It's Great Business

Interview with Elyse Stoner

• Season 4 • Episode 8

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Trying to figure out the next step in your career and need some inspiration? Check out this week’s It’s Great Business interview with Elyse Stoner who is the Founder &
Chief Strategist of Fresh Perspectives Consulting and the Co-Founder of Event
Advisors. When you listen to our discussion with Elyse, you’ll hear more about how this University of Maryland graduate created a unique role in sports marketing and how she continues to innovate her career while helping business professionals. During our discussion you will also learn about her new concept called ROM (Return on the Moment) and how it might apply to your career and your life. Elyse also shares a pretty staggering fact about career change, “40% of the jobs that 16-year-olds will have by the time they go to college- don’t currently exist.” Just think about how this fact may apply to you in your career journey. For this reason, it is important to love what you do and do what you love.

Want to hear more? Be sure to subscribe to It’s Great Business, available on your
favorite streaming platform. If you would like to connect with Elyse, she can be
found on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_01:

All episodes of It's Great Business reflect the views and opinions of Intercoastal Marketing and Strategy Group and its guests, and do not reflect the official policy or guidance of employers or government entities.

SPEAKER_00:

You're listening to It's Great Business, sponsored by Intercoastal Marketing and Strategy Group, where great business equals great people.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to another episode of It's Great Business, and I'm Janice Bergweeby. Today's guest is Elise Stoner. Elise is a professional marketer who is the founder and chief strategist of Fresh Perspective Consulting. Elise's expertise is in helping businesses maximize the marketing value of their events and event participation through her unique ROM. Return on the Moment Paradigm. Her clients include financial advisors, lawyers, top-ranked law, business school administrators, and event speakers. Elise is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in sports marketing. And in addition, she is a certified digital event strategist. Well, for those of you who are been following, obviously you probably hear a University of Maryland connection, go twerps, uh, as we like to say. And um, actually, Elise and I met through uh the University of Maryland. So there you go. You never know when we talk about networking and we talk about careers. I'm gonna just do another little shout out and use that as an example. This is how it works, guys. This is how it works. So, Elise, welcome to It's Great Business.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm super excited we're able to make this happen. Me too. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to spend some more time with you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

So I really go right into it in terms of uh details all about you, because certainly a bio that uh I just described is touching like maybe the top of the waves. But I have to ask you immediately because I'm sure that our uh guests are going to be uh wondering what is a digital event strategist?

SPEAKER_03:

So having come from the academic world and working in the financial services world, people like to have letters like behind their names. Um so during the pandemic, as and we can we'll talk a little bit more about this, as I was moving across the country and re-establishing my business, I was trying to figure out how I could take what I was doing in the event space and make it relevant. And I came across the certification uh through the convention through PCMA, which is like a convention organization. And they were offering this digital event strategist certification. And simply put, it's showing that I've taken the classes, um, I passed the test, even though we all know a lot of this experience comes in real life, to help people sort of in that next level of what does a digital event look like? How do you plan one? How do you measure success? Very much what I was doing with fresh perspective in real time. Um, I added this layer to be able to help people not only in the pandemic, um, but as we move forward and people are using more um digital events or even hybrid events to market their business.

SPEAKER_02:

Gotcha, gotcha. We could get all geeky in marketing. Um, and we'll maybe do that in a couple of minutes here in terms of digital and and face-to-face, et cetera. But let's get into a little bit more about what you believe your purpose is.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow. Okay. So I feel like my purpose um is to just bring a fresh perspective to people and people's lives. Um, I've always done things just a little differently from creating my own college major uh through a really great program that Marilyn has called the Individual Studies Program, to being a first in a lot of my business roles. Um you know, it took me many years to figure out that was kind of the the thing and the purpose, but it's just I just see things a little differently and and love to be able to share that with people who are perhaps in a rut or are in a rut and they don't know they're in a rut. Um and just help people kind of get a that broader, fresh perspective.

SPEAKER_02:

Gotcha. So when you think about everything that you're working on, which is a lot, um what's your passion? Like what when you when you know, we all pick a list of things I have to do today, what's the thing that always ends up on the top?

SPEAKER_03:

I have these decades of experience in events, event production, event marketing. Um and I'm passionate about sharing that with other people. I recognize that um not everybody's a marketer, um, and which is one of the reasons we I work with financial advisors. Um I'm passionate about sharing this stuff that's in my head and this experience that I've gained um and not uh letting it go to waste.

