Always Keep Learning to Be a Step Ahead: Elyse Flynn Meyer ’07 BSBA (Marketing)

Elyse Flynn Meyer always knew she’d start her own business. Surrounded by what she calls an “entrepreneurial mentality” growing up, she was inspired by her parents, each of whom have their own company.

Flynn Meyer brought this spirit with her to Eller, where she dove in deep to acquire new skills and real-life experiences, including a summer abroad with ClearChannel’s taxi division in London, and a second internship with L’Oreal in New York City prior to starting her first job Stryker in San Jose, CA.

Image

Eller was a “second to none experience,” she says. “When I talk to people who went to other schools, their experiences do not seem nearly as all-encompassing as mine was at Eller,” Flynn Meyer says, noting the many opportunities at Eller to join student clubs. Her stand-out experience was participating in the Advertising Federation Program, coordinated by Edward Ackerley, adjunct instructor of marketing. The program is a partnership with the American Advertising Federation Tucson, and students work together to develop and pitch a full advertising campaign.  

“Our group went to Colorado Springs to present the completed ad campaign,” Flynn Meyer says. “It was my first real-world project working on a real brand for a real company.” Flynn Meyer was also inspired by Hope Schau, Eller Professor of Marketing. She was “an inspiration and a wonderful professor,” and the two are still in touch, more than ten years after graduation. 

With opportunities like these providing a solid business foundation, Flynn Meyer landed her first job in marketing operations, for the medical device manufacturer, Stryker. But it was in her next role, with diagnostic company, Abaxis, that she began learning how to implement the inbound and digital marketing strategies that would become the hallmark offering of her company, Prism Global Marketing Solutions.

Flynn Meyer took the knowledge she gained at Abaxis, along with her experience leading marketing for online executive education at Thunderbird School of Global Management, to launch her agency, with an emphasis on specialization in HubSpot tools. Today, her firm helps companies implement and manage inbound and digital marketing strategies using HubSpot as the platform to align technical assets and analytics. This focus allows the company to efficiently serve clients and provide all-encompassing inbound services to implement processes and drive business results. Everyone on the team has HubSpot certifications, and because they are so well-versed in the platform, they can get clients up and running quickly to help maximize their marketing investment.

Flynn Meyer recognizes that the skills she learned at Eller supported her road to success. “I tell parents who ask about Eller as a choice for their kids that it was a really phenomenal experience. It gave me the opportunity of a summer abroad and a dream internship in New York City, among others. It opened my eyes to new things.” 

She also advises young people to consider smaller companies for their first job, adding that it’s the rare undergrad who lands a ‘pure marketing’ job at a big name company right out of school. Considering smaller agencies and startup companies can provide more in-house marketing experience wearing many hats to broaden your skillset, according to Flynn Meyer.

And stay open to ongoing learning. “The marketing space changes every day,” she says. “It’s important to always be a step ahead. I continue to add to my certifications and look for professional development programs so I can stay ahead of my competition and continue learning and growing.”