About Us
Corner Office Marketing, LLC is currently a one-woman show. My name is Christine Santamarina and I'm the chief marketing guru, coach, auditor (marketing auditor that is, not the IRS kind!) seminar mouthpiece and telephone receptionist.
I’ve always been interested in small business. As a child growing up, my grandfather had his own business wholesaling and retailing fabrics. I remember visiting his store after school and helping out the cashier – she was always kind enough to let me count the coins.
My father was a pilot and worked for the government but also had his own businesses which paid most of our bills. I always joked that the government job was a hobby and could only pay our electricity bill! Even my mom got in on the act when I was in high school – she started and ran an eco-tourism business for several years before selling out to her partner.
When I was in college (I won’t say how many years ago!) getting my MBA, I worked with the Small Business Administration’s Development Center as a counselor, helping small businesses get started. I was always fascinated to hear the ideas and stories behind people’s businesses and enjoyed making a difference to their continued success. So in one way or another, I’ve always been around small businesses and I’ve developed a passion for them.
When I decided to start Corner Office Marketing, I knew I wanted to help small businesses but I also wanted to do more than tell them what they were doing wrong, or write up long strategy documents they could never figure out how to follow. I wanted a simple, effective system that produced results – real, measurable results! And of course, it had to make a real dollar difference to their bottom line, not just mine.
When I found the Hidden Marketing Assets Marketing System, I was excited. What I learned in MBA school was great for big corporations but just didn't apply to small businesses. But then here was a system of marketing that was created specially for small businesses. Richard Johnson didn't wake up one day with this brilliant idea for a marketing system, he put it together from his years of experience working with small businesses. The pieces were tried and proven to give results - and results at the bank where it counted!
I came up with the name Corner Office Marketing out of my vision for the company: I wanted to do for small businesses what typically a director of marketing, the guy or gal in the ‘corner office’, is supposed to do for a large corporation (Even if some of them never do it!). I figured if I could share my marketing expertise with these small business owners, set up a system for them, and teach them how to work it even after I'm gone, then they would never miss having the guy in the corner office.
