After his graduation from Westminster Academy, Spencer Johnson (’12) went on to earn a BS in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. He is currently owner of The Haven Agency and enjoys travel, art history, local food and drink, and running.

We asked Spencer, “Do you really think you’ll use this education for the rest of your life?” His answer was “Full disclosure: when I graduated, I would have said ‘no…’ but that makes my story more interesting (I think!).

“When I graduated from Westminster, I was intrigued by business. I wanted to learn about businesses of all kinds, how they operated, how they helped people, how they shared those stories, how they marketed themselves, and how the world responds to their messages (or how to make them respond!) I wasn’t interested in calculus, physics, rhetoric, or philosophy! 

“My senior rhetoric paper, titled ‘Modeling Apple,’ approached Apple Inc. as a case study for all businesses to follow… maybe not to a “T” but certainly to spark curiosity!

“Not eighteen months after giving that speech, I walked through Apple’s doors and began my 4.5 year career as a Business Specialist… pairing my interest in problem solving, a programmatic approach to sales, and learning from businesses across industries. (Oh, also I did this while being a full time student at UT.)

“After Apple and a brief time at a production company, I launched The Haven Agency: A full-service marketing agency that functions as the outsourced marketing department for businesses of all kinds, sizes, and in locations across the globe. We do everything from marketing strategy and sales funnels to content creation (photo, video, graphic design) and brand messaging.

“So… Do I really think you’ll use this education for the rest of your life?

“Full disclosure: I use my Westminster education every day in the way I interact with my clients, employees, friends, family, and the world. 

“It starts with curiosity, progresses to discovering to the ‘WHY’ behind human nature as consumers and members of society, and finding the reason for others to care and connect. 

“Advice? I certainly don’t consider myself as someone who should be giving advice because the reality is that adults are making this stuff up just as much as middle-schoolers (a truth you should hear more as a kid) but I would encourage everyone to ask ‘why?’ Because when you find out WHY, you can develop HOW and WHAT. These three words are the building blocks for making change. 

ABC: Always Be Curious.”