My Work
All-Level Marketing & Business Consulting + Content Creation
Dream it.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a new business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more that could generate a little extra revenue. Or maybe you are the owner of a well-established company looking for support during a period of change and growth. Whatever it is, I’m here to help you along the journey.
Grow it.
Similar to gardening, growing your business needs to be carefully planned out by the season. Rather than a “toss some seeds on the dirt and hope for the best” approach, I believe in the opposide: Carefully planned ahead of time, with regular monitoring for problems. Because sometimes, you just have to rip out the unhappy lettuce that was getting too much light and live your best zucchini life.
Build it.
Every business is unique and requires a unique recipe for success. One of my favorite things is helping businesses of all sizes strategize, organize and implement their dreams.
Sell it.
Here comes the fun part: Money. The harvest you’ve worked so hard for. Having a successful business strategy means you’re making profit, and to make profit, you need to carefully plant your seeds. Spreadsheets, projecting and data analysis are the fertilizers for your business, and I am here to make the keyboard magic happen.
Education
In 2020, I created the first Social Media Strategy for Business course at Portland State University’s School of Business. Since then, I have taught students how to become successful content creators, social media strategists and critical thinkers. Below is some of the feedback I’ve received from my students:
“By far the best class I have taken at Portland State! This class I believe has caused a pivotal turn in my future career endeavors. Before this class, I was not quite sure what I wanted out of my degree and now I know. I feel it would be a great investment for the SBA as well as students to introduce a Social Media Certificate program, ideally head by Crista. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to take this class. I learned so much from both Crista and all the in-class speakers (very beneficial). They taught me so many important things about not only career but also life.”
“Being as frank as possible, this was possibly the most beneficial course I have (or will ever have) taken in both my professional and unprofessional academic career. The instructor related everything we were learning in class and directly related to the professional career field in a clear-to understand way. In addition to this, she was genuinely enthusiastic about the course topics and supplemented her teachings and applicable advice with competent and relative guest speakers. I'm sure if all Portland State University professors were able to generate the wealth of information in an entire full term, as much as Ms. Tappan has provided during this shortened period, the alumni's contributions to society would be compounded exponentially. It would be a waste to let her talents go unobserved, unappreciated, and unrewarded for her presence within our community here at PSU.”
“Crista was the best teacher I’ve ever had! She is so caring and always do their best to support me. I learned so much and can’t wait to apply it to my career!”
“This has been one of the best classes I have taken at PSU. I really feel it will help me in my future career. The guest speakers were fantastic, I not only loved that they were all specialists in different areas, at different skill levels, but it was a diverse group. Hence, I really felt I was getting a look at the big picture of social media strategy. My only regret is that I couldn't take this class in person, or for longer! But as far as remote classes go, no complaints! I would highly recommend this class to anyone looking to advance in the social media field.”
“This was an awesome class. Crista is a great teacher and was very knowledgeable and prepared. She was very accessible and happy to share her knowledge and has a deep passion for the subject matter of social media.”
“Really amazing class taught by a really amazing person. I am glad the SB has created this class as an option since social media is so prevalent in today's world. Crista was great and did an excellent job showcasing how businesses can effectively use social media to grow and make an impact on the community.”