Meet Jamie Christensen | CEO, Fuse Associates

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Christensen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, what matters most to you?

One of Fuse’s value statements is: We create connection. There are many ways to look at this whether it’s connecting people, connecting with others, making important learning connections, or making my connecting flight (!) all of this plays an integral role in my daily life. The specific value statement we have at my company, Fuse Associates is “We create connection; connections for our clients, our company, and each other. ”

When I think of connections, it’s all based on building extraordinary relationships and prioritizing those relationships. And importantly, connecting always in an opening and accepting way that takes into account every person’s unique experience in this world.  I think it’s also about communicating in a way that makes the other person feel understood and respected – whether that’s your friend, client or prospect – I think that’s made a huge difference in my career as a marketing and communications consultant.

What should our readers know about your business?

Fuse Associates was born out of my corporate experiences and subsequent belief that most small- to medium-size businesses don’t need full-time marketing employees. In my corporate life, I worked in both a Fortune 250 company and a company with less than 100 employees. Seeing the differences in resources, budgets and different skill sets that are needed in these sizes of businesses led me to my business idea of providing a plug-and-play approach to marketing where our clients only pay for the skillsets they need when they need them. For some, this means they need a Marketing Strategist, like a Chief Marketing Officer, for others, this means they may only need someone to run and execute their SEO strategy. Fuse has marketing experts that understand our client’s goals and budget and can synthesize those needs to put the right plan into place to exceed the client’s expectations. And, since we’re marketing tactic agnostic and offer a full array of services to smaller businesses we aren’t incentivized to promote one service over another if it doesn’t make sense for our client, our clients rest assured that we’re putting their budgets first not ours.

My success has come from the team that I’ve surrounded myself with including my husband and family, friends, team members, and business network. We’ve lived in Dallas since 2013 and are so fortunate to live in this amazing city that thrives on entrepreneurship.

The Dallas business community was so welcoming when I started networking and really helped propel me and Fuse forward.

The lessons I’ve learned include:

– If you ever hear a business owner say that starting and running a business is easy turnaround and walk away! It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and also the most rewarding. – Don’t be afraid to ask if you need help. I’ve yet to meet someone that wasn’t willing to offer advice or help me when I’ve asked.
– Look at sales through the lens of relationship building — that’s way less scary than “selling” if you’re not a natural-born salesperson.
– Network. Network. Network. Not only will you meet really interesting people but often you’ll make new friends, learn something new, and gain new clients along the way.

Personal Brand:
As I’ve continued to mature in my life I’m recognizing more and more the importance of showing up as my whole person. In corporate and when I was in my 20s and 30s I felt like I had to dress a certain part, talk a certain way and not really show who I was outside of the office. Now, I’m much more confident in myself and in talking about personal as well as business topics. On that note, from the personal side, I rehabbed a dog-aggressive Pit Bull/Mastiff mix during covid. This wasn’t planned, nor did I even know he had issues when I agreed to foster my dog Frank, but the experience was incredibly rewarding.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Being a transplant from Des Moines, IA I love exploring the city! When my BFF comes to town one of our first stops is always Bishop Arts, I love the independent shops and great restaurant options. Boulavardier is my favorite restaurant in town, and of course, there’s always new restaurants popping up that we need to explore. Deep Ellum and Greenville Ave are also favorites. On Greenville, Terrilli’s and Felix Culpa are musts. We also try to get up to The Star and/or Legacy West. And then, whatever weekend night we have free we’ll also go to a comedy show at TK’s in Addison, they’re a great new addition to the city.

From a sightseeing perspective, one of my newer must-sees is the Holocaust Museum. It takes a very sad, tragic time in our history and gives us a positive way to continue to move forward with humanity.

We also always try to fit in Clyde Warren park – such a fun place to go hang out for a few hours.

I’m a homebody and so we’ll also stay close to Far North Dallas where I live. Our go-to neighborhood restaurant is Cadot and it’s always on the list because they’re like family to us. (My BFF probably needs to stay 2 weeks!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My team deserves a huge shout-out! I am very team-oriented, and having a group of people I trust to work with my company’s clients has made me successful. Without them, this business wouldn’t be thriving as it is. I also have to give a shout-out to my husband Cameron, who has supported me on this wild business ride for 8 years.

Website: www.fuseassoc.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuseassociates/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamie.christensen.9484/

Other: If someone is interested in connecting with me to talk about business, life, rescue dogs or books, the best way to catch me is on LinkedIn or email me at christensen.jamie@fuseassoc.com.