#awinewith Heather Waisanen
MEET Heather Waisanen, Founder of Coastal Maverick
You can find them here:
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:00):
You are listening to Spark TV, where we bring you daily interviews with real women in business at all stages. I'm your host, Danielle Lewis, and I am so grateful to have you here. So good. Heather, welcome to Spark tv.
Heather Waisanen (00:15):
Hi, thank you. Thank you.
Danielle Lewis (00:17):
I'm so excited to have you on today to share your story. Let's start out by telling everyone who you are and what you do.
Heather Waisanen (00:25):
Perfect. Yes. So my name is Heather Wiseman. I am a dog mom, dog obsessed dog mom, and she is my chief happiness officer. So a little fun fact there. She keeps me entertained on the long days. I work in offline advertising, so I have an out-of-home media agency. So basically any ads you see out in the real world, out in the wild, we like to say I help brands and clients facilitate that. So it's really fun, it's exciting. It's always different. It's always new. Yeah. Oh
Danielle Lewis (01:03):
My God, I love it. I love that you led with dog mom. I mean so good that we're not totally identifying by our businesses.
Heather Waisanen (01:12):
Yes.
Danielle Lewis (01:14):
Oh, that's so good. Now, out of home advertising, you're talking like billboards signs. This can't be easy to get into. How did you actually get into this?
Heather Waisanen (01:25):
Yes, so it is interesting. I had, once you land somewhere, there's usually a chain of events that just lead to something else. So I did actually start my journey in advertising at an advertising agency and I was more on traditional TV and radio and I got to send radio spots. I got to hear commercials before other people did, and that was kind of cool. But that was kind of my journey into the advertising space. But then I met somebody who worked at Outfront Media and they are one of the large media owners. So I met him at an event and he was like, Hey, there's an opportunity, would love for you to come over. So I ended up making the leap and that was kind of my intro to all things out of home and really just learning how much there is. It goes so far beyond billboards now.
(02:18):
There's billboards, there's wall scapes, there's hand painted murals, there's mobile out of homes. So it's like, Hey, I'm trying to reach somebody in this really far out location. There's no billboards now there's mobile, you can do wrapped cars and LED trucks, and so you kind of have mobile billboards. So yeah, so I spent some time there really just learning a lot and then went to a client from there and I got to be in-house and I was managing all of their out of home in the southeast region in the States. So I got to oversee all of their buses, all of their billboards. I helped them expand into, I don't know, five or six new markets pretty quickly. And got to really see from the client side what it's like to plan and buy media from that side. And then I ended up working at an agency for a little bit, and that was on a national scale, so getting to work with national brands, doing multiple market campaigns, which is always fun when someone's like, we want to do something big in New York, but then we want to do it big in Dallas as well, and just getting to touch a lot of cool brands.
(03:30):
But then I was part of a layoff, and so that kind of, that was the moment I feel like that was the moment that was either going to be do something on your own or stay working for other people forever. And so that's kind of where I jumped in and thought in the beginning I didn't know what I wanted to do. I freelanced, I did some contracting, and then that just got a little overwhelming and chaotic because you tend to take on a lot of things and building everybody else's business at that point, last year, March. So coming up on a year, I decided out of home was going to be the baby, and that was what I was going to do and that was what I was going to put all my time and energy into. So that is how we got here. Yeah.
Danielle Lewis (04:20):
Wow. Isn't it incredible how life takes you, all these experiences is kind of what leads to the thing that we end up doing? I think sometimes people think that they've got to have the brilliant idea or they've got to have it all figured out, but it's actually the process, the experience, the different jobs, the layoffs, all of those little punctuations to our story that actually lands us in the business that we love.
(04:50):
It's so good. I love it so much. And I mean so exciting. I love advertising. People who know and listen to this podcast know that I'm a salesperson by trade. So for anyone listening, they're probably rolling their eyes right now, but I'd love to get your view on why advertising is actually important to businesses. I think that sometimes we start our business, we've got this great skillset, we've got lots of experience behind us, and then we're like, oh my God, crickets. Where are all of these customers that I'm going to get? And this is businesses of any size. Why do you think advertising is so important?
Heather Waisanen (05:28):
Yeah, that's a great question. So I'm going to come a few different angles at this. So people need to see you more than at this point, it's like eight to 12 touch points. So maybe they came across your brand grocery shopping or at a cosmetic store or something and they thought, oh, this is great, but then they've only seen you one time and that's it. So they may not buy. And so I think that just that repetitive frequency that people need to see is a big one because if you are launching a new product, maybe you're new in a new market and you're like, Hey, we are really established in this part of the world, but this part of the world, we're brand new. Nobody knows who we are. So if we don't put ourselves out there and we don't advertise, how are people going to know we're here?
