Today we’d like to introduce you to Renée Gannon.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I think I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart, but it was a bit of a windy road getting there. I graduated from University of New Hampshire in ’04 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology. As it turns out, it’s not the most practical degree and I found myself out of college and working lab jobs that I did not love.
I departed from the lab job life and took a job at a start-up internet retailer in Boston (which now happens to be one of the biggest internet retailer companies) doing customer service. During that time, I decided to start a blog on the side, for fun, called Lesbiatopia. I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time but I enjoyed the learning process. After a couple of years getting yelled at by customers at the internet retailer company, I made the life-changing decision to move to Los Angeles, CA; I had always wanted to live on the West Coast. I had my eyes on an Exotic Animal Training program at Moorpark College and thought I would finally be able to put my Zoology degree to good use.
In the meantime, I needed a job. I manage to convince a startup boutique frozen organic baby Food Company to hire me as their Website Editor. I was their very first (and only) employee for the first year and that was when I really got a taste of the startup life. I was so much more than just a “website editor”; I helped with marketing, photography, web & print design, events and was even a brand ambassador at Trade Shows. Admittedly, I didn’t really know what I was doing at first but I am a ferocious self-learner and did the whole, “fake it ’till you make it” thing. Wrapped up in this crazy start-up digital media life was kind of fun and exciting, and although I never did make it to Moorpark College, I fell in love with a new career path. Plus, the views of the Malibu office that I worked in overlooked Surfrider Beach and weren’t too shabby. Life was good and I couldn’t complain!
While working the baby food job, I still had my side hustle/beloved little blog, Lesbiatopia. The blog had matured and was at its peak during my LA years. I had 15+ writers for it covering stories all around the country. I was really getting the hang of this media and marketing thing. I was going to movie premieres, meeting celebs, and shooting photos of Cindy Crawford (this actually happened although I still can’t believe it myself). Life was good, but something was missing. After three years in LA, I decided to move back to Boston. What can I say? I’m a creature of change. I enjoy change, in fact I thrive on it. Plus, the pull of family and friends was just too strong, I missed my East Coast home and I sincerely developed a new appreciation for the seasons that I never knew I had.
When I moved back to Boston, I took a job as Director of Marketing at a local University’s business incubation organization and became fully immersed in a world of small business support. I helped to produce workshops geared towards helping small businesses succeed and marketed those workshops as well. I was learning so much valuable knowledge about what it meant to be a small business. It was very inspirational. I could feel strong pull and the allure of small business life and it’s a good thing I did because about two years later, I got an opportunity to become a partner for a small business. Thus, Wicked Art Bar was born.
Wicked Art Bar was a paint and sip business that I opened with a business partner that had a brick and mortar studio and wine bar in Beverly, MA. The business opened in early 2013 and was operational for 5 years. My partner and I had a few very successful years, especially early on being first to market with the “paint and sip” trend. Wicked Art Bar won North Shore Magazine’s Best of the North Shore four years in a row. I was also personally nominated for the Beverly Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for two years in a row and I won the Spirit of Beverly Main Streets Award in 2014. The paint & sip trend hit the Boston area hard in our third year and we faced a lot of competition. By our 5th year, the trend seemed to have fizzled out quite a bit. Because of this, and for other personal reasons, my business partner and I made the decision to close the studio and slowly begin to scale down the business. At the end of 2017, Wicked Art Bar was no longer operational. I never once saw the business as a failure; to me it was a great run and I learned a lot about owning a business. I am so grateful for the valuable lessons I learned along the way and I truly feel this experience has paved a path for me to be exactly where I am today.
As Wicked Art Bar was winding down, I decided to open my own business as a way to merge my talents with my passions; thus Make Unicorns Great Again (MUGA) was born. I realized in my heart of hearts that I love to create things; art, photos, graphics, websites, videos and more. The creation of content coupled with a project-based business meant lots of variety and no time for boredom. It was a win!
When it comes to MUGA, you’re probably wondering: what’s in a name? First of all, the name is meant as a way to poke fun at a certain existing slogan (that’s my sense of humor for you). More importantly, my approach to business and marketing is similar to that of the symbol of a unicorn; a magical and mythical creature that is all about opening up to infinite possibilities, representing success and the belief that success can exist even if you don’t see it in front of you. My approach to media and marketing is creative and often unconventional.
Make Unicorns Great Again (makeunicornsgreatagain.com) offers a creative media & marketing approach to business, specializing in video production and social media marketing strategy. I have wonderful clients, ranging from small to medium sized businesses, community events and organizations and solepreneurs. I really enjoy working with everyone!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In addition to some of the challenges I mentioned in my previous response, it has been a fairly smooth road, not without the occasional bump along the way. I would say dissolving a business and working with a partner in my previous business has definitely presented itself with a fair share of challenges and struggles at times. Out of those struggles, I learned that I work best as a solopreneur and now I am much happier, not to mention the most productive I have ever been! The struggles made me realize that I thrive in a situation where I don’t have to rely on, or answer to, someone else (other than my individual clients, of course!)
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Make Unicorns Great Again – what should we know?
Make Unicorns Great Again is a creative approach to marketing with a specialization in video production. It is essentially the brand of me; Renee Gannon, but rather than just marketing myself as my own name (boring), I wanted to create a brand name that could evolve into a lifestyle brand. My services focus on local creative media marketing, Video is such a powerful tool for telling a story, communicating an important message and conveying emotion. It transcends simpler forms of media such as photos and graphics. Not to say those aren’t important aspects of content marketing, but when it comes to social media, I think video is leading the charge with engagement and brand awareness. You can do anything you want with video, you can be as creative, as funny, as serious and as complicated or as simple as you want. I think the thing I am most proud of as a company is the versatility I can offer people. I like to consider myself a one-stop shop: a creative approach to visual media (photos, graphics, and video) with the additional of a social media or marketing strategy to help businesses and organizations utilize those media assets successfully across multiple brand channels. I love to help my clients bring a vision to fruition. To me. No creative goal is too big or too small and that’s what really sets me apart from others.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think honesty is probably my most important quality; honesty in business, honesty in marketing, honesty in life. Deceptive tactics may give you an edge but they certainly won’t get you anywhere. I am always honest with my clients, even if it’s not always the information they want to hear, they appreciate the truth above all else.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://makeunicornsgreatagain.com
- Phone: (978) 835-1660
- Email: reneegannon@gmail.com
Image Credit:
John Andrews (for the main photo of me)
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