We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ann Madden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ann below.

Ann, appreciate you joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I always knew I ultimately wanted to a) be the number one care provider for my littles b) do something I’m passionate about c) work for myself d) financially support my family. How I made my dream a reality goes a little something like this…

I earned my degree in Marketing from The University of Kansas. During my time at KU, the side hustles journey began. I worked as a teaching assistant for a variety of marketing professors. Looking back, developing this work ethic and gaining unique experiences outside of the classroom laid the groundwork for my love of the marketing world and continuing side hustles after graduation. As a fresh out of college 20 something year old, I knew the corporate path would be key to growing my network, earning a comfortable income and learning the field IRL.

Outside of my day job, I added the title of wedding planner to my resume. Fast forward a few years, I found a new business that I truly believed in and identified a need to help them grow by way of establishing a social media presence. I asked to meet with the owner and prepared a scope of work showing how I could help their brand thrive. Keep in mind, this was a few years back before social media was as vast and elaborate as it is today. This was a monumental turning point in my side hustle journey as I felt joy in doing this work and saw the results by way of increased engagement and traffic online and in the restaurant.

It wasn’t until we welcomed our first born into the world that I officially took the leap outside of the corporate world, where I shifted my focus from my day job to being a new mother and turning my passion into a profession by building my own brand, Ann Madden Marketing + Designs.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! I’m Ann, the creator of Ann Madden Marketing + Designs. I’ve always known that I wanted to work for myself, especially after growing up with two entrepreneur parents, I knew the corporate world wasn’t for me. However, I also knew that gaining experience and connections through those channels would be key to my growth and success. And let’s face it, as a fresh out of college 20 something-year-old, I needed a steady income. ⁣ ⁣

My corporate path was incredible, starting at Cerner to Black & Veatch. I hustled hard, met some lifelong friends, and gained an insane amount of experience, lessons learned, skills and confidence. While living the corporate life, I craved something more and being the planner I am, needed to lay the groundwork for when the day came that I became a mama and needed to get out of the 8 to 5 lifestyle. ⁣I knew I wanted to be the number one care provider for my kiddos, I wanted to be there for all of the fresh and precious moments of those first years, but also crave the desire to express my creativity and be an earner for our family as well. I’ve learned that it’s not about work-life balance, but rather work-life integration. I’m here to show my daughter and son that you can live out your dreams, whatever they may be. I strive to be that role model for them. Life is too short to do anything less.

Every experience I’ve had throughout my variety of roles over the years has given me the tools, skills, connections + friendships to be where I am today. I am a firm believer in going after what you want, it’s how I landed those side hustles that have now evolved into my very own business with Ann Madden Marketing + Designs.

My goal is to help elevate your brand by telling your story – whether you’re starting from scratch with brand creation, looking to refresh your existing brand/website or looking to step up your social media game – I’m here for you! I am truly energized by working to help your business, big or small, thrive.

+Designs was added to better encompass my full laundry list of offerings, with the design piece focusing on everything from logo design to custom invitations, celebration graphic design, calligraphy + every request in between.

I work for myself which is a huge differentiator, as I am motivated by helping my clients thrive day and night, your success is my success. I am incredibly proud of being a vital part of the growth of my client’s success, starting from the ground up.
I am here to meet my clients where they are at and where they would like to be, I’m agile and will adapt to exceed my client’s needs, whatever they may be.

Being a mom is my calling, but maintaining my own separate identity and passion is also a top priority. Being my own boss has allowed me the opportunity to be there for my little babes while also doing work I adore, is it easy? Heck no. Worth it? 100%.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a one woman show fits perfectly for this chapter in my career. I wear all of the hats as as business owner, marketing strategist and graphic designer. Every piece of work I deliver reflects me directly, so I possess a deeper layer of responsibility and pride in my work to ensure every deliverable exceeds my clients’ expectations. Being a one woman show also means I have no one to turn to when I need to list backup on my out of office :)

The birth of my second born is one specific example that comes to mind when thinking of my resilience. I had no maternity leave to lean on, I had work to keep up with daily. I have the most incredible clients who gave me grace and we worked through plans leading up to the birth of my son and in the first months postpartum, but I knew I couldn’t and didn’t want to pause on the progress of my work. Despite the newborn blissed out blur and adjusting to life with two littles, on top of moving all within the first month of my sons’ life, I pushed through and maintained the drive to continue with my workload . I knew this short term phase of keeping up momentum would be critical in the success and growth of my business.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Every day brings new opportunities and challenges that stretch my creativity, which I find to be highly rewarding. There is no employee handbook or boss for me to turn to like I had in the corporate world. I have been writing my own manual and nurturing relationships with those I’ve met along the way whom I admire and look to for inspiration and guidance.

In the same vein, working from home and on my own schedule shows my young kiddos a way of working that they soak in, while we make magical everyday memories together and that right there is the deepest level of reward I could ask for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annmaddenmarketinganddesigns.com/
• Instagram: @ammarketing_designs
• Facebook: Ann Madden Marketing and Designs
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/annmaddenmarketing

Image Credits
Jessica Crandall – Crandall with a Sea Photography