(06:22):
How are they going to find us? Same thing with just app downloads. So somebody launches a new app. That's not my thing. I'm not techie in that space by any means, but there's people that if you open the app store, there's endless things. How do you know where to find something? You could have the coolest new app that could change people's lives in some way, shape or form, and no one's going to find it if you don't advertise it. So I am big on, while I do offline advertising, I do a really big push on the benefits of having online and offline. They work together. I don't ever tell anyone, just have a billboard campaign and don't have Instagram or social media or something like that. Because if I see something that catches my eye on a billboard or a transit ad and I want to look it up, but then they have no social media presence or they're not online, they're probably going to lose me there.
(07:23):
So I think it does just build a little bit more credibility too of we're established, this is who we are, here's our reputation online and offline. So I think it's important also because whatever the business is, you are an expert at that. You're not an expert at advertising it necessarily, which is the challenging part because you're like, I do want to advertise it, but I don't know how. Or I'm not a social media guru, or how do I even get a billboard up or any of those things. So when I work with people, I tell them, you're an expert at what you do and advertising your business is probably not at the top of your expertise, and that's totally okay, but that's when you do need to find people that are So I think it's just important around the full circle because people aren't going to know you exist and they're not going to know where to look for you. They're not going to know how to find you. So that's kind of a long-winded answer, but hopefully that gave you,
Danielle Lewis (08:24):
Hopefully that was No, I absolutely love it because it is so interesting. Just as you were talking, I was even thinking of my own buying behavior and when I do see, maybe I see something on Instagram, but you're right, if I don't know the brand, I've never heard of them. I probably look at it, you click around and once you click on an ad, it follows you around the internet and that's all you see. But I think you made such a great point about needing those touch points with that customer. I think about that. I go, I see something, I've click on it, look around, I'm not sure, I don't know. And then it's almost like after the 10th time you've seen it, you're like, oh my God, I'm just going to get it. It's that repetition and that if you don't know this brand, how do they build trust with you? And I think the easiest way to build trust with someone, it's just that frequency just getting in their brain and consistently showing up where they are. That's the key to getting people to know your brand and trust you. I agree. No, I love it because I think that people are hesitant to advertise and market themselves, but I just think you're spot on. Even your example about the app store, it is just like that in every industry now. Everything is saturated. There's just so much of everything. We are spoiled for choice these
Heather Waisanen (09:45):
Days. You've
Danielle Lewis (09:47):
Got to figure out how to stand out in a crowded market. And I love you said earlier as well, it's not just a billboard anymore. There's so many creative solutions like posters on the wall, car wraps, you can actually advertise anywhere now. I think it's just really about where is your customer and how can you get in front of them as many times as possible?
Heather Waisanen (10:11):
Yeah, it's chasing them almost like how are they commuting to work? How are they commuting home? What are they doing on the weekend? Okay, great. We're going to put something here and here and here and catch them the whole journey. And then if they look, they go online, they Google it, they look at your social media, then now you're tracking 'em that way. So yeah,
Danielle Lewis (10:30):
So good. I absolutely love it. What was the process for you going from employee in the agency to then starting your own business? What was that leap like for you?
Heather Waisanen (10:43):
It was very interesting. Very politically correct. Yeah. So because I was contracting and doing some freelance stuff for a little while, I think I was behind the scenes of that. I was doing work and I was working with a lot of just different agencies and just doing a lot of different work, which was really great. But behind the scenes of that, I was really trying to spin the wheels of how do I start this business? My biggest thing is always like, where's the blueprint? I'm a planner by nature and now a planner by trade. I'm like, where is the handbook and what's step one? What is the first thing I should do? And then the second thing, where does that live? And after listening to multiple podcasts or entrepreneurs and people are like, it doesn't exist. You just have to go do something, you just have to start.
(11:36):
But then I overanalyze it. I'm like, just start. What does that even, what do I do? What am I just starting? So after listening to, well, honestly, I heard it for so long of just so many people saying, just start. Just start. And eventually I was like, okay, I'm just going to start something. And I actually had the business name and some of that stuff while I was still employed in the back of my mind, I knew I was going to do something else. I just had no idea what that was going to be. So then it was just kind of the non-fun things that you do, the admin stuff of getting a business bank account and your tax ID numbers and all the things no one really tells you how to do and where to find them. But yeah, the leap, I think the bigger leap still, even now that I am still within my first year officially of launching is the mindset piece of it, of going from being a freelance, being one employee to then kind of freelancer to then business owner.
(12:38):
They all have such different, I don't know, connotations to what they are. And I think it's a big shift going from being a freelancer. Well, they're all big shifts, but being from one of like, I've got to do all of these things for these other people and these other agencies to then now I'm calling all the shots, which is really great, but also terrifying. So I think it was a big learning curve, but in a good way. I think I had to get in and I had to get scrappy, and I had to figure out what I was supposed to do next versus just waiting for somebody to tell me. So it was a big leap, but I think that's what just you jump in and figure it out. And there are people willing to help though. So I did ask around and I ask people who started businesses and what did you do here?
