30:19] Ami Graves: actually, you know what to be fair, at the beginning I didn't really think I needed a website. I mean, I have a LinkedIn business page, and then I think after the first year I thought, okay, well maybe. So I got a photo shoot done, which was super uncomfortable,
[00:30:32] Abby Thompson: my photographer made it.
[00:30:34] Abby Thompson: So, so easy. I felt so much better than I thought I would. so we're gonna do it. We're
[00:30:39] Ami Graves: I love it.
[00:30:40] Abby Thompson: What's the website? Oh, it's gonna be bloommar.com. Okay. When it's there.
[00:30:46] Ami Graves: When it's there, we will show it, we will share it with, with all of our listeners and beyond. Okay.
[00:30:50] Ami Graves: So yes, Abby, thank you for coming today. Thanks for joining me. Always. So good to see your face and,
[00:30:56] Ami Graves: um, I, I appreciate you sharing your story.
[00:30:59] Ami Graves: our listeners will really resonate with your, with your journey, uh, especially that, that piece around, we all get knocked down. It's really kind of how you get back up and show up and, and connect with your network. So thank you for all those really great golden nuggets of advice.
[00:31:15] Abby Thompson: Thank you for having me. This has been so much fun.
[00:31:17] Ami Graves: Good. Take care, Abby.
[00:31:19] Abby Thompson: Thanks for tuning in to the people of work. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow along and share it with someone who loved these stories too. Do you or someone you know have a unique job or an inspiring work journey? I love to hear about it. You can find me on Instagram at the people of work, or visit the people of work.com, and if you're navigating a career transition or just.
[00:31:41] Ami Graves: Need support in your work life. I'm here for that too. From personal coaching to leadership and HR consulting, I'd love to help head to the people of work.com to learn more and get in touch. Until next time, thanks for being a part of the People of Work.