We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mallory Musante a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mallory, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken is when I decided to walk away from a previous business I started with a co-worker/friend because I was no longer happy or fulfilled.

This business was by all account incredibly successful. We built it into a multiple 6-figure business over 5 years and it was my main source of income. It not only allowed me to pay all my bills but I was also able to purchase my first home as a single, self-employed woman.

But by the time the pandemic arrived, I was pretty miserable and incredibly burnt out.

I had always believed that once we got the business to a certain level, I’d get the freedom I’d always wanted as an entrepreneur. I’d be running errands midday, grabbing lunch, and traveling around as much as I pleased. Because of this, I worked tirelessly to built this company alongside my business partner into the success that it was, but the freedom I dreamt of never happened.

I felt chained to my laptop day-in and day-out and eventually realized we had unintentionally recreated the company we both worked at before starting our business. The toxic one we both were trying to get away from by starting our business.

Along with this realization, I wasn’t really fulfilled by the work we were doing anymore, and from my perspective, my business partner and I weren’t necessarily on the same page about the trajectory of the company (hindsight is 20/20). My frustrations and unhappiness started to become a daily occurrence, snowballing out of control.

While on a backpacking trip in the middle of a very remote area of Arizona during the height of this growing frustration, I finally had the space and mental clarity to realize it was time for me to move on. I wanted to feel how I felt in that very moment every single day and I knew if I stayed in this business, I simply could not live the life I had envisioned for myself.

Rather than buying me out, we decided that closing the company completely was best for both of us and we each branched out into our own ventures. It took me about 7 months after we officially shut the company down to figure out what I wanted to do next but I’m so happy I took this risk and the time to really evaluate what made me happy.

This time off helped me realize I do enjoy marketing but in a different capacity than what I was doing previously. I’ve been able to quickly build my new marketing strategy and consulting business into a rapidly growing and thriving brand, and more importantly, I’ve been extremely intentional in how I’ve built and grown this new business so I actually do have the freedom I’ve always wanted.

Mallory, 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’m a marketing strategist and business consultant helping small business owners create impactful connections through strategic marketing.

With over a decade of experience in the marketing industry, building 7 businesses myself, and helping 200+ small business owners with their brands, I understand how to use marketing to connect with your audiences on a deeper level to create a bigger impact on your brand.

This understanding has led to a successful $30,000 launch, coverage in publications like Forbes and Seventeen Magazine, and multiple 6-figure businesses to name a few.

This hands-on experience has allowed me to develop the essential skills to dig into a business’ backend, its data, and pull vital information from the owners to shape an impactful strategy that makes a difference on the bottom line… All while factoring in their capacity, personality, lifestyle and goals.

Because I truly believe your business is supposed to support your life, not be your life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

It’s not necessarily a lesson but it is a habit I needed to unlearn and it’s that I didn’t have to work the traditional hours of 9-5.

I obviously learned this habit and routine when I had a full-time job and when I started my previous business, my business partner and I kept those same hours. While I was still my own boss and technically could take time off during the week, this habit and mindset was so ingrained in me that I had trouble taking advantage of the flexible schedule I could actually have.

To combat this, I actually made myself schedule down time into my schedule including running errands during the workday. This helped me reprogram my brain that I didn’t always need to be plugged in and taking time to enjoy my life made me a better person and business owner.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

For me, being extremely transparent in how I run and grow my own business. Not only does my target market value transparency, but this has also helped show I walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.

I will often try new trends in social media and then share the results I get with my audience so they can then receive if they want to implement it or ignore it themselves.

If I decide to add a new strategy into my overall marketing plan, I’ll share why I’m doing that and my goal for that particular piece of my strategy.

I even send a monthly recap that details what’s working and what’s not in my business to my email list.

All of these have built trust with my audience and created a strong connection because they know they can come to me for the information they’re looking for, to get inspiration for their own business, or to hire me for help with their own business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mallorymusante.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mallorymusante
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCEuezPwQTiaoqQXS2Fqa8Lg

Image Credits
Moments Granted Studios Jenelle Botts