(13:29):
Or do I need this? Or even things that are not to bring in fraudulent activity, but you'll start to get things once you've registered a business that it looks like an official document and it looks official, and they're like, you need to pay this. And I was like, is this real? Do I need to? I don't know what this is. So I think navigating a lot of that too can be stressful and challenging, but it was a fun leap. I think now I still enjoy it. I have to remind myself that I get to make all the decisions. So yeah, it's been
Danielle Lewis (14:01):
Fun. Yeah, I know. It's interesting that you say that. Sometimes I do think the same thing. I'm like, I wish somebody would just tell me what to do today. I've got a page full of to-dos, where should I even begin? And you're so right as that business owner, it's like, it's up to you. It's literally up to you. I know we have a same thing in Australia. When you register a business name or even a domain name, people will start sending you letters saying, you've got to pay this invoice and what have you. And I did the same thing. I was like, oh my God, is this a hidden cost of running a business that I didn't know about?
Heather Waisanen (14:39):
There are a lot of little things that add up when you have to pay to get this and pay to be here and pay to be official. And then you keep getting invoices. You're like, how many more are coming? Or how many are real? How many are real?
Danielle Lewis (14:51):
Yeah, exactly. And you are so right. There is no handbook, there's no checklist of these are the ones that you pay and everything's done. It's just because, yeah, so many come out of the woodwork and you're like, really? Do I have to pay for that as well? Yeah, it is wild. What do you think has been, so you mentioned this is year one. What do you think has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
Heather Waisanen (15:15):
Yes, that one is just getting myself exactly what I tell clients. You need to advertise yourself more
Danielle Lewis (15:22):
Is
Heather Waisanen (15:22):
Advertising myself. And I think I really took a while to feel confident enough to do that. And even now I'm like, oh, should I put that out there? Should I post that? I don't know. And with each day it's kind of like, I don't care. I'm putting it out there. Let's just go. But it took a long time to get there. And I think standing out, there's a lot of agencies that already exist that do what I do. They're well established companies that have been around for decades that are well-known, and people know and trust them. And so I'm having to do that and I think I am, but it is the time piece that takes longer. So for me, it really has been finding my voice and making my presence known that I exist, and just the new clients, finding the new clients that are a good fit, that are the right fit, and those are definitely the two biggest challenges in year one.
Danielle Lewis (16:20):
Yeah, I absolutely love what you just said. I don't care. I'm putting it out there. I think everybody needs to adopt that attitude when it comes to marketing themselves. I mean, I think we get so wound up in, oh my God, what do people think? Will this real go well or not go well? And it's like, you know what? Sometimes there's no science to it. You've just got to keep putting stuff out and then the magic will happen.
Heather Waisanen (16:46):
And it's hard though. It's definitely hard to get beyond that wall of caring too much and then just not caring. You still care, but you have a less perfectionist mindset around it.
Danielle Lewis (16:59):
Yeah, I feel like it's like what happened for me? It's like this being able to separate my emotions from whether something lands or does well, I just go, well, I'll try again next time. Because half the time people don't even see it. It's with all the algorithms, people don't even see what you put out anyway, so it's like the world is not going to end if you put that piece of content out.
Heather Waisanen (17:23):
Nope. Such a good reminder. You need to put that on a post-it note. The world will not end regardless of the type of reels and content you put out on social media. The world is not going to end, I
Danielle Lewis (17:35):
Promise. Oh, you heard it here first. We are now selling motivational posters. I love it. Yes. Oh my God, that's so good. And so as someone who is in advertising, how do you plan to grow your business in 2025?
Heather Waisanen (17:52):
Yes. Love this question because it's a scary one. Because I think when I started I was like, I'm going to keep it really lean. It's going to be me. And I do have a va, and she's absolutely amazing. I feel like I wouldn't survive without her, so that's great. But I really wanted to keep it small In my head, I thought that's what I wanted. And then within the last month, maybe month and a half, just meeting other people and talking to other people that have owned businesses for a long time or just kind of their process, I've started to think, okay, I think we're going to grow a little bit. And in order for me to grow the business, I think I have to grow the team because I'm only one person. I can only be in so many places at one time, and you already wear every hat that exists you when you jump into this.
(18:43):
So I think for me to grow, it's going to to grow the team, still be small, but grow it in a way where I can delegate more things and get a little bit of my time back of I am involved in a lot of my local community, like Chamber of Commerce type things. So there is a lot of networking there and a lot of events, and I enjoy being that piece of it. So if I can do more of that and less of the being in the weeds day to day or networking at night and then coming home and still having to finish everything up and working those crazy hours that we do. So yeah, I think growing the team and being able to delegate a couple things will really help with the growth for this year.
