Yesterday evening, the Wednesday Cohort finished up the 2019 Summer Digital Clinic with a lovely soiree at Ann Arbor’s Bar Louie. Each participant who finished the clinic received not only certification from the CDE Clinic, but also successfully completed either Google Analytics or Google Ads Certification (or both). This summer’s highly successful clinic was the biggest yet, with combined cohorts of 48 students!
Before the party, the Wednesday Cohort students were given graduating parting words by four stellar entrepreneurial leaders and friends of the CDE Clinic: Chad Wiebesick of Destination Ann Arbor, Shaina Bertrang of LawnGuru, Dave Warren of Impellia, and Steve Lowisz of Qualigence. Each offered sound advice for “launching into the Post-Clinic world.”
Wiebesick reminded participants of the importance of social media branding, and of the possibility that social media can come back to haunt you. He went on to emphasize the importance of networking, telling participants that his most successful career changes were “less about who I knew, and more about who knew me.”
Bertrang encouraged participants to question authority and to confront failure head-on. “In your future, you are going to work for people and with people who might be wrong. Challenge their assumptions and hypotheses and show what value you bring to the table. The best idea always wins.”
Like the others, Warren encouraged networking, but also emphasized the importance of in-person, face to face networking, as opposed to simply using social media for networking.
Last but not least, Lowisz shared his story regarding having hired a former clinic participant who has since become an indispensable part of his team. He imparted a story with participants regarding his understanding of the digital translation, and what a colleague had succinctly distilled for him years before. “Marketing is not about the services you offer, or the products or widgets you might make, it’s about the narrative you tell. In the digital sphere, you’re telling that narrative to the world.”
With that, participants and community members went down stairs to mingle, enjoy a game of Human Bingo, and enjoy the outdoor air on a lovely summer Ann Arbor evening as they celebrated the biggest and most successful summer clinic yet!