“The Riches is in the Niches” – Mobile Mary
What’s the name of your business?
Another Brilliant Idea, Inc
Do you have a passion for this?
Yes!. I have always had a passion for technology and helping people share what they do with the world creatively.
How did your passion begin?
My first job out of college was in the Marketing Department at Beckman Instruments. They were using a printing press system (Rubylith film) for their monthly newsletter and paying $10,000 a month to produce it. I offered to bring in our little home Mac+ computer, and produced it for them using software called Pagemaker and the process was 99% more cost-effective as well as efficient. That experience led me to the United Way as a Loaned Executive, where I focused on fundraising, marketing, and event planning. One of the companies was impressed with how I helped raise more money for the United Way and how I used technology and unique marketing tactics and asked if I was willing to consult for them on a big project! And that’s how my company was born; when TRW Credit hired me in December of 1988! TRW’s executives told me that I was really effective as a marketing motivator which gave me encouragement to continue offering my services after that project was complete! These experiences drew me to my passion of using technology to streamline communications and connect with customers more effectively.
What year did you start your business?
I started working for myself in 1988 under Alexander Barnett Communications with an $8000 purchase order from TRW for event planning, marketing and promotions; which I continued to provide for large corporations and SMBs for years. When decided to focus solely on digital, social and digital marketing technologies, we rebranded under Another Brilliant Idea, Inc. because everyone NEEDS another brilliant idea.
What have been your biggest struggles?
Sticking to one niche has always been my biggest struggle, as I want to help everyone. But wise people have always said that the riches are in the niches! Today my business focuses mostly on Mobile and Social Marketing for Restaurants, but for many years I would take on any account that asked for help; from Corporations to the Military, to Schools, Cities, Restaurants and Retails Stores. That was actually a mistake and affected us financially because I was constantly trying to reinvent the wheel and learn new industries. When we evaluated all our accounts overall last year, we realized that we have the biggest impact on restaurants. So by focusing on helping restaurants, not only can we increase their profits, it brings together my love for people, food, and celebration…so it just seems natural.
What has been your biggest accomplishment?
I created the first national mobile messaging campaign for Kawasaki Motors U.S.A. and drove over 93,000 new customers to their 1500 dealerships nationwide in the summer of 2009. I loved it because it was new, innovative and in the end, the risk paid off! The client trusted me and my team helped me build our robust software platform, called BrilliantMobile Messaging, to solve the client’s need to increase dealer sales. Every time their agencies told me that something couldn’t be done, we’d figured out how to do it! It was an exciting way to launch head first into Mobile and Social Marketing, and I haven’t looked back!
As a small business owner what’s your advice for motivation?
When someone tells me I can’t do something, I think back to my childhood as the baby of six kids, and think to myself “You’re NOT the boss of me! I CAN do it.” I like to prove to myself that we can come up with a new way to do something, find a solution to a problem or give our clients Another Brilliant Idea.
How do you budget your resources amongst advertising for yourself?
Word of Mouth and Referrals/Testimonials have provided the highest return on my time, as I believe strongly in relationships. When someone Knows/Likes/Trusts you, they want to work with you! When I do a good job for someone, they are excited refer me. To me, that is the best advertising. I also use our own tools, and send emails and text messages with permission, and of course, use our own social media strategies with live-streaming, ads and chatbots.
What’s your best form of advertising that you use to promote your business?
Business and personal relationships and Joint Ventures
What’s your favorite social media platform?
I mostly engage on Facebook with pages and groups to communicate with existing clients. I have a presence on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, SnapChat and TikTok, but I am particularly excited about livestreaming, as I’ve been doing live tutorials weekly for a couple years on Facebook, but I will be launching a new simulcast show on YouTube, Facebook, Roku, Firestick, AppleTV, Android, and SmartTV, and can help others that want to do the same thing!
Does your passion ever burn out?
Not really. I think its because i’m insatiably curious!
Do you have a quote or bible verse that you live by?
To much is given, much is required – Luke 12:48
We all have been given so many amazing gifts and opportunities, and it is our honor and purpose to offer our expertise to the world, as we are the answer to someone’s prayer!
What are your future goals for your company?
Market our SaaS (software as a solution) to Restaurants specifically, so we can help more of them be successful and profitable! Our software is called Brilliant Mobile Messaging. We set up mobile campaigns for our clients and drive more customers to their stores, starting at only $47 month. We provide graphics for in-store and social promotions, set-up 6 months of automated messaging, and it’s only a month to month contract. We pick up the phone when they call and take really good care of them! I know that once our clients see our results, they will continue to use our services!
