As a college student, Julie Goodman (IAFS ’07) spent endless summer days scooping ice cream, but this didn’t deter her dream of becoming a future entrepreneur. Today, Goodman is the CEO of Goodman Global Consulting, based out of Dallas, Texas. Goodman Global Consulting works with companies aiming to grow in the global marketplace and helps create a strategic plan for their international business. For Goodman, her success today started when she was bitten by the international bug unexpectedly during her first year at CU-Boulder.
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| Julie Goodman, IAFS '07 |
“When I moved into my freshman year dorm, I discovered that my roommate was an international student from Jordan,” says Goodman. They became close friends during their first year together, and Goodman visited her roommate in Jordan for three weeks the following summer. “I vividly remember us walking to the Boulder post office so I could apply for a passport,” says Goodman. That summer in Jordan inspired her interest in cross-cultural relations, and she returned to CU-Boulder to declare her joint major in International Affairs and Economics.
When she first launched her business, Goodman had a networking experience she will never forget. Last summer, she was invited by the African Chamber of Commerce to attend an event in Dallas with the president of Uganda. “All of a sudden, one of the security guards approached me and asked my name, wanting to know if I was American,” explains Goodman. “Next thing I knew, the speaker announced that they would like me to come up to the podium and sing the national anthem.” Caught off guard, she assured the group that she was a terrible singer, and fortunately, another person offered to take her place. However, in the end, she connected with multiple African business leaders and increased her project work involving U.S.-Africa relations.
Since graduation, Goodman has worked in six countries across three continents, learned two languages, and completed an MBA in International Business. Goodman is currently working with a company to increase their sales of Kenyan tea in the U.S. She is looking forward to her future projects, including one with her latest client from the hit TV show Shark Tank. “I work closely with my clients to connect their business between two countries,” Goodman shares. “This is my dream job.”