Alumni in 5
Adam Clarke '09
LinkedIn Profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammichaelclarke/
1. Tell us about your journey since graduation.
Since graduation, I have become a business owner of 1 Bold Step.
It all started when I met my current business partner, Jennifer
Jurgens. At the time I was working with CQL and volunteering to plan
TEDxGrandRapids. Jennifer had become a client and we stayed connected
and continued to volunteer together. Eventually, we sat down to talk
about how we wanted to pull each other into the companies we were
working for during that time. Jen had recently changed roles and
decided to hire me through the company she was working for. As part of
the leadership team, we were able to grow that company together. But
we had always joked about eventually starting our own company one day.
However, that became our reality as we eventually started mapping out
where we wanted to be in a 1, 3, and 10-year plan. At the time, we
already had clients since we had client contracts separately, but
decided to partner and officially launched 1 Bold Step in January of
2019. It was a process, but we had a vision and decided to put a plan
in place. All of this started from being clients together volunteering
together, working together, and finally deciding we want to start a
company together.
2. Share a favorite Grand Valley memory.
My favorite memory while attending Grand Valley happened when I
was a part of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. As a member,
we had the opportunity to attend the chapter conference in Chicago.
This was a great learning experience where I got to listen to keynote
speakers talk about starting businesses and the steps to take in order
to be successful. I met the founder of Jimmy Johns, Young
Entrepreneurs that had started the business, gave great advice, and
connected with classmates that are now lifelong friends. It is amazing
how when you align with like-minded people, it helps you grow. Not
only have some of my friends helped me in my career but part of that
group that went to the conference and were a part of that group are
still friends. We’ve built businesses, supported each other, stood up
in weddings together, had kids around the same time, hiked, camped,
and stayed connected through the years.
3. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice I have ever received was during school
as I was looking for a job. Someone told me to start networking and
meet as many people as possible. They told me that since I was still
in school at the time, I should take advantage of saying "I’m a
student and trying to learn", and they bet people would share
their stories with me and help. Because of this advice and my
willingness to expose myself to the world, I was able to sit down and
talk to people I would not normally have the opportunity to meet. It
was amazing how many people (many successful business owners) were
willing to sit down, share thoughts, and help point me in the right direction.
4. List three words you would use to describe your Grand
Valley experience.
Relationship-building, Eventful, and Rewarding
5. What difference would you like to make in the world?
A difference I would like to make in the world would be to
continue building a lasting, positive impact. I have always been
motivated to pursue making a positive impact and leaving things a
little bit better. I joined Local First, because it made a positive
impact on the West Michigan Economy, and got businesses and consumers
to think differently about where they spend their money. During my
time at CQL, I was involved in TEDxGrandRapids for five years. The
main focus was all about bringing thought leadership into the
community and bringing awesome people together, and sharing ideas
worth spreading. While at SalesPad, I was on the founding committee
that planned MICareerQuest, which has a goal to get students involved
with future careers. Over 12,000 students continue to participate in
the 1-day event and are there to show students what jobs are available
after they graduate. As my career has evolved I’ve joined boards like
Ronald McDonald House, planned 100s of events, and raised a lot of
money to make a positive impact. All of these things have shaped my
goals and aspirations in order to continue this legacy through my
marketing agency, 1 Bold Step.
July 2023
Interest Area(s)
Business Administration, Marketing
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