As expertise-based service-providing entrepreneurs, we might mistakenly believe that our business doesn’t require paid media advertising. If we plan to scale – to move from hourly to exit- we need to think about expanding our marketing reach beyond word-of-mouth or organic SEO. I am on this journey with my listeners, and I was so grateful to have Mary-Ann Pruitt, a 25-year advertising veteran, join me for some essential tips, including:

• Why advertising matters for businesses from solos to Fortune 500s
• How to define your niche when it comes to advertising – it may be broader than you think!
• The critical importance of knowing your audience in today’s advertising world
• BONUS – some unexpected latest trends in advertising on social media

I learned a lot from Mary-Ann, and it resonated especially loudly when I thought about ways to promote a product based on expertise – like a course or a certification. If you are considering one of these steps, you need to be thinking about the big picture, including advertising and IP. Contact me to discuss taking your IP to the next level.

More About Our Guest:

Mary Ann Pruitt is the CEO and President at Mosaic Media, a collection of media-buying experts and creative strategists who negotiate, purchase, and monitor advertising space and airtime. Mary Ann started her career in media by working as a senior sales executive for some of the nation’s largest media outlets. After discovering her talent and love for media strategy, she founded Mosaic as a way to provide niche expert experience to agencies and marketing departments across the country. Her hard work and savvy strategy skills have led Mosaic to year-over-year growth and has expanded her impact as an industry leader in all things—traditional, digital, and everything in between. Reflecting this is a 2020 award from Cynopsis Media naming her as a Top Woman in Media.

Connect with Mary-Ann Pruitt:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Connect with Erin and find the resources mentioned in this episode at hourlytoexit.com/podcast.

Erin's LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/

Think Beyond IP YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVztXnDYnZ83oIb-EGX9IGA/videos

Music credit: Yes She Can by Tiny Music

A Team Dklutr production

Hello, ladies.

Welcome to the Hourly

to Exit podcast.

I am super excited for our

guest today, Mary Ann Pruitt.

Welcome to the podcast.

Thanks for having me.

I'm super excited

about our conversation.

Yeah, this is gonna be a

really interesting one,

a topic that we have not

covered before, which is

regarding, paid marketing,

media buying, and so really

happy to get into that.

I will say like sometimes

people come on and I know

a little bit about what

they do in this case I

know nothing about what you

do, so you're really gonna

have to hold my hand and

the audience's hand as we

walk through these, topics.

But, Before we dive

in, would you introduce

yourself to the audience?

Absolutely.

My name is Maryanne Pruitt.

I am a woman, owned business

and have owned multiple

businesses, and still do, and

primarily I got into media.

at a very young age and

I started to, develop and

fall in love with media.

I actually ended up getting

my undergrad in marketing

and economics and the two

together just made me fall

more and more in love with

data and media and how do we

pay, how do we use the paid

media tools in our marketing?

So that's what we do.

We come alongside brands, and

agencies and help them with

developing the strategies

that they need, in the

B2B space and in the B2C

space.

That's fantastic.

Yeah.

As I was watching to Mary and

before we got on, is that this

is really new to most of us,

and I for one, have never,

paid, done paid media buying.

And so we're hoping,

we'll one, start with a

one-on-one talk about how

it fits with the types of

businesses that we run, that

expertise based business.

and then she has a very

interesting, kind of.

point of view

regarding generational

marketing as well.

But Mary, I'm gonna

let you start with

kind of media buying

one-on-one, so, absolutely.

So especially in

today's world.

So I started in media as

a teenager actually, so I

started in seven and when I

was 17 years old, I fell into

it accidentally, absolutely

fell in love with it.

and then got into the media

buying and the strategy.

And I can't tell you in

the 25 plus years of my

career, How much it has

evolved and changed.

It has significantly changed.

When I started my career,

newspaper was the hot

thing, radio, tv, but in the

traditional formats and then,

and it was before the.com,

it was before all these

things, started to take place.

And then once the

worldwide web.

Came up and it

start, it was www.

This is incredible.

This is online.

How do we monetize this?

How do we make this,

people are consuming it.

How?

Of course, everybody then has

to find a way to monetize it.

