Do you wish you understood marketing + branding? It seems impossible to find an agency that is genuine and has your best interest at heart.
Anneliese Gartner had a traditional 9-5 job like most individuals, she was successful at her job and her career was taking off. But she realized she wanted to start her own business and be an Entrepreneur. Anneliese found purpose and joy in supporting small businesses to find their voice and build their business foundation through marketing and branding. Learn more about her journey to becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Boss Up: Why did you start your business?
Anneliese Gartner: I was really tired of someone else telling me what to do. Telling me when I would get a promotion, how much money I’d make in a year, and don’t even get me started on the number of vacation days they’d tell me I’d have (the answer is only 10). The last straw was when I didn’t get an internal promotion that I was told I was getting, and the excuse was “Well, you’re really helpful at getting everyone’s works done. We need you with us.” Yea, that was a no for me and 2 weeks later I handed in my 2 weeks notice. Luckily I had already had the side hustle before then but that was the nail to the coffin. I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to be my own boss. Almost 4 years later and we’ve helped brands grow to 6 figures, helped build brands from the very beginning, AND we’ve even saved a business from closing. So, let’s just say, I’ve never looked back
Boss Up: How did you pivot your business during the shutdown?
Anneliese Gartner: Before quarantine, we were working with a lot of in-person businesses such as restaurants, construction companies, and small mom-and-pop shops. When quarantine started more than half of those businesses couldn’t make it and unfortunately have closed. Seeing how quickly things shifted, so did we. About 3 months into quarantine we began working with online service-based businesses. We started working with solely female entrepreneurs, and we didn’t look back. We shifted as well to offer 1:1 strategy sessions and hosting workshops for people to get the inside scope on an agency level for a workshop price. We started to see the potential in not only helping agency clients but also helping a lot more businesses that were just getting started. We listened to what people wanted and we shifted just based on that.
Boss Up: What are some misconceptions people have about marketing and branding?
Anneliese Gartner: Oh, where do I begin. With branding, it’s the “branding is just about logo design” statements. OR when people don’t want to invest in branding and then wonder why they have no customers. I strongly advise you to invest in branding services from the very beginning in order to see quicker results. Whether you buy a 90 minute workshop, or an online course; branding is the most important part of your business to solidify when you’re just getting started. With marketing, it’s that consistency doesn’t matter. Consistency (and I have said many times that this word needs a re-brand) is the only way marketing your business will succeed.
Boss Up: Why are marketing and branding important?
Anneliese Gartner: Branding is the essence of your business. Marketing leads to the growth of your business. You need both in order to have a sustainable business.
Boss Up: Tell us about your 5 figure month, Did you imagine you’d become this successful in your business?
Anneliese Gartner: It took A LOT of work. I will be the first to say it wasn’t easy but now it only gets easier from here. From that 5 figure months we now know what it takes to get there, our processes are getting stronger, which then leads to more 5 figure months. Success doesn’t happen without hard work. So I am very happy to say that my hard work has paid off.
Boss Up: What advice do you have for individuals who want to transition their side hustle to full-time?.
Anneliese Gartner: There are so many! The most important, and the most practical, would be to have 3-6 months of savings to cover all your expenses when you take it full time. This is your fallback plan that while you are focusing on building your business you don’t have to worry about paying your bills. Trust me when I say if you don’t have to take EVERY single client when you’re getting started because you NEED the money, your business will just do so much better in the long run.
Get in Touch with Anneliese:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aptomediaco/
Website: https://www.aptomedia.com/