Summary: It takes a lot of courage to leave the comfort and security of a full time job and go out on your own. Moving from a W2 (employee status) to a W9 (independent contractor/self-employed) can be a scary thing. It can be an even scarier thing when the work you are passionate about involves social media and at the time you make the leap, not everyone is convinced that social media is relevant and the country is entering one of the worst economic downturns in its history. Wendy Soucie, our guest this week, did just that and today she leads a thriving social media consulting firm based in Lodi, Wisconsin. You can follow Wendy's blog by visiting: http://www.wendysoucie.com You can also connect with her on various social networks by visiting: http://xeesm.com/WendySoucie/ Enjoy the conversation! About Wendy Soucie For more than 30 years, Wendy Soucie has developed and implemented B2B marketing strategies and business development for clients in technical industries and within professional service firms. She has worked with some of the largest manufacturers in Wisconsin including Harley Davidson, Bucyrus Erie, Twin Disc, Oilgear, Oscar Mayer, Webster Electric, Fairbanks Morse, Beloit Corp, University of Wisconsin, Alliant Energy, Wisconsin Electric, and Madison Gas & Electric. Her experience covers capital equipment sales, distributors, manufacturer representative, OEM and end user facilities. Soucie’s strength is her blend of social media savvy, engineering process thinking, hunter sales methodology, and Internet marketing expertise. As a skilled trainer and speaker, she excels at teaching clients to make the leap from strategy to action and–ultimately–independence. She holds a training certification from Integrated Alliances, the largest national training firm on LinkedIn and social media tools. Wendy holds her Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island. Wendy is a Certified Social Media Consultant and founding member (Gold) of the Social Media Academy and has completed course work in Social Media Business Strategy and Leadership. Soucie is also an elite member of the Black Diamond Consulting Group. Images courtesy of Wendy Soucie's website.
