Exploring Life & Business with Mallory Musante

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallory Musante. 

Hi Mallory, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually started my entrepreneurial journey while in college at Bryant University. I finished my senior year doing an independent study where I created a business plan for my hand-painted shoe design company so I could jump right into business as soon as a graduated. 

While this business was successful in its own ways and taught me a lot, I realized it wasn’t quite the right fit so in true entrepreneurial fashion I pivoted into a whole new company. 

I also had a job while running these ventures working in social media for a boutique PR firm. While working for this agency, it became clear layoffs were on the horizon so my co-worker and I decided to protect ourselves the best we could. After job searching for a while, we realized protecting ourselves meant that we need to go off on our own and my third company was born, a social media and design agency. This one allowed me to become self-employed full time and I’ve been working in the marketing industry since. 

My business partner and I parted ways last year and I am now working as a marketing strategist and business consultant for small business owners on my own. I help them create impactful connections through strategic marketing. 

I’m also the co-founder of Bright Beta Co. with fellow Raleigh resident, Amber Share. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! There have been so many ups and downs and massive learning curves. 

I once received a cease and desist from a major retailer over the brand name I was using for my first company so I had to quickly pivot and change the name in the matter of weeks (which ended up being a good thing in the long run!) but it really threw me off at the time. 

There have been plenty of feast or famine months which made it difficult to plan ahead and grow the company while also being really stressful personally. 

My previous business partner and I weren’t always on the same page for the future of the company which in part, led us to going our separate ways. 

I’m sure there are plenty more challenges I’ve faced but these are the ones that always stick out in my mind when I’m asked this. It’s probably because it was so overwhelming at the time but I also now know that it all ended up even better in the end. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Mallory Musante. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I help small business owners create impactful connections through strategic marketing. My favorite thing about small business owners is that they are scrappy and creative. They make things happen no matter what. 

But that often means they’re never quite getting out of the trenches so they’re not sure if their marketing is effective or where they may have gaps that need to be filled. 

That’s where I come into play. I help them pull away from the day-to-day to get a high-level view of their business so we can craft a comprehensive marketing strategy. One that not only makes an impact on their bottom line but one that also aligns with their vision for their life. Because business is supposed to support your life, not be your life. 

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I actually never really thought of myself as a risk-taker until recently and I still think I’m pretty calculated on the risks I do take. I have a mental checklist I subconsciously go through to see if it’s worth it and what I actually want. Usually at the top of that list is the question, even if this doesn’t work out will I be happier than I am now? 

At the end of 2020, I decided it was time to walk away from the company I had spent the last 5 years building and the one that was the largest percentage of my income. I hadn’t been happy or fulfilled by the business for a couple of years but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why and it was scary to want to leave my main source of income. However, the discomfort of continuing on that particular path became too much and I knew I need to make a change. 

This is where my mental checklist came into play. I started to run through my options and how each scenario may potentially play out. I like to be overly prepared for all possibilities as much as I possibly can. 

Even though I didn’t have a set plan, running through the scenarios and getting comfortable with the possibilities helped me realize that I trusted myself that this was the right decision and it was time to take the leap. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mallorymusante.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallorymusante/