PPAI Magazine December 2023

H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H Must Read | Rising Stars Mykayla Goodwin, 33 Vice President of Strategy OrderMyGear Dallas Getting Started Goodwin, who had been working in e-commerce, calls her introduction to promo “a happy accident.” She was found on LinkedIn by Dustin Downing, OMG’s chief product officer. She began in product marketing but has held four roles since joining the company in 2019. Earning The Honor Downing says, “Her passion for and understanding of the promotional products market has entirely reshaped OrderMyGear, and her involvement and thought leadership has brought a unique perspective about not just the market but where the market is going.” What’s Your Biggest Career Challenge? “There are so many things that I want to do, so many things to learn, so many things to research, and it’s difficult sometimes to prioritize and pick what I should focus on. There’s only so many hours in the day, and I can’t do everything and do it well, or at least not do it and keep my sanity. So, saying ‘no’ is something I’m still working on.” How Do You Think The Industry Will Change In The Next Decade? “I think there will be more of a focus on self-service tools. We’re seeing more and more of Gen Z move into roles where they are responsible for buying products for their company, and their group grew up as digital natives. They have their phones as an extension of their arms, and they expect access to information. They’ve been trained to order products and see them on their doorstep in a matter of two hours, so I think that our industry needs to have a comparable experience to that by providing access to information.” What Inspires You To Do Your Best Work? “Seeing something that my team has worked on in the wild is what motivates me to do good work and to do my best. It’s very rewarding to, one, just work on a team, but, two, to see something that you’ve talked about and planned and put into production being used and being found valuable by others.” 48 • DECEMBER 2023 • PPAI

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==