Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Thank you for having me! I had always been an an artist since I first held a pencil. Everything was my muse. I would draw the cartoons I watched on TV or the toys in my bedroom, even the fruit bowls on the kitchen counter. My parents noticed my artistic inclinations and signed me up for art classes while in grade school. In sixth grade I was picked to illustrate the cover of our school’s talent show program. That was a big milestone for me. In high school I was in the Pep Club and was responsible for painting our mascot on the banner that the varsity football team would run through as they got introduced before the game. I was also in Yearbook and designed multiple page layouts. Graphic design was becoming a part of me.
As I got older I noticed commercial art around town and it got me to question the choice of typography, the spacing, colors, composition. Why did these artists choose what they did? Why did I like some and not others? I would find myself critiquing and wondering how I would have done it differently. This curiosity never subsided. Fast forward to college where I studied graphic design, I took an internship at an online startup. I’ve been creating websites ever since.
Early in my web design career, I worked with my now business partner transforming a catalog company into an online enterprise client whose web sales outgrew it’s catalog sales in the first year of launching. My passion for all things web continued to land me in positions at companies I dreamed of, including Young & Rubicam, back when companies were moving from traditional advertising to online. From there I was able to grow my portfolio and find myself growing within brands of all sizes and industries. A few years back I reconnected with my now business partner, at my last Creative Director position for a Real Estate startup. After working with him twice, about 20 years apart, we both knew we had what it takes to create something for ourselves and deliver great results.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Absolutely. The most interesting story is how my professional relationships have evolved. Previously, when I worked with clients, it was from a position of service as a resource. But now, as a founder, I’m still providing a service but as a peer, an equal. This has allowed for an influx of professional relationships, partnerships, and even friendships. I didn’t imagine how much trust and bonding would occur during the life of our projects. Even after a client’s website is done, most, if not all, will hire us to continue our professional relationship whether it’s monthly site maintenance or recurring digital ad campaigns. A whole world of individuals has been revealed to me and each of them have made a difference in mine.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” That was us. Jack.
Early on, working in every platform possible to help the most amount of clients was our secret sauce, but an exhausting one. Clients really took to how accommodating we were, relieved that we can work in their existing platform without having to spend more and learn a new system. If they didn’t have an existing one, we’d choose one based on their scope. Our small team (aka, me) would put together designs and then build sites through a series of tasks I knew how to do on our chosen platform. Oftentimes, the client would request functionality out of scope that was not possible in the chosen platform. So we pivoted and re-platformed with one caveat, I had to relearn and do everything again in a different system. Multiply that by six different web building platforms. Looking back we spent so much time relearning processes of the same tasks and realized, if we just stick to our top two recommended platforms we can be more efficient and deliver better and quicker results. Not to mention, long hours learning new systems and processes meant less margins.
Lesson learned. After some time and experience, we learned that most, if not all clients will benefit from the two platforms we prefer as they have the most features to offer. Now we spend more time honing our skills becoming masters of these platforms and the clients will see it in their beautiful, high-converting sites.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are many. I’ve been so fortunate to have a village of colleagues, friends, and family supporting me and cheering me on every step of the way. My favorite moments are chatting with my sons about the latest client we landed or recent site launch. I want them to be proud of their mom and see her as a happy, successful business owner and aspire to create something for themselves as well. They are my inspiration and the drive behind my success.
More specifically, there are a few individuals that made a significant impact in getting me where I am today.
Firstly, there is my former boss at a bank position I held while in college. Alway smiling, sharp mind, no nonsense and all heart would begin to describe her. But she was so much more. I wasn’t yet sure what to major in at school but I would talk about art and design quite often at work. One day, my boss tells me there’s a schedule change and I was to come in on my day off for an offsite meeting. The address was the site of the art college I would later transfer to. She saw my passion and cared enough about my future, despite losing me as an employee, to help me take the first step towards what would become a successful career and entrepreneurship in the creative field.
Next, I am extremely grateful for my business partner / marketing guru extraordinaire, for taking a chance on me and our vision for the agency. He pushes me outside of my comfort zone which has made me learn a lot about myself as a founder in the process. He supports my ideas even if they don’t align with his at times, though we always seem to meet halfway somehow. Having a partner at work that is also your cheerleader is like winning the lottery every day.
Lastly, is my partner in life. Always listening, always supporting, and always present. I’m sure all founders agree, there are times when you second guess decisions or need to address difficult situations, or just worry about the future. I can honestly say I do not do this alone. He is also an entrepreneur and has had a successful business for 20+ years. He’s a fountain of insight from that perspective. Everything I encounter, he has also encountered at some point. I am beyond thankful for the role he has in my professional journey.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
In one word, PERCEPTION.
Funded companies require investors to believe in them. Currently, the majority of the investors are men or investment companies run by men. Sure, there’s historical progress, but it’s been slow. And the majority of these investors will put their money on men owned companies as it’s viewed to be a safer bet for a number of reasons. Men will have more access to resources which means they’ll be able to succeed quicker. Less doors are closed on them so they’ll have more opportunities to succeed. They are perceived to take bigger risks and be more decisive which means bigger returns right away.
Can women succeed as well? Of course. At the very least, they should be perceived as more resourceful as they have to do more with less and create opportunities where there weren’t any. And if they seem to take less risks or take their time making decisions, doing so may render better results in the long run. Women tend to sense-check with peers and groups making them more aware of nuances and issues, making them more in tune with their audience.
