Her Story
About Erika
Erika Kooda is a marketing professional with over 10 years of experience, including more than 2 years in the cycling industry. She currently serves as Marketing Manager for two parts and accessories brands at Quality Bicycle Products. In this role, she oversees all marketing efforts including D2C and B2B marketing to retailers, event planning and activation, collaboration with the creative team, performance marketing such as Google advertising, media partnerships and publications, PR, athlete team management and product distribution, and one-off influencer marketing. Her career began in public media with involvement in a local NPR affiliate public radio station. She pursued a radio and business degree, graduating in 2017, and interned in a marketing role with the Chicago Area Runners Association during college, which sparked her interest in the running and outdoor industry. She gained retail experience in run specialty for several years before her first full-time position in digital marketing at Mizuno. She later moved to a tech company focused on a retail marketing platform, which connected her to Quality Bicycle Products.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erika
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think being open to really whatever opportunities arise and learning to select those opportunities and just taking a gamble on yourself. Believing in yourself and connecting with other people.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was it's not always about what you know, but who you know. My path has been really driven by building good relationships, and doing my best work forward, and then maintaining those relationships too. Not burning bridges and staying in touch with the people that you want to keep working with has really helped a lot.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'd give the same advice that I received when I was in high school. It's not always about what you know, but who you know. So don't be afraid to catch up with people, even if it's a long time, because again, you never know who might be up in the next right door for you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Perception can be difficult. The industry of marketing is one of those ones that's ever-evolving, but I think we're in a precarious time with AI and the split of where things are going. We're hearing you need to know how to use it, but there's also the ethical dilemma of using it. There's definitely a feeling of not wanting to be left behind and jeopardizing your knowledge and your skills, while also sticking to what you believe in, especially within the outdoor industry.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Values that are important to me professionally and personally is just being respectful and empathetic with the people that you work with or the people that you work adjacent to. Treating everybody kindly. Being open to improvement for yourself constantly. Even if it's microscopic, it's still better.
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