Danielle Lewis (19:29):
Yeah, that's so interesting, isn't it? I think that our perspective on what we want the business to look like does change over time. I was kind of the opposite. I grew a really raised capital for my other business, grew a big team, had the big fancy office, and then got to a point where I was like, oh my God, I don't want this. I've got to get out of here. And now with Spark, it's exactly how you described, it's Lean, it's VAs, it's contractors who are all absolutely incredible at what they do. And I just feel, and it's all remote as well, and I feel so much more in control of my universe, but I just think then I visualize the future and it's like, oh, and then I could have that person and then I could have that person and that would free me up to do that. So it's like I think just seasons of life, you change your perspective on what you want, the business and what you want your life and what you want to actually do inside the business changes as well. Yeah, it's
Heather Waisanen (20:29):
Interesting. I didn't think that when you start, you think, I didn't think that in the beginning you kind of start and you're like, this is what it's going to be, and then you're in it and you're like, I don't know. I might need to shift my thought process there.
Danielle Lewis (20:45):
And I also think you get more of a handle what you like to do. I feel like sometimes at the start you're like, oh yeah, I can do it all. I can do everything. It's fine, it's fine, it's fine. And then you're like, oh my God, I hate bookkeeping. Or Oh my God, I hate writing content. Or
(21:01):
You kind of feel like you can take on the world in the beginning and then the months pass and you're like, wow, I really hate this part of the job. It's just so good though that we live in a time where you can outsource small tasks. I think used to be a bit of a barrier a decade ago where it was you had to hire a full-time person to do a job, and then it was a huge commitment. You needed to fill their time, all of the things. And now it's like you can outsource something for a couple of hours a week. It's like, wow, I don't have
Heather Waisanen (21:39):
To do that. Yeah,
Danielle Lewis (21:41):
It is absolutely incredible. Oh, I love it so much. Now, I always love to wrap up these podcasts with one last piece of advice. So reflecting on your time in business, what would be, and it's actually a funny question since we were talking about the fact that there's no handbook. So what would be a piece of advice that you would give to another woman on her business journey?
Heather Waisanen (22:05):
Yes. No, I love this. It's a good question and you want to always answer it in depth, but not too in depth. So I think as someone like myself that was very type A, still in very type A, but really just waiting for that moment of when's the right time? Where's the instructions on what to do? And I think you have to forget that doesn't exist. You just have to get started on something. If you are passionate about something, or maybe you don't know what you want to do yet, but you're like, I've always dreamed of owning a business. I think when you kind of start to get into it, that will come. Like we were just talking about, you will figure out things that you really love to do and things that you don't love to do. But I think those very early stages, if you're on the fence, do I do it?
(22:53):
Do I not? There's pros and cons, but I would tell anybody I knew I had it in my soul for years that I always wanted to have my own business. I just had no idea what that would be. And I think if you have that feeling like you just hate to say it, you just have to start. And it is a little scary, but it's a fun, scary, and I think too, as women, we don't want to ask for help. And I've realized there's so many women that are willing to help or just ask somebody that's been in your field or maybe somebody completely opposite of you, of just like, Hey, I really want to start this. I literally have no idea where to start and what to do. Would you meet me for a coffee or a virtual coffee? And I just love to chat with you.
(23:38):
People are willing to do it, not just women either, but men and women are definitely open to talking through their failures and their wins. And if I could tell my old self this, I would do that. So I think just start for one, just get your mind on that track and then keep your mindset there that you can do it. Because imposter syndrome is going to creep in five years, 10 years. It doesn't matter how long you've done it. I think that's going to always come around at some point. So I think it's just starting getting a good group, a good community around you of people that support you, because there's always people that don't get it, and they're the people that would be like, are you sure you're going to, what about your retirement plan? Or what about your health insurance? All those fun things no one wants to talk about, but don't listen to that. Just get in there and then definitely ask for help. I think I waited way too long to seek community and seek mentorship in some way, shape, or form, and just talking to other people. So that was really big for me. So start find mentors. Find free communities. You don't have to spend a lot of money to do some of these things and ask other people for help, and people are more than willing to do it. So yeah.
Danielle Lewis (24:53):
I love it. You are absolutely incredible. Heather, thank you so much for your time today. So many good nuggets of wisdom in there to support other women in business. So I'm so grateful for your time.
Heather Waisanen (25:05):
Thank you. I
Danielle Lewis (25:06):
Really enjoyed coming on. That wraps another episode of Spark tv. Shout out to Spark TV sponsor IP Australia for their amazing support of the Spark Podcast and women in business. And if no one tells you today, you've got this.
✨ Thank you to IP Australia for supporting the SPARK podcast and women in business ✨