What’s been your biggest regret in business?
Not focusing on one niche and building a team sooner.
What advice would you give to somebody who has a passion to start their business?
Go work for someone in your chosen industry or niche, and be the best employee of all time.
Bless their business, don’t steal or copy what they do, just learn and be asset to them. Then they will help you when you are ready to step out on your own.
How many years have you been in business?
32 years and Im only 33 (wink wink) 🙂
(if you made it this far in the interview, pause for the intended laugh)
How many years were good years and how many years did you struggle?
50:50…you just need to hang in there, continue to serve, and your reputation will guarantee your success!
Do you have a big networking group?
Yes, many! I am constantly going to conferences and meeting new people. It has always been my most effective way to grow our business. Connect with others, serve them, refer them business and it will always come back to bless you.
What organizations are you involved in?
AMA
NAWBO
WBENC
Local Chamber of Commerce
Does the small business administration or Chamber of Commerce really help?
Yes, but only if you take the time to build relationships with the members, and give back.
If you could write a law to help small business owners what would it be?
PLEASE STOP taxes & regulations, or at least limit them to reasonable amount!
Did AB15 affect you?
Yes, some of my contractors had to re-establish themselves as vendors..
What do you think the future is for social media?
It will only grow, but we need to act as humans speaking to other humans Socially. Think of it as a party. If you are on LinkedIn, its a networking party like a Trade-show. If you are on Twitter, it’s a Cocktail Party, with short and shallow conversations. Then Facebook is a Family Reunion. So be conversational if you want to turn those Connections into Conversions! My biggest suggestion is to have a call-to-action that gets people OFFLINE too, so you can OWN your own list of Mobile numbers and Email addresses, so you control your own messaging.
The next big thing is Chatbots, it’s like having an AI Assistant, one that never gets sick or takes a day off. They are really brilliant!
How do you manage your small business as a mom?
Since we are both a husband/wife team and business partners, we have always tagged team with the kids so we can be there for them and work together to benefit our family and our business. I’m blessed that we do so much together!
Do you feel like you’ve always been treated fairly as a woman in business?
I’ve never thought of myself as a girl, as I’ve always been more of a tomboy who had mostly guy friends growing up. So I never went in to business with a ‘less than’ mentality. But there was one awkward situation I remember, after I hired my husband during the 2nd year in Business. We had a problem with a hotel vendor and he refused to talk with me, he just kept calling me “little missy” and would only speak to “the man in the business” to negotiate a refund for a client. When Steve got on the phone, the vendor treated him with respect and asked him, “How can I help you solve this problem, sir?” and Steve replied with, “Do whatever my wife says. She owns the company.” I got back on the phone and we were able to get a $30,000 refund for our client!
Do women benefit from being a woman owned business?
Nowadays yes, with certifications from organizations like WBENC, but you only get what you put into it. They will open the door for a woman, but women have to walk through that door and present a superior product or service to win that contract.
How do you make your customers feel special?
I consider them friends and treat them as such.
What’s your rate of retention on your customers?
When we first began, I was able to serve an aerospace client for 19 straight years! Our subscription software service has now increased our average retention rate to 2-10 yrs. As long as you make a client profitable, they will never leave!
How do you determine if you should work with a client or not what are your red flags?
Based on an initial conversation, I can sense if someone is a prickly pear, so if they are, we will put them on pilot program, which gives us both an easy way out. Some people will be never be satisfied and they confront every idea with “prove it.” Team players are my favorite clients, as we are both working together on their success.
How many people work in your company?
5
Do you own a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation?
We are an S corp.
Is there anything you are doing during the current state of affairs to help out your community?
Yes, we are launching a special program for our local Corona Restaurants only. We are going to give them our service FOR FREE for the next 60 days. We want them to be able to easily collect a list of mobile numbers so they can use our tool to reach their customers at home to remind them to visit their drive-thru, pick-up their food, or use their delivery service…as I’m sure all the dining rooms will be closed soon. I am really sensitive to the fact that some will think this is opportunistic, so that’s why we’ve made this NO STRINGS ATTACHED. We won’t take their money and they can have their list of mobile numbers at the end of the 60 days, if they choose to stop the service. (see graphic below)
What’s the best way to contact you?
She sang “call me, beep me, anytime you reach me ”
You can call or text our office* line: 951-898-3727 or email Mary@AnotherBrilliantIdea.com or DM me on Social, most of my platforms are @MobileMary or @TheMobileMary*We can activate a landline office number or toll-free number to not only take calls but also send/receive text messages, which is a great customer service tool! Just another Brilliant Idea!
*mention this interview and share the love.
