Making Professional Contacts

What you've heard is correct. It's highly unlikely that you'll find any clients prior to your getting here and it may well take a while before you get any after you arrive. Many who say they are coming here never do and you may be surprised at the number of "scammers" who show up regularly every year with some product/service or another to sell. They sucker in enough people to make some money and then disappear with the Trade winds!

If you know to which island you're moving you could find advertising agencies listed in the Yellow Pages at www.viphonebook.com/ but of course your best contacts will be made after you physically get here. Good luck!

If you can work remotely, then "bring" your clients with you, and then meet new ones here.

Yes, my goal is to build a base of clients over the next year so I will have income while I am settling in to island life and making new contacts. Thanks for the feedback!

Yes! You may certainly be able to find new clients before your move! It's an old wive's tale, propagated by old wives, that you need to be island to find work. Not so in the digital age. Depending upon what type of marketing /advertising services provided, your refference and performance record, You may be able line-up clients and meeting in advance. Just start prospecting like you'd do at home. Most of the larger business concerns use stateside agencies.

Please keep us posted on how you do finding clients from afar.

Please keep us posted on how you do finding clients from afar.

Ditto! Several who spread these "old wives' tales" are always open to our outdated information being corrected! 😀

Oh ok. i suppose if you intend on pushing cupons to cruiser, bar maiding, or swabbing decks then you'll need to be on island to find work.

However, many professional positions are filled by off island canidates.

Furthermore, If you intend to provide marketing/advertising services for USVI business, then you'd be better off relocating to Atlanta. Of particular note is J Walter Thompson's sucessful social media campaing pushing St Jonn.

http://www.jwt.com/search/usvi

Move over old wives. It's the digital age.

greenglider,

rather than hunting trough the "yellow pages" why not join a professional organization: http://www.adclubvi.org/ ??
Assuming you have 4 year degree and quatifialbe experience, Also check with the large hotel chains. I believe Marriott is looking for a marketing manger for their time share operation. Ritz may still have a PR manager postion open. Good Luck!

I think it is really hilarious (not really) how passive aggressive blu4u is to Old Tart. It is so dadgum obvious and I have only been perusing these forums for 8 or 9 months. Every time Old Tart posts, here comes Blu. And when Old Tart took a small hiatus earlier this year, Blu was continually, almost obsessively, saying how much "kinder" the forum atmosphere was (taunting, perhaps?). I think you have things turned around, Blu. Your passive aggressiveness is not at all kind, gives the forums a very ugly atmosphere and is totally distracting to most topics. I love the input Old Tart gives and it seems to be spot on most of the time.

blu4u and Old Tart could be the same person.

blu4u and Old Tart could be the same person.

Thanks, you really know how to hurt an old lady! 😀

I've had dinner with the Old Tart but I have never met Blu. It's kind of like meeting Clark Kent but not knowing Superman. LOL

Thats what happens when you live in the VI too long. You start creating multiple personalaties on the vimovingcenter and having arguments with yourself.

JK of course OT

Oh ok. i suppose if you intend on pushing cupons to cruiser, bar maiding, or swabbing decks then you'll need to be on island to find work.

However, many professional positions are filled by off island canidates.

Furthermore, If you intend to provide marketing/advertising services for USVI business, then you'd be better off relocating to Atlanta. Of particular note is J Walter Thompson's sucessful social media campaing pushing St Jonn.

http://www.jwt.com/search/usvi

Move over old wives. It's the digital age.

JWT has been around since the NINETEENTH CENTURY (Anyone watch Mad Men last week? JWT won the Heniz account.) and is the 1000 pound gorrilla in the room when it comes to advertising. I'm not surprised they were able to successfully win VI clients from off-island. A unknown small business (no offense, but you said it was just you) based off-island, on the other hand, may find it somewhat more difficult to gain the trust of locals when not located, well, locally.

To further reduce the size of the world (:D) Brian Squires who bought Austin Advertising (the largest VI ad company) in 1991 had a long working history with JWT in London, Chicago and NYC for years before that.

Matt T - funny! There is no question that I developed a facial tic during the first two decades of living here but I only talk to myself (don't argue as there's no point really) when in the supermarket trying to make a decision between Can A and Can B. Talking to one's self in public places has become much less of a stigma now that half the population is walking around solo chatting away with things stuck in their ears ... 😉

I do love today's trend of handfree cell phones! People used to stare at me when I had those "and-then-I-should-have said" conversations with myself. but no more. They now think I am having a spirited conversation with an unseen person on the phone!!

oldtart does have good info to share. she is usually spot on

Beam me up, Scotty!

I have recently started my hunt and am making strides with some leads for clients that will be open to me working remotely. Making progress little by little.

My goal is to work and live on the island so Atlanta would not be an option for me but thanks for the input.