My name is Mari Anne Snow and I’m a bit of an “accidental” entrepreneur. Up until three and a half years ago, I was a senior executive in the hardcore “corporate world” of finance. My transition lever, as with many professionals today, was the economic downturn. Luckily for me, this experience liberated me.
What did you do for work in your last full time/part time job?
I’ve always been an “intrapreneur” – a corporate executive with an entrepreneur’s mentality. I deliberately choose jobs with companies undergoing big, radical changes – mergers/acquisitions, IPOs, explosive growth, new product development, turnarounds.
Chaos suits me.
I change disciplines, industries and responsibilities easily as I see the connections between things. Early on in my career, I developed the ability to apply my skill sets successfully to whatever context presented itself. I have a reputation as a “troubleshooter”, a problem-solver and a risk-taker. When tough, interesting projects present themselves – I get psyched to take the assignment. Ironically, it’s this adventurous need to try new stuff that set me on an entrepreneurial path.
What are you doing now?
I launched my own firm – SophiaThink – in 2009. We’re a digital strategy consulting company. We work with clients to help them effectively integrate digital tools (e.g. mobile, cloud, social media, SEO, SEM, etc) to help them achieve or exceed their business goals. There is so much cool, new stuff out there these days and everyone is totally confused. Also, lots of people are worried they have to do everything – they get overwhelmed and execute poorly. We add a rational, mature, educated voice to the strategic planning process so business people get exactly what they need to meet their specific business objectives. We also do workshops, executive coaching and speaking.
And just to make things interesting (because I am who I am) – I just started working as COO for a friend of mine, Kipp Bradford. We are launching his start-up – kippkitts. This is a big shift for me as kippkitts is engineering and product design. We create unique mechanical and electronic products/project kits for higher education, the maker/DIY community and as a supplement to corporate R&D departments.
Yes, go ahead and say it, this probably seems like a totally different direction – confusing, huh?
For many people it might be, but it seemed like a perfect fit for me! I get to use my corporate business experience, my problem-solving skills, my international network – even my digital business background comes into the picture for the eCommerce side of kippkitts. I know how to budget, manage people/projects/money, create business infrastructure, plus run an effective Kickstarter campaign AND create brand presence online….a real plus in my new role. On top of all this, I get to learn new things and hang with some really smart, fun people.
How many different things do you do to make a living? Tell us about them.
Wow, let’s see. I’m currently CEO of SophiaThink, COO of kippkitts, an adjunct professor of digital business at Bentley and Suffolk Universities plus co-host of Positive Business AM790 (a weekly radio program based out of Providence, RI). Seems like a lot, I know, but I prefer being busy. I don’t sleep much – I never have. Also, not owning a television and having a very tolerant husband helps, lol.
Are you passionate about what you do?
DEFINITELY. I am not interested in life without passion. Its part of my DNA and it’s what keep me going. Ask anyone who knows me; I’ve never been moderate about anything in my life. I get excited about things; I like to really participate in life. I think this is connected to the fact that I am a very curious person.
I always want to learn new things, figure things out – so I ask a lot of questions and listen to everything that is going on around me. That’s what makes it fun for me.
What pushed you to stop working for other people?
It wasn’t a push so much as it was a calculated risk. The economic situation was pretty tricky in 2009 and companies weren’t hiring. I wasn’t interested in just hanging around until companies started hiring again. Also, there were really exciting things happening in digital technology and I had the privilege of living in a geographic area where there was a lot going on (technically speaking). Social media was just gaining momentum and I saw the changes as my opportunity to leverage my knowledge in this area.
I had started a small business right after I graduated from college and I had an inkling of what it would take to be out on my own. In my favor, I’ve got a focused work ethic and a lot of energy so it seemed reasonable to invest in myself. Also, I’m pretty decisive and very self-directed (I am the oldest of five children so I am used to being the leader of the pack so to speak) so making decisions and functioning independently comes naturally. I was also fortunate enough to have lots of amazing people willing to share their experiences and give me advice. There is a great deal of kindness in the world – I feel pretty grateful to have such an available, engaged network willing to support me.
As for working for other people – I still do. But now those people are my clients, my students and my strategic partners. It just means I am now totally responsible for my approach to my stakeholders and my strategy for growing my business. There is no large system to hide slow sales periods. If I don’t make money, I have to look in the mirror….and if I don’t have business; I have to get creative to fill my pipeline (easier said than done sometimes!). I am very grateful for my corporate work experience – it provided financial stability for my family for a long time. Everything has its pros and cons; of course, I certainly didn’t love every minute of every job, nor did I love every manager. But that’s not the point. I learned something from every one of them and I grew my skills – that’s what matters to me and that’s what I keep with me always.
When you stopped working for other people describe how you felt.
Terrified. I still am some days.
I recently read a blog post written by a serial entrepreneur who charted his moods during his last start-up. It looked like a very frightening roller coaster – a real study in extremes. That’s a great metaphor for my life – very frightening, exciting, energizing and exhausting. It doesn’t help much to dwell on the day-to-day mood swings. If you do, its paralyzing, you can’t get anything done. So you must learn to operate on two levels – acknowledge the ups and downs, but stay focused on your larger plan. Also, maintaining a good sense of humor helps – this life requires you to manage your energy so you can fire on all cylinders when needed. I tend to think of the ups and downs as data points that help me correct my course when necessary. I’ve developed the ability to maintain a certain objectivity under stress – even when I am sad or disappointed, I can still analyze the situation without emotion, take action (then I process the disappointment later when I am by myself).
