Meet Angela Noble

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Noble. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angela, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is something I’ve come to understand that most people struggle with. Once I heard from others that they had this same feeling, and even had a name for it, that was tremendous in helping me realize it was a normal feeling and to overcome it. Even though I’m 16 years into my career, I still feel imposter syndrome from time to time. I’ve adopted a “fake it ’til you make it” mentality to overcome it. I simply do my best, ask for help when I need it, stay humble, and keep learning. I try to approach challenges with a mindset of curiosity rather than authority, which helps put other people at ease and realize we’re all just learning as we go. In my industry, things are constantly evolving and changing, so claiming expert authority doesn’t make sense. There are so many solutions, each with different pros and cons. I like to have a collaborative mindset to come to the best solution for my clients’ individual needs. Essentially, I recognize that I don’t have all the answers, but I can still provide great solutions for my clients by learning and problem solving with them. A more pessimistic or judgmental part of my brain might call that being an imposter, but I have learned that’s just not reality. No one has all the answers, and that’s ok!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Angela and I co-own and operate Noble Intent with my partner Cris. We’re a woman-led digital marketing agency in San Diego that helps organizations evolve through custom website creation and design-forward digital marketing.. We’re on a mission to create a more inclusive internet, one website at a time. As a top digital marketing agency and top web design company in San Diego, we provide the service and capabilities of a full-service agency with the collaboration and care of an in-house team member. Our focus is on custom websites and LinkedIn marketing and advertising.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The top three skills I would say helped me in my career journey are writing, discipline, and design.

I put writing first intentionally. In any type of business or job, we need to sound professional and communicate clearly. Being able to reply to emails, write proposals, and market my business all include a ton of writing. Without being able to communicate clearing and professionally, I really don’t believe I would have found much success.

Discipline is number two. By this I mean showing up when you say you will, responding to calls or emails promptly, and hitting your deadlines—even self-imposed ones. Establishing routines, spaces conducive to getting work done, and a lifestyle that allows you to be productive are so important. I have always had a lot to do. I worked 7 days/60 hours a week during the summers in college and 20 hours a week during school semesters while taking a more than full class load. I HAD to be disciplined to make it through that. Those routines were formative. Now, I actually could stay up late and sleep in all day because I’m my own boss, but I still keep to a pretty strict routine. This allows me to stay on schedule so that when things do inevitably come up I can easily take a full day off work to support a friend or handle an emergency when needed. More than staying on schedule, being disciplined will help you grow your business or career. People work with people they trust. That comes before the quality of work. You can out-perform an equally good competitor, or even one who is better than you, by earning and keeping people’s trust. Show up on time, respond to emails promptly, and you’ll stand out. It’s surprising, but true.

Lastly, design. Design is what my degree is in and what my business is rooted in. I think of it as more strategic than visual. Understanding how systems are designed and how people are influenced by those systems is so important. In my work, I focus a lot on user experience design as well as visual design. Even outside of my web design or graphic design projects, I use design all day long. My proposals, invoices, presentations, and marketing materials are all designed strategically.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” was been a life-changing book for me. Learning how to build and keep habits has helped me so much in my personal and professional life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nobleintent.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/noble.intent
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nobleintent/

Image Credits

Katie Gardner Photography