SPEAKER_02:

Gotcha. Gotcha. So tell me a little bit about your personal and your career journey.

SPEAKER_03:

So I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. I'm the youngest of two children of from a very traditional household outside of Philadelphia. Um, I knew that I wanted to have a career, but I wasn't sure what that was going to look like. Um so I originally fell in love with journalism. Um, anybody who listens to this and those Janice, this is sort of one of those things that we bonded over. The difference was when I went to the University of Maryland, um I had people that were in the journalism field tell me not to major in journalism, to major in something else, and minor in journalism. And it took me two years to figure out what that was. And that's when I came across this individual studies program where I designed my own major. Um, I have a Bachelor of Science in sports marketing and public relations. Um, I also was a tomboy growing up. So I always had this passion for sports. I wasn't always that good, but I just loved it, much to my brother's chagrin when I would follow him around all the time. But I was able to kind of create this thing. Um, and again, you know, I will date myself. I went to I graduated from school in the late 80s. So sports marketing wasn't really a thing. Um, but I found my way into it. And um, so I started the beginning part of my career in sports and entertainment marketing. And fast forward after our second son was born. Um, I knew I couldn't do the long hours at that point. Um, the man I married, who was still my husband, um, worked in college athletics also. So he was working long hours. I was traveling. We're like, okay, we can't do this with two little kids. Um, so I took a step back and kind of audited what I was doing and fell into this idea of events as powerful marketing tools and have kind of used that and um worked at a law school, shout out Northeastern University School of Law, um, doing their events and just really kind of fell into this whole idea of events are strong marketing tools. And we've all gone to these events where you walk out and you're like, oh my God, that's like two hours of my life that I'm never gonna get back. I didn't want event producers, because I knew how much effort they put in, to have that be the response. So it comes from sports and entertainment marketing, it comes into events and some nonprofit work and kind of has come back out the other side to say, how can we help people maximize the marketing value of these events to grow their businesses?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I want to step back to something I think that's important for listeners because again, we have people that are starting out in their careers, they're somewhere in the middle, they're reinventing. And I think this notion of, and I will get into gender just for a minute, so just bear with me, guys. Um, you know, in the in the early times, right? I mean, women and sports sort of was an interesting non-conversation. And so the reality is now today, you if you turn on your TV and you're watching sports, you will it's you'll see a female commentator and a male commentator. That wasn't the norm. If you go into certain marketing fields where sports marketing is another example, it wasn't the norm, it just wasn't. Okay, so so again, you have to kind of understand the evolution. But what changed, and this is what's important for those that are listening that may not have experience, that is keep pushing. If there's a space, okay, I don't care who you are, I don't care what your ethnicity, gender, etc. is, if there's a space that's your strength that you're passionate about, that you want to pursue, do it, figure out how to get yourself in there, learn everything you can because that's what makes the difference. That's what makes change.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely. And and the other thing to to add on to that, I have a good friend who works in the human resources field. And we were having a conversation a couple of years ago um about teenagers and as they're looking to go to college and what that all looks like. And she gave me this statistic, which I found fascinating. She said 40% of the jobs that 16-year-olds will have by the time they graduate college don't currently exist.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go.

SPEAKER_03:

So absolutely everything you said about gender and finding your space um is true. But I think adding in to the idea that um your kid or or yourself, right? Like this particular statistic was looking at that certain age group. But I believe that you can extrapolate that even older, right? I mean, I run an event marketing strategy business. When I tell people what I do and they kind of give me that like cocked head sort of puppy look, like that's a thing, and like people can do business. And absolutely, uh, because it's a big industry and someone's just kind of carving out a niche saying, I can help with this or that.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, there's and it's it's a not only is it a big industry, I mean, it's an industry where people spend a tremendous amount uh of money on it and oftentimes don't understand or haven't thought through what the impact ultimately can, should or it be or is right.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, so I I I agree with you. And go ahead. You you mentioned in the intro about my ROM paradigm. That's where this comes very much into play. Um, and one of the reasons I feel so strongly about this return on the moment. So many people want to apply a return on investment to something like an event that has a lot of fixed costs. And we hear time and time again, like, you know, I did this event and it just wasn't worth it. It was like the ROI was too high. And my philosophy is you're measuring the wrong thing if you think you can get a good ROI on an event, because events can have lots of different purposes, which therefore means they can have lots of different goals. And by setting those goals, to they say, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna measure the return on the moment of how many new faces I have or how many social media, whatever the thing is that you're measuring. That's very different than measuring ROI. And therefore, is different on how you can determine what a quote unquote successful event is.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right. So, how do you now define success for myself, for my business? Yes, and yes. Oh, the above. Okay. I think they're I think they're uh entwined when you own your own business, right?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um I define success intrinsically again. Am I sharing this knowledge? Am I gaining more knowledge to be able to share? That is a very intrinsic success measurement. Um, I am the mother of two late teen, early 20 young men. Um, so I also define success um in them being good humans and when they do good human things, yeah. I kind of like, you know, put that little gold star. Um, so there's that. I determine success. Um my husband and I are coming up on our 30th wedding anniversary, just as the words come out, kind of again, head-blowing emoji. Um are we supporting each other? Are we happy together? Like those are all success measurements. Am I taking care of myself um for whatever that future is going to look like? Um so yeah, and and success as far as my business, like I said, it's it's sharing that and making sure that what I'm sharing resonates with people, motivates people, um that I'm putting good stuff out into the world. Good. Has it changed at all?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, totally. In what way? In what way?

