Community Highlights: Meet Marta Olson of Mintaka Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marta Olson.

Hi Marta, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
The storyline of my life has definitely not followed a straight path, but, looking back, all the twists and turns certainly made sense for who I am. 

The greatest influence on my life is my deep connection to Mackinac Island. My father started the historic preservation program for Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1958 and served as Director for 30 years. This provided me with the great gift of growing up in historic Fort Mackinac, meeting talented and engaging people, and enjoying and appreciating the beautiful natural environment of the island. 

In my teens and early 20s, I worked at several of the island establishments during the summer and earned my B.A. from the University of Michigan. Although I was a Social Science major, I found myself following a business path. I moved off Mackinac to explore life off of the island and saw an ad looking for someone with accounting experience to help install minicomputers in a variety of businesses in the Detroit area. Both my brothers were in the computer industry, so possibly some sibling rivalry kicked in, which led me to apply for the job. I began working for Cado Systems, Inc., and immediately had a whole new vocabulary to learn! It was a challenging job as I knew nothing about computers, but the jobs I have had where I needed to figure it all out on my own have been my favorite ones! 

A few years later, in 1984, my connections landed me an incredible opportunity with Apple, Inc., helping to roll out the new Macintosh computer in their National Accounts and Higher Education channels. Working for this exciting company during a critical point in its evolution was magical. I met many charismatic and talented people and found great joy introducing my clients to the power of this revolutionary personal computer. It was extremely rewarding to see clients such as General Motors and the University of Michigan adopt the Macintosh and recognize the potential of this dynamic new technology utilizing bit-mapped screens, windows, and an intuitive interface. When the president of UM wanted to increase the critical mass of computers on campus, a group of us at Apple coordinated the Mac Truck Sale in 1987, where we distributed 2400 Macintoshes over a weekend to faculty, students, and staff. It was the largest sale of personal computers to date. 

After many wonderful years at Apple, a client encouraged me to take a position as Director of Academic Computing at a small liberal arts college. My husband Peter and I had just become parents, and this job allowed me the flexibility to take care of our new baby. 

When our second daughter was born, I decided I wanted to work from home. While at home with the girls, I had time to develop my interest in photography and learn the basics of painting landscapes in watercolor and oil. I continue to paint (mostly Mackinac scenes) and have exhibited with a small group of friends, the Mackinac Seven, for over 25 years. I enjoyed participating in a fundraiser called Turtles Around Town by painting a large turtle sculpture that was auctioned off to benefit art initiatives on the island. 

While stepping off the career track, I took advantage of a new Master’s in Business Administration program at Michigan State geared toward working professionals. Peter and I could manage childcare between us as the classes met in the evening and on the weekends. His schedule as a college professor was fairly flexible. 

I recognized at the time the potential of creating websites for small businesses and nonprofits, so after earning my MBA, I started my own company, Mintaka Design. I found web development a great opportunity to utilize both my interest in design and my knowledge of coding. 

In 2001, we moved to Harbor Springs, where Peter worked as a paramedic and eventually in administration at the local college. This allowed us to enjoy summers on Mackinac again. Through cultivating my existing relationships with the business community and word-of-mouth, my web business grew quickly. I loved the flexibility of the work and the connections I made with my clients. It was a perfect career match for me as I was able to combine all the skills from my previous jobs and leverage my personal connections. I found it extremely rewarding to help my clients communicate what makes their business or organization special through a creative and impactful website. It was certainly a challenge; however, as once again, I was figuring it all out on my own. I was surprised and delighted to be honored with the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award presented by the Harbor Springs Heroes program in 2011. 

In 2021, we realized that we both wanted to live full-time in the community we call home. Although Peter grew up in Colorado, he grew to love the island, as I do. Peter retired as Provost of North Central Michigan College, and I decided to retire in 2023 after 25 years working with over 100 clients. 

A couple of years prior to retirement, I wrote a career memoir as a surprise for our daughters, Brita and Kaia. A Path After All reflects my belief that you do not need to have a well-defined path for your career. Steve Jobs expressed this best in a Stanford University commencement speech when he said, “You can only connect the dots looking backward.” Although I did not have a particularly illustrious career, it has been a very interesting and rewarding one. Writing the book helped me realize this and understand my own path. I hope the book is encouraging to those just starting out. I have learned that by taking advantage of opportunities that open up, continually taking on responsibility, and working hard, your career path will present itself. But one’s career is not everything! I also believe that you must have balance in your life. For me, that comes in the form of family activities, hiking, kayaking, reading, cross-country skiing, and traveling. 

Giving back to one’s community, however, you conceive it, is part of this important life balance. I have been very fortunate to serve on the board of several impactful organizations: Mackinac Associates, a Friends organization supporting Mackinac State Historic Parks; Mackinac Horsemen’s Association, a nonprofit designed to keep the horse culture on Mackinac alive; Northern Health Plan, providing health care options to the disadvantaged; and others. 

The highlight of my volunteer work was serving 15 years on the board of Little Traverse Conservancy (landtrust.org), a well-respected land trust that has preserved thousands of acres of our beloved northern Michigan landscape. As a board member and eventually Chair of the board, I had the honor of working closely with an extremely committed and talented staff, supportive members, and a dynamic board. One wonderful opportunity involved traveling to other land trusts in the country with the LTC leadership to share ideas on community conservation. LTC is truly a national leader in this field. In 2023, I was asked to serve on a committee to develop a new Strategic Plan for the organization. It will be a roadmap for the future of this highly popular and successful land trust. 

Now that I have retired from Mintaka Design, I will continue to look for ways to give back to my community and to express my love of nature through art and preservation activities. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road, as I did not receive formal training for any of the positions I held. I needed to acquire skills on the job often without much guidance. The upside of this is that I enjoy working on my own and figuring it out as I go. It could be difficult, especially when I started my own company and did not have any backup when circumstances were challenging. I needed to be on-call 24/7 as websites are always accessible (or should be!). 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My work in the computer field and as an artist required me to teach myself the skills needed. I am most proud of the persistence I showed in acquiring the necessary knowledge, especially in the ever-changing field of web design. I was determined to provide the best service to my clients who often had minimal computer knowledge. My communication skills and responsiveness to their needs helped them acquire a presence on the web that showcased the important offerings of their business or organization. I am proud that I acquired most of my 100-plus clients via word-of-mouth! 

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I am very interested in the philosophical tenets of Stoicism. One of the main principles stresses continuous improvement. Fortunately, I am a very curious person, so I am constantly learning. Life offers so many challenges. I believe every obstacle offers an opportunity to improve. This guides my life, as well as a deep love for my family and the natural world. 

Image Credits
Marta Olson