Call it “fate,” but Nicole Wyrembeck, 41, believes she was destined to do what she does. Every star simply fell into alignment, she said, and every twist and turn led her back to the realization that she could take what she knew best, and run with it. In September, Wyrembeck launched her own marketing and research consulting company, Decision Point.
She never planned to go into research. But years ago, a day after moving to Madison to attend UW with every intention of going into Med school, Wyrembeck found a part-time job at what would later become Chamberlain Research Consultants, doing phone call research. Soon after, she became supervisor of the phone bank, then an analyst, and by her senior year, a consultant.
“I just fell in love with political strategy,” she said, “helping figure out what would move public opinion in a political campaign, and what the “silver bullets” were.” Bye-bye Med school.
Last year, after 20 years with Chamberlain, a restless Wyrembeck left with the intent of pursuing a law degree, but other forces were working against her. Her family, for example, was not convinced law would be the right career choice, and then a major part of her application — a key letter of recommendation — was lost in the mail.
She was also struggling to build her case, as part of the application, as to why she wanted to be an attorney. “I spent a year and a half agonizing over this,” she said, “and in the meantime, I was ignoring all the signs telling me to start my own business!”
So long, law school.
With the launch of Decision Point, “Nicole from Chamberlain” as she was known, has come into her own. Once she made the decision, finding her partners, Katie Ryan Kurtz, and Michelle Bollinger (who works out of North Carolina), happened just as uncannily. Together, the three partners, Wyrembeck says, represent over 50 years of experience.
Decision Point provides expertise in survey design, focus groups, and strategic and tactical marketing. The company focuses on new product development, legislative case building, and social media market plans. Wyrembeck said they’re receiving a lot of interest, particularly from companies that, due to slashed budgets and staff reductions, are forced to outsource, and their first customer was a Fortune 500 company. Yet she insists the number of projects the group takes on will not be as important as the size of the projects, and the relationships fostered.
Her personal challenge, though, has been finding peace of mind, now that she competes with her former employer. “How can I compete against this woman (Sharon Chamberlain), who reared me in the business?” she questions. “I am so thankful for the opportunities, the experience and exposure that was provided to me,” she said, “but it was time to move on.”
Wyrembeck’s initial budget of $50,000 has yet to be spent, and while reluctant to share exact figures, she hopes to recoup her personal investment by the end of 2010. More importantly, she looks forward to the day she can pay her staff “what they’re truly worth,” and make a fair wage herself. That, to her, will define success.
Decision Point currently has no shared office space. “It all happens at my kitchen table!” Wyrembeck laughed, “and there is a wonderful chemistry.”
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