A Day in the Life: Hannah Tanchon

by Hannah Tanchon

5:45 a.m.

I start my day with my alarm waking me up at 5:45 a.m. and promptly hit snooze and sleep until 6:15 a.m. Then I am greeted by my two dogs, Henry and Grits, and my cat, Harriet, who are meowing and barking as if they have been starved for three days. Henry is a black border collie flat-coated retriever mix rescued from Chicago’s Anti Cruelty Society. Grits is a 70-pound, seven-month-old pure bred Fox Red Labrador. My boyfriend and I rescued Harriet as a kitten from a shelter in Indiana.

6:20 a.m.

I feed Grits first, then Henry and Harriet. I am also in dire need of coffee. I make my coffee, put on my tennis shoes while the animals are eating, and get ready for my one-and-a-half to two-mile walk, depending on when the coffee hits. I leash up the dogs and we walk around Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, go to the dog park and admire the fall aroma in Chicago!

7:20 a.m.

By this time, I am in need of looking somewhat presentable for a day full of calls and Zoom meetings. I hop in the shower and commence my five-step skincare routine, which already makes me start to feel fresh, glowy, and ready to take on the day!

7:45 a.m.

I put on my makeup (I have mastered the ten-minute makeup routine thanks to countless TikToks and COVID-19) while FaceTiming one of my four sisters to chat about our dog antics, work, and what we have planned for the week and weekend.

I come from a blended family. Both of my parents were previously married. My dad already had a son and daughter, Phillip and Laura, and my mom had two daughters, Shawna and Heather. When my parents married, they had me and my younger sister Natalie. We’re all very close!

8:00 a.m.

I turn on Good Morning America (my guilty pleasure), light my HomeGoods Silver Birch candle (I want my house to smell like Christmas at all times), open my computer, and am ready for the workday!

8:15 a.m.

I immediately open my Outlook and begin checking emails. I respond to executives who are interested in being featured with Profile magazine and advertisers who are interested in being branded within the publication.

8:30 a.m.

When applicable, I hop on my first Zoom call of the day. Sometimes this meeting is Guerrero’s biweekly sales talk, led by Ben Julia, VP of sales at Guerrero. Ben discusses where the sales floor is at for the month, what we need to hit for the remainder of the month, and where the floor is at for the quarter. Ben also takes this time to give shoutouts to CAMs on the floor that embody Guerrero’s three core values: Grit, Greatness, and Gratitude.

9:00 a.m.

I hop off Zoom and prepare for my first executive preliminary interview. I review my notes and call the executive. We chat about our weekends, the weather, and then get down to business. I introduce the executive to Profile magazine and begin the interview. Being able to interview executives such as Airbnb’s chief finance officer or Dyson’s general counsel is an eye-opening experience. You can learn about their past roles, why they chose the profession they are in, how they started their career, and what they see for the future for both themselves and the company. Throughout this preliminary interview, I take notes, review the magazine’s production process and next steps with the executive, and begin creating a general angle. The executive and I then end the call, and I import my notes into the software we use here at Guerrero, Zendesk, and send a recap email to the executive.

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

I take this time to send follow-up emails to executives whom I would like to feature. We are currently working on Profile’s Women in Technology Issue, so as I am sending emails and making calls, I am also researching women in the technology field and inviting them to be featured within our special section.

10:30 a.m.

My dogs are giving me the “You better let me out before I pee on your brand-new carpet” look, so I take them outside. It is also time for me to make my morning tea and heat up some oatmeal to hold me over until lunch.

11:00 a.m.

I have my first OpenWork interview that I have been preparing for quite some time. OpenWork is a chance for CAMs to have recorded interviews with executives who are industry leaders in their fields. The interview gets posted on Guerrero’s social media channels. (Guerrero is the publisher of Profile magazine.)

One of my recent OpenWork interviews was with Christine Vanderpool, VP of IT strategy, architecture and security at Florida Crystals. Christine and I talked about being a woman in the technology industry and how she is going out into the field to encourage adolescents to join the technology and cybersecurity industries.