But media has become

so specialized.

it is no longer, you will

get tons of people to call

you and ask you to advertise.

If you own a business, I

promise you, you've been

called multiple times of,

put your ad here or put your

ad here, make sure you're in

this listing or this listing.

Or make sure you're targeting

this audience and it

can become overwhelming.

It can become confusing.

It can become all these

different things that frankly,

that then you throw up

your hands and go, I don't

even know what's right.

I don't know

what, where to go.

I don't know what to do.

I'm frustrated.

I don't even want to place

anything at this point.

So we've built this

model to help, small

businesses small too large.

We work with some of the

largest brands to the down to

the very smallest, to small.

I have a very soft spot

in my heart for a small

business, and we like to

come alongside and help

you build those strategies.

So, Media 1 0 1 is in

today's world, every tactic

still has a strength.

We just have to tap into it.

When it comes to B2B

specifically, we have so

many options when it comes

to programmatic targeting.

Programmatic targeting.

When I started in media, We

did demographic where you

would say, my target audience

is an adult between the

age of 18 and 54 years old.

Well, 18 and 54

years old adults.

That's a wide range of

people and what their media

consumptions are gonna be.

So, but it was easier to

just put a radio or a TV

buy together, or print

buy together, because

I knew that at least if

I threw a wide net, I

would be able to find it.

Right now, in today's world,

it might be I need to target.

Senior level partner

attorneys at this much

level of billing that then,

have this many employees

that, maybe are struggling

with their HR services.

That's a different mindset

and a different thought

process of how we're

looking at our audience.

So now in media, we need

to develop this process of

an audience first approach

of who is our audience, get

to know them even better.

And develop that process down.

So let's put as many

layers in of the most

more we know about it.

And then programmatic, and

I'll get into that in a

second cuz I'm sure you're,

like, I got questions.

I got questions.

Yes.

So, but with programmatic

targeting, that's

an system with that.

So there's a lot of things

that we can do in media now

today that we didn't have

options for 25 years ago.

I'm sure you'll talk about

this, but I remember the

first time, I don't remember

when it was anymore, when I

was on some like, Macy's or

something and looking at shoes

or something, and then I went

to a completely different

unrelated website maybe.

And then suddenly

the shoes that I was

looking at showed up.

I'm like, what

just happened here?

and the ability

to kind of just.

Follow us around

and target us.

It's like, kind of scary,

but I guess it has.

It has.

It's what?

It's it, it's scary.

And so what I tell

businesses all the time,

as an individual, eh, but

as a business, let's take

advantage of it, right?

And let's actually build this

so that we can use it properly

to bring in more clients

and to bring in more leads.

So if you are a business that

has ever used P P C or has

ever used social media, Then

programmatic targeting is

the next level that you need

to start looking at for your

paid side or programmatic is

a paid portion that then you

can take on top of what you're

doing social and what you're

doing in P P C, social media

used to be a targeting tool.

It's not anymore.

So how do you take that

in the same process

and target Facebook?

You cannot target the way

you used to be able to.

Right?

You can build some lookalike

audiences, but that's it.

You cannot target to the level

that you used to be able to.

Now we go over here and we

use programmatic, which, so

let me explain Programmatic.

Programmatic is the

automated system that

you bid on an impression.

When I first started in

media, I would have to call

a rep, even for a website.

I'd call a rep and say,

gimme a rate card, gimme

this, gimme that, what

everything I need to have,

and then I would build a

plan around it that way.

Now programmatic literally

allows us to go in and bid

the impression, keep it at

that level, make the sure

the ad is played That's

with streaming television,

that's with, display.

That's with.

Print, it's all the above.

Now, outdoor, we

do programmatic and

outdoor, and out of home.

So there's a lot of

different ways now where

I'm going, actually I'm

targeting that lawyer.

Mm-hmm.

That is a partner that

needs, HR services, that

has this many employees

that has this much revenue.

Now I'm going to target

them and I'm gonna buy that

impression for that individual

as opposed to shotgun

approach for everything.

What is an impression

for like outdoor?

Like how does that,

So with outdoor, it's

just, it's a view, right?

You're looking at it that way.

Mm-hmm.

Same thing when it comes

to streaming television,

it's the same thing.

