A typical day will vary depending on what the business needs. Right now I’m really focused on advertising and getting the word out. Next month I might be more focused on reviewing our user interface, testing with people and making it easier for people to use the program.

A good portion of my day is involved in research, finding ideas for our company, learning how to accomplish things, making recommendations. Then I also spend a lot of time coming up with marketing ideas for the Web site or managing the Google Adwords campaign.

You’re still a relatively young company and you’ve had to go through the whole startup experience. Is that a challenge?

Yes. Before getting into this thing I definitely determined that I would stick with it until we fall on our faces or make it big. I want to see what happens. Not everybody gets this opportunity, and I knew it would be tough. Sometimes there’s a lot of stress on top of the pressure to make due with the resources we have. It can feel like we’re pulling rabbits out of our hats.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

I have to set my own priorities and be a total self-starter. Nobody is breathing down my neck to ensure that I’m successful. Sometimes it’s pretty tough to look at the 150 things that need to get done around here and pick the top five I need to work on today.

Your dad is the president of Privacy Harbor. What’s the best thing about working for him?

If I go over to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, we can talk about the future of the business, far-reaching ideas about what’s going to happen five years from now. In a larger company with further-removed employees, I might not ever get to hear about those cutting-edge ideas.

What’s the worst thing about working with your dad?

He already knows all my flaws. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. I’m not going to disillusion him.

When you were 18 years old, is this where you thought you’d end up?

I thought I was going to be a veterinarian or a doctor. As I got further and further into that, I realized that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I still like plants and animals, but not so much the business application and the medical side of things.

How did you find your way from that path to where you are today?

When I was close to finishing college, this company was starting to take off and needed somebody to help with the Web site. I figured I would do that part time while I was trying to figure out how to finish my degree and decide what I would do next with my life.

They always needed help in other areas where I could fill in and learn. I got deeper and deeper in, until they offered me a full-time job. So I made the decision to go for it.

What kind of specialized training do you have?

I’ve 100 percent learned on my own. I went to Barnes & Noble, and I found the thickest, heaviest computer manual I could find. It cost $50. I bought it and I learned it, and I’ve been learning ever since.

What was your first job?

The very first job where I got a paycheck was not the first job where I made money. I’ve always been something of an entrepreneur. I sold bracelets that I made door to door when I was 10. I think I got my first paycheck when I was 16. That was working in the mail room for a different company that my dad was at the head of at the time.

What did you learn from those early jobs?

From the bracelets and other little experiences I had trying to make stuff, I definitely learned a love of working for myself, of having freedom and flexibility, and of creative license. From the mail room, I learned that I didn’t want to sort mail for the rest of my life.

What business decision makes you especially proud?

This is a decision I make over and over again: to not let things I don’t know how to do already scare me off, but rather to learn. Learning by doing is so much easier than learning in college.

What business or career decision do you regret most?

Majoring in biology.

Are you much of a reader? What have you been reading lately?

My husband and I both love to read. I just finished a book called “The Shack” that my pastor gave to me. It’s by William P. Young.

What is getting the most play right now on your iPod?

I listen mostly to talk radio on my iPod, through podcasts. The radio show I like is called Free Talk Live. I have a lot of music on the iPod, too. I like Afro Celt Sound System.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

The Mock Crest Tavern, they have really good blues music. They’re on Lombard in North Portland.

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a pair of shoes?

$112.

Tell me about the shoes. Were they worth it?

I don’t know. They’re pretty nice, but I’ve never before or since spent that much. They’re winter boots. I wish for that price I could wear them year-round.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering whether to work for a startup?

Unless you’re really sure of the company, keep other prospects open. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, especially if it’s a very new startup. Don’t let the fact that it’s a startup scare you off, because you might not get the opportunity again. It’s a gamble, but it’s worth it.

COURTNEY SHERWOOD covers high-tech businesses. Reach her at 360-735-4553 or courtney.sherwood@columbian.com.