We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madison Mains a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Madison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
in 2018 I traveled solo to Thailand and spent 3 weeks there. I was an extremely transformational trip for me and at the time I was working in the restaurant industry and just not happy. While I was there I witness many people traveling and working from their computers living this nomadic lifestyle and I deeply had this desire to want to do the same. But apart of me didn’t fully believe I was capable. It was until I got a email on this trip that this corporate medical device company wanted to have a final interview with me for a position I was highly recommended to. This was the year right after I graduate college so I was working hard to find something “stable” in the corporate world. I left Thailand and came home to this interview thinking this was it I was about to land my “dream job” make my parents proud of me and be able to do something with my college degree. However I was quickly disappointed when I found out I didn’t get the position because of my age. They told me someone my age wasn’t “qualified” enough and I would have to take an entry level position and work my way up the corporate ladder. This infuriated me and really lit a fire under me. I was upset that I was being told and dictated on what I was capable and not capable of doing. So I set out to prove everyone wrong, I told my mom that I was going to start a business and figure out how I could work for myself and be like those other people in Thailand I met that were traveling the world and working remotely. Funny thing is I was naive at the time and I didn’t know it would take me 5 years to really get something profitable off the ground but I am glad I was naive because I would have never worked as hard as I did all those years if I knew it was going to take this long. It really took some time to get clear on the industry I wanted to be apart of, my first two years was really all about networking and learning. I took many courses, got involved in network marketing companies, learned social media, took classes on all things marketing. But the one thing I did that taught me the most was I pitched myself to a couple women who were crushing it in the online space in my eyes and I asked to work for them. I pitched them on paying me $20 an hour and that I would do anything and everything for them. I just wanted to learn and grow. This one thing I did skyrocketed my growth and it is what birthed my company today. I learned all the in and outs of the businesses they were growing, I learned the do and don’ts of a lot of things. But most importantly I learned what I was really good at and what I wanted to do with my career as a business owner. Once I left those women I birthed the business I have today and within one year I did 6 figures in the company and I have never looked back. Now don’t get me wrong that first year I did 6 figures it was not easy, I worked countless late nights and had to be putting in at least 60-80 hour weeks. I was a workaholic lol so don’t think it was a snap of figures and I was magically sipping margaritas on the beach making 6 figures. It was blood sweat and tears that went into making that but it was mine and there is nothing anyone could do to take that away from me. Looking back if I didn’t take that trip to Thailand I really don’t know if I would be a business owner. I truly believe God had his hand in this entire journey and I was placed in the exact places I needed to be to grow and become the business owner and women I am today.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am in the systems, automation and operations industry. I specifically help mid size business who are doing 300k or more a year scale and hit upper 6figures to millions to multiple millions in their business. The reason you would bring me onto your team is to have someone who understands automations, funnels and the back end process of how businesses gain leads and turn them into customers. I streamline this process and simplify the systems one uses, putting my clients on an all in one platform. Eliminating multiple logins and places where the business operates. The biggest problem I see my clients have is lack of time and energy, they know they need improved systems they just do not know where to start. Imagine being able to wake up and know exactly what is going on in your company, not have to manually do anything in your business and have it run on autopilot for you. This is where true freedom lies, where you have a process for everything in your business and it has also been automated to the extent where you and your team just need to execute and show up to meetings. I think what sets me apart is that I am a true integrator but also have visionary in me. I understand marketing and have been on major marketing teams. I have a background in management, leadership and community building which I believe helps me come in and really understand the entirety of a company. I am not just the tech nerd that knows how to build systems I am also the forward facing women that can bring any vision to life and do it with grace, laughter and fun.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy to growing my clientele is networking! I have had so much success with going to networking events and pitching my services to people. Social media is great for people to stock you and know that you are really doing what you say your doing. However going out and speaking in person is where majority of my clients have come from. Then once I did that I have been able to build a huge referral business. I now get referred by people all of the time. By providing an incredible service and going above and beyond I always have clients come back and then refer their friends to me.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
This was my first year with hiring and building a team. So what I have learned in this is that being organized is a game changer. When my employee’s have clear deadlines, task and know how to execute is when the business functions the best. I have very clear SOP in place with them so they know where to gather all the information they need to be successful. One other thing I have seen been a game changer is taking the time to get to know your team and the goals they have for their lives. This has formed a bond and sense of belonging for them with my company. By knowing their goals and where they see themselves in the future it allows me to make sure that I have them in roles that push them towards their goals. This makes my team excited to come to work and want to continue to stay.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mainsmarketing.com/contact
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealautomationqueen?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madi.mains?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-mains-b73849182?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Lindsay Miller