It's an impression.

So an impression is that

your target audience saw it.

Mm-hmm.

Now you were just talking

about retargeting that, right.

That is the, I went into

Macy's, I'm looking for

shoes, and then Oh my word.

Even the next couple of days,

those shoes are following me.

Right.

That's quite interesting.

Right.

That's called,

that's retargeting.

So that's one piece and one

element of digital as a whole.

But another piece is

also cross device.

Now we can, in the

programmatic space, Households

have how many devices in them?

They have their television

now, which is a device.

Mm-hmm.

But they also have their

computers and more and more

people are working from home

and they have their tablets

and they have their phones.

And now we are in a

generational, this is where

we get into generational,

a generational media

consumption of a multi

device taking place.

At the same time, I'm

on my phone while I'm

streaming a movie.

It's true.

I'm on my tablet

while I am, whatever.

Mm-hmm.

Right?

I'm on my tablet

while I'm camping.

Or I'm on, right?

And so it's all these

different things.

So how do I, the

impression part of it

is really important.

Outdoor, that's

one impression.

Or out of home, if they

travel a lot, if is it out

of home in the airport,

their phone is being pinged

to certain locations.

So there are things that

we can all see where are

the impressions of these

individuals, where are they?

And then we place the

media based on that.

But finding and knowing

what your audience is first,

and in the B2B space, I

find actually there's so

much more opportunity.

Cuz typically you know your

audience better than anybody.

Mm-hmm.

B2c.

It's more of a broad net

at times, not always.

Mm-hmm.

And if you're doing your

strategy right, it's not.

But if you're looking

at, in that sense, you

can say, oh, I have

multiple target audiences.

And b2b, you can have

multiple, but you know

them a little bit better.

Right.

Well, tell us about, cause I

know people are curious about

how Facebook used to be able

to, get down to, the number of

pimples you had on your face.

Yes.

Like, what, changed?

We can't do that anymore.

So Facebook and social

platforms really to get

ahead of any legislation

or to get ahead of anything

of various things that

were coming down the pike.

They actually adjusted

with privacy settings early

and they stopped allowing

targeting to take place.

So they no longer they

have the data still.

It's not that they don't

have the data, it's that

now you are not able to

target with that data.

There is, does that

mean that it's done?

No, it still has

its strengths.

It's a compliment to

anything that you're doing.

However, if you've paid and

used social in the past of

various things, programmatic

now is this complimentary

thing that goes next because

of the fact that programmatic

is now how we target.

Not social.

So programmatic is now

how we put those extra

layers of targeting.

And Facebook and programmatic

can go hand to hand cuz I can

take a lookalike audience,

I can take various things

from my social and make

sure that they're in there,

put into programmatic,

but I can add extra layers

of what that looks like.

So Facebook, they had

to change, they had

to adjust because of

various things in dc.

Various things,

legislation wise.

they made those adjustments,

they changed things and for

their survivability, frankly.

but it still has its strength.

Don't get me wrong.

I still think that they,

have their strength

and there's things that

go with it, that work.

Just don't use it

as a targeting tool.

If you're, building

some lookalike

audiences, that's fine.

But a targeting tool where

it's, you've got so many

different layers to target,

that's where you've gotta

move away from social,

I wouldn't say move away

from social, I would say

add the complimentary

targeting tool to the side.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

I mean, we're used to

hearing, that regarding

social media that we need to.

Pick a lane and where

are your people?

Just hang out there.

Don't try to do

all the things.

But when you're developing

a media strategy, I imagine

it's more, holistic.

Like how do you work with

people to kind of understand

where they need to be?

Well, the first thing is, that

we do start with an audience

first approach, right?

So what, who is your audience?

Then we go and see.

So for us, we're called what's

a direct seat on a DSP, which

is a demand side platform.

That's where the

bidding process goes.

you will have tons of

people call you and tell

you that, oh, we can

offer streaming video.

We can offer you these

different things.

You wanna make sure that

they're a direct seat when

you find a partnership.

Not a vendor but a partner.

Like that's a big, thing

in any type of business

that you when you operate.

In that sense, if TV radio

stations are coming to you

for the programmatic side,

question that a little bit

cuz I call that a diluted

impression and a diluted cpm.