SPEAKER_03:

Um, so you know, back in the the beginning days, um thinking about being in sports marketing and arenas, success was more about the title that I would have. Um, quite honestly, the size of the office. You know, you had that that picture in your head of like, I'm gonna be a successful sports marketing magnet with a big office that big windows, you know, we we see in all the movies. Um don't forget about the big check. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, that kind of came with the big windows, I think.

SPEAKER_02:

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Um so so yeah, and um that changed as priorities in life changed. Um, you know, like I mentioned before, our two sons are two and a half years apart. Um, we my husband and I both had flourishing careers in college athletics. We did not want to outsource childcare other than daycare. Um, so that became a shift, right? Like I knew I then was like, okay, I'm not gonna have probably have that big office with the big windows with the big paycheck because I had work to do with little people and only my little people, because I will admit I'm not like there's a reason I'm not a preschool teacher. Um, it has changed.

SPEAKER_02:

It is, and it's interesting because when we look at the current generation um and their values in general, I would actually give them compliment in terms of being more conscious about the importance of balance. Um, not to say that there's some that, you know, the paycheck is important, whether it's a big office or not. That's a whole controversial thing about where you're working these days. So we won't, you know, address that. But but I think that um, yeah, this importance and really thinking rat versus just doing, right? We were I a lot of I was a doer. I was just this is what you do. You go do this, you go do this, you move up, you get a bigger paycheck, you get a bigger office, you keep going, you do this, you do this, you do this. There was no consciousness about, well, what am I giving up? Exactly. Other than, other than, like you said, if you're you're balancing raising a family, you have no choice because that kind of rears its head in uh frequently over the years. So interesting.

SPEAKER_03:

Is there anything that you would have done differently? So taking a short shift to that. So as I just mentioned, um I've lived all over the country. Um, I grew up outside Philadelphia, ventured down to the wilds of Maryland for college, came back through my arena management career. I moved to St. Louis, I moved to Mobile, Alabama, um, left that, went to the University of Delaware, went up to Boston, went to Portland, Oregon, and now I'm back in Philadelphia. Right. You just see the map in your head, everybody. Um when I talk to people now and they say, well, what was your where was your favorite place to live? My response is, which one's your favorite kid? Because they're all good, they're all bad, they all have their moments. Um, so I say that in regard to your question of saying, there isn't really anything that I regret doing because it's all gotten me to where I am today. Are there spots where I was like, well, I really had a fork in the road and I could make a different choice? Sure, that's life, that's the journey. Um, but yeah, I don't, I don't really have any okay. So here's one. It's sort of this deep, dark secret. We were talking earlier about women and jobs and things. When I look back and I look at myself, um, I wish I could be a sideline reporter for college sports. It didn't really exist. Right. Let alone for women. Um, it was you know a play by play and a color commentator, and there really wasn't like that sideline person. Um I forward go, like, wow, I really wish I would have done that. And I really feel pretty confident that I would have been really good at it. Look at that.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So I'm inspired by women who and men who have that opportunity. Um, but yeah, I kind of read it.

SPEAKER_02:

Never too late. It's never too late, which is the other part of this, right?

