Logan Cockerham: So Maddie, when people ask about your business, how do you describe what you do?
Maddie Boarman: I would describe what I do as kind of a catchall when it comes to marketing. I do graphic design, marketing coaching, website design, and a little bit of everything. I love coaching. I love helping people get their brand out there and creating brand awareness.
Logan Cockerham: Okay. And how long have you been in business?
Maddie Boarman: I’ve been doing this unofficially for about three years now. I started in 2020 when my mom started her blog. She asked me if I wanted to help promote it and get it out there. And I was like, sure, I’ll see where this takes me! I ended up finding a real love for it, and now it’s what I do.
Logan Cockerham: So, are you the only employee?
Maddie Boarman: Yes, I am a one-woman show!
Logan Cockerham: And where do you want to take your company long-term?
Maddie Boarman: I’d love to do this full-time, really build it and have a big client base. I only have about three full-time clients right now…everyone else kind of comes and goes as needed. But you know, I would love to build it into something that is well-known and has a great reputation, where everyone loves their results.
Logan Cockerham: What did you want it to become when you started it?
Maddie Boarman: When I started it, it was really just a hobby. I had no idea it would be where it is today. I’m really glad that things went the way they did, because I don’t know what I would be doing now if I wasn’t doing this.
Logan Cockerham: And do you have a plan to exit?
Maddie Boarman: Not right now. I plan to do this for the rest of my life.
Logan Cockerham: Who’s your target audience? What is your ideal business to work with?
Maddie Boarman: My ideal business would have to be a small business. I love working with people who are working on their passion projects. I love people who are established and have a good mission behind what they’re doing; it makes my job a lot easier. It also makes the results and building their brand a lot more exciting.
Logan Cockerham: What problems are you solving for those businesses?
Maddie Boarman: One of the main problems that I solve is coming up with a marketing strategy. A lot of people I’ve worked with do not have a strategy. They’re just kind of throwing darts at the wall and hoping something sticks. A lot of people do not think that marketing involves strategy, but it very much does.
Logan Cockerham: You’re a little younger, so this might hit home for you… what was your biggest learning from the pandemic and how has your thinking changed in your approach to business over the last few years?
Maddie Boarman: During the pandemic, I was in school on a medical-field track. I thought that I wanted to go to PA school and do dermatology and all that good stuff. Then I discovered that I have a creative brain, not really a science brain. So that’s one thing that the pandemic taught me.
But also, it really shifted how business is done. Social media marketing is just such a big factor in the way that anything is known, anything is put out there. You have to have a market advertising strategy. So it really opened my eyes to that, and now every time I see anything, my marketing brain turns on, and I know exactly why that was there. It’s just crazy – I can’t turn it off.
Logan Cockerham: What is most inspiring to you today?
Maddie Boarman: Probably what is most inspiring to me today are two of my full-time clients, my mom and Bridget Reid. My mom has a blog and Bridget has a podcast.
I really love the foundations that their businesses were built on, and they were also my first two clients. But I love what they’ve built and their ability to allow me to learn. They’ve been the people that I’ve tested all these strategies and tools on. I find them really inspiring with the way that they have trusted me and allowed me to experiment with them and take this to the step it is now.
Logan Cockerham: What is your client’s podcast about?
Maddie Boarman: Bridget’s podcast is Bloom with Bridget, and it’s an inspirational podcast. She’s a very wise person. She’s the type of person that I would go to for advice and fully trust anything she has to say. She gets on the mic and says what’s on her mind. It’s always heartfelt, genuine, and really inspiring.
Logan Cockerham: Is there anything else that you wanted to add?
Maddie Boarman: Just shameless plug for my mom! Her business is The Journals by Jess.