Yenny Orehek

My success is rooted in two things. The first is the way I was raised. My parents instilled in me a mindset of constant growth—it was never about coasting, but about challenging myself and always looking ahead to what comes next. The second is the extraordinary leaders I've had the privilege of working with throughout my career: people who believed in me, pushed me, and never wavered in their confidence that I could rise to the occasion.

Three mentors, in particular, have profoundly shaped my path.

My former manager, Mike Gross, always had my back. He led with transparency, even when the conversations were difficult, and in doing so built a relationship I value deeply. He has since become not only a trusted friend but a leader I genuinely respect.

Greg Minton gave me my first opportunity in digital advertising and, in many ways, shaped the leader I am today. I am far from perfect, but Greg saw potential in a rough-around-the-edges Account Executive and invested in developing me into someone I'm proud to be. I learned an immense amount from him, and I carry my admiration and respect for him with me every day.

And then there is Rich Engberg, who gave me my first foothold in this industry. Five minutes into my interview, Rich pointed out the inconsistencies on my resume—the job changes, the lack of a clear path—and was completely direct about how it looked from the outside. I was caught off guard, but his honesty earned my respect immediately. Two weeks into the job, he asked me plainly: "Do you want this full-time, or do you want to stay a temp?" When I told him I wanted it, he didn't sugarcoat what that meant. He told me it would be sink or swim—that I would either figure it out or realize the industry wasn't for me—but that he believed I could do it, because I was smart, driven, and resourceful. And so I did. That has never left me. Rich is no-nonsense, and when someone like that believes in you, the last thing you want to do is let them down.

These three individuals have had the greatest influence on my career and on the leader I've become. My hope, every day, is to keep making them proud.

Best career advice was from Rich Engberg "This is going to be a sink or swim situation. You're either going to figure it out, or you're going to realize this industry isn't for you."

My advice is simple: learn everything you can. Become a sponge. Even when a subject doesn't immediately excite you, even when a path doesn't seem to lead anywhere obvious—absorb it anyway. Knowledge has a way of surfacing exactly when you need it most, often in ways you never could have anticipated.

And don't be afraid of constructive criticism—seek it out. Ask your managers and your peers, directly and often, how you can do better. It takes confidence and humility in equal measure to invite that kind of feedback, but it is one of the most powerful tools for growth you will ever have. Criticism, embraced with the right mindset, isn't a setback—it's a roadmap. Let it show you where to improve, where to push harder, where to evolve. The people who grow the fastest are rarely the ones who wait to be told what they're doing wrong. They're the ones who go looking for it.

I never imagined I would find myself in sales. Honestly, I thought I was too blunt, too direct, too straightforward for it. And yet here I am—not only succeeding, but genuinely loving it. That didn't happen in spite of who I am; it happened because of it. Every experience I collected along the way, even the ones that seemed unrelated or unlikely at the time, helped shape the professional I've become.

So stay curious. Stay open. Never dismiss a chance to grow simply because you can't yet see where it leads. And never stop asking how you can be better.

You might just end up exactly where you were always meant to be

One of the most significant challenges facing our industry today is the persistence of a product-first sales mentality. Whether it's digital advertising, television, direct mail, or radio, too many people in this space still lead with inventory rather than insight. They open with what they have to sell instead of what the client actually needs—and that approach is not just outdated, it's becoming impossible to defend.

For those who have spent decades in the business, that shift can be hard to accept. It asks people to let go of the very thing that once made them successful. But the market has already spoken. Clients no longer need someone to sell them a spot or a schedule; they can buy inventory anywhere. What they can't find just anywhere is a partner—someone who takes the time to understand their business, name their real challenges, and build solutions around their goals rather than around a rate card.

That is the line that now separates the people who will thrive from the people who will slowly become obsolete: the transition from order-taker to trusted advisor. And it's a harder transition than it sounds, because it requires giving up a short-term win for a long-term relationship. It means being willing to walk away from a deal that doesn't make sense for the client—to say "this isn't right for you" even when the commission is sitting right there. Too many promises are made in this industry that were never going to be kept. The advisors worth trusting are the ones who refuse to make them.

The irony is that the people who are hardest to sell to are often the ones who respect honesty the most. When you tell a client the truth—even when it costs you—you stop being a vendor they manage and start being a voice they seek out. That is worth more than any single deal, and it only grows more valuable with time.

Honesty and transparency are the foundation of everything I do—professionally and personally. I've always operated that way, even when it was the harder path. Early in my career, there were almost certainly people who doubted that level of candor could survive in sales. But it was never something I was willing to trade away. If I don't truly believe I can deliver results for a client, I won't take their investment. That isn't just a principle I hold; it's a practice I live by.

Equally important to me is follow-through. My word is everything. If I say I'm going to do something, I do it—no matter how difficult it becomes between the promise and the delivery. It's one of the things I work hardest to model for my daughter: that keeping your word, especially when it costs you something, is one of the truest measures of who you are.

And when things don't go as planned—because they won't always—you face it, you deal with it, and you keep moving. You can't let setbacks define you or stall you. As a woman in a corporate environment, I've learned that resilience isn't optional; it's the price of admission and the reason you stay. You give yourself a moment to feel it. And then you get back up. That mindset has carried me through more than I can count, and I wouldn't have it any other way.