Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Brana.
Hi Amanda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I originally attended Ramapo College of New Jersey as a Business major, but I quickly realized that path was not the right fit for me. I switched to Communications with a concentration in Journalism, which ultimately became the foundation for my career. During that time, I took a course called Writing for the Web, where I was first introduced to Search Engine Optimization. It was a brief introduction focused mostly on keywords and online visibility, but the concept immediately resonated with me.
While taking another writing course, my professor received a request from a startup company called College.com that was looking for writers. I was the only student in the class who applied, and I ended up working remotely for the company for two years while finishing my degree. That opportunity gave me early exposure to digital publishing, online marketing, and the landscape of web-based content.
After graduating, College.com hired me as their Web Manager. In that role, I gained valuable experience in the higher education industry, particularly in lead generation and digital strategy. One conversation during that time would end up changing the course of my career. One of my bosses casually asked me, “You don’t want to work for me forever, do you?” At first, the question caught me off guard and made me nervous. But after reflecting on it, I realized he was right. I did not want to spend my entire career building someone else’s dream without trying to build something of my own.
That night, I went home and spoke with my father, who helped me legally establish HeartGlobe Enterprises. I was only 23 years old and had no clear roadmap yet, but I knew I wanted to create something meaningful to my life.
A few months later, changes began happening at work. Responsibilities started shifting, projects were reassigned, and eventually I was called into a meeting and informed that my contract would not be renewed due to changes in the company’s business direction. I was devastated. I genuinely loved my job.
During that conversation, one of my bosses remembered that I had recently started an LLC and asked what I wanted to do with it. I told him I wanted to continue doing the same type of work I had been doing for them. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone and connected me with a board member from a new school in Florida. That introduction became the first major opportunity for HeartGlobe Enterprises, and from there, everything began to grow.
Over the next several years, my client base expanded rapidly through referrals and results. School after school began reaching out for SEO services with a strong focus on lead generation and enrollment growth. For seven years, higher education lead generation became my niche and specialty. Since then, I have expanded into working with a broader range of industries, but I remain incredibly grateful to the schools and organizations that trusted me early on and continue to work with me today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The beginning was not smooth at all.
After that initial phone call and introduction, things were far from guaranteed. One of the board members I spoke with liked me immediately after our conversation, but there was another board member who needed convincing. We met at a diner in Mahwah, New Jersey. He looked like the kindest teddy bear you could imagine, but he was an incredibly tough businessman. From the moment we sat down, I could tell he was not impressed by me.
He made it very clear that he was not interested in hiring me and only agreed to move forward because the other two board members wanted to give me a chance. One of those board members was my former boss, the same person who had made the original phone call that opened the door for me.
At the time, I was only 23 years old. I did not have years of experience or a long portfolio behind me. I only had the work ethic and skills I had developed during my 11 months at College.com. Walking into that situation was intimidating, and I felt defeated before I had even begun.
It was also my first experience dealing with contracts. I had an agreement drafted by an attorney, but unfortunately there was a major error repeated throughout the document. When I presented it, that tough businessman looked at me and said, “This is not a good start to earning my trust.” He tore the contract apart with edits and revisions. What followed was a full week of difficult negotiations and back-and-forth emails. Every time I saw a new message come through, my heart would race.
Eventually, we finalized the agreement and I got to work. I poured everything I had into that opportunity because I knew I had something to prove.
Three months later, I received an email from that same businessman apologizing for underestimating me and for his lack of faith in the beginning. Not long after, he hired me to manage his company’s website as well. At that point in my career, that felt like one of the greatest compliments I could have received.
Looking back, that experience shaped me in ways I could not have understood at the time. It was one of the hardest professional challenges I have faced in the last 15 years, but it taught me resilience and how to navigate pressure early on. To this day, I often think that if I could earn the trust of someone that tough at 23 years old, I can handle almost anything business throws at me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about HeartGlobe Enterprises, LLC?
HeartGlobe Enterprises is a digital marketing and lead generation agency that helps businesses turn their websites into growth engines. While we provide services such as website design, SEO, content strategy, PPC management, and marketing automation, our real specialty is helping organizations generate qualified leads and measurable business growth.
For the first seven years of my career, I worked almost exclusively with colleges and universities, helping schools increase enrollment through strategic digital marketing. That experience taught me something that still guides our work today: rankings, traffic, and website visits are only valuable if they ultimately contribute to business goals. Because of that, we have always focused on results rather than vanity metrics.
What sets HeartGlobe apart is that we do not believe in one-size-fits-all marketing. Every business has different goals, audiences, and challenges. We take the time to understand how an organization operates before recommending a strategy. Sometimes that means SEO. Sometimes it means website improvements, conversion optimization, email marketing, or a completely different approach. We focus on what will actually move the needle rather than what is trendy.
Over the years, we have expanded beyond higher education and now work with businesses across a variety of industries, including professional services, healthcare, home services, legal, retail, and e-commerce. Many of our clients have been with us for years, which is something I am incredibly proud of. In an industry where agencies often focus on selling the next service, we have built our business on long-term relationships and trust.
Another thing that sets us apart is that we intentionally limit the number of clients we take on at one time. We have never wanted to become an agency that overpromises, overloads itself, and delivers mediocre service. Because of that, there have been periods where we maintained a lengthy waiting list for new clients. We are incredibly grateful that so many businesses have been willing to wait until we had the bandwidth to properly support them. That trust means a great deal to us, and it reflects the type of relationships we strive to build.
From a brand perspective, what I am most proud of is our reputation. HeartGlobe was built through referrals, relationships, and results. We started with one opportunity, one client, and one introduction. Fifteen years later, we continue to grow because our clients know they can rely on us to be honest, responsive, and genuinely invested in their success.
If there is one thing I would want readers to know about HeartGlobe Enterprises, it is that we care deeply about the businesses we work with. We view ourselves as an extension of our clients’ teams, and we celebrate their wins as if they were our own. That mindset has been the foundation of our company since day one.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
One of the most important qualities behind our success is our commitment to customization and honesty. We have never believed in a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. Every business is different, every market is different, and every client has different goals, strengths, and challenges.
Because of that, we do not operate from a fixed roster of packaged services or templated plans. Before we take on a client, we spend extensive time researching their company, their industry, their competitors, and the opportunities available within their market. From there, we build a completely customized strategy tailored to their needs.
Every client we work with has a custom budget, custom objectives, and a custom execution plan behind their campaign. Some clients need aggressive lead generation. Others need brand visibility, website improvements, SEO foundations, or conversion optimization. We build strategies around what will actually benefit the client rather than trying to force businesses into predetermined service packages.
I also believe our business model has contributed greatly to our success. We intentionally keep our overhead low, which allows us to provide high-level strategy and hands-on support without inflated agency pricing. Instead of building a large operation filled with unnecessary layers, we focus on efficiency and direct communication. That allows us to remain accessible while still delivering highly personalized service.
At the end of the day, I think clients appreciate honesty and transparency. We are very upfront about what we believe will work, what may not work, and what kind of timeline or investment is realistic. That level of trust and customization has been a major reason why so much of our business has come through referrals and long-term relationships over the last 15 years. For a small marketing agency, we have very low client turnover.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heartglobeenterprises.com/
