Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Roshni Wijayasinha, Founder and CEO of Prosh Marketing, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Prosh Marketing is a marketing company that assists startups and small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) by helping them maximize their marketing potential through fractional marketing leadership and strategy implementation. Our mission is to help startups access affordable marketing leadership to further their development. We meet many startups who can’t afford a full-time CMO or don’t need one to support a lean budget and modest growth goals and are trying to succeed with only a marketing intern or junior. Injecting a little experience, Prosh Marketing has served as a major support system for many of these growing companies to help them build their marketing function from the ground up - people, programs, systems, tools, and partners.
Prosh Marketing offers services such as go-to-market plans (GMT), brand development/rebranding, product/feature development, customer acquisition campaigns, digital marketing, and fractional CMO/Director services. We work with a number of different marketing freelancers and agencies to help our clients bring their marketing visions to life.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Roshni Wijayasinha, and I am a trusted leader with 15 years of marketing experience. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family and always admired the ability to bring people together towards a common goal and build something of one’s own. I began my career working on top consumer brands on the agency side and have built my reputation by bringing creativity and strategic insights to leading global technology companies such as Microsoft, Sony, and Kobo.
I stay motivated by focusing on the impact I am able to provide for my customers and how important the work we do is to help companies survive and thrive. I built Prosh Marketing to help startups and small businesses, and because of that, I continue to push every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I am most proud of the expansion of Prosh Marketing’s client base into the US and Europe. I always knew that there was a market for our services beyond our backyard in Canada and was excited when our existing clients and partners were referring us to companies across the border. The fact that our customers appreciated and trusted our work enough to recommend us meant so much to me and seeing our ability to help even more companies made me even more excited about our future.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is learning how to deal with rejection after putting all your effort into something. There will be many people who will tell you ‘No’ before they tell you “yes,” and it is easy to get lost in the overwhelming feeling of rejection. Resilience is something that is vital to an entrepreneur, as well as having a thick skin.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be persistent, and don’t give up.
- Test ideas with your target customers to see if there’s a demand and refine your product accordingly.
- Have a long-term mindset and objectives.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
It’s important that business owners help and support each other, both inside and outside of business. That’s why I participate in mentor programs, share my knowledge with accelerators and incubators, and volunteer with my alumni’s startup program. I learn so much from working with these companies, meeting interesting people, and growing my network. Business can be a game of give and take, so when you’re in a position to help, you should take advantage of the opportunity to impact other business owners.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://proshmarketing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProshMarketing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proshmarketing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProshMarketing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proshmarketing/
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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