Before we dive in, there’s something you should know about me. I like structure and frameworks and boundaries. They make me feel comfortable and safe. Usually when I’m introducing myself, there’s some underlying context whether it’s starting a new job or a new class or even making small talk in line at the post office. Based on the context, I can figure out which information is safe to share and which information should remain unspoken.
Here, though, I have a blank slate. There’s no real framework that exists for me to build off. In fact, it’s on me to build that framework, it’s on me to decide which facts and experiences of mine are relevant. It’s heavy and scary and a bit uncomfortable.
With that said, I’m excited to be writing this introduction, and I’m ready to get started. I just wanted to formally introduce myself and explain briefly what I do. Now that I’m reaching the ‘half-year’ milestone of running my own business, I figured it’s time to share with the world what exactly my business is. First, a bit about me.
The Early Years
My name is Tali, it’s pronounced like Holly with a ‘T’ (hence my Instagram handle) and means ‘dew’ in Hebrew. I grew up in Northern California, and have been introducing myself in this way for as long as I can remember.
I love my name, it is a huge part of my personal identity and, I think, contributed in many ways to the person that I am today. Sometimes, I even wonder if I still would have moved to Israel had my parents named me Rebecca or Ally or one of the other popular names in the States in 1995. I’m getting ahead of myself though…
I grew up in a small-ish town in Northern California called Sonoma, about an hour north of San Francisco. It wasn’t so small that we all knew each other’s names, but it was small enough that if we wanted to go to the mall, it was a 30-minute drive to the next town. For tourists, Sonoma is the heart of the Wine Country – a dream destination; but for kids growing up there, it could be a bit of a bore. Dubbed Slow-noma by some.
Growing up, I was a good student, I played on competitive soccer and softball teams and I loved to draw and do crafts and such. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up (and, spoiler alert, I still don’t), but I did know that I had to be outstanding. Grades were important, independence was important, growth was important.
College, etc.
After high school, I moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University. I initially entered without a major, but quickly decided to major in Mathematics. An interesting choice. I was always strong in math, from learning the times tables to pre-Algebra to Calculus. You probably wouldn’t, but you could say that I was choosing “the easy path”. Ultimately, it was way harder than I had imagined. I didn’t naturally excel in all realms of theoretical mathematics, but it worked out in the end.
Ironically, I think the most formative part of my career as a math major came during my first month of college – before I declared the major. I was in an “intro to college”-type class for all of the incoming freshman like me who were “undecided”. One thing that they really drilled home was that, in the end, it didn’t really matter what major we chose. We could still be anything and do anything that we wanted to do. Any major we chose, would teach us valuable lessons which we would carry with us to whatever profession we chose later on – and there didn’t have to be a clear connection between the two.
TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT (only kidding, it’s just going to get longer from here) – I succeeded in graduating with a degree in mathematics, I overcame every question about what I planned to do with my degree (of which approximately 99% were “sO yOu’Re gOiNg tO bE a TeAcHeR?”) by regurgitating the following:
“I don’t know what I want to do when I graduate, but being a math major is teaching me skills, like problem solving and critical thinking, that I can apply to any field I choose.”
It became a sort of mantra during my time in university, and the sentiment gives me the courage to continue developing my skills several years later. Anything and everything that I do is teaching me more about myself and the world. Every day is an opportunity to learn something that may serve me in the future.
Moving to Israel
During my time in university, I deeply explored what it means for me to be a part of the Jewish community. I joined the Jewish student group on campus where I made many close friends and which lead to me visiting Israel for the first time. AND THE REST IS HISTORY. Kidding… again, mostly. My introduction to Israel was overwhelming. I came in the summer of 2014 (after my freshman year) on birthright, a free 10-day trip, and stayed for the rest of the summer to participate in 2 other programs including a study abroad program through my university.
My trip ended abruptly when the school decided to evacuate us as rockets were being fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza (meanwhile, my friends and I were doing shots at a bar in Yaffo). I really can’t describe the situation for those who have never experienced the Israeli culture firsthand (but am always happy to discuss if any of you are interested). I cried on the way to the airport, devastated to be leaving, and came back for my next trip less than a year later. By the time I finished my degree, I had spent about a third of my time in Israel on various programs and trips.
