Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Julianna Francesca, Founder of The Business of Marketing, located in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Business of Marketing (The BOM or short) is a brand and business marketing consulting firm that specializes in small to mid-size businesses, entrepreneurs, and companies without a full marketing department developed.
Tell us about yourself
I am a strategic brand marketer with a passion for growing businesses using customer loyalty, data, and clearly communicated value. After receiving a master's in Management and an MBA from Wake Forest University, I gained experience working for brands like Champion (owned by Hanesbrands) and Molson Coors. Since beginning my marketing career in 2014, I've successfully combined my professional experience with an entrepreneurial spirit and a unique ability to identify and communicate value. To date, I have worked on international, national, regional, and hyper-local brands. I have launched countless new products, line extensions, and new services. I have expanded brands into new markets and made strategic decisions to focus on and hone core competencies. I understand how consumers think, what they want from brands, where to reach them, and how to inspire them to take action.
In 2019, I built the Business of Marketing and The BOM Method with the sole purpose of providing access to proven marketing strategies and frameworks for success not just in marketing efforts but across the entire business. Marketing is more science than art, and there is a formula for success. The BOM Method delivers that time and time again for my clients. I believe every business and entrepreneur should have access to these marketing tools to be successful. I see far too much misinformation out in the marketplace, with people providing poor work or incorrect recommendations to business owners. My goal is to help close the knowledge gap, provide high-quality value, and leave each client better off for having worked with The BOM. We give clients the confidence to run successful marketing efforts that actually grow their business because of a customer-focused approach to all decisions.
The BOM Method continues to grow according to new landscapes and technologies, so each client project takes a different shape. However, they each receive our uncompromising commitment to elevating their brand and their business in the eyes of their customers. There are two core beliefs we maintain that I will leave you with, 1) the consumer is always right, and 2) marketing work is never finished. I am in this line of work because I love adding value for others in a way that is impactful for their goals. Our businesses are our babies, and we pour our hearts and souls into them. I am honored every time a client chooses to trust the BOM and to work with us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
This one is easy. My biggest accomplishment is each client's success. Every time a client succeeds using the work we do, I experience my biggest accomplishment to date because each client is the most important thing to me while we work together. One client is not more important than the other.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Balancing my personal life with the aggressive business goals I set. I tend to work many weekends because I genuinely love what I do, and I want to spend extra time working for my clients. This means being very intentional about taking breaks and spending time on the important personal relationships in my life too.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First and foremost, do not cut corners!! It can be so tempting to short-change yourself or your business or take the seemingly easier path in the short run in so many ways. But if you start the habit (even with something as small as adding a privacy policy and terms of use to your website), that will carry on to more important things and can even spill over to your clients. So do not even let that be an option! So take the time to do it right every single time.
Secondly, never forget that your clients always come first as far as anyone can see. They are why your business exists, so add value for them in as many ways as you can.
And third, do the work. This feeds into the first two tips and extends past them. No matter what you are doing, you will have to put in the work day in and day out to see results. No one has a quick fix or magic wand to make money right away. Your success depends on what you are willing to do each and every day, and the little habits may not seem like they are working at the moment, but they are what build success over time. If you sacrifice the day-to-day, you are postponing your goals. So if you do make that choice, make it consciously and intentionally.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thebusinessofmarketing.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessofmarketing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-marketing-co/
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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