Jill Cashman

Jill Cashman

Job Description

As a business strategist, I specialize in branding, marketing and communications. As a marketing agency/design firm practitioner for about 20 years, I help clients in various industries determine:

* what their brand (their company) stands for including how they are or want to be viewed in the marketplace (positioning, persona, values)
* who their target audiences may be (those people who may buy, use or influence a purchase of a product or service)
* their visual identity (logo, colour palette, images, tone of voice)
* their key messages that relate to their target audiences
* how to market their products or services to get in front of their target audiences through various channels and tactics (e.g. website, social media, events, partnerships, content, paid advertising/media, promotions, email, print materials, signage, packaging, etc)
* how their people contribute to their brand growth through employer branding, e.g. customer experience

And most importantly, how their branding, marketing, advertising and communications efforts contribute to sales (revenue) and return on investment (ROI).

Relevant School Subjects

Business

Areas Of Expertise

Business & Finance

Career Story

My career path from high school was definitely not prescribed and the next 30 years has not been linear. And that’s okay.
* In high school, wasn’t exactly sure what I should do for a living and wasn’t getting much advice or support from teachers or family
* I was an average grade student, graduated with an 80% average (I think) in 1990 from a small town high school in Newfoundland.
* Decided to go to university for a BA, major in psychology, as I was interested in becoming a high school guidance counselor
* I really struggled in my first year of “general studies” which was mandatory for this university prior to applying to a faculty. My marks weren’t great especially in math, which was making me feel inferior
* I was in my 3rd year psych courses and realized I didn’t do well with memorizing 13 chapters in a week to be tested with a 100 multiple choice test. I now realize I was more of a hands-on learner, as most adults are.
* My university experience wasn’t great, so I decided to take a pause, and work for 1-2 years (retail jobs). I moved to Nova Scotia with my boyfriend.
* I then decided to enroll in a 10-month business/office management program at a private college in Halifax, primarily to learn more about computers (yes, this was in the early 90s pre-major technology explosion)
* Prior to graduating, I secured some volunteer time with a small home builder start-up, helping with open houses and office stuff. I started full-time there upon graduating and worked there for 2 years, with expanding responsibilities – bookkeeping (didn’t love it) and marketing and even designing our flyers and print ads (loved it).
* I then worked as a mortgage broker assistant for almost a year. Didn’t dig that work at all.
* A friend referred me to an advertising and public relations agency for a role she was leaving – receptionist/office manager. I applied and got it, and took an apprenticeship journey to my career path. I was a sponge to everything the account management and graphic design teams did. I then enrolled in a 2-year part-time professional development certification program through the Institute of Communications Agencies, called Communications Agency Accredited Professional an the agency paid for 50% of the first year. I was promoted to account coordinator and then account manager over 3 or so years.
* I then left the agency and took a 6-month contract as an associate product marketing manager at a technology education college. Loved it.
* The contract was going to be renewed to a full-time role, but my husband had recently left a 9-year military career and went back to school (that college I worked at!) for a 9-month fast track e-business post-graduate diploma and was recruited to a company in the US. North Carolina, here we come!
* I took a 1-year sabbatical in 2000 as I was unable to work in the US. Enter the dot com boom and bust era. We moved back to Canada on July 1st 2001 and decided Toronto would be our new home. Happy Welcome Home Canada Day to us!
* My first job in TO was as a marketing specialist with a tech firm. I also enrolled back into the 2-year professional development program to complete year 2. Earned my CAAP credential. Very proud of myself for committing to and completing something! Several months into this job, I wasn’t loving the overly corporate nature of the culture and realized I missed the pace, fun and interesting work of the agency business. I stayed a year while I looked for agency work in TO and joined an agency I had met while in Halifax as we had a mutual client but in different regions of the country.
* I was then recruited to a more senior role with a brand design firm where I stayed for a few years and loved learning about another discipline in the large marketing ecosystem – brand strategy, packaging and retail design. After my mat leave, a move to the suburbs with a new baby made commuting into TO a challenge.
* I was growing bored anyway, and wanted to learn more about digital in marketing and joined a digital promotions agency. Stayed there for several years, and was laid off due to a restructure but found freelance work in a couple months that turned into a contract and then full-time employment with a small integrated agency.
* I was then recruited to my first true leadership role with a global agency as VP Client Strategy, in a category new to me – the field of employer branding and recruitment marketing. And I loved the employer branding discipline and learned valuable people leadership qualities under the helm of an exceptional leader.
* I was then recruited to a smaller agency with big promises. While I led some of the best work of my career there, focused on internal talent strategies and communications, the commute and culture wasn’t a fit so I took a risk and moved on.
* I joined a start-up to create a new business unit – a start-up within a start-up – and a little out of my comfort zone. I loved building my business and go-to-market plans, joined the local chamber and enjoyed networking. Then… COVID a few months into the role forced a lay-off.
* I continued to volunteer with the local chamber, met some great people and took on some consulting assignments as an independent contractor. I dug in and loved the work I was doing, but it wasn’t full-time. It was a trying time, like so many others experienced, and fear of not having a full-time salary took over, so I went back to full-time agency work.
* I realized I had grown bored of the work I was doing in the agency world and took some time to create space to think, plan and learn. I’ve taken some courses and am doing a leadership development facilitation course.
* I created my Dragonfly Consulting website on a whim but with a strong gut feeling, and am now intentional about self-employment on my entrepreneurism journey. I am most excited about working with others on professional and personal development and helping others uncover their potential. And I am also more intentional about volunteerism which I find very fulfilling.