Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lea Woodford . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How has Covid changed your business model?

COVID has propelled my business to another level and in a different direction. I created a digital/print magazine as a lead generator and marketing tool. My plan was to also have it provide advertising revenue and sponsorship opportunities… I didn’t know it would be a new business for me. It has been a game changer during COVID and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. .

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 have been in traditional media for years,as a media personality and columnist until the onset of social media.

I realized that while social media is cost effective for most people…. It changes frequently and many people and businesses have lost access to their platforms.

Print Magazines have been around for over 200 hundred years and still sell. The ability to create a digital/print magazine is relatively new. Short run printing and on demand printing has made it an enticing alternative to traditional marketing.

For years people have said print is dead, when in fact, it’s quite the contrary. Print isn’t dead, it’s the new revenue stream.

I am thrilled that this marketing strategy has been very successful for clients in a number of different industries including retail during a pandemic.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2019 I decided to create a new digital/print magazine as a lead-generator for myself to get on more stages. I had no idea that it would actually create a new transformational business during a pandemic. SmartFem.com has been our flagship award-winning digital magazine since 2011. I simply created a second magazine for myself and it created an entire new business model for me and became quite popular during the pandemic. It has literally changed my life and business and allows me to go back to being a creative. People hire me to create their professional digital/print magazines that allow them to create multiple opportunities such as advertising dollars, sponsorship opportunities and even partnerships.

The technology just wasn’t available to do this when I started SmartFem Media Group in 2011.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Having sold software and working with startups in a previous life I learned that bootstrapping initially teaches valuable skills. In the early 90’s start ups in technology were abundant and the ones that got early cash infusions usually went bust because they never learned the value of becoming resourceful. The start ups who bootstrapped and were creative were able to sustain the business because they had the skills to problem solve without cash and therefore the cash infusions allowed them to scale.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.smartfemmediagroup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leawoodford
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lea.friesehaben
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leawoodford/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/leawoodford

Image Credits
SmartFem Media Group photo credits