Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Crenshaw.
Hi Sheila, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Strive Consulting and Marketing Solutions began with a vision of combining leadership in business evolution and expansion to create a synergy between customer touchpoints, ideation, and leveraging marketing practices.
Working in healthcare, with therapists, trainers, and surgeons, I began to see a niche in connecting the pieces of marketing practices to internal process systems where breakdowns seem to occur. In 2016, at 40 and working full time, I completed my BA in Communications through the UT Online Consortium. During that time, I began a triathlon career, spent several years on the board of one of the largest triathlon clubs in Texas, and raced with several triathlon teams. What does this have to do with entrepreneurship? Everything! I learned much about myself and nurtured the courage and tenacity that had laid dormant to reach for my dreams.
After launching several highly successful campaigns for an adult elite athletic program and a new procedure for a bariatric surgeon, the time had arrived to take my own path. With my status in the health & fitness community and the requests of multiple businesses to lead their teams, my business plan was put to paper. Strive launched in March 2019! The support and leads were overwhelming, with an expanding client list until the pandemic of 2020. Elective surgeries and athletic events were canceled. Thus, my large clients had to scale back. During this time, I took the leap of faith to leave Houston and move to Round Rock to be with my fiancée. Only through God’s guidance and his support did I manage to keep a small but steady stream of clients. As luck would have it, my fiancée is a graphic designer, a lean Six Sigma Greenbelt, and now a key contributor to the agency! Eventually, my former clients returned, referrals from a variety of industries increased, and I am looking to expand my agency in 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As many entrepreneurs and small business owners will attest, the road is rarely smooth, although some turns have more potholes than others. Financially speaking, I started with adequate capital to operate for a year, even without one client. After that had run its course, I would rethink my life strategy! Once the pandemic shutdown was in full swing exactly one year into building the agency, the road indeed became very bumpy at times. From a leadership standpoint, regrettably, I experience male chauvinism in being treated as an assistant, rather than a respected expert in the field. With dignity and grace, I learned how to set myself up as such to ensure the right client dynamic for mutual success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Strive Consulting and Marketing Solutions began with a vision of combining leadership in business evolution and expansion to create a synergy between customer touchpoints, ideation, and leveraging marketing practices.
Many times, new or small business owners presume they need marketing when they also need simple business structure foundations and processes consulting.
We, of course, offer full marketing services: website building & development, logo, graphic design, SEO, and PPC services.
A website makes a great brand presentation, a complete SEO with PPC digital advertising plans all increase visibility and sales traffic. We offer all of these services from start-up to auditing and reworking as needed. Yet, clients tend to ask for advice on ancillary needs or simple operational processes! The customer path from the introduction of a business to the end experience must match up or all of the brilliant marketing falls short. From here, we specialize in process improvement (email automation, answering services) to brand education (blogs, newsletters) and upgrading technology (electronic health records, transactional or telehealth services).
We offer a complete package or one service as needed; however, by keeping to one agency, a business gains continuity and saves time by not having to teach new vendors about their business repeatedly, not to mention a lower overall cost.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
To be a marketing agency is to be a learning machine! I’d say the training courses offered by Meta, Google, LinkedIn Learning, and Adobe for us are the keystones for keeping an edge. Each offers apps, podcasts, community knowledge sharing/inspiring, and regular publications rife with information.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.striveconsultmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/striveconsultmarketing/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/striveconsultmarketing
Image Credits
Digital Knight Productions Strive Consulting & Marketing Solutions
Ironman 70.3
Waco Finisher Pix
Houston Racing Triathlon Club
