Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Martinez
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Of course! *clears throat*
I’ll try to skip to the good stuff!
I have a bachelors in Hospitality Management (Tourism, Hotel, and Restaurant) because I knew I liked working with people but I didn’t know what to do with that at 18 years old.
Thankfully I was hired into Real Estate Marketing and quickly realized where I belong.
Fast forward 7 years of working my way up I was promoted to Marketing Manager and boom- Covid hit and, marketing was all but obsolete for the time being. (Boooo)
During that time, my (now) husband and I started thinking Houston looked like a lot more job opportunity than Albuquerque (where we were) and sold our house and moved in 2021!
I found my way to a Boutique Marketing Agency in Houston (though we worked remotely) and dove head first into the agency life as an Account Manager! (#IYKYK) I learned a ton from brilliant and creative minds around me and a leader who had more confidence in me than I had in myself to push me out of my comfort zone.
After 3 years (to the day!!) I said “Sayonara” to working toward someone else’s dream and put on my entrepreneur hat to start my own 1 woman business and pursue my own dream of being my own boss and running my social media ad agency, Neon Sandia.
It’s been an insane amount of work and I know more about backend business stuff than I ever thought I would know- but I’ve also never been so excited to wake up and put in hours upon hours of work in on these kinds of things. Heck- I’ve forgotten to eat on numerous occasions and let me tell you, I’m not the kind of person who “forgets to eat.”
My friends and family have been insanely supportive and I’m really grateful to be in a position where I can go after my dream and build something from the ground up.
Every day feels like an incredible privilege.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a business from nothing is a WHOLE challenge!
I’d say the most important and ongoing challenge is brand awareness, getting my name out there and showing my years of marketing knowledge and know how to build trust and authority in the space.
As you know, we’re big fans of Neon Sandia. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
A one person marketing agency which specializes in Meta ad management.
While my specialty is Real Estate, I have experience in a myriad of different industries coming from my experience working in an agency.
I pride myself in my data-driven strategy and the high level attention I put into my client service. I take on a limited number of clients at a time to make sure my work does not suffer.
While my core service is ongoing as monthly ad management for the most effective results, I offer different levels of services to see if it’s a good fit with no commitment.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Patience! It’s easy to get overwhelmed with everything you have to do but taking it one day at a time and staying true to your vision will pay off.
I don’t know how many times I wanted to cut corners but I knew I wouldn’t be happy if I did.
The learning will never end, you just get better at bouncing back.
Pricing:
- 30 day ad sprint: $1200+ ad spend
- One-time ad setup: $700+ ad spend
- Ongoing ad management: $2200/mo+ ad spend
- Full social strategy $1200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://neonsandia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neon_sandia
