Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Angela Tyler, Founder of MP Co., located in Boston, MA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We're a PR, Marketing, and Management company for indie musicians and creators.

Tell us about yourself

Everything for me started after I fell in love with an indie band out of Providence, RI, called The Coming Weak. At that time, I was barely 20 years old but so enamored with their performance that I decided to start a music blog just so I could interview them. That blog (RIP, Infectious Magazine) would go on to interview indie artists and major label artists alike, and after five years of that, it inspired me to launch a PR company to continue that effort. So, MP Co was born. It's still that same desire to help indie artists that motivates me today.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Emotionally, it's seeing the artists I work with succeed. Seeing them go on to live out their dreams and change lives is the best gift. If we're talking more accomplishments, I've gotten to do some pretty incredible things, like being invited to speak on stage at SXSW or CD Baby's DIY Musician Conference or writing about Icelandic music culture on a trip to Reykjavik. It's been a wild 12 years in this industry, and I have to remind myself most days that this is my job. That I get to do this every day. (Cliche, I know, but it's true!)

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

It's very hard to both do the job you're hired to do and run a business. Most people, myself included, get into entrepreneurship because they love the thing they're doing. What they don't realize is there's a whole business that comes with that—the boring stuff like accounting and the stressful stuff like getting clients. I feel lucky that I truly love the business side of running a business just as much as the things I'm hired to do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Build your relationships. This is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your career. This is an ongoing effort, so don't stop, ever! Your network is everything.
  2. Launch before you're ready. No one cares about your logo or colors. I launched with no social media and no website and just focused on getting my first clients. Usually, these are friends and family, so they're more forgiving of your lack of online presence. Once you have a few clients, then you can worry about getting the website up.
  3. Be flexible. The business you start today is not the business you'll be running in 5 years, and that's a good thing. Have fun with it, and don't be afraid to pivot. This is supposed to be fun.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://wearemp.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearempco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearempco/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/angela_mastro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amastrogiacomo/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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