When I first thought about this journey to start my own business, I did not believe that I would ever do it. I tried to get the idea out of my mind for many years, but it kept coming back to me. I spoke with coaches, friends, and coworkers, and they all told me that I had a gift and that I should use it.
I read the book Firestarters, but it took time for the words to settle into my soul. One day during one of my runs, a name and a vision for my business came to me. The name was MANN|MARK and the vision was to help people accomplish their dreams and make a mark on this world.
MANN|MARK was born out of my deep desire to help people. People with dreams like me, but without the resources to make it happen. People who had businesses who needed help to get the word out from a partner that they could trust. My vision of MANN|MARK and how I could help people began to crystalize into more than an idea; it was indeed becoming a reality.
I had spent my life helping the communities that I lived in. I knew that my business had to be about helping people. For over two decades, I had helped to raise over $150 million to help families and children through my marketing, public relations and social media expertise. It was incredibly hard to walk away from my career at United Way of Southern Nevada. The United Way team is like a family and they were always there to provide support, input, and challenge me.
What also blocked me was focusing on my challenges, fears, and all the things that stood between me and success. I created the MANN|MARK Journeys Blog to share some of my biggest challenges, and the tools and people who I meet along the way to help solve them.
MANN|MARK is all about helping people by providing marketing, public relations and social media solutions to help people accomplish their dreams and make a mark in this world. I hope that you follow my journey and subscribe to this blog at MannMark.com/Journeys. I invite you to check out some of my MANN|MARK Challenges below and how I am conquering them!
Who am I going to turn to for help since I don’t have a team of people to support me?
Right away I knew that I would reach out to the people that I have met along the way who are truly “Masters of Marketing.” I scheduled coffee with them and asked how they created successful businesses. I will share what I learned from them in my MANN|MARK Journeys Blog every #MannMarkMonday including their #1 Tip for Starting a Business, The Best Way to Market Your Business and Recommended Tools and Books.
What am I going to do without a huge sum of money to start a business?
I decided to start with what I have and build from there. I opened a business account with George Dominguez of Wells Fargo ([email protected]) and in the wise words of one of the Masters of Marketing, Terri Weisbord of WG Communications Group, I got an American Express MasterCard to start tracking and leveraging all of my business expenses.
What if I can’t get clients?
I will be connecting with friends and family and focusing on Search Engine Optimization and social media, especially LinkedIn. One of my first steps is having lunch with Lauren Davis of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce. She is incredibly kind and well-connected and will help me make those important business connections. There are many different organizations to join, but I decided on a focused approach with groups that I am already associated with including the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Vegas Chamber, a Henderson chapter of Business Networking Company (BNI), and the National Association of Women Business Owners Southern Nevada (NAWBO). I also plan on becoming a member of trade organizations including the American Marketing Association Las Vegas and PRSA Las Vegas.
What if I can’t figure it out?
If there’s anything that this process has already taught me is that I can figure things out when I truly put my mind to it. Just setting up a business is incredibly difficult, but I did it with the help of the Masters of Marketing, friends and family and of course Google! Please follow my blog at the links below and share them with your friends to learn all of the lessons that I learned along the way in MANN|MARK Journeys.