Noon

Lunchtime! I head to the fridge and begin prepping my go-to lunch: Greek salad with chicken. I quickly prepare it and eat then I’m ready to take my dogs on their second walk for the day. We walk around the neighborhood, stop at our local coffee shop for a mid-day pick-me-up, and return home for the remainder of the workday.

1:00 p.m.

I begin prepping for an afternoon full of calls and a weekly tier meeting. One afternoon, for example, I might have a call with the vice president of communications at a given company to introduce them to the Profile brand and express interest in an executive I am looking to feature. We hop on a Zoom call, review past articles, and it’s often a success! That communications executive is drawn to the publication and excited to schedule a preliminary interview with an executive.

2:00 p.m.

I hop on another Zoom call for our department’s weekly tier meeting, also held by Ben. We take this hour to review the highlights of our week and where our team is at revenue-wise for the month. We also discuss sales issues we are looking to solve. This is a time where the team gets to collaborate on new techniques to try when talking to executives and what best practices are when handling specific issues and map out the rest of the month for where we need to land to hit our weekly key performance indicators (KPIs).

2:45 p.m.

I begin prepping for my next sales call. Recently, I had a sales call with the director of marketing for a company that is looking to be branded alongside an executive that we are featuring within the publication.

3:00 p.m.

I join the sales call and greet the marketing director. We chat about the article we are putting together for an executive, review the brand, and introduce sponsorship opportunities that the organization can capitalize on to increase overall exposure. I review the three packages we have to offer, including both advertising and editorial content within the featured executive’s print and digital article. The marketing director decides on a package following the call, and I send out an insertion order to reserve their space. I have now made a sale for the day, which is the best feeling ever!

3:30 p.m.

I check my inbox and respond to emails, follow up with executives and sales leads, and complete my remaining tasks for the day.

4:00 p.m.

This is my last—and favorite—call of the day! Guerrero has a mentorship program where a tenured CAM, such as myself, is partnered with a new hire to help navigate our process and business model. I chat with my mentee and answer any questions she may have. We review what her week looks like, discuss any challenges or mistakes she’s learning from, and celebrate her wins. We also chat about best practices on how to respond to specific emails, research techniques when inviting executives to be featured, and how to effectively pitch the Profile brand.

4:30 p.m.

I begin winding down my day and prepare for the next day. I write down a list of to-dos that I will check in the morning. I will connect with Ben to review my day, ask him any questions that I need answered, and fill him in on what my day looks like for tomorrow.

5:00 p.m.

I check my email one more time, respond to anything that is time-sensitive, and then close my computer. My workday is done! I leash up the dogs for their third walk. I like to hit 10,000 steps for the day and the dogs help hold me accountable.

6:00 p.m.

I return home from my third and final walk of the day and immediately turn on the television to wind down. I am obsessed with any and all reality television. I quickly make dinner for myself and feed Henry, Grits, and Harriet.

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

I will be on the couch catching up on my reality television. These days, I’m watching Michelle’s season on The Bachelorette. The Bachelorette is one of my favorite shows.

9:00 p.m.

I am tired and ready for bed. I wash my face, put on my go-to Kiehl’s pore mask, and complete my nighttime skincare routine. This is my go-to me time where I can escape from everything else and focus on myself.

9:30 p.m.

I hop in bed, journal for five minutes about my wins for the day, what I am excited about for this week, and things that I am looking to accomplish both professionally and personally.

9:45 p.m.

I give my boyfriend/roommate dog duty for the remainder of the night, turn off the lights, and am sound asleep like a baby.

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Editor’s note: Since completing her Day in the Life, Hannah Tanchon is now Guerrero’s onboarding sales and development manager.

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Hannah’s Top Five Skincare Products

1. A good, gentle, facial cleanser: I use Kiehl’s and you can never go wrong with any of their products.
2. Niacinamide Eye Cream: This will make all your under-eye bags disappear. My go-to use First Aid Beauty’s.
3. Vitamin C: Vital in your skin care routine to have fresh, healthy skin. I love Paula’s Choice.
4. Moisturizer: Vital for all times of the year, but specifically for winter and fall. I love Farmacy’s Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Moisturizer.
5. SPF: SuperGoop! Glowscreen SPF 40. Thank me later and don’t forget to apply on your neck and hands.