Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Herzik.
Garrett, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Houston and loved it. I lived close enough to the city to understand the culture but far out enough to have a little breathing room for things like riding my bike and getting away from the house without my parents getting too worried. I had the opportunity to attend college and experience my learning all over again. As a business student, I started to see the path that was being laid out in front of me and began wondering what kind of career I wanted to pursue. Which is what led my wife and me, back when we were dating, to Catskill, NY during my last Summer of College. That summer changed a lot for me. It heavily exposed me to small businesses carving out their lane and independent creators making huge impacts on their respective scenes. Such a precious time that influenced me heavily toward what I do now.
When I returned to finish out my business degree, I took an internship with a marketing agency in my college town called Fidelis Creative Agency. During this period, if it had to do with marketing, I was learning it, and all at once. I got to dip my toes into all the different facets of brand discovery and marketing strategy that opened my mind to a whole new field.
After graduating and some prayerful consideration, I decided to move back home to Houston. I worked as an in-house marketer for a business while working on some side projects doing photography, website design, social media strategy, and whatever else I could get my hands on. It was another season of learning and brought me enough momentum to go full-time with my freelance marketing services!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This past year was rocky. Marketing is results-based and all about the deliverables. So it’s hard to fake it when you have a small body of work. After college, I assumed I would go work for a marketing agency but I applied to every single one I could find in Houston and got nothing back. Now, I have my own book of clients and figured out that I don’t need a marketing agency to hand me work, I can find it myself.
These days, developing my business doesn’t feel so uphill but every client presents new challenges with new learning requirements. Finding your lane as a freelancer is tough when you’re young but it’s a worthy pursuit in my eyes. Learning how to fend for yourself and do business makes you think differently. Even if I later work for an agency or with a larger team, I know I’ll always view my ability to contribute in a much different light.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I provide digitally focused marketing strategies for small-medium sized businesses in Houston and beyond. This looks like attempting to make the connection between a good idea and the recipient it was meant for! Day to day, it’s website design, social media marketing, content strategy, and more.
To my friends, I like to think I’m known for learning. When I see a website or a product I like, I love finding the person or team behind the work and understanding the reason for its impact. To my clients, I hope I’m always seen as a problem solver. Someone they can offload challenges to when they are hoping to grow their business and better their own life.
Overall, I’m most proud of the fact that my work supports small businesses. The companies I work for range from 3-20 employees and it always feels really good to see my work have an outsized impact on someone else’s livelihood. This helps me see the whole picture and stay on the hunt for what I can learn next.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was always interested in a lot of different things. I thought it was a detriment that I didn’t have one interest and definable skill, but now I love it. Art, strategy, communication, and design all play a part in my week that I thank my younger self for developing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.garrettherzik.com/
- Phone: 281-753-6626
- Email: garrettherzik904@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettherzik/?hl=en
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