I’ve heard many times over the past four years that I’m so brave for moving to another country and building my life from scratch. In the moment, though, it just felt like the most logical next step. More than anything else, I strongly identify with the Israeli culture and mindset (aside from their driving, I mean.. good lord).
My Introduction to the Work Force
When I officially moved to Israel in May 2017, I brought 2 suitcases with me along with my student loan debt. I felt a lot of pressure to get a job quickly in order to repay that debt, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do (and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what my options were). I had some experience in writing technical blog posts from an internship I did during school, so that’s what I started to look for.
I soon starting working at a start-up company as a technical content manager, and over the course of 3 and 1/2 years I filled many roles and became intimately familiar with the ins-and-outs of Marketing. During my time in the company, I gained experience in content writing and strategy, blog and site management, paid advertising, affiliate marketing, business analytics, SEO, email marketing, marketing operations… and probably more that I’m forgetting.
Oh yah! I also took a year-long course in graphic design, not related to my position in the company but relevant nonetheless.
When I left that position in February, my goal was to focus on honing my skills specifically in analytics and design. I just had no idea how I was going to find a position that combined those two diametrically opposed fields. They’re not actually opposites, a lot of design is related to analytics and user data, but still.
And, Finally – What I Do
At this point, in case you hadn’t already put it together, I should emphasize that February is the month before March. In case it’s STILL not obvious, I’ll remind you all that there’s a global pandemic and by mid-March basically the entire world had shutdown. I was already planning to take some time off professionally to focus on my own personal development, and I was fortunate that the shutdowns only strengthened that goal.
I spent the days working on crafts and design projects mostly. I never really got to a point where I felt like I wanted to apply for any full-time positions either in design or analytics or anything else for that matter. During this time, some friends (mostly one particular friend, you know who you are :grimacing: ) were sending me various positions and projects and helping to connect me with companies looking for freelancers. One thing lead to another, and I found myself opening a business and working on different content and design projects including the graphics for a cooking show here in Israel.
These days, I’m working primarily with 2 companies. I’m still doing a myriad of things but I do feel more focused and in control of my time. To briefly summarize what I do every day (that’s what you’re here for after all, right?) – I would define my role as something of a combination between Web Master, Project Manager and general Marketing Strategy Consultant. My primary responsibilities are to manage the company websites and coordinate content strategy and creation. I also do some design work on the side which is fun.
Wait, What? (A Quick Summary)
So, I’m definitely still figuring this whole thing out. I want to emphasize that I’m not working towards some ah-ha moment where I settle into an existing career path or find a traditional job. I’m on an ongoing journey aiming for continual self-discovery. If I HAD to give a high-level overview of what I do, if you were all sitting there reading this and holding a gun to the computer (ie. my head), I would say that I work together with people and businesses to uncover potential growth opportunities.
I work with brands to create additional value, both for themselves and for their audiences. What that means in practice is not concrete or static, and neither is my job. Every brand needs something different to manifest themselves at the highest level, and my goal is to continue learning and growing myself so that I can provide whatever they need to get there. In the technology world, there is this concept of delivering products “as a Service”. The most relevant and relatable to those not working in the industry is Software as a Service, or SaaS, which is essentially subscription-based technologies like Netflix.
So, what do I do? I’m a TaaS, Tali as a Service 😉 One day, I’m sure I will write something more specifically about what I do in my day-to-day life. Which brings me to my closing statement…
Before You Go!
As I continue to develop both personally and professionally, I’m hoping to do a better job of maintaining this blog. Not just maintaining it actually, but developing it along with my Voice. I’ve made a list of topics that I would like to cover here, hoping that I will become ever-more focused and disciplined in sharing my thoughts and insights with all of you.
- What do I actually do all day? What is my job?
- Why I choose freelancing, every single day
- My 5 key values and how I try to exhibit those in my work
- Who is my audience? Who am I writing this for?
- Client case study (What value do I provide to my clients?)
- Trying to build a personal brand, what steps have I taken? (including taking a break from thinking about it?
- How I bring life lessons into my business and working relationships
If any particular topic resonates with you or you especially want to know what I have to say about, I would be happy to hear from you 🙂