When perceptions change, behaviors change. Hoping to see this change become a movement.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
We need more women in investment positions to even the playing field for all women owned businesses. The perceptions based societal biases will not be much of an issue when it comes to funding these businesses. This will lead to more competition in certain industries that were dominated by men owned businesses thus weeding out low performers that had more help to get started and instead make businesses shine that know more about their audience and now have an opportunity to make a real difference that may have never seen the light of day.
But in order to have more women in investment positions there need to be more women owners making enough money to become investors. It’s the age-old, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” riddle. With more and more women in leadership roles both in business as well as politics, I am optimistic that more great historical progress will be made here soon.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
The most important reason more women should become founders is to level the playing field. This would make it easier for female founders to get funded, access to key resources, achieve success quicker. Imagine a world where everyone has an equal chance to make it based on their talent, knowledge, passion, and work ethic.
Another reason, is the benefit society and the economy would have on ideas, services, and products that women create. Women have certain insights and aspects of life that can trigger ideas to find solutions to needs that only half the population have. It’s worth mentioning, the half with more buying power.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
Founding a company doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. It’s a myth that it requires a lot of planning and money to get started. I’ve spoken to a number of friends and colleagues with dreams to start their own business that end up delaying their dream because of lack of time to plan or resources to invest. You can start small. One client. Minimal investment. See how that goes. As for me, it only took one laptop and some networking to land a branding client. Yes, you can dream bigger, have long term goals. You’ll get there. But don’t let all the planning stall you. Start. And then tweak your processes, strategies, and goals as you go.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Founders are passionate about the service or product they provide. They’ll take risks and face adversity in the spirit of their passion. Everyone can have what it takes if they believe in what they’re selling. Sure, anyone can have unique ideas, be disciplined, and work hard. But it takes another set of traits that not everyone has but can work on. Adaptability when change is required for progress. Strength in pulling through during difficult times. Patience to see efforts and investments pay off. The type of person that shies away from constant challenges and uncertainty, craving a predictable routine of familiar tasks will be better suited seeking a “regular job.”
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1 . Don’t wait until you’re ready. You’ll never be ready. Just start. I would dream about someday having my own agency and what it would be like to help grow and transform businesses without hitting walls I didn’t put there or have the authority to move. But starting a business meant leaving a stable environment so I figured I needed to get all my ducks in a row, save a certain amount of money, take courses, network, and plan, plan, plan before I take the first step. This mindset only delayed the dream. It turns out all of those steps can be taken after you start. You can still take courses and network as you go. You’ll always be planning because sometimes, your most well thought out plans may not work out and a new one is born. And the money? The money will come. Opportunities will come. Take the first step and the rest will follow.
2 . It’s okay to say “no.” In a not-so-distant past, we said yes to every project that came our way. Now, we consider ourselves lucky to be in a position where we can choose. However, a bad fit at any stage of your growth should be a “no.” Once you have agreed to onboarding a client or committing to a project, it is very difficult to change the direction of your sails. You will work harder and longer to course correct than you should most likely taking a substantial mental and financial toll. That being said, it’s difficult to say no to a client in need. We lead with empathy and make every effort to accommodate special requests or circumstances while still drawing a very clear line in the sand. Setting boundaries early on will make the decision-making process easier on you and your team.
3 . Trust your instincts. Even if you’re new at this and don’t have the experience to lean on for guidance, if it feels right, go for it! Have the confidence to believe in yourself and you’ll be amazed at how far you get. The opposite is also true. If your gut says no, do not blame it on lack of confidence or just nerves. It’s trying to tell you something. Proceed with caution. Do more research, more testing. Wait, or find another solution. Making the right moves, even if it’s scary, will always feel right in the end.
4 . Be pivot-friendly. The best laid plans often get disrupted as growth will always come with change. Be ready to accept change without losing focus of the long term goals. It’s this change that will lead you where you wanted to be. Being a founder is a journey you go on with a map and a route planned out, except you take unforeseen detours that make the journey richer and more rewarding for you, your team, and your clients.
5 . Stick to a schedule. Make time for yourself. As a founder, it’s extremely easy to blend your work life with your personal life, especially if you work from home. There is no end to being a founder, just breaks in between for your personal commitments. Find a balance. Do the math and calculate how much time you need for yourself on a daily or weekly basis. Whether it’s exercise, errands, social events, appointments, or just catching up in your favorite book, block your calendar. Your client deadlines and meetings are blocked in your calendar, then so should your personal tasks and commitments. Doing so will keep you sane, organized, and surprisingly more productive and successful at work.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Paying it forward. We have been very lucky to have a great network of professionals that have taken a chance with us in the early days. As we grow, we return the favor with introductions to clients and other professionals in our industry and network. We believe there are enough success opportunities for everyone to go around.
More recently, we launched a Digital Marketing Pro Bono program for non-profit organizations. We believe in donating a portion of our time, expertise, and resources to foundations that support and enrich their communities.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Empathy. The world needs it now more than ever. Lead with empathy. Serve with empathy. Truly get to know your clients, community, world. When you understand, you connect. And with connections you can make more positive impacts in your business as well as the world around you.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Mark Cuban. He doesn’t lose sight of the greater good. Providing low-cost versions of expensive drugs. Having an extensive portfolio of female led businesses. Supporting small businesses during Covid-19. He uses his resources, knowledge, and access to technologies to create opportunities that can really make a positive difference in the world, especially those among us with greater struggles. I would love to pick his brain on how to make what we do for a living impact our communities positively. The goal is to leave the world a better place than you found it.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
