I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenny Austin, co-owner of Always in Bloom LLC Florist in Knoxville Tennessee. In this interview we talk about everything from starting, struggles, competition and small business advice.
Q: Jenny, thank you for allowing me to interview you today. My first question is just in general what is your background and how did you get into this industry?
As part of the Master’s of Entrepreneurship degree program, which I am taking through Western Carolina University, I was enrolled in a marketing class over this summer. One of the assignments for that class was an interview with a marketing expert. I sent out a request for an interviewee on twitter. David Newman of Do It! Marketing was kind enough to respond and agree to the interview. The result was a most excellent discussion regarding marketing. The whole experience was fantastic and you can be sure that David will be at the top of my list when I am in need of marketing expertise. Please enjoy the complete interview via the link below. And please do consider David and Do It! Marketing for your own marketing needs.
I had the good fortune to be able interview someone who is not just a marketing and public relations (PR) expert, but one who also has entrepreneurial experience. As such, Amanda Wettstein, APR, CPRC, shared some interesting insights on all three topics — marketing, PR, and entrepreneurship.
Ms. Wettstein currently serves as Director of Strategic Alliances for THAT! Company, which is a global marketing company ranked on the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Prior to that, she was an entrepreneur, having had her own PR firm for seven years.
After college, Erica Shames moved to New York City and worked several years as an editorial assistant and freelance writer for publications such as National Lampoon magazine and The Aquarian Weekly, where she interviewed many music celebrities, including John Cougar Mellencamp, Gloria Gaynor, Maureen McGovern, Thin Lizzy, the Little River Band and others. Her work also includes The St. Petersburg Times, The New York Times, Consumers Digest, Sport Magazine, American Cinematographer, and Southern Boating. In 1990, Erica moved to Lewisburg PA when her husband was offered a teaching position at Bucknell University.
Once in Lewisburg, Erica realized that there was not a professional publication in this area of Pennsylvania. A few months later she started a home business, without any previous experience running businesses and by investing her savings to launch it. She admitted, “In the beginning things were tough, people did not know me and trust me, and there was not valuable appreciation for this kind of publication.” Now Erica Shames and her company have achieved a well-respected, high quality reputation over a period of 19 years. Her lifestyle magazine offers residents and visitors a glimpse of the positive, little-known and under-appreciated aspects of life in central Pennsylvania, including more about the small but vibrant business community that exists here. But this is only part of what Erica shared during her interesting interview; I invite you to listen to her thoughts about her work and experiences running this professional publication…click below to continue with the audio interview:
