Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mackenzie Perna & Rachael Bischoff, Founders of Sun & Sol Co., located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Sun & Sol Co. is a creative agency with an authentic take on marketing & strategic storytelling. We amplify stories, activate the community, and accelerate the impact of passionate brands & humans. From biotech breakthroughs to culture-shifting documentary films, we understand the power of the right stories to reach the right audiences. And we have the strategies, activated networks, & creative tools needed to make it happen.
It’s simple: we work with brands & humans who care about the same things we care about (from environmental advocacy to mental health & wellness). We are committed to every outcome because we believe in the lasting legacy of our partners and the change we can create together.
Tell us about yourself
After a decade of working together in-house (at brands like Red Bull, TikTok, Alo, and Vissla), Rachael and Mackenzie joined forces to share what they know about authentic, effective storytelling with others. With our clients ranging from documentary production studios to biotechnology companies, the common denominator is a deep commitment to driving DTC (direct to community) impact.
Sun & Sol Co. is on a mission to shine a light on people & brands, creating positive change and unleashing a groundswell of community support around them. We do this by helping our clients tell compelling stories across their social media & digital channels, activate authentic communities (online and IRL), and accelerate impact around the issues that they (and we) care about most – from bold climate advocacy to innovative humanitarian efforts. We dig working with purpose-driven brands and passionate people who are working towards a brighter tomorrow – with equal parts playfulness, precision, and soul.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Without trying to sound too cheesy, our biggest accomplishment as business owners has to be the clientele we’ve attracted, especially at just the start of Sun & Sol Co. Within the first year running, we managed to secure collaborations and partnerships with some of our favorite organizations and individuals within the impact space, presenting us with the opportunity to fulfill our dream of working with passionate humans who are driving positive change within the world. We love to gush about our inspiring clients, their important work, and the projects we’ve been honored to concept, execute, and amplify. Protect Our Winters, The Afya Foundation, Makewild Films, and Geno are among the clients we’re especially energized about.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Just like there is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing for organizations and individuals, there is no manual to guide business owners on how to run a business in the exact way that they dream of. Once we set up shop, the work rushed in faster than we had originally anticipated, so we were focused more on producing quality work for our clients than setting up the nuts & bolts of Sun & Sol Co. (shoutout to our business coach and bookkeeper for helping us out retroactively on that one!). Apart from the client work we were doing at the start, we also wanted to ensure we were acting from our values, so we prioritized securing partnerships with organizations (like 1% For The Planet) and securing clients that shared our values (like Protect Our Winters).
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get a business coach. Don’t think twice about it.
- Define your values early on and lead from that place.
- Hire creatives that are rooted in the community. They will produce the best work for you and your clients.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.sunandsolco.agency/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunandsolco_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunandsolco/
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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