Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Mouth Marketing in 2015 to deliver lean marketing solutions, at first to small businesses and startups. Prior to the initial launch, I had experience both in-house and on the agency side which gave me insight into ways that businesses could be saving a significant amount of money on their marketing. During our first year in business I was still working full-time and went on to serve in executive marketing roles, but during our second year in business I focused full-time in my business growing it over 700%!
Marketing has been a true passion of mine since I can remember. In high school, I would create and sell custom MySpace layouts for my friends. During college, I helped local businesses get on social media and created their online personas that went on to get thousands of followers within just a few months. I gave up my social media business and decided to move to Houston in 2012 after having the opportunity to work in outside sales for an international logistics company. The professional sales experience was exactly what I needed to really understand the needs and wants of my future Mouth Marketing clients because marketing almost always boils down to sales.
Today, Mouth Marketing focuses heavily around LinkedIn Lead Generation which we both offer to our clients and share at conferences around the world. I think we have come full circle since our launch and have gotten back to our lean marketing roots.
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?
Absolutely not a smooth road! A few of the bigger bumps:
I was given some bad advice and told to open up our LLC in Nevada which I used an online legal service to register. Realized about a year later that was a huge mistake and had Strahan Cain relocate our business to Texas.
I was offered an executive contract for a role that was infamous for high turnover and I was even asked not to take any additional clients. I accepted that deal and was quickly burned.We weren’t prepared for overhead and when we were working 100 hour weeks and still couldn’t manage to hire anyone to help us… I knew that wasn’t going to fly. We began adjusting our pricing and got realistic about how much work went into each account.
The obstacle of scaling and scaling appropriately is still an ongoing challenge. Our business model has had to adjust overtime to allow for us to scale and keep up with the growing workload. This is an ongoing struggle for me because it is a financial inch worm. Stretch, stretch, stretch until you can’t stretch anymore then re-group and do it all over again.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mouth Marketing story. Tell us more about the business.
Mouth Marketing has gone through phases. In the beginning, we solely focused on lean marketing consulting for small businesses and startups. We then went on to expand to mid-sized businesses and became a full-service marketing agency. Today, we are known for LinkedIn Lead Generation.
What sets apart from others really is our LinkedIn Lead Generation process because we are actually going into our clients personal LinkedIn accounts and connecting them to their target audience, creating content to engage with that audience and networking on their behalf including setting meetings for them everyday. In some cases, our clients have seen over 20 set meetings come from this process and the ROI for them is unlike anything else out there which makes doing this so rewarding. One client even told us that he quit all of his other marketing services because this process has knocked all of their results out of the park.
As a company, I am proud that we have a supportive team and clients that are aligned with our mission.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My friends and family joke that I have the worst luck, but I really don’t see it that way. I laugh about all of my bizarre experiences because as prepared as I try to be for every possible scenario, life has a way of throwing a wrench at your plans. It keeps the mind creative because with every bizarre problem comes a creative solution. Keeps the brain sharp!
Bad luck has inspired some of my most creative solutions. After you’ve hit rock bottom, there is only one way to go and every accomplishment thereafter feels unreal and only motivates you to reach higher.
I am writing a book about this very topic. I want other girls and aspiring entrepreneurs that didn’t come from much and made lots of mistakes along the way to know that their past does not have to define them.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5700 NW Central Dr. #401
- Website: https://mouthmarketingllc.com/
- Phone: 832-589-0817
- Email: ashley@mouthmarketingllc.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mouthmarketingllc
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymarketing/
Image Credit:
Image by Sang Le Photography
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