There's too many

layers in between.

So.

they're good at the tactics.

I don't, I genuinely believe

that radio and TV is not dead.

But you wanna have those

tactics done correctly, and

programmatic is not where

their strengths are, but find

a partner in programmatic.

So with that, you need

to go to the audience

first approach, you

know your audience.

Okay, let's look at

the audience there.

Then from there, I'm going to

take that audience approach.

I'm going to see where are

my best data sets available?

Where am I gonna see,

where can I find these

impressions and build a

media plan based around that.

In some sense, a portion

of it may go to social.

Some of it may go to

traditional radio, depending

radio and tv, depending on

Who your target audience

is and what age and

various consumption habits

that take place there.

A lot of it's gonna go

in the programmatic space

because of where you can go,

especially if you're in b2b.

So you've gotta be

looking at the LinkedIns.

You've got, LinkedIn

is more of your social.

Mm-hmm.

Sometimes Facebook,

right, with b2b.

But programmatic is now

that second layer that you

need to start looking at of,

okay, here's my audience.

I know my audience.

This is where we need to go.

Okay.

What impressions can I go get?

And you'd be

surprised at how much.

you actually don't

have to spend.

Yeah, there's, because

of various things that

you're looking at, you

can't over target and their

impressions won't be there,

but for the most part,

they're gonna be there.

So you're, just have to

start in that audience

first approach, and then

back up and say, okay,

this is where they are.

And you look at it and you

find it, So audience first

approach, and then find

that great partner that

can work with you on it.

Programmatic is expensive if

you try to do it yourself.

If you find a partner that

already has the minimums,

already has the volume,

already has the team, cuz

it does take an expertise

team to do it, then you

definitely just wanna

find a partner in that.

And a partner is not a

vendor that is selling

you something else.

Right.

so you know, like go into

your example of the senior

lawyer who needs Yes.

HR consulting, like, you

know where to find them

other than on LinkedIn, like

Yeah, absolutely.

And it's based off of

what their habits are.

So here's the thing.

In b2b we forget that our

target audience is the human

being and that they have

personal experiences and

they have personal habits.

Mm-hmm.

And guess what?

They're not that unique

to the, your target

audience as a whole.

Their personal habits are

very interesting to go after.

Why wouldn't you go after

the impressions when

they're watching TV at

home with their family?

You would.

Why?

Because maybe they're actually

not making a business decision

right there, and they're

not thinking about work.

But I'm gonna try to get

that impression to them

now to make that decision.

Mm-hmm.

So them as a human being

and as a person, that's who

I'm trying to reach because

they are the decision maker.

They are the ones I'm trying

to get the, information

and get them to buy my

product or my service.

Right?

When you know who that

decision maker is, don't shy

away from targeting them.

You wanna go after it.

This is more than LinkedIn.

This is more than Facebook.

That individual, we

can chart, well, you in

programmatic, you can

target by job title, you can

target by, employer sector.

Like what do they do

what is their level

within that company?

What is their revenue?

What's their annual income?

When's the last time

they bought a car?

Like, there are things

like all the above,

like think about how

you actually can get.

nitty gritty on this

and programmatic.

Now, you may not wanna go

too nitty gritty because

of the fact that it may not

work for you budget wise,

but at the same time, know

that audience, know four

or five steps about them.

Mm-hmm.

And then put that plan

together in that manner.

So I'm

getting from the way you

said that you may not

wanna go that nitty gritty.

Yeah.

That it gets more expensive

the more nitty it can, most

expensive account you,

it can, you'd be surprised

actually what happens is if

I have 85 different layers on

a target audience, I may run

out of how many impressions

I'm gonna be able to get.

Mm-hmm.

So I'm not gonna be,

I may be paying a.

Thousand dollars for one

impression, that's not

necessarily worth it.

that's a really high, like

you don't wanna do that,

but if you can narrow it

down where you have a few

enough layers in it, where

my budget can be spent.

I'm able, cuz you're gonna

have a hard time spending

your budget cuz you're

chasing one impression.

You know, if you put too

many layers on it, you have

fewer and fewer impressions.

But if I'm looking at

multiple layers of who

is my target audience?