The other thing I noticed – when you work for a company, there is a lot of unnecessary “busy work”. Meetings, paperwork, politics, overly complicated work-processes – I don’t miss them. I remember my first few months as an entrepreneur; things moved forward quickly with half the effort. I’d make decisions, do whatever was necessary to implement my decision and things got done. It seemed way too easy and I was confused. Then it occurred to me I didn’t have to jump through the hoops necessary to get the tedious corporate “buy-in” that had become an unconscious part of my strategic thinking. When you are an entrepreneur no one is particularly interested in your day-to-day activities (except maybe your partners or investors) whereas corporate roles require you to “announce” your accomplishments as proof of your corporate worth. There is a lot of micro-management with bosses watching over your shoulder so they can exert control or assure themselves you are doing your job to their satisfaction. This always seemed artificial to me – it also encourages individuals to declare victory when none has been achieved. I don’t miss that at all.
What are people’s reactions to your choice to go out on your own?
It sort of depends on their personal orientation. I’ve had people who express a certain wistfulness – “You are so lucky”, a lot of confusion – “what exactly do you do?”
I found that some old colleagues appear a bit afraid to interact with me – as if I have a strange disease they are worried they will catch – but that’s the exception, not the rule.
Sophi’s note: I completely relate to that- I lost a few old colleagues nearly immediately after I stopped working full time. Some of my old coworkers were confused by my decision to quit my career trajectory. It was as though they felt that by associating with me, it would show the world that they too, were blowing off the “employee” label, which is anti-kool-aid drinking thinking.
Do people ask you questions about what it’s like to be an entreprenuer?
I get lots and lots and lots of requests for advice. I speak with an average of three/four people a month who are struggling with their career choices and just want to talk to someone about it. This always surprises me and makes me a bit uncomfortable as I feel I haven’t really figured things out yet – who am I to give advice? Ironically, my LinkedIn profile gets lots of scrutiny – my professional network is fascinated and wants to see what I get up to next – I’m like a little reality TV show for them, I guess. Every time I do an update, I get a mass of emails showing support, asking for details and generally cheering me on…that’s very gratifying and a little humbling.
How do you support yourself financially? Specifically what kind of work pays the bills?
Everything I do generates some sort of revenue stream or is tied to business value in some way. Everything cycles – so I never know from whence the next revenue will come. Teaching is pretty predictable; consulting is consulting, it comes when it comes; kippkitts is just getting off the ground, so its dependent on our incoming revenue/funding and the radio show is more a labor of love, not much revenue, but lots of exposure.
Do you consider yourself financially stable or not?
Yes, I am financially stable. SophiaThink actually made a profit last year, albeit a small one in comparison to my previous earnings. There was a definite change when I moved from a predictable corporate paycheck to an entrepreneur’s income. I’m pretty fortunate to have an amazing husband, who supports my activities; somewhat financially, but definitely emotionally. Luckily, we have a long history of supporting each other. Earlier in his career, he made a very risky change, moving out of the corporate world into managing non-profits. I supported him during that adventure and he is supporting me during mine.
Do you have health insurance and if so, who pays for it?
I have health insurance through my husband’s work plan. While the premium cost comes out of his paycheck, we have a joint household income so essentially we both pay for it.
How much time do you spend looking for new business? How do you look for new work?
I’m always looking for new business. That’s sort of a given. When you are starting a company, are self-employed or in a start-up; finding new business is essential to your survival so looking for business can never stop. It has to become part of your psyche so you are comfortable with this role.
As I am a digital practitioner, this includes my work online with tools like LinkedIn, twitter and my blog. I run google alerts, contribute to discussion groups and track trending topics. I stay close to my network with status updates, re-tweets and monitoring my google and LinkedIn newsfeeds.
I keep my eye out for items/content that will interest my network and I share it. I will also use new information and upcoming events to re-engage with connections I haven’t seen in a while. I speak at conferences, do webinars, workshops and participate in business panels whenever I can. I’m connected with several industry networking groups and I stay active; attending events and supporting other members.
I work with a lot of strategic partners – I hire them, they hire me. So we refer each other whenever we can. In addition, I am working on my first book that I hope to publish as an eBook before the end of the year.
How do you feel about the choice you made to leave the corporate world?
Given what I know today, I wouldn’t change my choices. I might structure things differently but only if I could go back knowing what I know now. But I try not to look back too much as I think it’s such a waste of time. Don’t get me wrong, I value the learning and the lessons; those things I keep with me always. But wishing for a “re-do” won’t change anything; so what’s the point? Also, I’m a different person now so I wouldn’t be satisfied with that previous situation anymore. That door is closed so why dwell. I like looking forward. Plus I know that I have the power to change things if I don’t like my current situation. Looking forward is so much more energizing. It’s full of possibility – and I’ll bet on possibility anytime.
See more about what Mari Snow is working on at SophiaThink and kippkitts, LLC