After Thumbt, I took a sabbatical and embarked upon a grand adventure. I began by attempting to learn Greek on a little island in the Aegean before moving on to Turkey where I promptly forgot what little Greek I picked up. I then walked the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage across Spain, stumbled through a flamenco course, taught English to children in a Vietnamese village temple, trekked with men wielding AK-47s in Cambodia, struggled through a silent mediation course in Thailand and studied the awesome gothic cathedral at Chartres. Among other things.

After the sale of Marketron, the CEO, I and a small group of developers left to build a social media application. I conceived, designed and branded Thumbt, which allowed people to spark reform by tapping their social networks to protest laws, companies, products, etc. Soon after the launch, concerns about the "negative" nature of the site prompted a 180 degree redesign; Thumbt became Ravye, a social recommendations engine. The team's enthusiasm waned, we pulled the plug and I embarked on my great globetrotting adventure.

I was recruited by the CEO, a former client, to lead the re-branding of this broadcast software company and then manage all marketing programs. A tiny budget--the bulk of which was spent on trade shows--taught me to market like Macgyver. It's amazing what you can do with the Adobe Creative Suite, Powerpoint and the Web! We positioned the company for sale in March 2007. About a year earlier, the CEO asked me to lead an entrepreneurial project team that developed a mobile marketing application (designed by me).

I joined the Boston area headquarters of this Public Relations firm that specializes in generating media coverage for emerging growth tech companies. Two years later, in the height of the tech boom, the company recruited me to help bolster the San Francisco office. I rose rapidly to VP after leading a series of account turnarounds, renewals and successful new business solicitations.

I wrote my way into this independent market research firm that conducted quantitative studies and the occasional focus group. I determined market potential, brand awareness and customer satisfaction for companies in the finance, consumer and technology industries.