And then I go after that and

I look at those impressions

and I see, but on our end we

will tell you how many we have

forecasting tools, how many

impressions will be available

within those layering tactics.

And that's why it's also

important to find a partner

cuz we'll go in there

and say, you know what?

If this is way too many, we

need to cut it back to here.

Let's cut it back to here

to make it so that you

actually can reach your target

audience a little bit better.

but that's where that

partner and that expertise

comes in because you wanna

have a partner that can

explain it to you in that

manner to say, okay, great.

This is everything that

you've told us about it.

We're gonna narrow it right

here and in the sweet spot.

Do you agree with that?

And this is how many

impressions we think we

can get based off of that.

Got it.

Okay.

So it sounds like, similar

to like a niche when we're

deciding what our a hundred

percent, but you're taking

that and translating into Yes.

if you are a very

niched company.

Mm-hmm.

You need to be looking

at programmatic media.

You absolutely should be.

Mm-hmm.

If, and B2B primarily

is niche, and that's

the way it is.

I always say

niches make riches.

And there's a

reason why, right?

And, but at the same time,

you have got to, you can be

targeting if you are niched,

you know your audience, right?

And you should absolutely,

wholeheartedly be using

programmatic to reach

your target audience.

Now, should they be

thinking about that reach,

assuming it's, out there.

that.

Just to get them into

their universe and become

aware of them, or are

they actually trying to

sell?

It's a process.

So it's a little bit of both.

if you've not done it at

all, it's a multi-process

strategy of we're going

to, Develop the, let's

start of introduction.

It's brand top of funnel.

Mm-hmm.

Then we're gonna go middle

of funnel with a little bit

more information, a little

bit more for them to want to

do, and then you are gonna

go in each media tactic that

you have in their social

varies programmatic, there's

top of funnel, middle of

funnel, and bottom of funnel.

And so you're gonna wanna

follow the funnel, model

in that and in programmatic

that it can be both.

We can use it for specific

and targeting with messaging,

but with branding as well.

And do you work

with people on.

what the funnel looks like.

How Yep.

Absolutely it is

At every level.

Okay.

Yep.

Absolutely.

And how do we, that's because

you're a full service agency.

That's the function.

Full service.

So

we are, a full

service media agency.

Okay.

So we help with the strategy

cuz this is often the

piece that people miss.

Mm-hmm.

And forget.

They think about what their

creative's gonna be far

before they think about what

their strategy is gonna be.

and their tactics are gonna

be, and the strategy and

the tactics, I would argue,

are just as important, if

not more, because I can make

the best ad in the world and

spend a ton of money on an

amazing ad that touch one

person that was my target.

Mm-hmm.

But if I build my strategy

and my target correctly, and

I build my plan correctly,

We're gonna be golden.

You're gonna have the

great things there.

So,

yeah.

And I imagine very

important, you make a

better ad if you know

a hundred percent.

when we as marketers or as

businesses start to think

through, and any business

is a marketer, we all

are selling to someone.

Any type of businesses,

even a nonprofit, we are

all selling to someone.

And when any business

takes a step back and

thinks audience first for

messaging and for tactics

and for strategy, that's

where we start to succeed.

We have to think about

who our audience is first

and then go after it.

All right?

So where is the minimum

for, like, at what level

did we get started in this?

When it becomes realistic

to start doing media buys?

So

when you start doing media

buys, what I like to say, so

who we, what we work with are

people that have a thousand

dollars up to hundreds

of millions of dollars.

So we've got wide

range, right?

and with that, you can

absolutely do a media buy.

If you're looking at investing

a thousand to 2000 a month,

There's something there

for you to start looking

at and start doing again.

Find a partner in that

to help you with that.

we have a small business

program specifically where we

have a team that just works

with small businesses and

we have a way that we can.

Provide that to you, that

you're getting a lot out of

that, but at the same time,

find a partner that we're

not the only ones that do it.

There's lots of people

that do it that can

help you with that.

But make sure it's

a partnership, not

somebody who's just

there to take your money.

make sure that they're

actually, ask them for

the strategic tactics.

Ask them for what does

this like, in the funnel,

ask them for what, as

I'm putting a whole media

plan together, why Right.

