Photograph of Liza Horowitz

Updated: Aug 3

“I’ve had an interesting path to Beacon, from news desk editor at Bloomberg, through international content and strategy development, to head of marketing and communications. My range of experience really helps here, where I was the first marketing hire. There is a lot to do in Beacon’s startup environment, from market strategy and brand awareness to helping sales with lead generation. When not working, I enjoy living in Brooklyn, cooking, and playing a quick game of tennis.”

 

Typical Day

First Things

  • Start with a quick Peloton workout or brisk walk, followed by coffee

  • Read emails, create a to-do list, and prioritize my day

  • Check in with our offices in London and Tokyo

  • Look at announcements from competitors and what they’re doing

  • A quick review of marketing and website data and analytics

Mids

  • Work on current projects and priority tasks

  • Discuss strategy and tactics with the sales team

  • Meet with my boss, Anya, usually reviewing our content plan and actions

  • Daily team meeting for open discussion

Last Things

  • An hour of research, keeping current with Beacon’s products and market

  • Try to be active, either tennis or a long walk, which helps me review and process my day

  • Cook dinner with my husband and excellent sous chef, using veggies from our new garden

  • End the day watching a great tv series, movie, or documentary

First Marketing Hire

At Beacon, I am Head of Marketing and Communications. As the first marketing hire, my job covers everything from building our strategy to establishing standardized messaging and creating specific content. Sales and marketing are tightly intertwined, and I report to Anya Boutov, Beacon’s Chief Revenue Officer. Boosting Beacon’s brand awareness and visibility beyond the initial core of friends and family is a top priority for this year. Every day involves creating effective sales enablement tools, identifying opportunities for thought leadership, and expanding our marketing horizon.

Sports, Art, & Food

Links between work and personal interests are fun to explore. Learning collaboration and teamwork from sports is an obvious one, but my sport in college was lacrosse! Scoring a goal is a terrific feeling for the whole team after a fast break and a fluid series of throws and catches. Making pottery is a great way to learn about mistakes—it’s very easy to slip when throwing a pot. You have to learn how to quickly fix errors, which can rapidly get much worse on a potter’s wheel. But also how to determine when to scrap something and start over. Cooking provides immediate feedback on the power of both presentation and content. When I have time, I like to challenge myself to plate food like a top chef, which may not change the taste but definitely enhances the experience.

Great Startup Opportunities

Some opportunities I’ve had working at a startup is access to everyone in the company and never feeling boxed in. Because I was the first marketing hire for Beacon, I’ve had the great opportunity to create our marketing strategies from the ground up. The sky’s the limit here, and I appreciate how we can learn from our trials and errors. Although I am the only marketing position here, every employee at Beacon is an ambassador of our company and a ‘culture carrier’ to our customers.

What Motivates Me

Seeing marketing efforts directly translate into leads is very satisfying to me. For example, when we put out a white paper or someone re-engages with our content it generates a sales lead and I get notified. I know this won’t scale as we grow, but it is nice to have this direct touch to the results of my work. I love the closeness of Beacon’s people and how we work as a collaborative team to reach our common goals. Everyone is smart, generous, and supportive. They make collaborating very easy and take such pride in our product. I love seeing how happy our clients are. The product is built for what they need and want.

Fast Trivia:

Sports

Played lacrosse in college

Art

Making pottery

Music

First favorite band – The Spice Girls

TV

Reality TV & Food Network

Geography

Studied abroad in Prague

Food

Grilled steak & scallops with a side of home-grown veggies

Favorite Things

Living in Brooklyn, cooking, traveling

Joined Beacon

August, 2019

Education

Bachelor of Science (Religion), Bryn Mawr College

Hometown

Warren, New Jersey

Work Location

New York, but in daily communication with our offices in London and Tokyo.

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