Yenny Orehek

I would say that my success is partly due to the way I was raised and the education my parents gave me through high school - it wasn't an easy, it was always like challenge yourself, look ahead for the next thing. But I would say that the other thing I would attribute my success to is having amazing leaders in my career that have believed in me, pushed me, challenged me, and never stopped believing that I could do it. I've had three major mentors who have been incredibly impactful. My last manager, Mike Gross, he always had my back, guided me and was always transparent with me no matter how tough the conversations were. He has now become an amazing friend whose opinion I highly value and a leader I truly respect. Greg Minton, who gave me my first shot in the digital advertising world, and who has shaped me as a leader, I am far from perfect but he took an Account Executive in the rough and turned me into a leader I am proud to be. I learned so much from him, and I truly honestly admire and respect him. And then lastly, Rich Engberg, who gave me my first shot in the industry. First 5 minutes in an interview with Rich, he pointed out my resume being all over the place and jumping from different companies making it seem like I was maybe unreliable. I was truly intimidated but his honesty and directness made me respect him and want to work hard and I did. After 2 weeks on the job, he asked, "do you want the job full-time, or do you want to continue to be a temp?" And I said I want the job full-time, and he was like, okay, well, it's gonna be sink or swim. You're either going to figure it out, or you're going to hate this industry. I know you can do it, you are smart, driven, and resourceful. And so I did, and that stuck with me. He was just a no-nonsense kind of manager and if he believed in you, you just didn't want to let him down. Those three leaders that I've had in my career, in this industry at least, have been the most impactful to getting me here. They have made an impact in my career and they have shaped me to be the leader I am today. I just hope to continue to make them proud.

Best career advice was from Rich Engberg "this is a sink or swim industry. You will either figure it out and hate it". I figured it out.

Learn everything you can. Become a sponge. Even if it's something that you think might not interest you, something that you think is not going to lead anywhere, just learn. Learn, learn, learn, absorb as much information as you can, because you never know when you're gonna need that knowledge.

I think the biggest challenge in my industry is that there are a lot of people that focus on selling products, whether that is a digital product or a tv schedule or mailers, or a radio spot. The truth is, that mentality is outdated and the shift is become real obvious. Some people that have been in the industry for a really long time have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this industry is evolving and we need to be more service oriented to provide our customers solutions, not products.

Honesty and transparency are huge and it is what I stand by. I think that probably a lot of people didn't think I would succeed because I was too honest. I don't take clients' investment if I don't think I can make them successful. So honesty is my core pillar. Follow through and stand by what I say I'm gonna do - my word means everything, and it's what I try to instill in my daughter. You've got to keep your word, no matter how hard it is. And then just face whatever comes your way and just keep going. You can't let problems keep you down. You have 5 minutes to cry, especially as a female in a corporate world, and then wipe your tears away, and put your big girl pants on, and keep going.