And

so I'm wondering, you if.

You can advise someone

like say like, Hey,

you're just not ready.

Like maybe you

aren't niched enough.

Like you're just right.

Like I imagine it's

not the right thing to

do if you're like, I'm

not making any sales.

I don't know quite

who my audience is.

I'm just kind of a generalist.

Selling, web design

services but I've got

some money to spend.

Like, that would not

be a good, well, no, mean,

there are some tactics for

you if you are a generalist,

let s say websites.

I'll use that as an example.

You know, that it, the person

that you're probably gonna

go after is a business owner.

So maybe.

Look at business owners,

maybe look at certain

levels of revenue.

It kind of, the process

actually kind of forces

you to think about who

your ideal client is,

to be honest, right?

and so think of it that

way of, Hey, you know what?

I'm a website designer.

I just wanna target local

restaurants in the area.

With ads, that would be

something to start with.

I have some money that

I want to invest back in

the company and I've seen

some success with this

specific type of business.

I've seen success with

engineering firms,

with building websites.

Okay, let's target

engineering Firms.

So it, you absolutely

can do something, even

if you are a generalist.

you can, and you're

going to be more broad

in your targeting.

However, that's okay.

That's not, you're gonna

look at what your budget is a

little bit more and see, okay,

maybe as, and actually in the

process, we can start seeing,

okay, this is where the

impressions are coming from.

We analyze, we start to

tell you what the data is

telling you, and then maybe

you start to land on where

the process is of okay.

Actually restaurants

are better for me.

I'm gonna, I target

restaurants, I

target engineers.

I'll do 'em simultaneously

and test it.

This is the route

I want to go.

So even at that, if you are

a generalist, pick a sector

that you wanna target.

Pick a sector that may,

if you wanna just go

small business owners.

You can do that as well.

So there are opportunities

and options within that too.

Yeah.

This is great.

Yeah.

This is, I'm seeing all

the similarities between

people who, are trying to

figure out what their niche

is, figure out like what

the audience, I mean, yeah.

So this

is, well, and everybody

struggles with it, right?

Because entrepreneurs.

Our brains don't

stop, frankly.

So if you're not, which

everybody who's listening

is an entrepreneur.

If you own a business,

like we naturally just have

something in us that goes,

yeah, we wanna own a business.

We're less than 1% of

the population that

actually wants to host.

I didn't realize

that.

Yeah.

Someone told me that sat

the other day, I haven't

double checked it, but

I was like, really?

Is that real?

Mm-hmm.

They're like, no, normal

people don't wanna do that.

And I was like, what do

you mean normal people?

I think I'm.

But if you think of it in

that sense, right, that

we are a small portion.

Even if it's more than 1%,

we're a small portion of

the population that actually

is like, yeah, I wanna be

an owner and be in charge.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Well, in that mindset,

if you are there,

you're entrepreneurial.

So our brains are constantly

thinking, oh, I can

make money over here.

I can make money over here.

I can make money.

So, I mean, we have

entrepreneurs have more

a, d, D than anybody.

Like we are just

all over the place.

I have my executive team ask

me on the regular of, okay,

do you want us to concentrate

on this week's big idea

or last week's big idea?

Cause that's just the

way it's gonna be.

But that's, I mean,

that's reality.

That's who we are.

And so that's how we

have to think through,

okay, the focus of it.

It's okay that our brains

are like, you know what that,

let's try that, or let's

try that, or let's try that.

That's okay.

We will find things that

start and because that means

our company's evolving and

growing, we are learning,

we are developing.

All of us, even those

of us that have been in

business for a long time.

We're developing

and we're growing.

We are never staying the same.

Every year brings new

challenges, and every year

it brings new growth and

new technology, Oh, I'm

telling you, in the media

space, it changes weekly,

daily at times of what

we can offer, who we can

target, how we can do things.

It's crazy how

fast it evolves.

And so, yes, the new

technologies right

now with, ai, like so.

We've used AI for a long

time, but I like to say it's,

human driven, ai, right?

So we use our AI tools, but

as the human beings that are

behind it, making sure it's

doing what it's supposed to

do and making sure that it

works, and making sure that

we're in the right direction.

