After more than three decades in manufacturing and B2B marketing and working in-house for 11 industrial companies, leading national trade publications, managing hundreds of campaigns, and earning Lean Six Sigma belts, you’d think I’d earned a seat at the table.
But lately, it feels like my chair has been quietly taken away.
Despite a résumé built on years of strategic growth, proven performance, and deep sector knowledge, the market often offers me the same salary as a freshly minted college grad or a $500-1,000 monthly retainer to do both strategy and implementation. The kind of budget that maybe gets you a logo and a few social posts. Not a full-stack expert who’s helped manufacturers scale, survive downturns, and align sales and marketing in lockstep.
Let me be honest: it hurts.
It hurts to have dedicated your life to helping businesses grow, only to be told you’re “too experienced,” “too senior,” or “not a fit for the budget” even though my pricing is probably too reasonable because I love to help people. It stings when you show a portfolio of measurable results – leads, revenue, market share – and the response is, “We don’t see the value of marketing. It’s a cost center not a revenue generator.”
It’s not just me. I’ve talked to other seasoned professionals – marketers, engineers, consultants – who are being edged out or devalued. Years of experience are being traded for trendy tools, AI shortcuts, or the perceived savings of junior hires. And in today’s economic and political climate, cost-cutting often eclipses quality.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Your worth isn’t measured by someone else’s budget.
If you’ve spent decades building a career, solving real problems, and delivering value, you are not overpriced. You are just not the right fit for clients who don’t understand long-term investment and sustainable growth.
2. Stay rooted in purpose.
I didn’t choose this career for quick wins. I chose it because I believe in American manufacturing, because I love solving complex problems, and because I care deeply about helping B2B companies grow sustainably.
3. It’s okay to walk away.
I’ve learned to say no to work that doesn’t value my experience, energy, or ethics. That isn’t arrogance; it’s boundaries. I will never give $10,000 of value for $500 or $150,000 salary for $60,000. Not because I can’t, but because it undermines the integrity of my profession and those coming up behind me.
4. The right people will find you.
The clients who hire me, who really get it, understand the power of strategy, process, and precision. They don’t see me as a cost; they see me as a catalyst – a B2B holistic growth strategist with their best interest in mind.
If you’re a fellow veteran of your field feeling invisible in today’s race to the bottom, please hear this: you are not alone. And you are still valuable.
We may not be what the trend-chasers want, but we’re exactly what strong, visionary businesses need. And I believe that the tides will turn. They always do.
Until then, I’ll keep showing up, being vulnerable, speaking truth, and delivering excellence.
Because that’s what 35 years in the trenches teaches you.
With resilience and respect,