Sarah Yasukochi (06) wouldn’t say she wields the power to directly change environmental policy, remove barriers to green electricity, or empower global sustainability efforts as a marketing consultant. But, in her marketing world, she sees entry points to impact.
Yasukochi is the founder of the House Collective, which is a digital marketing firm that helps brands share their mission and purpose. House Collective specifically collaborates with brands whose purpose centers on sustainability, social programs and “doing good in the world.” She spoke of how these brands tangibly make an impact in the communities they work with.
“If I don’t have the super power to do the actual good, I want to use my marketing super power and our teams, their skill set and talents to contribute to people who do [have those superpowers],” Yasukochi said.
One of the nonprofit organizations her marketing agency works with focuses on bringing solar electricity to indigenous communities around the world. Yasukochi’s team worked on the fundraising campaigns and amplified the efforts to get community backing and support.
A group of the nonprofit’s team members backpacked through Peru with solar panels on their backs and equipment on donkeys. They entered villages to bring electricity to classrooms that would normally shut down when the sun goes down. And, equally important to the community, they brought electricity to athletic fields that would normally be vacant after sunset.
The sun was setting at a soccer field in one of the villages that the nonprofit electrified, but with a flick of a switch, lights illuminated their soccer field for the first time ever.
“They had kids and adults and everybody from the village run out onto the field to start playing – with so much joy and just so much fun,” Yasukochi said. “To imagine that they were not able to do that before… their daily life, from education to medical [facilities] to play, was all limited based on the sun rising, the sun setting. This team, and this organization in partnership, could bring them an extension of their day.”
Mission-driven work, the kind exhibited in this story, had Yasukochi hooked.
“It’s not just about helping clients succeed. It’s about honoring the people who made my path possible and building something that can serve others in return.”
“Selfishly, I wanted more stories like that,” Yasukochi said. “I wanted to know that, even though we were so removed in this space… It’s removed from the actual community building, but knowing that we’ve contributed a little bit towards that, I think it’s really something that we’re proud of at the end of the day.”
House Collective’s approach to the marketing world stems from Yasukochi’s roots.
The Filipino word, “Kapwa,” is the idea that we are all deeply interconnected. Like constellations, woven fabric or redwood tree roots, our actions, thoughts and feelings web us intrinsically as one.
“What we do impacts others, and our work should contribute to the well-being of our broader community,” Yasukochi said.
The Filipino phrase, “Utang na loob,” reflects a deep sense of obligation and gratitude to those who have come before us. There’s a connection to our ancestors and the people who have opened doors for us.
“Kapwa” and “Utang na loob” are instilled values Sarah Yasukochi carries; they’re a part of her.
Her family brought these pieces of identity with them from the Philippines, after her father joined the U.S. military. Her father is from Binmaley, Pangasinan, and her mother is from Caloocan City, Metro Manila. They moved to California and Sarah grew up in San Diego.
Like much of the Filipino diaspora, certain elements of culture and identity are unobstructed despite the distance. In some cases, distance can even make cultural identity stronger.
“Kapwa,” “utang na loob,” they stayed with Yasukochi.
“These values influence why I built House Collective with such intention,” Yasukochi said. “It’s not just about helping clients succeed. It’s about honoring the people who made my path possible and building something that can serve others in return.”
Yasukochi brings more than two decades of marketing leadership and business ownership knowledge into House Collective. Before setting out on her own, however, she did not think starting her own marketing agency was meant for her.
“Owning my own agency was not even in the cards,” Yasukochi said.
The prospect of becoming an entrepreneur only visualized as she neared the end of the MBA program at PLNU. Yasukochi entered the MBA program nearly a decade after she had completed her undergraduate degree. She went back to school because she valued education. That was another lesson learned from her parents.
“My dad specifically instilled in me the benefits of being a lifelong learner,” she said.
“As the daughter of immigrants, something that they definitely instilled in myself and my brother… I think when it came to education, we definitely had the freedom, the choice, to pursue the things that lit us up. For me, it was marketing and business, but doing it in a way that really was purpose driven.”
Beyond her love for education, she had every intention of climbing the corporate ladder to the top. An MBA would help her get a rung up.
