Hera Hub is excited to share Startup Stories of our members. We periodically interview incredible business women from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Our goal is to share our members’ wonderful stories with the public.
Rebecca Tall-Brown is an Expert Marketing Strategist who loves nothing more than giving businesses new opportunities with new marketing approaches. She co-founded Office of Awesome with her partner, Leah Prehn. Armed with over two decades of strategy-building experience with independent entrepreneurs, tech startups, and major automotive companies plus an MBA and BS in Marketing, she’s got the street cred to develop your brand into it’s highest potential. She approaches each project with pragmatic, well-thought-out, and personalized marketing, with a healthy dose of awesome, of course.
Rebecca has been a member of Hera Hub Mission Valley for five years.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
I was raised in a family business and fell into the marketing role because of it’s impact and centrality to the entire company’s success. I realized that most businesses don’t have someone internally to specialize in marketing or help them consciously develop their brand and because of that, there can be a disproportionate amount of wasted resources (not to mention an ineffective use of a brand). Think of all the junk mail that COULD be something impactful, if the company was just a little more thoughtful. Think of all of the crummy radio and TV commercials that could change the world, if they were just coming from companies who have their values in the right place. It struck me and propelled me into this field.
Who are your clients and what do you do for them?
Our clients come in all sizes and from all industries, but the one thing they have in common is that they are awesome. We define “awesome” as doing great work, with a drive to improve the world, their industry, and better serve their customers. Our clients each have a track-record of incredible work and are on the brink of greatness, but needed help getting there. We help them figure out where their brand is headed. Whether it’s a profound product created by an NBA, MLB, or Olympic athlete, a cutting-edge tech security company looking to up-end the way hackers operate and secure funding in the process, a serial entrepreneur who is ready to launch a service to an underserved market, an independent school looking to lead via the arts and their incredible faculty… the list goes on and on. Our clients come to us when they’re so busy doing the great work that they’re not showcasing the brilliance within, missing opportunities for growth, funding, new revenue streams, or simply getting known for the great work they do.
What are your business’ values? How do they align with your personal values?
I value meaningful work and impact. In order for work to be meaningful and have an impact, the cost is that it can be very hard work. And it is going to feel like hard work. People have a weird reaction that if something feels hard, it means you’re doing it wrong. That’s not true. You have to find a way to savor the hard work. You have to find a way to savor where you are now. The effort builds muscles and the hard work of preparing markets, engaging multiple stakeholders as well as your own team to continue through no matter what, is all hard – but it’s the price you pay for incredibly meaningful impact. That’s the challenge I signed up for. Over and over again, my team makes the trades personal convenience for doing what’s right – whether that means redoing a project or connecting with a client just because.
How/Why did you choose your business name?
I met my business partner, Leah, also a Hub member, through a series of blunder-filled freelance projects. After working together informally for a few years, she said, “I just want to build an office of awesome people – where we work with people who are incredible and help clients be the best.” Thus the Office of Awesome was born.
What do you love most about your work?
Changing the cheap throw-away nature of marketing into the powerhouse of future build that changes lives. Communication from an organization has incredible power when done well. With the digital age, marketing became cheap and was once relegated to throw-away activities, but done correctly and thoughtfully and with strategy, it can also absolutely connect to the right person, at the right time, and improve their world, and the company’s world. I love that my work changes lives, is working on improving the planet, and how companies and individuals… especially in a field that historically has lacked merit.
What is the biggest challenge in running your own business?
Nearly a decade in, it’s making the work I love a priority when there are other important things to be done that compete with the core work time of building strategies. Some people grow a company, so they don’t have to work… that’s not me. I just want to keep doing the good work, more of it, for more amazing clients. Running a business chips away at the time I’m able to do what I love really – so I’m always fighting to preserve that time.
What are your/your business’ goals for the future?
It’s pretty simple – to increase the number of Brand Architectures we do – and to do more Brand Breakthroughs for incredible up-and-coming clients who aren’t quite ready to fully hit the accelerator, but want to move in the direction. More awesome work for increasingly awesome clients. The more of that type of work I have on my plate, the happier I am. The more awesome businesses I’m able to connect with and help build, the more the world turns in a positive direction.
What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur?
Do the work. Whatever it takes and even if you do the work for free or a ridiculously reduced rate. And be prepared to do the work that way for years. The only way to combat insecurity, inexperience, imposter-complex is to do the work. Be hungry to work. Be humble and grateful for every little project, every referral, every proposal – even if they don’t sign. Each of these is simply calisthenics in preparing you for the eternal marathon that is running your own business. Times by TEN how long you think it’ll take to get where you want to go, and what you want to be done. I thought it would take eight months – it took eight years. Do whatever you need to do to be patient and hone your work – and sometimes that can even mean picking up a full-time or part-time job to fund your work.
