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

Mariel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

The pandemic began shortly after I started my business. I run an exclusive experience concierge company, where I get my clients access to experiences such as red carpet events, celebrity meet and greets and backstage passes. Suddenly the world was shutting down, all major events were being cancelled and celebrities weren’t exactly jumping at the chance to shake hands with strangers. For a second, I thought, wow this is it – I’ve failed before I’ve even really started! It turns out there was another way. I was able to pivot my business to organize more digital experiences such as celebrity video messages. I also saw an uptake in acquiring original entertainment memorabilia from film, tv and music. I was able to sources some incredible and rare pieces from the likes of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Now the world is back to normal and I am back to offering in person experiences as well as digital opportunities.

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’m originally from the UK but spent ten years living and working in Australia in sales and marketing. When I moved to the US five years ago I worked at a tech start-up in San Francisco. We auctioned celebrity and entertainment experiences for charity. I was quickly promoted to run the premium experiences arm of the business which is when I fell in love with being an exclusive experience concierge. No two days were the same and I loved the challenge of receiving wild and crazy requests from arranging private concerts with rockstars to video messages from movie superhero’s. I was helping to make people’s dreams come true.

The company was soon acquired and I saw my opportunity to do something I had always dreamed of. I started my own business. I still love the spontaneity of who might call and what they’ll ask for. I’ve don everything from acquired original props from the Star Wars films to organizing intimate dinners with Hollywood royalty. My relationships with my clients are built on trust, loyalty and an unwavering drive to get them what they want. It’s like I become their wingwoman to help them access the unaccessible!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

As a solopreneur, I could be forgiven for believing that I had to do everything alone. My mission was to keep my overheads down and to grind. But that’s a lonely way of doing business. Many have made mistakes before me that I could learn from rather than making the same mistakes alone. Last year I invested in group coaching centered around making business feel pleasurable. This was the happiest six months of my business since I began four years go. Every week I met with a group of women to share vulnerably about what was going on in our company, celebrate our wins, feel supported in our losses and be held accountable in our goals. It felt great to share the journey with other entrepreneurs versus just a partner or friend who may be supportive but not necessarily understand the business world. This experience definitely shifted my thinking and made me realize how important the journey is and not just the end destination and more importantly, I don’t need to do this alone.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I’m practically on speed dial with many of my clients and they often joke that I’m their BFF! I try to make myself easily accessible to them and always respond in a timely manor. They get my honest opinion about what’s possible and the budget required to get them what they want. My clients are wealthy and powerful individuals and I think they appreciate that I speak to them like normal people. I know about their likes, dislikes, birthday’s and anniversaries. In fact, I’m often the one who reminds them of an important upcoming occasion! I don’t mass email with experiences I know they don’t care about and make sure I tailor my conversations to only opportunities I know they’ll love. I’m their go-to woman to get them what they want and it’s obvious that I enjoy doing it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.porterandpearl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porter_and_pearl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/porter-pearl

Image Credits
The images of me are by Jenny Lawson Photography. The others are a mixture of Pexels (free), Shutterstock and iStock which I purchased the rights for editorial use.