I understand small business marketing needs, because I am a small business owner, too. I started a business from scratch and built it into a nationally recognized organization. How did I do it? It started small, with a simple blog. I was a new mother, having just left the corporate world after a successful career in financial services and marketing to stay at home full time with my young daughter.
It started as a spark of an idea for a non-profit corporation, Shining Strong, Inc., that could reach out to others struggling with addiction. As a grateful recovering alcoholic myself, I knew first-hand how lonely addiction and early sobriety could be. So, I decided to write about my own journey on the blog One Crafty Mother. I didn’t think anyone would read it, but I found that the simple act of writing helped me, so I continued. Facebook came onto the scene about this time, so I started sharing my posts with others. It didn’t take long for the word to spread, and my readership grew. About the same time, I started a jewelry business, designing and crafting jewelry from a home workshop. I starting marketing my jewelry on the blog, and found that people wanted to buy my jewelry because through the blog they got to know me and the passion I had for my cause. Within a matter of months, my online jewelry business was booming and my blog was receiving national attention. A producer from The Oprah Winfrey Show stumbled across one of my articles and asked me to be a guest on the show to talk about the pain of addiction and the hope recovery can bring. The blog evolved into two more websites and a podcast, The Bubble Hour, that has over 1 million total downloads. All of this was achieved through the power of branding, content and social media marketing. One of the best parts? I spent next to nothing on marketing. No fancy internal software platforms or expensive lead generation systems needed. These days, my passion is to help other entrepreneurs, small businesses, mompreneurs or just a person with the spark of an idea they want to see grow, achieve similar success. I know what it’s like to have a great idea, but not know how to get the word out. I understand the long hours and dedication it takes to build and manage your business. Most small business owners don’t have the time, budget or expertise to focus on marketing, but in the online world it is essential to have an internet presence. This is my passion: helping small business and communities grow and thrive through the power of marketing, branding and social media. More About Ellie:
After graduating from Dartmouth College, Ellie began her career in business administration, operations and marketing in the financial services and insurance industries. After over fifteen years working for large corporations, she decided to work from home after the birth of her first child. In 2010 she founded Shining Strong, Inc., a non-profit corporation that helps people struggling with addiction and in early recovery. She is the creator and author of the nationally recognized blog, One Crafty Mother. She also created the successful blog Crying Out Now, where women told their stories of addiction and recovery and offer each other support through a vibrant and compassionate community. In 2012 she founded the successful podcast The Bubble Hour, which continues to get over 1,000 downloads per day. She was Co-Host and Producer of this show for over three years before handing the reins over to her capable co-host, Jean. She is the author of the novel Let Me Get This Straight, which chronicles her alcoholism and recovery journey, her battle with cancer, and the everyday trials and joys of life as a divorced Mom with two kids. Ellie’s open and honest writing about alcoholism and recovery led to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show and interviews in USA TODAY and Redbook Magazine. Her Blog was nominated as a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2011 and was named one of the Top Ten Inspirational Bloggers by SheKnows in November 2012. In November of 2011, Ellie was diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer. After chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and surgery, she was declared to be in full remission in April 2012. She lives outside of Boston with her boyfriend Steve, her two teenage children, her dog Maggie, her cat Gus and a hedgehog named Charlotte.
