In this interview, we have Hannah Reese, founder of Writefully Yours, a successful marketing agency. At the young age of 22, she went down the path of becoming a female entrepreneur, leaving her corporate marketing job to grow her wedding stationery business. In this conversation, Hannah shares how she managed to balance being a mom and business owner, how she manages her time and priorities, and what she believes is the most crucial aspect of marketing. She also talks about her business philosophy, centered around “getting out of your own way” and shares her experiences with social media marketing. Additionally, Hannah talks about her love for Golden Girls and how it impacts her personal and professional life, as well as what other entrepreneurs can learn from the show’s themes.
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Can you share your journey of becoming a female entrepreneur at the age of 22? How did you make the transition from a corporate marketing job to starting your own business?
Hannah Reese: I was in college at the time, and was running a wedding stationery small business, while working a 40+ hour corporate job that I started as a temp employee. When I was close to graduating, I worked to get a position at the company that would be more permanent. Before I turned 21, I was promoted to Marketing Executive. My boss tried taking me out for a drink to celebrate, and soon realized that I was only 20 years old! I then started to grow my stationery business while working, and now graduated, I was able to take on a little more. I took this opportunity to grow my small business more, and then the week before the shutdown of COVID-19, I rebranded to a marketing agency. That grew very fast, and after about a year, I decided to leave my corporate life with $350 to my name, and never looked back. I have continued to gross 6 figures and have full-time employees, and pay for complete maternity leave.
As a mom and business owner, how do you balance your professional and personal life?
Hannah Reese: I think as a mom, this is one of the hardest balances, and it is not something that comes easy. As a mom, you wear many hats, and that’s before you’re even an employee or business owner. To be honest, I have a building office space that I have, and make myself go to work everyday so I can get that work life balance by proxy. I still work everyday to feel the balance the best I can, but unfortunately it’s not always a perfect one.
What strategies do you use to manage your time and prioritize your responsibilities?
Hannah Reese: Everyday, I make a to-do list for that day. One column with must do’s and another with try to get done, and another with a ‘nice to have’ done list. This helps me prioritize my time and get to the things that have tighter deadlines, or need my attention sooner. I also have other employees that come in when they need to, and we work well together to get all projects done.
In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of marketing, and how do you approach it in your business? Can you give us an example of a successful marketing campaign you’ve run for one of your clients?
Hannah Reese: I think the most important aspect of marketing is having patience and not being afraid to fail. I mean that in the most humble way too. For marketing to work, you have to be ready to put your money where your mouth is, and keep doing that until it works. There are some tactics that work for some brands, and some that don’t because of their business size, staff size, ideal client’s needs/wants, etc. Realizing that marketing isn’t a one size fits all business model, is the first step to realizing that there is room for growth for everyone, it just looks different for everyone and growth time looks different too.
For instance, we have a client who is centered around children and their moms. She had been open for a while already, but didn’t have a successful Grand Opening, and was feeling that a lot of local potential customers didn’t know about them. Our team put our heads together to come up with another Grand Opening, and it almost tripled sales from the past 7 months she was open, in just 90 days after that second Grand Opening. A second Grand Opening isn’t something many business owners would want to do, especially after a failed first one, but thinking outside the box is what helped us there.
You’ve mentioned that your business philosophy is centered around “getting out of your own way.” Can you elaborate on this and how it applies to female entrepreneurs specifically? How can women overcome self-doubt and fear to achieve their goals?
Hannah Reese: While we are a marketing agency, one of our other biggest goals is marketing coaching and education. When I first meet with clients, most being females, they always start with how they don’t feel they are good enough, they wish they could do what someone else is doing and they often get caught up in what they could be doing, rather than focusing on their own path. We often tell other females to get out of their own way, because at the end of the day, it’s only them against themselves to get to the point they want in their business. We often take time to recognize that this is a sense of imposter syndrome and can be easily figured out by realizing that no one else has the same ideas as you, has the same work ethic as you, or could ever be you. When you realize that to get ahead, to make 6+ figures, to get to that point you want – you have to have the right mindset. I always tell people, “Diamonds are formed under pressure, but never forget, they are not formed overnight.”
Can you share your experiences with using social media to promote your business? How do you use it effectively to reach your target audience and drive results for your clients?
Hannah Reese: Education. Using education will always be more effective and valuable to your ideal client. Anyone can post pretty pictures, and reels especially in the wedding industry but when you offer value to your clients, they will in turn, respect, trust and see you as the expert.
You’ve mentioned that you’re a Golden Girls lover. How does this show impact your personal and professional life, and what can other entrepreneurs learn from the show’s themes of female empowerment and friendship?
Hannah Reese: I love this show, and really because it is so ahead of its time. The friendship, the jokes and the wittiness is something that over the years has shaped me to realize that at the end of the day, life is supposed to be enjoyable, fun and embraced. Not to just be serious, career oriented or scary. When you start to embrace the fun part of life, you start to see there is so much more to be grateful for, and in turn you won’t want to work your life away doing something you hate.
To stay up to date with Hannah Reese, connect with her on Instagram or FaceBook, or head to Writefully Yours to work together on your next project.
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