Woman in Business - Nicole Stein, Outsourced CMO

Meet Nicole S. , Outsourced CMO, CMO for Hire at BST & Co. CPAs, LLP

“Challenges Don’t Have to Stop You”

Tell us about your current role:

I am a marketing executive. Right now, I serve as what we call an outsourced Chief Marketing Officer. it's essentially a fractional system. ?A fractional marketing system allows clients, companies, and nonprofits that don’t require a full-time Chief Marketing Officer to bring in marketing expertise on a part-time basis. Fractional CMOs assist with developing marketing strategies and setting up implementation plans. Sometimes, the fractional team handles the execution, while in other cases, the organization’s in-house team takes over, or partners are brought in to support specific aspects of the strategy.

I work at BST, but my clients are outside of BST. BST has several outsourcing divisions, including "CMO for Hire." Occasionally, I’ll do some marketing support for BST, but my main role is business development. I bring in my own clients and provide services to them.

What do you love about your job?

I love that marketing combines both art and science. People often see only the creative, artistic side, which I enjoy as a writer. But there’s also a scientific side, where you can measure results and demonstrate that the strategy is helping achieve goals. I love that it’s a blend of creativity and analytics.

How do you define success?

I define success as the ability to help others, especially in supporting women to follow their dreams and career paths. I’ve been fortunate to have many female mentors, whom I call my "seven sisters," guiding me through different stages of life. My favorite quote by Madeleine Albright says, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women,” and I live by that philosophy.

Who inspires you?

Marlee Matlin inspires me. I’m hearing impaired and got my first pair of hearing aids at 16. Seeing Marlee in “Children of a Lesser God” and her success as an advocate who broke barriers that people tried to place around her was pivotal for me. She inspires me to keep going and reminds me that challenges don’t have to stop you.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter your field?

Be prepared to read a lot because this is a field where you never stop learning. Whether it’s keeping up with trends in AI, social media, email marketing, or new Internet developments, there’s always something new. You have to be open to learning continually.