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

Audrey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

We have used our business platform of Smallwave Marketing to do our part in keeping businesses of expectant parents open while they take time to bring home their new precious family member.

Because of our passion towards the subject and personal experiences, we wanted to research this part of small business ownership and see how we could contribute to the limited resources out there. Businesses with 50 employees or more are legally required to offer FMLA and grant time off for parental leave. Many small businesses do not come close to having 50 employees and thus there are no parental leave requirements put in place. Additionally, many insurance companies will not look at a business for short term disability coverage unless they have at least a team of 3. Twenty five million small businesses have no employees which means there is a considerable number of small businesses left just to “figure it out” when it comes to building their family while building their business.

As a business that is 100% run by women, we are trying to do our part in supporting our fellow women small business owners. We have begun to work with business owners who are expecting a child and are planning out their own “maternity/parental leave”. We provide project management, client relations, marketing, and lead generation support so that business owners don’t have to choose between business OR baby! Our business model is unique because we serve as an extension of the business rather than as a threat. We support and lift up other businesses.

This is a Google review from our client, Emilee Maxwell of TwentySix Creative:

“Smallwave has been incredible covering my maternity leave for TwentySix. They jumped right into projects and formed relationships with our clients that I know will be long lasting. It was nerveracking leaving a business I’ve built behind for a few months, but I can confidently say I’ve left it in the best hands. They truly care about our clients as if they were their own and are proactive and take initiative to maintain the day-to-day work flow. We’re looking forward to working with them once this period of time is over.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=smallwave+marketing&oq=smallwave+marketing&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60j69i61j69i60j69i65l2.2622j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x880fd3ce1ba0c98f:0x2a3f91bdeae3aef4,1,,,

Audrey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the CEO and co-founder of Smallwave Marketing, a marketing agency focused on providing affordable marketing strategy and support to nonprofits and purpose-driven small businesses. I co-founded Smallwave Marketing with my business partner, Katy Oakley, in May 2020.

After graduating with a degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Bradley University, I started my career as a purchaser in the aluminum foil industry. I quickly realized that I was leaving work unfulfilled each day because i was not contributing to a greater cause. This then opened me up to the world of nonprofits where i worked at organizations ranging from SkoMor Soccer Club to Greenheart International. When COVID-19 began to shake up many jobs and industries, I then took the opportunity to team up with my business partner and launch Smallwave Marketing.

We built Smallwave Marketing to support nonprofits and purpose-driven small businesses who are looking to amplify their marketing. We provide owners and founders with accessible marketing support, beginning with a two hour pay-what-you-can Marketing Assessment. We then create customized marketing strategies AND provide the expertise to make it happen. We have created our process to eliminate barriers and allow for our clients to get the marketing accountability and support they need no matter the size or stage of their business.

As a 100% women owned business, we wanted to help overcome the challenge of women in the workforce being forced to choose between growing a family and growing a business. We have thus begun to work with business owners who are expecting a child, as they start to plan out their own “maternity/ parental leave”. We provide project management, client relations, marketing and lead generation so that they don’t have to choose business OR baby!

How’d you meet your business partner?

I initially met my business partner, Katy Oakley, on the college campus at Bradley University. Similar to a cheesy romance movie, though, we were like two ships passing in the night and never really got to know one another.

Fast forward 5 years and I was returning from a year of solo travel throughout Australia. I was having a difficult time with my job search, but knew I wanted to find a career that combined my love for travel, my education in marketing and my desire to work with a nonprofit. When an internship opportunity popped up at a Chicago nonprofit, Greenheart International, I figured “why not?” Katy was the hiring supervisor for the internship and the rest was truly history.

Over the course of four years of working together, Katy and I continuously switched roles of supervising one another and working in tandem from different continents. When the pandemic hit and our career roles were eliminated, we were on to the next chapter and cofounded Smallwave Marketing in 2020!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

A book that has made an impact on my entrepreneurial journey is “The Power of Moments” by Chip Heath. This book highlights that standing out to clients/partners and creating memorable moments shouldn’t be limited to birthdays and holidays formally marked on the calendar. Instead, as businesses, we have the power to create our own exciting and memorable moments that can serve as a form of genuine relationship building. For example, it is typical for businesses to reach out to their current and past clients during the holidays. But, what if we decided instead to put our efforts into reaching out when a client hits a revenue milestone or to celebrate their business anniversary? This book has provided me with the tools to “think outside of the box”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.smallwavemarketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallwavemarketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallwavemarketing/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smallwave-marketing

Image Credits
https://www.andinophoto.com/