Marketing Eye

Being part of Atlanta Technology Village, I have had the privilege to see first hand companies that go from zero to 100 in 12 months, others that prod along, and some that unfortunately did not make the grade.

The buzz that surrounds the Atlanta Technology Village is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur, and visionary, David Cummings. He is a great guy with an even better philosophy. Due in part to the sale of Pardot and his big pay check, a marketing automation software he developed, he commands the respect of everyone. But it is his development of Atlanta Technology Village that really stands out to me.
Published in Marketing
We are at the pointy end of the year, and it's without doubt my most reflective period. It's 10 years since I registered the Marketing Eye business name, and it's been a long, arduous journey, but one that I don't regret.

Marketing Eye started with investment money. The first few years, we had some tweaking to do, which was stressful, because I wasn't just playing with my money. Bringing a new model into a mature market is just a case of rolling the dice, seeing how they fall and hoping for the best. But I believed in it with all of my heart. I thought I knew something that others didn't and that was that all small businesses need to manage cash flow with no surprises and they all need marketing. This is a formidable combination, capable of allowing small to medium sized businesses the freedom to do what they do, without being held to their next invoice.

There were changes that needed to occur in the business model, but the day we got it right we never looked back. In the time leading up to this moment, I doubted myself, cried myself to sleep because I felt like a failure and constantly put myself in situations where I was uncomfortable. I was stressed off my head and didn't know how to deal with it. No one taught me how to do this. Often, a simple thing that would go wrong, would seem to me like the end of the world. Once, some hackers hacked into our bank accounts and emptied them. I had a public speaking engagement only an hour later. Instead of dealing with it later, I cancelled the engagement. I didn't know what to do and I didn't have the hindsight to know that it could wait an hour or two. It was the wrong choice and something that I now realize was not how an entrepreneur acts. They are supposed to suck it up, put on their good shoes and show the world how things are done.

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I am not a born entrepreneur. In fact, I am anything but. I am more like a person who has an idea and just wants to see it through. It's like finishing a mathematics equation. I wish I could say that I had undying passion for business, but instead, I feel gratitude that I am able to provide myself with a great life, as well as the ability  to employ people and provide them with a secure income and an opportunity to see themselves shine.

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Being a woman should never be a disadvantage and I am the last to hang my hat on the entire equality equation. I believe in 'the best person for the job' regardless of gender.

But being a woman is hard. Being a single woman in her early forties who hasn't had a family yet, is even harder. You are placed in a category by people with a certain distain for you. It makes people feel sorry for you. It makes people think that there must be something wrong with you. If you haven't done it at all at least once, there must be something wrong with you mustn't there?

I am speaking from first hand experience. I am that girl. I am that woman. I am that sister. And I am that daughter. What went wrong? Was she so career-obsessed that she thought it would be around forever; that looks, availability, men and a never ending line up would stay around forever? Or is she just plain hard work?

Having done a lot of soul searching, I have found the answer: I forgot to stop and smell the roses and keep myself open to possibility.

In my case, my 30's were spent building a business -- this business, Marketing Eye. And it was spent being in love with two men and not looking elsewhere. Two that just kept the carrot dangling enough so that while I was so busy working, I had no time to look for anyone else. Instead, I had someone when I needed them and I had my business that I could dedicate my time to. One was during my early 30's, the other in my late 30's. They were narcissistic men who knew how to manipulate. I was vulnerable and weak. They were both the wrong men and twice I made the same choices. If nothing changes, nothing changes. You would think a smart woman like me would know better.

I woke up one month ago. I realized that growing a business is hard work and I have given my heart and soul to it. I also become acutely aware that I have been played by people smarter than me because I am easy prey. I am that career woman who has a dream and has so many moving parts that she will never have time to open herself up for possibility. Instead, when she catches her breath, she just wants the person who is most comfortable to her.

I am telling a story that most women would be afraid to tell. The story of how we miss things because to run a business, we not only have a vision and a plan, but we have to have the guts, determination and fearless ability to pick ourselves up off the ground over and over again when no one, and I mean no one is going to give us a hand. 

We may have family who love us; but they too think something is wrong. They can't quite figure out how we don't 'have it all'. I am someone's daughter and someone's sister. They love me like no one else is ever going to love me - unconditionally. But they too look at me and wonder what went wrong.

Every single time that I think that everything is going to work out fine and things are falling into place - something falls apart. And it's never small. It's big. It brings me to my knees and it is excruciating. Worse still, I am dealing with this by myself, internalizing the pain, the hurt and the disappointment. I know tomorrow that I have to get up and do it all over again and I have no one who is going to do it for me. I mean no one.

Being a woman in business, whether you have five children and a loving husband, or you are like me - single and not sure where you fit in the world - is challenging. 

Next time you look at that female entrepreneur that walks into the room in her designer outfit, head held high, navigating her next move; spare a thought for the fact that she has a role to play and she is doing it to the best of her ability. She will fall down, make the wrong choices and come across as if her world is perfect - but she is human, and the truth of the matter is that it isn't easy being her. It isn't easy being me.
Published in Management
When it comes to website design, there are a few things to consider; design, usability, audience, content, interactivity, responsiveness, and call to actions. Of course, there are many other things, but these things are key.

We have been working on the design and development of three websites:
Published in Marketing
It's Sunday and I have been madly working away since 6am. That I suppose is the life of an entrepreneur.

