Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Patti Devine, from Saco, ME, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Since 2003, my data-driven marketing consulting business has consistently delivered results to its clients because of our focus on the customer.
Too many companies focus on their products and/or services (and their outside egos) and never consider the customer. Our first question is always, “who is your customer?” I’ve marketed everything from neuroscience to dog food, so we try to help the client get their head out of the product and into the mindset of the user.
Today, we serve non-profit organizations, startups, and media and marketing firms. Along with customer journey marketing, we also do photography and videography content. I like to say we help people look good on the internet!
Tell us about yourself
I like to say my first job in Direct Marketing was stuffing envelopes with fabric swatches when I was 12. Before that, I was already helping my mother in her card and gift store, which she owned and operated for 25 years in downtown Framingham MA - she put me to work as soon as I could reach the register! As a teenager, I quickly learned that waitressing was probably not going to be a lifelong career, and a friend’s mom got me a job as a bank teller. I was the best balancer they had as a 17-year-old high school senior!
I had friends at Bryant College (now University) and figured since I was good at being a bank teller, I could go and become an accountant, maybe even CPA. Second semester of freshman year, while I was toiling through some sort of ledger, my roommate came home and told me to sign up for a marketing class and that I would love it. I did, and I did!
Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs (my grandfather worked his way from dairy farmhand to dairy owner to major landowner and sold his dairy to Hood), I lasted about a decade in the corporate world, working my way through marketing roles in small, then medium businesses, and then on to Time Inc.
I knew I was never going to be able to do the corporate thing my whole life, although the Time experience and the MBA I earned along the way were the catalysts for starting my own business. On Feb 26, 2023, Patti Devine Inc. celebrates two decades in business and a whole lot of experience gained.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Still being here.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being accountable to yourself. I always say I have the worst boss!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have cash. Have lots of it. Don’t rely on credit or funding that hasn’t appeared yet.
- Remember you’re in it for the long haul. Focus on the big things and let the petty annoyances slide.
- Take care of Yourself first. If you don’t work, nothing works.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://pattidevine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patti.devine
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/pattidevine/
https://www.instagram.com/pattidevineinc/
https://www.instagram.com/professordevine/
https://www.instagram.com/cafedevine/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/professordevine
https://twitter.com/CafeDevine
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattidevine/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pattidevineinc/
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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