Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mickey Mikkelson, Owner of Creative Edge Publicity, located in Lloydminster, AB, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is a publicity marketing business centering around obtaining traditional media spots for authors, musicians, and actors.

Tell us about yourself

My career began as a bookseller with Indigo/Chapters, which is the largest book chain in Canada, and after a couple of months, I was promoted to special events manager for my store in St. Albert. I was instrumental in setting up book events for the Alberta Centennial and, within that, was highly successful in setting up twenty-one separate events over seven days.

After that, I worked in the corporate sector, working with credit unions on insurance sales on loans and helping train on banking technologies. In that career, I met a co-worker who would ultimately become my first signed author; her name is Miranda Oh, and she had just published her first book, "Chin Up Tits Out." I offered to help Miranda get some book signings in Canada because of my book signing experience and background. We went on a corporate road trip together in Alberta, and during our time away from the corporate sector, we set up book signing events in eight separate stores. It was here that I helped Miranda talk to readers, establish a fan base, and develop her marketability as an author.

Two months later, I set up something similar in Winnipeg, Miranda's hometown, and wellness news traveled. Other authors contacted me and asked if I could do the same thing for them, so I set up a company and named it Creative Edge. That was in March of 2016, and from 2016 to September 2019, Creative Edge was a part-time side business. From September 2019 to the present, it has been my full-time passion, and as of this writing, we represent over 100 authors with three New York Times Bestsellers, seven USA Today Bestsellers, multiple international bestsellers, both indie and traditionally published authors, and we are the contracted publicist for no less than six small press publishers.

Motivation is what you make of it, and in any industry, you work in, you have to love it. The publicity and book industry is no different. I get to work with some of the most substantial and intelligent individuals in the book industry, and I get to do it every day. That's what motivates me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There have been so many accomplishments over the last six years, but I think the biggest accomplishment is setting up a working affiliation with Aimee Ravichandran, the owner of Abundantly Social, a mainstream social media company out of Houston, Texas. Since the affiliation, we have worked together with several clients, including two publishers, merged together to acquire Top Shelf Magazine, and in January, we will be forming our own podcast network since acquiring Project Entertainment Network.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I think the most difficult thing is managing and being effective with all of the diverse personalities between clients and media affiliates and still being effective in keeping everyone happy. The publishing and book industry is so diverse, and there are so many energetic and dynamic personalities within it; it is sometimes difficult to keep up, but it is also so rewarding!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Know your business and never stop being open to learning and being innovative within your industry. Think outside the box and always be flexible on your business model.
  2. Realize that every aspect is not about the all-mighty dollar. Developing long-term relationships is more important than money. If you keep your people happy, and if you run your business at a discounted rate initially, that will create loyalty and support, giving you the ability to charge what you are worth when you have been deemed an expert in your field.
  3. Never hesitate to try new ideas, and never let anything hold you back from your dreams and goals. Find ways to make things happen and surround yourself with experts in other fields to help build your goal.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.creative-edge.services/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmcreativeedge
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikkelsonmickey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MickeyCreative
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creative-edge-05b6b7119/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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