Page 3: A Month With Joy, For The Gals
THE FOUNDER FILES
Page 5: Maggie Nielsen, MBA
FEBRUARY PUZZLE
Page 8: Jigsaw Puzzle (New Business CRM Starter Kit)
Page 9: Answer
Page 11
Page 13: Upcoming Client & Marove Events
A MONTH WITH JOY, FOR THE GALS
With everything that’s been unfolding with [insert any number of headlines about the current administration] these past few weeks, I’m guessing that you, too, might feel like the world is slipping out from under your feet?? …Sigh.
I’ve taken inspiration from something one of my new role models, Heather Cox Richardson (a national treasure who writes a pithy daily newsletter Letters From An American), recently said in an interview. She describes the power of living with joy in your community as a form of resistance, that it shows an authoritarian that they have no place to take root because “you need despair and anger in order for authoritarians to rise.”
So despite the federal administration’s best efforts to erase women and other marginalized communities from the narrative these past few weeks, it was a strong month for the gals at Marove Agency.
I kicked things off by joining the board of WIFS Portland Metro (Women in Insurance & Financial Services) as a co-chair of the marketing committee. I had joined this networking group a few months ago because the vibes were really good and they hosted some very well-organized events. I can now confirm this vibe takes root at source; their leadership team is compassionate, fun, and highly efficient. And, we have the same ideas about holidaythemed outfits which I discovered at their professional Galentine’s Day event last week.
Professional Galentine’s Day with WIFS!
by Madelyn Veith, Founder
Then, I hosted my first networking event (!!) at my coworking space for members of the Women to Women Network. Their Connect After Hours format carves out time for connecting beyond standard networking; we talked as a group about everything from marketing pain points to managing an opera house to the fatigue that comes with constantly butting up against the glass ceiling.
Connect After Hours with the Women to Women Network!
I hope you can soak up some of the joy from these pictures and rest easy knowing that the women of Portland are out there doing the work to connect and build each other up.
MAggIE NIELSEN, MBA
ThE FOUNDER FILES
Maggie Nielsen is one half of the mother-daughter founding team of Purse Strings, an online directory of trusted financial professionals that focuses on serving a female market (similar to Angie’s list) Beyond helping women build a custom team of financial professionals, their mission is to help women become financially fearless through a range of resources and guides.
Maggie’s mom, Dr Barb, had her own consulting business prior to partnering with Maggie to officially launch Purse Strings in 2020. They have a podcast called Women & Money: The Shit We Don’t Talk About.
Maggie got her MBA from Loyola Chicago and now lives in Kansas City. When she isn’t working, she likes to pick up a new craft or party trick (this year, she’s learning to walk on her hands!).
What made you decide to get into the world of finance?
Originally I was a notetaker for my mom, so I started seeing the data of how underserved women are and that the financial industry won the award for being the industry least sympathetic to women I also heard from some focus groups of women saying their financial professionals would barely even look at them in their meetings, which really struck me because they’re talking to someone they’ll potentially give their life savings to but who won’t even look at them. Once I realized that certain conversations were just not happening, I knew it was something I wanted to jump in on.
How did you and your mom decide to team up?
This was something that she started while I was living with her and going to community college. She asked me to take some notes and we held some focus groups together, so it was just us two at the kitchen table and things just started happening. Then covid hit and I finished up my masters, so the timing just seemed right to jump in full time with her. Later, we also realized how complimentary our skillsets are - I had studied information systems, and she’s good at designing educational content so it all came together really well.
What do you find to be the most rewarding part of the work you do?
Helping these women get off the mark. Whatever the action they took, it’s great to know that the services we provide help with things like feeling more supported in leaving their marriage, have their estate plan so everything’s in line, start planning for retirement The exciting part is knowing they’re one step closer to that with the work that we did.
How did you build up your roster of financial professionals?
We started with no one so we gifted 20 memberships to our directory, then hired a sales coach. We did a lot of networking and talked to a lot - a lot - of people. Eventually, we honed the messaging and now we’re able to talk to bigger companies now. It was definitely tough at first - no one wanted to totally jump in because we didn’t yet have the numbers to prove our credibility, so it felt like a ton of no’s. But, now we’re in year 5 people are coming back around, so it’s a good reminder to stick with it and just keep putting in the reps.
What came first: Your client list of women seeking financial help, or the directory of financial professionals?
We started building communities of women first from 2018-2020, and we used the “Tupperware model” to bring our financial education to communities of women we knew. The professionals followed right behind that because that was the second part of our business model we were looking for. Our pitch was basically “you’ll be listed on our site in the directory, and we offer networking and help promote you to our community of women.” We always say our business model is like a bike - you need both the communities of women and the professionals to make the whole model work.
You manage a lot of clients/contacts. What’s one thing you do from an operational perspective that helps keep you organized?
We use a really good CRM platform which has been really important, and using different tags for contacts has also been really helpful. Also, automating whatever we can so there’s less error in transferring data and less hands-on management has been great. I love a good automation!
What’s your favorite digital business platform and why?
We just started using HighLevel. I’m really liking it so far, and I’m most excited about it because it hosts everything we need all in one spot.
What’s your #1 tip for a business owner looking to elevate their digital business?
Consistent branding. So many people change things throughout the course of their marketing, but I think the consistency of things like colors, fonts, and overall identity really polishes you up and people can see the flow of everything coming together. I’ve seen so many businesses change quickly and it ends up looking messy, so even though their product is good, it doesn’t come across as a legitimate brand.
MONTHLY PUZZLE JIGSAWPUZZLE
CLICK TO
(answer on next page)
AND THE ANSWER IS...
CONTACTENTRYPOINT
Theentrypointiswheresomeoneoptsintoyour contactlist. Youcanautomatethisstepsothat theirinfoimmediatelygetsaddedasacontact inyourCRMplatformofchoice
MASTERLIST
Startwithamasterlistasthemainsegmentof allcontactspast,present,andfuture Amaster listisoftenrequiredforintegrationsbetween platforms Sortthemintoothersegments(lists) basedonmorespecificcriterialater.
SEGMENTS(LISTS)
Segmentsareusefulfororganizingyour contactsandforotheroperationaland marketingpurposes,likesendingaholiday messagetoaformerclient,orgivingpromo codestopreviousproductpurchasers
TOUCHPOINT
It’sgoodpracticetoincludeatouchpointthat goesoutimmediatelyafteracontactsubscribes sotheyknowtheirsubmissionwassuccessful (technologycanbewack!)
Viewable work is linked via the icons.
WEBSITE DESIGN
I’m designing and building the full website for Kim, the fearless founder of Peace & Love Care Packages. She’s launching her new care package business in March.
Features:
Brand design + design elements
Digital shop
Automated checkout process
Home page + About page in progress
SOCIAL MEDIA
I curate social media content for Monika, the fearless founder of True Move Yoga Studio, on an ongoing basis.
Features:
Full posts (graphics + copy)
Reels
Yoga retreats advertisements
MARKETING & OPERATIONS
I oversee the digital operations and marketing initiatives with the fearless team at Oregon Sports Angels on a monthly basis.
Features: Website design/updates
Social media
Hybrid meeting production
Ongoing
Hyperlinked events are open for attendance/registration.
M a r c h F e b r u a r y
True Move Yoga Studio Weekly Classes
True Move Yoga Studio Weekly Classes
True Move Yoga Studio Weekly Classes A p r i l
CALENDAR
15-22 Spring Retreat True Move Yoga Studio
20 WomenOwned Business Market
M a r c h A p r i l