About
Gusiff Marketing Group runs on entrepreneurial spirit and solid marketing know-how. Ann started her career in various positions in small businesses and then found her calling in marketing, working for two hair, skin and bath companies. Realizing she needed a formal marketing education, Ann headed to UCLA Anderson for an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies and Marketing. While there, she was one of a handful of students chosen to participate in a unique program that met monthly on site at small businesses to learn from the owners, and she and her fellow students incubated their own ventures. During that time, Ann launched a 501(c)(3) non-profit that’s still serving people more than twenty-five years later—Clothes The Deal, which collects business clothing and attires needy job-seekers in Southern California. This venture taught Ann the importance of identifying a need, then devising a system to get it done, over and over.
She carried systems thinking into her marketing consulting for small businesses. In 2010, Ann came across John Jantsch’s book, Duct Tape Marketing, and not surprisingly his concepts such as “marketing as a system” and “strategy before tactics” resonated with her. She joined the Duct Tape Marketing (DTM) Consultant Network and leveraged the methodology with her clients for 12 years. Not one to reinvent the wheel, Ann appreciated the highly collaborative nature of her fellow DTM consultants.
Ann represented Constant Contact as an Authorized Local Expert and through trade associations and chambers of commerce, Ann trained more than 2,000 people on all topics related to small business marketing. During this time, she recognized her gift for making marketing concepts accessible to people without marketing backgrounds. She currently speaks at the local, state and national level for a variety of building and trade associations.
Since 2015, Ann has focused her consulting practice on the building trades, focusing on working with architects, designers, showrooms, contractors, and subs. She works with both business owners and their marketing staff to plan and prioritize tactics to make the most of their resources.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Ann was a board member with the North Bay NARI chapter and active with the Marin Builders Association. After her move to Seattle, Ann got involved with the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and NAHB subcommittees at the national level. She currently is the Vice Chair of the Workforce Development Task for the Building Industry Association of Washington, helping bring more young workers into fulfilling careers in the building trades. Ann also teaches marketing concepts at the local, state, and national level for a variety of building and trade associations.
Ann’s first thought when she sits down with a prospective client is “How can I help most effectively?” She has a keen ability to see the issues through her client’s eyes and the skills to craft a solution that fits. A sensible, sustainable system—tailored for remodelers who want to thrive.