But AI is right.

Chat.

G p t is the big

thing right now.

Everybody's talking about it.

Everybody's all about it.

Well, what does that

mean for your business?

And I do like to equate this.

I remember the

internet being new.

I remember all of that.

I think the internet

was developed in the

fifties and the sixties by

government and used mm-hmm.

And we just didn't know

about it until the nineties.

It just wasn't our thing.

Right.

We just didn't know anything.

AI's been around for

a very long time.

Mm-hmm.

Now, Chachi PT is

just allowing us to

use it as, consumers.

So it's an evolution process

of our brains of being able

to figure it out, but also

like what opportunities

and tools we have.

This is exciting.

So yeah, as entrepreneurs,

our brains are all over

the place all the time.

Yeah.

It's just the way it's, yeah.

And I think it's making.

The work that you do more

accessible to more of us.

I mean, absolutely.

You wouldn't even think

about talking to, a

marketing agency or Well,

and think about what the

Yeah, exactly.

Think about what

the pandemic did.

It actually allowed and

pushed into normalcy.

Mm-hmm.

That we can, we do interviews

like this all the time that

we talk via, via all the time.

We're redoing that

before the pandemic.

Absolutely.

But the pandemic forced

all of us to do it.

That's an evolution

change overnight.

That's a change.

That's a cultural change

where for the most part,

I'd have to go in person

to meet with people.

Now I can meet with just as

many people because somebody

might want me to come in

person, but then I can do 10

meetings while I'm meeting

that person in person on

online as well, so I can

do so many other things.

Right.

So it's yes.

Evolution of what business

is taking place now.

It's just, it's significant,

but it's so exciting too.

It's something for us to all

be along for the ride on.

Yeah.

That is wonderful.

This would be great.

it made more sense

to me, frankly, than

I thought it would.

I thought it was completely

foreign to me, but I'm like,

oh, I see all these parallels

to what we are already talking

about in terms of defining

our markets, determining

our niches, kinda, yep.

And getting our message out.

So thank you for that.

Absolutely.

So.

As you know, this is the

Hourly to Exit podcast

where we talk about,

growing our businesses from

kind of unscalable hourly

model to one that we can

hopefully sell someday.

And you are, very meta

in that, female founders

of expertise-based

businesses, which you are.

Yep.

So do you have plans to

sell your business someday?

So what

it's, I am a big believer

that know your exit strategy.

Mm-hmm.

So what that looks

like for you.

So is it selling?

Or is it taking it to

the next generation,

which is a pass on.

Mm-hmm.

So all of us, I

think, have to, are.

Priority as owners of

our company is to build

the value of our company.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

And to build that up

whichever way it is.

Mm-hmm.

Whether that's an internal

sell, whether that's a,

generational pass down.

Whether that is a sell for

me, I have many more years.

I come from a family that

works until we die, but,

it's how we define it.

Right.

as female entrepreneurs,

I am such a big believer

in that at times, I.

We are scared to

define it what we want.

We think it's selfish.

we are nurturers

naturally and we want to

think of others first.

But really truly, when we

think for a second step back

and think about what we want

first, it actually benefits

everyone else around us.

Absolutely.

So when we think, okay, what

do I want in my business?

How do I want my

business to operate?

How do I want my

business to serve me?

And my family.

How do I want that?

Do I want to stay

an owner for years?

Okay.

Do I wanna sell?

So for me, that's

how I look at it.

And I'm a big believer and

think 30 years down the road,

think 20 years down the road,

think 10 years down the road.

Mm-hmm.

And think through

what that process is.

For me, I, I actually love to,

right now I'm in the process.

I'm on the other side

of acquiring, which

is a different thing.

Oh wow.

That's different.

Unique.

So that, right.

That's a unique

challenge as well.

Yes.

but I love it.

But those are the things

that you have to look at

long-term planning mm-hmm.

Of where you wanna be.

And I'm a big

believer in that.

So for me, I'm not, my

goal is not to sell.

Mm-hmm.

I have a 15, 20 year plan.

And I'm also, I, don't

think this is not for my

mindset of it, but I do

think it's a pass down or

where we go, but define it.

Right?

Define where you wanna be and

that's a sell in some way.

