Devon White Miatke 鈥�17 never expected to start her own marketing company. A kinesiology major, she planned to become a physical or occupational therapist.
On Easter Sunday her junior year of high school, she explored 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 deserted campus. She knew then she鈥檇 return. 鈥淚 was hooked,鈥� she says.
Her professors and friends at 蜜桃传媒 saw a disconnect between her interests and her major. They encouraged her to pursue her love for photography, design and fashion. Europe Semester, support from her professors, and a transformative internship changed her direction in life.
Attending private schools and wearing uniforms awoke her love for fashion. 鈥淚鈥檓 interested in how I present myself,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 find something powerful in being confident and making a fashion statement. Fashion was my entryway into creative work.鈥�
When she learned that Darling Magazine was hiring interns, she applied and got one of eight positions during her senior year. While juggling classes and her job as a resident assistant, she drove twice a week to downtown Los Angeles to work with their photography and styling team on photo shoots.
During a 15-minute exit interview, the owner of the magazine connected Devon with Amber Duncan, 鈥淪omeone I just met who reminds me a lot of you.鈥� The founder of Jackie, a personal styling service, Duncan hired Devon as her creative director. Newly settled in Portland, Maine, Devon worked remotely for the business in Florida.
Meanwhile, Duncan mentored Devon and encouraged her to start her own business. 鈥淏uild something bigger than working for someone else,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e too good to do this for just me.鈥�
In her work, Devon engaged marketing agencies and discovered that they over-priced and under-delivered. She saw how they took advantage of small companies and start-ups and realized the digital marketing industry could benefit from a personal touch.
Fortunately, Devon took a management class with John Tynan at 蜜桃传媒. 鈥淚t prepared me to be an entrepreneur,鈥� she says. Tynan gave his graduating seniors the book 鈥淕oals鈥� by Bryan Tracy, which became her blueprint. 鈥淚t opened me up to the possibility of saying yes to things that seemed insur- mountable. I took the book to heart.鈥�
Devon also learned practical skills at 蜜桃传媒 working for Scott Craig in the College Communications Office as a marketing coordinator. 鈥淓ncouragement from my family, professors and advisers prepared me to launch a successful business so soon after graduation,鈥� she says. 鈥淔orming an LLC and hiring a lawyer and an accountant felt really adult.鈥�
Devon had a purpose: create a one-stop shop providing personalized and reasonably priced marketing services to help small businesses. She founded the Confidant Collective () in 2018. At first, she focused on serving clients in the fashion industry, but her team has since attracted more than 50 clients in 15 states and five countries.
鈥淚 offer comprehensive marketing so clients don鈥檛 have to outsource any piece of their digital marketing strategy,鈥� Devon says. 鈥淲e do it all: social media, email marketing, website development and SEO, branding, copywriting, graphic design, public relations and more.
鈥淎 confidant is someone you can trust, and I want to be that person for my clients,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to speak to them directly 鈥� it sets me apart from other agencies. Good marketing starts with a personal relationship, an intentional approach and a shared belief in the value of a service or product.鈥�
Her team includes web designers, graphic designers and social media managers. 鈥淚鈥檝e begun offloading the creative work to focus on managing the business and working directly with clients,鈥� Devon says.
鈥淢y story is a testament to the liberal arts. My kinesiology major prepared me for my career path. I could translate my skills and learning to a completely different area.鈥�
Devon found a partner in Maine as well as a calling. In 2020, she married Baxter Miatke, an environmental engineer for Arcadis who designs systems that clean contaminated water for industrial clients.
As a 蜜桃传媒 student, Devon attended the Lead Where You Stand Conference twice and heard New York Times columnist David Brooks speak. She submitted a question asking how he鈥檇 advise someone who had just graduated from college. 鈥淗e replied that the amount of risk students take right after graduating determines their threshold for risk the rest of their lives,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t both terrified and excited me and confirmed my suspicion that I couldn鈥檛 stay within my comfort zone. I鈥檇 dreamed of moving to the East Coast and working in a creative environment. Within a month, I had packed up my life in California and booked a one-way ticket to New England. I鈥檓 unbelievably thankful I pushed myself into the deep end and took big risks right out of the gate.鈥