Vee Nettles

I thought I was joining a marketing company.

Instead, I found myself in the middle of one of the biggest periods of transformation of my life.

If you had asked me 25 years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer would have been simple.

A mum.

That was my dream, and I was lucky enough to live it. For 15 years, I stayed home raising my two incredible kids. They were my whole world, and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. Even today, if you asked me what I’m most proud of, it still wouldn’t be my career. It would be my two kids. They have always been, and always will be, my greatest accomplishment.

Life had already asked me to start over once before. Years earlier, I had left Australia to build a new life in the USA. Looking back, I realize that move taught me something I didn’t appreciate at the time—that growth usually begins the moment you step into the unknown. Little did I know life would ask me to do it again.

A difficult divorce closed one chapter of my life and forced me to ask a question I never expected to face.

What now?

Starting over was terrifying. I’d spent years building a home and raising a family, not building a career. I honestly wasn’t sure what I had to offer.

I did know one thing—I loved people.

If you asked any of my school teachers, they’d probably remember me as the girl who got in trouble for talking too much. One teacher even wrote on my report card, “Vee needs to temper the frankness of her statements.” Turns out talking too much—and being a little too honest—became some of my greatest strengths.

One day, a friend told me her digital marketing company was hiring an Account Manager.

Digital marketing? I had dabbled with SEO while trying to grow an MLM business years earlier, but I certainly didn’t think I was qualified. I was terrified I’d fail.

She looked at me and said, “You don’t need to know everything. They’ll teach you. You just need a personality.”

Well... I’ve definitely got one of those.

That conversation changed the direction of my life.

Just two months into my first “big girl” job, COVID hit. Like everyone else, we packed up our desks thinking we’d be back in the office in a few weeks. Instead, I spent the next two years learning how to build a career from home.

Somewhere during that time, I found something I didn’t even realize I’d lost.

Confidence.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t just someone’s mum. I was building a career I was genuinely proud of.

After a few years in dental marketing, I knew I was ready for another challenge. The company I worked for was structured and rigid. There wasn’t much room to grow or simply be yourself.

Then I found CI Web Group.

Like anyone interviewing for a marketing company, I looked at the website first.

I’ll be honest... my first thought was, “Lordy... what kind of marketing company is this?”

Thankfully, I looked past it.

I still remember my interview with Jazmin because it never felt like an interview. It felt like a conversation. She was warm, genuine, and easy to talk to. I remember leaving that interview thinking, I really want this job.

More than that, I remember thinking this felt like the kind of company that would embrace me for who I am. A place where my personality wasn’t something I’d have to tone down. Somewhere I could simply be myself.

So I called Jazmin and told her I wanted the job.

Without missing a beat, she smiled and said, “That’s music to my ears.”

It might sound like a small moment.

It wasn’t.

It felt really good to be wanted.

After everything life had thrown at me, those five words meant more than Jazmin probably ever realized. They reminded me that someone saw potential in me before I’d fully seen it in myself.

Looking back, I can see how much of my journey has been shaped by people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself. A friend who encouraged me to apply. Jazmin, who made me feel like I belonged. Jennifer, who continues to challenge me to grow. Sometimes all it takes is one person seeing something in you that you can’t yet see in yourself.

Over the last two and a half years, I’ve watched CI Web Group transform. There have been exciting seasons and incredibly difficult ones. I’ve watched teammates and friends move on. I’ve questioned decisions. I’ve wondered if I should leave too.

Living through change is very different from looking back on it.

Growth can be messy. It can feel uncertain. Sometimes it feels like you’re moving too fast. Other times it feels like you’re standing still.

Looking back, I realize I wasn’t just watching a company transform.

I was transforming too.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that growth rarely happens during the comfortable seasons of our lives. The easiest thing would have been to leave when things felt uncertain.

Instead, I stayed.

Today, I’m incredibly grateful I did.

One of the unexpected gifts of working at CI Web Group has been getting to know Jennifer outside of work. From the outside, she can seem unstoppable. Seriously... I still don’t know when the woman sleeps.

But getting to know her changed my perspective.

Behind the entrepreneur is someone who is warm, funny, genuine, and deeply invested in the people around her.

One thing I’ll never take for granted is knowing I can pick up the phone and call my CEO. Not because everything is perfect, but because we can have honest conversations. I can ask questions, challenge ideas, admit when I’m struggling, and know I’ll be heard.

I’ve never experienced leadership like that before.

It taught me that leadership isn’t about pretending to have all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to ask the hard questions together.

Today, one of my favorite parts of my job is working with business owners in the trades.

Behind every company is a family that’s taken a chance. Years of sacrifice. Long days. Hard work. A dream someone refused to give up on.

Maybe that’s why I connect with them so much.

I know what it feels like to build something deeply personal and wonder if it’s all going to work out. They’re never just clients to me. I celebrate their wins. I hurt when they’re frustrated. I genuinely care because I know what’s behind the business.

Looking back, I can see how every chapter of my life prepared me for this one.

The little girl who got in trouble for talking too much grew into a woman whose job is talking to people every day. Helping hardworking business owners succeed isn’t just my job anymore.

It’s something I genuinely care about.

If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that life doesn’t end when one chapter closes. Sometimes that’s exactly when the best chapter begins.

The funny thing is, I thought I came here to learn digital marketing.

Instead, I learned to believe in myself again.

If the woman I was ten years ago could see me now, I think she’d be proud.