2017 Women in Building Services: Sarah Nolan Hoff, Hoffhaus Creative

Name: Sarah Nolan Hoff

Title: Owner / Principal Consultant

Company Name: Hoffhaus Creative

Years in real estate: 15

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? CREW, SMPS

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? 

While it’s improving, the biggest obstacle is that many firm leaders see marketing as a support role. Marketing is responsible for crafting your message to the world, aligning your firm processes around business strategy, presenting your portfolio in the best light, and putting all of that together to win work. How do people not see that as a crucial part of their business? I’ve been consistent in making that argument, backed up with solid planning and data, to earn a principal level position in an engineering firm. Now, as the owner of my own consultantly, I provide mentorship and coaching to other marketers as they navigate thir own career path.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? 

My passion is finding ways to improve things people are doing, whether it’s a day to day activity or a full scale planning effort. I’ve always been able to see both the big picture goals and all of the little details that help or hinder success. I think one advantage is that while I understand the technical, I’m not a developer, architect or engineer, so I see their business through a different lens. This leads to great discussions and insights, which in turn lead to innovation.

What trends are you seeing so far this year?

The use of virtual and augmented reality will continue to increase. Many firms are also getting in the game of creating their own software to maximize and leverage technology to improve their project delivery process. 

What do you do for fun?

I love traveling and photography. My favorite thing is observing the common, everyday patterns and activities. It’s what makes us human.