Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Rhodes.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It never ceases to amaze me how things fall into place, how the path you take, full of roundabouts, twists and turns, is peppered with people along the way who impact your journey in ways you never even imagined.
I launched Manifest Creative in March 2010. It certainly was a leap of faith, starting a business in the midst of a recession. Several people questioned my decision, which gave me a reason to briefly pause, but as those in my inner circle gave their unwavering support and encouragement, I was motivated to dive right in.
With a background in public relations and marketing, it seemed logical to start my new business as a PR and marketing consultant. I remember taking a class for new business owners at the University of Houston Small Business Development Center. Initially, I didn’t think much of one of the instructor’s key points of advice: figure out what would make my business different from my competition, as I thought I could do PR for anyone. However, it wasn’t long before I identified my first niche – working with non-profits and arts and cultural organizations.
It seemed like a natural fit and one that should have been obvious to me from the beginning since I had worked for several art industry non-profits. My role for five years as the Programs Director for the South Main Alliance and Houston Museum District Association, as well previous stints doing PR at The Children’s Museum of Houston and Elmore Public Relations, had given me a wealth of experience, including non-profit administration, media relations, event planning, community engagement, volunteer management and more. I initially named my one-woman shop “Monica Rhodes Unlimited” because I figured the possibilities of the types of services I could offer my clients were endless. I could do it all.
Once I put word out that I was on my own and looking for clients, it wasn’t long before I had a solid line up of organizations with which to work, initially including the American Association of Museums, serving as their Local Conference Coordinator for the organization’s 2011 Annual Meeting being held in Houston; Community in Schools of Houston; Archway Gallery; and Hope Stone, Inc. People I had met from other professional endeavors wound up being my biggest supporters and sources of new leads and clients. I was off and running and considered myself very fortunate.
About a year and a half after going out on my own, I was approached by a family friend who had her own association management firm, about the possibility of taking over her business when she retired at the end of the year. At the time, I didn’t know what association management was, let alone how to “do” it, but after training with Vicky, I realized I had been “doing that” all along. My non-profit management and administration skills, particularly my time working for the South Main Alliance and Houston Museum District Association, had prepared me for this new line of work. It was a great fit and I was eager to pursue this alongside my PR, marketing, and event planning efforts.
One of my biggest supporters was Maureen, my best friend who, at the time, was the Executive Director of The Weather Museum. From day one, she was part of the Monica Rhodes Unlimited journey, managing the books for the company and helping however she could as I worked non-stop to deliver results and keep clients happy.
Eventually, our friendship grew, and Maureen became my life partner. In 2012, I convinced her to join my company. After two years of being a solo practitioner, I needed help to handle the client load and Maureen’s background fit perfectly with the new direction the company was taking into association management. Thus, our joint venture was born, which signified the prime opportunity to adjust the business name to Manifest Creative in order to truly make it “ours.”
As clients were added, additional staff, most of whom were part-time, and subcontractors were needed to keep up with the demand. Client services were our main focus and business was humming. However, we realized we had been neglecting Manifest Creative and needed to spend time and attention on the health of the business. In early 2016, we enlisted our long-time friend and colleague, Mona Fluitt, of Fluitt Non-Profit Solutions, to guide us through a strategic planning process.
These eye-opening exercises helped us identify our professional objectives and goals for the company, what we needed to do to accomplish them, how to structure the company, how to best organize the job roles needed to get the work done and grow the company. However, the biggest decision (and most emotional for me) made during the process was to eliminate the PR and marketing services, and solely focus on association management and conference/meeting planning.
While PR and marketing services would continue to be part of the overall services we provide to associations and non-profits, it would no longer be a stand-alone service. At this point, we only had one PR client left (the rest of our clients were all associations) – the National Museum of Funeral History, which happened to be one of my most favorite clients of all time, so transitioning them to another PR practitioner at the end of 2016 was tough. However, having such a supportive and understanding client in Genevieve Keeney, president of the museum, and knowing they would be in good hands with my dear friend and colleague Lydia Baehr as their new PR consultant made the process more bearable.
2017 was a pivotal year for Manifest Creative. We hired our first full-time permanent employee. We transitioned into a firm that specializes in association management and conference/meeting planning. We welcomed the League of Women Voters – Houston Chapter as a new client. Our strategic planning process continues, as we enthusiastically work towards checking action items off our list. Our new website will launch soon and we hope to kick off our strategic business development efforts to market our company and services.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to success is usually not without its challenges. There have certainly been times when things have seemed smoother than others, but for the most part, it has been a combination of ups and downs, with intermittent periods of ease and stress. In hindsight, it is clear to us that every challenge we’ve faced has had a purpose and been a learning experience.
While there have been many struggles, one of the biggest ones we’ve dealt with has been staffing. In the earlier years when it was just Maureen and I managing the business and client services, we had it down to a science. While each of us played a role with each account, in large part, she managed our association clients and I managed our PR clients.
Our individual skills, expertise, and interests dictated who was responsible for each task or function and how we supported one another. It worked well until it was too much for just the two of us, for a variety of reasons, including our desire to start a family. Recognizing we needed to add to the team was the easy part. The struggle for us was determining what to delegate to others, building job descriptions for those roles and finding people who were the right fit for our team, both in skill-set and personality. It was definitely trial and error!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Manifest Creative story. Tell us more about the business.
Manifest Creative is an agency specializing in association management and conference/meeting planning, providing executive administration services for non-profits and professional membership organizations who don’t have their own staff and are run by volunteer boards. We tailor our scope of work to meet the needs of the organization and adapt our approach to their structure.
From managing client websites, finances, communications, and membership to coordinating client luncheons, conferences, and events, the Manifest Creative team expertly handles the daily operations and administration for its association clients and takes great pride in planning meetings and conferences for its event clients. We work hard to put processes in place for our client organizations so they can run more efficiently and effectively, allowing them to focus their energies on their subject matter and areas of expertise.
We pride ourselves on paying close attention to detail, listening to our clients’ needs and focusing on tactics to meet client goals and objectives. We go above and beyond for our clients to plan and execute strategies, manage projects and get results.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
When we think about luck, we can’t help but think the luck gods have been smiling down on us. While we feel immensely blessed with good fortune in a multitude of ways, upon reflection, the most prevalent has to be the PEOPLE we have met and engaged with along the way. Our clients have been a dream come true. The people who have referred us to potential new clients have been amazing.
We’ve been so lucky to have secured all our clients to date by word of mouth referrals. We get to work with some of the best people at some of the greatest non-profits and associations we know. We are so fortunate to love what we do and genuinely enjoy the people we have the chance to work with on a regular basis.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.manifest-creative.com
- Phone: 281.846.6967
- Email: monica@manifest-creative.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManifestCreativeLLC/
Image Credit:
JEFF FITLOW
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