Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mariah Liszewski, Owner of Mariah Magazine, located in Buffalo, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm Mariah, an SEO and visibility strategist and Intuitive Marketing Expert for online business owners over at MariahMagazine.com. (Magazine isn't my real last name, but it's a lot easier to pronounce than my polish last name Liszewski. Mariah Magazine was actually my MySpace name back when I was 14, and stuck like glue ever since.)
In a nutshell, I'm a practical problem solver that likes to combine strategy & energetics to help my clients get results. Typically I'm either helping my clients get found on Google using SEO or helping them create a marketing strategy that actually FEELS GOOD (and sustainable) to follow through on. I like to keep things simple, effective, and authentic. Because at the end of the day, I believe that YOU get to choose how you grow your business. (I don't do one-size-fits-all cookie-cutter BS). Most of my clients are either online service providers, coaches of some sort, or e-commerce shop owners.
Tell us about yourself
I got into the online business space doing website design and development but fell in love with the phase after strategizing how to get the RIGHT people to FIND my client's websites. So in that sense, SEO kinda fell into my lap, and I haven't looked back since. I'm a firm believer that showing up on Google, increasing your visibility, and growing your business doesn't have to be as difficult and overwhelming as everyone makes it. Marketing, in general, doesn't have to feel like a soul-sucking hamster wheel that never ends (lol). There ARE sustainable options. That's why I focus a lot on practical strategies like SEO and collaborative marketing because they have a longer shelf life compared to only relying on fast-moving platforms like Instagram and TikTok to get noticed.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating a business that I truly love consistently. Because it's not a "set it and forget it" type of thing. Being in love with your business isn't a destination; it's a journey (as cliche as that sounds). Part of the process of growing a business in a sustainable way is allowing your business to evolve as YOU evolve. And the only way to do that is to take the time to reevaluate and reflect. And because I've learned to prioritize those things, I wake up motivated and inspired to keep the momentum going in my business. I'm always finding something to explore, test, or get excited about. And I know that's not the case for a lot of people. So it's not quite a plaque-on-the-wall type of accomplishment, but more so a way of being.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
How easy it is to get stuck in your own head. As a business owner, you're the one that makes the decisions, for marketing, with clients when it comes to finances, and developing new products & services, etc. So it's REAL easy to get stuck in your head, either doubting yourself or holding yourself back from stepping out of your comfort zone. That's why I think it's SO important to create relationships and TRUE authentic connections with other business owners. Having people around you who can hold space and just "get it" can truly be THE make-or-break factor when running your business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Ooooh, there's a lot I could dive into here, but I'd say:
- Find people that you can brainstorm, problem-solve, and dream big with. Having a community, or at least some kind of support, is wildly unrated.
- Allow yourself to test and tweak at ALL stages. Business is one big experiment; allow yourself to experiment and collect data points. Even if an idea or direction "fails," you're still one step closer to figuring it out.
- When it comes to marketing, there are a MILLION ways to market a business. I always have my clients cut through the noise by evaluating their strengths and their joys FIRST. What tasks do you ENJOY doing? Where are your strengths? And then, allow yourself to explore and experiment with the marketing strategies that overlap in those two areas.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.mariahmagazine.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahmagazineco/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahmagazine/
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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