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

Hi Gina, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My parents immigrated here from Turkey over 50 years ago and with them they brought a tremendous work ethic to be able to achieve the American dream. I saw my dad work so many hours every week to be able to provide for his family. When I got my first job, it only occurred to me to do my best and work as hard as I could to achieve the goals that were in front of me. I did not realize then that those characteristics would lead me towards burn out. I worked for other companies for 20 years, doing everything that I could to do my best. I would work constantly and never thought much about what that was doing to me. I remember being in the waiting room at the hospital when one of my family members was critically ill doing work because my boss said I was the only one who could complete it. I was completely burnt out.

Years later I started my business and took along all of my overworking habits with me and I started to feel incredibly stressed. A friend of mine had written a book on burn out, and I wanted to support him so I bought a copy and read it . It was at that point that I realized that I was heading towards burn out then and had experienced tremendous burn out before. I’ll never forget some thing he wrote in that book, paraphrasing, you can move from job to job but you take your bad habits with you . So I knew I had to change something if I wanted to stop feeling this way. I started cutting back on networking, clients, and activities that did not serve me. I prioritized myself. I started adding self-care into my routine doing yoga, getting my nails done, going to get massages. And while I was working I was still able to do all of these fun things that I look forward to throughout the week. Never again will I prioritize my career over my family and mental health. The crazy thing is is through all of the burn out, I never realized it was happening. I just thought that this is the way it was . I see other people going down the same path that I have been on and heading towards burnout, but you can’t make them see it until they want to. My whole mindset changed and that’s the only way you can balance work and life.

What should our readers know about your business?
You can buy promo, merch, or swag from a lot of places like giant websites or old school brokers. We’re different because we offer 25 years of marketing experience helping businesses find the RIGHT swag for their business. The person buying the swag is often choosing what they like, but they are not usually their ideal customer. That is a disconnect that can cost thousands of dollars in purchasing merch that doesn’t land with the intended target. Use a trusted expert to find items that your customers will really appreciate. You can ask us any questions, get samples, and never again be surprised when you receive your completed project.

I have spent a lot of time bumping up against giant websites that sell promotional products, but there is no human touch, or element or person to talk to when you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. I used to compete with these people, the DIYers. it took me some time to realize that these are not my ideal clients. My ideal client is someone who appreciates that promotional products are a very useful tool in marketing. They don’t need to be convinced to buy promo. Along with marketing experience, another thing we add is time-saving. Customers have a 15 minute conversation and then we come back with 3 to 5 options for promo based on their budget, timeline, and specifications. You don’t have to spend hours searching on a website. You just have a 15 minute conversation. We handle design, production, and fulfillment. We take care of everything, so you can get back to your to do list and not have to worry about swag.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Worcester has changed a lot over the last bunch of years. It used to be a place that people passed through and often didn’t stop in, but now there’s so many amazing places to eat, drink, watch a sports team, etc. First I would start by going to the Worcester Public Market two grab an assortment of food from around the world, and browse in some of the cute gift shops. Then we go next-door to the Crompton Collective to check out in the gifts in the bookstore, and Seed to Stem which is the coolest plant store I have ever been in. On a summer day, I would head over to Polar Park to catch a game of the Woo Sox AAA baseball team. Then we would head over to Shrewsberry Street to grab a drink and some really creative food at the Flying Rhino restaurant.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
David Greenwood wrote the book Overcoming Burnout. This book changed everything for me and made me realize that I had the power to change my life!

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Image Credits
Photo of me is by Jacqueline Abodeely

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