She’s built a business from her blogging passion
Q: What do you want everyone to know about your company?
A: MSB New Media is a digital media marketing and publishing agency specializing in connecting brands with the military community via custom-built marketing campaigns designed to engage consumers via military spouse bloggers and social media influencers.
Q: Why did you decide to start your own company?
A: As a blogger interested in earning income from my online work, I belonged to several blogger networks that were coordinating campaigns with national and global brands to recruit bloggers to serve as spokespersons for various initiatives. It was when my partner and I came across a military community focused campaign being coordinated by a parent blogger niche network that we both had an “a-ha” moment. Who better to build a military spouse blogger network than military spouse bloggers, right? So we did.
Q: What has been the greatest challenge owning your own company?
A: One of the greatest challenges of being an entrepreneur is not allowing myself to get overwhelmed with the amount of groundwork that must be done in order to run an efficient and ethical business. As a startup and a bit of an accidental entrepreneur, there is so much to learn and so much to do all the time. Prioritizing what must be done ahead of what must-be-done-but-doesn’t-have-to-happen-right-this-moment can be really difficult to sort out.
Q: What has been the greatest reward of owning your own company?
A: The greatest reward of owning my own company has to be the absolute freedom I exercise each and every day. I set the pace. I set the goals. It’s all on me. I find that absolutely liberating and empowering.
Q: What’s a mistake you’ve made along the way that you want other company owners to learn from?
A: I’d have to say the biggest mistake I’ve made, and at times continue to make, is attempting to do it all myself. As a business owner, it’s very easy to want to do ALL THE THINGS all by yourself because, let’s be honest, you don’t trust anyone else to get things done the way you would. And you know what? You’re right. Someone else won’t necessarily get things done the way you would and that’s okay. They might just get it done better or differently and equally as good as you.
Not delegating and not asking for help guarantees one result: a very burnt out you.
Q: What’s the best advice another company owner/mentor has ever given you?
A: And I quote, “Get comfortable knowing that you will make a very expensive mistake one day. It will suck, but you will get through it and you will never make that mistake again.”
Q: What is the most important marketing tool you use?
A: Consistent and meticulous attention to our brand.
Q: If you were given $200,000 to grow your business, what would you do with the funds?
A: I would immediately start planning an annual staff retreat for training and planning purposes. As a location independent organization, we rarely get to connect as a team in real life. Getting our team together would be such an important tool to center us and bring us together as an even tighter team.
We have very low overhead because we are virtual, so I’d love to be able to bring on additional staff, specifically an administrative assistant, social media manager, and one dedicated sales rep.
Q: What makes a successful company in your opinion?
A: A successful company is one that is never willing to sacrifice its core values for profit.
Q: What’s your favorite inspirational business quote?
A: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Q: What do you wish we would’ve asked that we didn’t?
A: How are you still alive after drinking so much coffee?
Website: www.msbnewmedia.com
Social Media Links: www.facebook.com/militaryspousebloggers
