Update: In November 2018, 满帆’s Internet Marketing programs were updated 和 are now 数字营销, 数字营销硕士, 数字营销证书.

凯文·T. 佩恩的工作描述很长. 很长.

对于初学者来说, he’s an inbound marketing consultant who helps startups scale their business through engagement lead strategies. 他还与 marketing automation platform HubSpot to help clients develop actionable strategies for growing their companies. 他是我们的导师 startup incubator The Founder Institute 和 is a regular contributor to publications such as Blavity 和 聪明的见解. 最近, he developed a 12-week intensive online course designed to help startup founders increase their web traffic 和 inbound leads. 他做了 赫芬顿邮报’s list of 25 Instagram Micro-Influencers to Watch Out for in 2018.

对于一个毕业于 满帆’s Internet Marketing master’s program 就在几年前.

“I’m passionate about helping companies find solutions that work for them,” says Kevin. “Inbound marketing is focused on creating content to educate the buyer 和 aid in decision-making. 与传统营销不同, inbound solutions make the business owner the gatekeeper of information. They’re not relying on a sales team; they’re building client relationships directly through content.”

那他是怎么开始的呢? 在创办自己的公司之前, Kevin worked for several startups 和 marketing companies as a digital marketer. 他对代理机构的生活很满意, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he could be doing more with his expertise. 所以他开始兼职做顾问.

“There are definite benefits to working full-time for someone else,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to learn the industry on someone else’s dime. You don’t have to pay for your mistakes, it allows you room to grow 和 learn how a company or industry works.”

最终, he knew he wanted to take the leap into consulting full time, so he set some ground rules for himself. First, he made a commitment to save the equivalent of six month’s salary. Next, he made it a point to have one client on retainer before launch. 这就解决了现金流的问题. Partnering with a known company like HubSpot brought a level of credibility to his business, as did the fact that he holds several certifications in digital marketing strategies through professional affiliations like Google Partners. Finally, he pledged that his business would come first.

“I work more now than I did when I worked full-time for other companies, but I enjoy it more. 我在建造一些东西. 我的品牌就是我的遗产，”他说.

去年，他推出了KevinTPayne.com. 他的遗产还在继续增长. He recently brought on several contract employees to help manage his workload. 他的生意蒸蒸日上, Kevin (who is currently based out of Las Vegas, NV) is working on embracing the life of a digital nomad – someone who can do their job from anywhere in the world. He says the thing he loves the most about his work is also the thing that can intimidate other would-be entrepreneurs – total responsibility. 对凯文来说，这是一种自由.

“That’s the best thing about what I do,” he says. “你必须自律, 但如果你愿意努力, there’s no end to what you can achieve. There’s no income ceiling; no limit on when or how you work. 一切都取决于你.”