Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Shane.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career in the 80’s in professional services, managing finance and operations for small law firms. In the early 2000’s, I decided to obtain some client-facing experience so I accepted a position as a senior relationship manager and consultant in the bank card industry. I worked with community banks and credit unions providing portfolio consultation specific to long-term strategic planning and positioning. While in this position, I attended business school at night, and in 2005 I received my MBA from Suffolk University. I then returned to working with small law firms in an expanded role that now included strategic planning and marketing.
I put myself through undergraduate and graduate school and learned early how to push myself, adapt and grow. I’ve raised my two boys as a single parent since they were 5 and 7, and spent years in jobs that paid the bills, doing what I had to instead of what I wanted to. What I wanted was to attend graduate school, start my own business and do work that I loved. I attended business school at night, in a job that required me to travel, while my children where in school. Juggling it all was very hard, but I pushed through the exhaustion and overwhelm and never gave up.
I always had an addiction for technology and computers, with my first computer bought at Radio Shack. My family refers to me as the “Gadget Queen.” A career in digital marketing is the perfect blend of my love for technology with my strategic and analytical skills. And as a lifelong learner, my thirst for knowledge works particularly well in a field which is constantly evolving.
I have an affinity and comfort in the digital world that most my age (beyond Millennials) do not. I also have the skills required to build and run a small business. Over the past 25 years, I’ve obtained a unique blend of business, strategic, technical, creative and analytical savvy.
There are many small business owners who have a great business idea but don’t have the necessary skills to execute their idea. I started my company because I wanted to help these small business owners fill this gap by providing them with the tools, support and confidence needed to compete successfully and grow. Overwhelm, lack of know-how, or age should never be a barrier to fulfilling one’s dreams! I’m proof of that.
Has it been a smooth road?
Our two biggest challenges are getting overwhelmed small business owners to understand:
(1) Digital marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming, and
(2) Any form of marketing must be focused and consistent to be effective.
Having a website is just not enough these days. Clients have to be sure their business is visible anywhere their customers are looking and delivering a message that will capture their attention and business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I started my company with one goal in mind – to give service-based small business owners the clarity, confidence, and tools needed to make their business stand out and grow. We accomplish this by eliminating the overwhelm and frustration that surrounds digital marketing while providing our clients with affordable marketing solutions that can meet the changing needs of their businesses as they grow.
We provide digital marketing solutions that are tailored to each client’s unique situation and budget. We start every engagement by making sure the client has the proper marketing foundation in place, which is critical to effectiveness and growth. We also look beyond the website, ensuring that each customer has visibility anywhere their customers are looking, and a message that will capture their attention and business.
As many small business owners are overwhelmed and struggling, we never recommend more than a client can handle – in budget, time or expertise. We help our clients optimize their time and efforts spent marketing by focusing on what to do AND what not to do. We want our clients’ marketing efforts to be consistent, so we know our recommendations must be affordable and realistic to implement. We take time to get to know our clients and their staff very well. We don’t want cost, time or lack of expertise to be an inhibitor.
For example, with our Facebook Advertising Services, unlike most other companies, we don’t require a minimum monthly spend. This gives small business owners with smaller budgets the opportunity to leverage a very effective way to promote their business. And because Facebook advertising requires more time and education than most small businesses have available, we usually recommend they outsource it to us.
We can assist our clients with marketing strategy (“tell me what to do”), implementation (“do it for me”), or training (“teach me how to do it”), on a short- or long-term basis. Increasingly, we’re being asked to serve as a virtual “chief marketing officer,” giving our clients access to the expertise needed to ensure consistency in the execution of a client’s marketing strategy and tactics.
At REACH Strategy we marry best-in-class digital marketing and business savvy with outstanding client service. Our mission? Help small businesses market smarter instead of harder. After all, aren’t they already working hard enough?
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Boston is a great city for small businesses. I was born in Boston and have spent most of my life in the area living on the North Shore. I spent ten years exploring other parts of this country but I came back to Boston. Boston is a relatively small city with big city sophistication and drive (and great sports!).
Small business owners must ensure they have the wide breadth of skills required to compete successfully in today’s rapidly changing digital world. For those that wish to learn those skills, you couldn’t be in a better place. The number of educational opportunities for new business owners in the Boston area is unlimited.
Contact Info:
- Address: 121 Loring Avenue
Salem, Massachusetts 01970 - Website: ReachStrategy.com
- Phone: (978) 219-9788
- Email: wendy@reachstrategy.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReachStrategy
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Reach_Strategy
- Other: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyshane
Image Credit:
Lightshed Photography
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