Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rachel McFadden and Hazel Geary, Founders of Drio, LLC., located in Baltimore, MD, USA.

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

Our business name is Drio, and we are a 100% women & minority-owned business based in Baltimore, Maryland. We help well-established local businesses and nonprofits uplevel their website and digital marketing strategy, so their brand stands out online and becomes the obvious choice.

Tell us about yourself

Rachel (the left brain) is a former civil engineer turned self-taught web developer and designer, and Hazel (the right brain) is a longtime marketing specialist, we were looking for the next chapter in our careers at exactly the same time. We’d been friends since just after college, and a few happy hours and coffee dates gave way to a new and exciting business partnership.

Neither one of us had much “formal” experience in the web and digital space. But we didn’t let that stop us from figuring it out and wowing our clients at every turn. We put our left and right brain together to help other businesses solve their problems and create head-turning brands. Our duo quickly started making a name for ourselves among Baltimore’s tight-knit creative community, forging relationships that are still very much alive today. In 2018, we founded Monument Women’s Creative Alliance, a 350-member group dedicated to supporting and connecting women creatives in the Baltimore area.

Today, more than a decade after putting our heads together, we can barely walk into a local coffee shop without running into a client or colleague. Drio has become the go-to web design and digital marketing agency for small businesses and purpose-driven organizations who want to do it right and get revenue-generating results.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

We believe the best ideas and relationships are born from the good old-fashioned conversation. It’s why our collaborative process has just the right mix of touchpoints and communication. These relationships that we have forged with our clients have been long-lasting and have allowed us to be trusted by our clients with more than just their digital marketing. We have become friends and advocates for the businesses we support.

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

The hardest thing can also be the most rewarding, and it’s that you are always working. As an entrepreneur, you can never “turn off” your work brain. You might be out on the playground after work with your kids, and suddenly the next big idea pops into your head. On the tougher days when you are exhausted, sometimes you want to be able to check out, but you cannot. So, it’s a blessing and a curse that all business owners can understand.

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

  1. Find your tribe: Find people who help build bridges, have been where you are, refer you left and right, and lift you up.
  2. Be intentional: You don’t need to do everything. You just need to do the right things. It’s easy as a business owner to get distracted by shiny objects, but it’s important to focus on what you are good at, and the rest of the pieces will fall into place.
  3. Perfection is not required: Don’t wait until you are at the perfect place in your life or until you have the perfect vision statement to get started. You will fail at things along the way, and you will learn and grow from them, so you’ll need to have a sense of humor about things.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://drioduo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drioduo/
LinkedIn (Rachel): https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelmcfadden/
LinkedIn (Hazel): https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazelgeary/

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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