SPEAKER_03:

It is absolutely true. Um, when I worked for the America East Conference as an assistant commissioner, uh, I was very involved in our television. Um, I was a stage manager, I've done some television interviews, I love this media stuff. Um, I know it's not too late, but I'd rather do stuff like this. There you go. Then and then I get to go and watch the games.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, there's a message in here though, and and I will tell you because people can't see your face. When you talk about that, your face lights up. And I and the message to our listeners is this you know, if you really listen in your heart, what makes you happy, what you like doing. I I explained it probably in a pretty basic way when I said when you have your to-do list, what's at the top and what always falls to the bottom, that kind of tells you where things sit, right? But as far as advice for those that are listening, you know, again, um, this isn't about looking back necessarily and regretting, but I always use um the example of uh when I'm sitting in the rocking chair and I'm staring hopefully at a body of water somewhere and um rethinking right my life's journey. Um, I don't want to have something that sticks out that says, why didn't I do that? Why didn't I try that? And we do hear this kind of advice a lot, but you have to internalize it. So your your commentary about, you know, all the different places that you lived, and you know, what was they were all there were good things, there were Not such good things. Most of us, I think, you can't really go back and say, what would I have done differently? And it's just something blaringly like I shouldn't have stolen something and gone to jail. I mean, putting aside that, I think at the end of the day, it all builds in the learning and makes you hopefully that much more confident and that much more knowledgeable about what it is that you like to do and being more aware of what's on the top of the list. So yeah, yeah. So I think that's just a little bit more thinking for people. But anyway, we're going to move from the deep stuff into fun facts, which is always fun. Um, so my first question for you, Elise, is who is a person you admire the most and why?

SPEAKER_03:

The first question that comes to my mind, quite honestly, is Oprah Winfrey. Um, and maybe it's the media, but it's also the diversity of the whole of everything that she's done, her her whole compilation, I guess. Um and she's her brand. I just think that that's very, very cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And wait, started out in Maryland TV. I mean, all of that. I remember watching her when she just started out. Wow. Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So favorite book. Oh, the places you'll go by Dr. Seuss. Oh, cute. Okay. Very good. You know, and um, somebody, my best friend gave it to me as I started on this career journey. Um and it was like, oh, that's so cute. But I keep coming back to it through the entire journey and have shared it obviously with well, not with my children. Different snippets of the book apply at different parts in my life. Um, and I keep coming back to it.

SPEAKER_02:

Interesting, very interesting. So maybe it could be like a college class or something, you know. I mean, the analysis of it or something. Who would have ever thought? You know, Dr. Seuss, there you go. That's all right. What about a favorite city since you've been so many places?

SPEAKER_03:

So, one of my favorite cities to visit, I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo. Uh, I will admit I was super nervous. For as much as I like adventure and like, I was like, okay, like I don't speak the language, this is really out of my comfort zone. It was super cool. Uh, and I would definitely love to go back. Um, so there's that from like the adventure space. Um, and yeah, low country, South Carolina, love it. Favorite food, ice cream.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or other? Other. Other, other.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. It's there's a very fine line. Um, you chocolate or vanilla. I don't like strawberry. Child, you know, like those childhood issues of those like Neapolitan strip things. I was like, this is horrible. Make it just um, but I'm also very particular. I like when there's stuff in my ice cream, but not too much stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, there could be a deep analysis on that.

SPEAKER_03:

My youngest, my youngest son worked at an ice cream shop here in Philadelphia. It's a like a small batch. And I was like, oh god, this is gonna be dangerous. Um, but here's the problem like the small batch that this particular guy makes, he puts like one too many things, right? So it's like, here's the flavor, and there's add on one, add on two. And then when it gets to add on three, I'm like, dude, you just ruined the whole thing. So it was great, it was a great experience for my son, and it was great for me because I didn't really like the ice cream, so I didn't eat it all that much.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, well, that's good. I guess your waistline was happy for that.

SPEAKER_03:

So exactly. There you go. Elise, how can listeners reach out to you? They can reach, I spent a lot of time on LinkedIn. So it's Elise Adler Stoner on LinkedIn. Um, custom strategic marketing for wealth advisors is there as well. You can follow, you could message me and tell me that you you heard me on Janice's podcast. That would be super helpful. Um, that's probably the best way.

SPEAKER_02:

Fantastic, wonderful. Well, Elise, it has been so fun. I haven't stopped smiling, my face is hurting. Um, really fun, fun conversation. And I thank you once again for sharing your story with the listeners of It's Great Business. So thanks everybody for listening, and we will see you online again. Take care, bye bye.

SPEAKER_01:

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