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

But some things too, so,

I tell business owners

all the time, it's okay

if you just want to

shut the doors one day.

That's OK too.

Mm-hmm.

It's ok.

Yeah.

So what does that look like?

but always our job is to build

the value of the company.

and build the value and

develop that to that point to

whatever your goal is as the

female owner.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

It needs to work

for you for sure.

A hundred percent.

And we, forget that all

the right, and, for me, my

employees are my family.

They are think about

all the families that

I'm responsible for.

Mm-hmm.

And so that's what I

plan to find, but that's

really important to me.

Mm-hmm.

If that's not important

to you, that's okay too.

Mm-hmm.

Like it is.

Okay.

So we just have to think

through, for me, no, I

don't think I sell in 15, 20

years in that plan, but, for

somebody else it's, yeah,

but building your business,

creating value in your

business so that you could,

is the same thing that helps

exactly in the meantime.

So they're not

exactly similar paths.

Even if you end up,

you should be building

the value no matter

what, and you should be

building it for that.

If for some reason you did

decide to do it, or for some

reason something happens

there, but the value of

the company is going to

benefit you either way.

Right?

and it should be serving you.

Perfect.

So, yes, that was my

long, long, long answer.

No,

it was perfect.

So as we wrap up, just

a couple of questions.

Yeah.

One, as we believe in creating

an economy that works for

everyone here, and I'd love

if you have, if 5 0 1 C three

organization or an individual

who's doing great work in

that area that you like to

share with the audience.

Yeah.

So I love.

Multiple organizations

and I'm a big believer

that we as entrepreneurs

should be looking at,

benefiting nonprofits.

Women deliver is one

that I really like.

I'm a big person and I'm

a big believer in making

sure that we give back to

younger generations as well.

And I'm a big believer in.

Building up young girls

in entrepreneurship.

So one thing too, just that

I like to pipe as well,

like I try, I volunteer to

teach a class every once in

a while of, young students

that entrepreneurship isn't

something that they've ever

thought or been taught about

generationally my generation.

Wasn't really taught that

you could work for yourself.

We weren't really taught

that we could pick our path.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

We were not taught that.

And so I like to go in and I

like to teach, young people

that yes, you can pick your

path, especially young women.

You are okay if you wanna

be that c e o, you can start

thinking about that now when

you're 12, and that's okay.

You can start thinking

about it in that sense.

So I'm a big believer in that.

I'm a big believer in

those so nonprofits and as

female entrepreneurs, we

need to be giving back to

nonprofits on the regular.

So, yes, for sure.

Well, we do, we give away

more of our wealth than,

the other gender, so

Yes.

Yes, we do.

And we're very

generous as a gender.

We are generous.

and I think in statistically

we are more generous.

Yes.

And I think.

That is something that is

so important, I think, and

really focus on where we give.

I also huge advocate of think

through the process of where

you wanna give, who do you

wanna give to and what is

important to you to give to.

So anyway, but yeah, I

have so many nonprofits

that we give to, but

that one, yeah.

Well, thank you

for sharing that.

We will have a link to women

deliver on in the show notes.

Yeah.

And so finally,

where can people find

you?

absolutely, and

please do reach out.

So you can go to our website

at mosaic.agency/contact.

That will come directly to,

my email and if you want

us to do a free review,

we'll have a conversation.

no, nothing charged.

I love, I, like I said, I

have a soft spot for helping

people within this and with.

Okay.

If I'm not doing media or

I am doing a little bit

of media, I'm confused.

I don't know what to do.

Reach out.

Send us an email through

that mosaic.agency/contact.

Follow me on LinkedIn,

Maryanne Pruitt, or on

Twitter at Media Maps.

So follow me.

I put out content on the

regular articles, blogs.

I like to be helpful.

Reach out and we're

happy to help.

Fantastic.

That's wonderful.

Again, all that will

be in the show notes.

Thank you again

so much, Marianne.

This was so helpful.

I know it was new for a lot of

us, and so you may be getting

a few contacts from that.

Well, thank you, Erin.

I appreciate you having me

and reach out if you have

any questions or you just

need some guidance, I'm

happy to have a conversation.

Fantastic.