Marketing Basics: Building Authentic Connections from the Ground Up Starting a business, especially one rooted in authenticity and genuine human connection, is no easy feat when you’ve spent most of your life avoiding vulnerability. It requires not just a good idea, but mistakes, strategy, and a lot of perseverance. When I launched Stigma Marketing & Development in Missoula, Montana, I knew it had to reflect my journey—both the highs and lows. In part, it started to make me do the kind of things I knew I should be. Drawing from my life experiences—my professional management and development background, my struggles with mental health, GMing an Arby’s, my near-MBA, and the lessons learned from my sobriety journey—I aimed to create a marketing company that wasn’t about gimmicks but about believing in people, their visions, and helping them succeed. This blog post …