“I think initially when I went into my MBA, I thought, ‘How am I going to use this to get my next promotion?” Yasukochi said. “Like, that was the reality of it… But I think being open to the opportunities, that really helped shape the experience and who I am today.”
As she neared the end of her time at PLNU, Yasukochi was pregnant with her second child. For her final project, she was asked to make a plan for starting a hypothetical new business. As she worked on this project, she started asking herself questions about her career and family goals.
“What if you prioritize your family? And what if you, even for just a little bit, stepped out of your corporate position to center [on] family?”
Upon her graduation, she realized she didn’t want to go back into the corporate world: a space that was difficult to balance with family. So, she decided to set out on her own.
“Motherhood really changed things for me to be quite transparent. I had no intention of leaving corporate America,” Yasukochi said. “But when it came time to go back, I just couldn’t do it… And I took the leap and decided I put in all this time and effort to research this and identify if this would be a viable opportunity, so let me put it to use. And so I did.”
From there, she took on the business world with her own approach that reimagined, maybe even discarded, the idea “work-life balance.”
“I don’t even say balance anymore because I think that’s unfair — things have to be even between family and business. But it’s more of this harmony… sometimes we’ve got to merge the two worlds and we can still prioritize one while keeping the other important.”
After completing her MBA, she worked on several businesses. Her first business was a franchise that focused on bringing art curriculum to kids even amid budget cuts. The franchise, called Young Rembrandts, collaborated with North County school districts and other organizations throughout the Del Mar area, Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, Encinitas and more.
That program shaped Yasukochi’s hope and vision for the flexibility she wanted for her business. It was a space where she could coexist as a business leader and mother.
Eventually, she stepped back into the corporate world after her kids started school. Then, she stepped back out to start a couple of more businesses — one was an e-commerce business. And in that process, she realized she might be more attuned to starting an agency.
“I found myself spending more time giving marketing advice than I did working on my own business,” Yasukochi said. “And that’s where I decided to focus my time on House Collective.”
Yasukochi said that 80% of House Collective’s client community is made up of small to midsize businesses. And that’s intentional.
“I was in corporate America in marketing leadership positions for 20-plus years and have owned my own business, now, for eight years — [I’ve] also, because of the MBA, been able to teach future marketing leaders. Having those three distinct experiences because of my MBA really shaped how I wanted to continue to show up in the space. I think across all of those experiences, values definitely come into play.”
“Stepping out of corporate America, I realized that there are a lot of small businesses and even mid-sized companies who don’t have the opportunity to have a CMO or a marketing director or a marketing leader in place to help connect all of those pieces, or they don’t have deep pockets and deep budget to try different marketing programs,” Yasukochi explained.
“Without that leadership or without that budget, it really puts them at a disadvantage. If you have a big heart and you believe in your product or business and service, and how you want to impact community, then I think you should have a chance to.”
House Collective is in the process of securing B-Corp certification. Among other accreditations, House Collective is a certified diverse supplier — the collective is part of organizations like Women Business Enterprise and Minority Business Enterprise. House Collective also recently found out it’s a finalist for the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics.
“Your purpose definitely comes into play, how you show up as a leader with integrity and with ethics,” Yasukochi said.
“Kapwa,” “utang na loob,” they’re part of Yasukochi, and by correlation, they’re part of House Collective too.
There’s plenty on the horizon for House Collective, but Yasukochi said reflecting on her past work, helps inform what is ahead.
“I was in corporate America in marketing leadership positions for 20-plus years and have owned my own business, now, for eight years — [I’ve] also, because of the MBA, been able to teach future marketing leaders,” Yasukochi said. “Having those three distinct experiences because of my MBA really shaped how I wanted to continue to show up in the space. I think across all of those experiences, values definitely come into play.”
Her advice for students is to also find missions and the stories that keep you motivated. She continues to search for the light switches that illuminate fields of access and opportunity.
“I think if you are rooted in purpose and values, that will see you through whatever challenges that you have or whatever next level you want to achieve,” Yasukochi said. “Mentorship, relationships, learning as much as you can — I think that’s really, really important.”