Of late, it's been crazy. My 'to do list' seems endless and there really isn't enough hours in the day. On top of that, I only recently realized that I am not utilizing my time effectively enough and need to make some changes - except I feel like I need to catch up before making changes. It is 'the chicken and the egg' scenario all over again.

People can look at Sundays in a number of ways; For me, I look at the day as the first day of the week, as in Australia it is a Monday. I am of course sitting in my hotel room in Atlanta.
Published in Mellissah Smith
Wednesday, 15 October 2014 00:00

CHANEL N°5: The One That I Want

For anyone that doubted Baz Luhrmann's ability to bring elegance, style, sophistications and desire to the latest Chanel No.5 advertising campaign - it is now clear that there is only one Director capable of making Chanel No. 5 remain relevant.

At 34 years of age, Gisele Bundchen is the richest and highest profile supermodel in the world. She is at the top of her game. Chanel No. 5 is the world's most famous and well recognized perfume. And after watching this television commercial, it is truly "The One That I Want".

Published in Marketing
By chance, I had an invitation to join Steven Jackson's box at Sunday's NFL Game with the Atlanta Falcons versus Chicago Bears. I had never seen an American football game, on television or live, and when the invitation came, I leapt on it like you wouldn't believe. It's an experience, and possibly a bucket list item that I should do while I have the chance and am staying in a city where everything seems accessible.

Through friends, I met Steven Jackson and the first thing that I learned about him was his ability to hold a conversation by asking the right questions. You would think that someone with his type of fame, the type that comes to very few people, would be so used to talking about themselves that they would be completely out of their comfort zone when roles are reversed. Wrong. This man not only has great range in conversation, he is incredibly well travelled and has had experiences that most of us just put on our bucket list, but never get around to doing.
Published in Mellissah Smith
Friday, 10 October 2014 00:00

5 Things I learned from clients this week

We are in professional services and as such our job is to ensure that our clients always receive a "professional service" at the standard that they expect.

At Marketing Eye, we spend time training our team to be better at managing client expectations and delivering best-in-class marketing services on an ongoing basis.

Our model is simple; We provide an outsourced marketing department for small to medium sized businesses.

Our clients are predominantly entrepreneurs who once had an idea, developed it and then became successful in their pursuit to realize their dreams.

Here are 5 things I learned this week:
Published in Management
Thursday, 09 October 2014 00:00

How to launch a start-up effectively

When Michael Reed first came to me with his idea, it was before its time. He enthusiastically shared his desire to build a online platform where consumers and businesses can get all their logistics needs at a click of the button, and for the most competitive price.

Not too indifferent to when Expedia launched onto the marketplace, Michael wanted people to be able to move everything from their dog, through to their house, a container of furniture, through to bulk handling products. A place where it all can be done, with full visibility of the competitive landscape.
Published in Marketing
I remember our meeting fondly. He walked up to me, introduced himself, and said, "what do you do?"

I replied, "marketing."

"No, seriously, what do you do?" he said with a smirk. "Nobody really does marketing, they do sales or something else." 

It wasn't necessarily what he thought, just what he said. He wanted to provoke a reaction and he sure got one! Within minutes we were firm friends, and he was officially one of my first friends I had met since I had moved to Sydney, the big smoke. We both kind of got each other coming from small rural towns in Australia.

We were also part of an organization named Young Entrepreneurs Organization, which was renamed years later to EO. He became my go to person for advice on everything from business, living in Sydney, where to eat and men. I could rattle off a new business idea, only to find he shot it down in a matter of seconds with logic or because he had heard it all before. I kind of appreciated that or at least when I gave it some thought, I would see his reasoning.
Published in Mellissah Smith
Monday, 06 October 2014 00:00

Marketing Communications Manager

Open Date: 10/06/14

Location: Atlanta, GA. USA

Division: Marketing – Independent Agent

Category: Marketing

Job Description:

The Marketing Communications Manager will support the growth of the US business for a quickly growing marketing consultancy company.  This person will be responsible for managing the marketing needs of companies in the areas of technology, professional services, health and property. Initially we are looking for an Independent Contractor with the potential of permanent employment based on proven capabilities after 3 months.

Check out our website: www.marketingeyeatlanta.com

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Managing the marketing needs of clients
  • Implementing Marketing Eye’s methodology in clients businesses and explaining it to new client acquisitions in the sales process
  • Developing marketing strategies
  • Implementing marketing campaigns, from development and concept creation through to execution
  • Reporting
  • General marketing consultancy
  • Maintain positive client relations with new and existing customers to discuss their needs and how to best utilize our solutions to achieve their intended outcome. 
  • Deliver presentations to multiple levels of decision makers during face-to-face meetings.
  • Perform other job duties as assigned. 
  • Previous experience in marketing leadership is a plus.
Published in Marketing
I sat at my desk yesterday and I felt relieved. Something had been lifted. In Australia, we have end of financial year that keeps people like myself busy over the months of July and August, and then by the time September comes around, I always feel like I am playing catch up. Fortunately, I don't need to do this for another few months again when the US end of financial year occurs.

Business is going great. We have an phenomenal team, one of the best we have had possibly over the entire history of the business. What makes this team so great is that they are 'team workers', people that share ideas, collaborate and try to get the best out of each other. Rather than working and taking full responsibility for a client, they take it as a team effort to ensure our clients happiness.
Published in Marketing