My Approach to Market Analysis

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  A friend’s band connect with the right audience
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  A tattoo shop design an effective feedback loop
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  A writer shape their narrative for publishing
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  Local businesses and nonprofits make smarter, faster decisions

I was raised with one mindset: figure it out. That mentality has guided everything I’ve done—from fixing a broken A/C unit in college to learning SAS in a week to take on a utility analytics contract I wasn't formally trained for. I didn’t say “I can’t.” I got to work. 

That mindset carried me through a decade at SMUD, where I worked across nearly every department—HR, R&D, billing, EV development, outage response, customer service, and more. 

I became the researcher who could walk into any room, ask the right questions, and translate complexity into actionable insight. Whether it was improving outage communication with linemen or optimizing the call center's IVR system, I always made it a point to understand a team's reality before offering recommendations.

Outside the utility space, I've used the same approach to help:

For me, research isn’t about the topic. It’s about knowing what to ask, who to ask, and how to turn data into direction. Whether I’m unpacking behavioral patterns or analyzing customer segments, my goal is always the same: figure it out, and find the clearest path forward. 

To accelerate that process, I regularly use AI tools to get up to speed on unfamiliar industries, audit messaging strategies, and prototype solutions faster than traditional methods allow. It’s not about replacing research—it’s about removing roadblocks and getting to insight faster.