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Mavens & Moguls is a global network of seasoned marketing experts who can do anything a marketing department, market research shop, public relations firm or ad agency does on an as-needed or outsourced basis. The company has resources in major metro areas across the country and around the world. Paige Arnof-Fenn who serves as the Founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls did not plan on starting a company. She always wanted to work for a large multi-national business and be a Fortune 500 CEO. When she was a student, she looked at leaders like Meg Whitman & Ursula Burns as her role models.  

Paige started her career in finance on Wall Street in 1980s. She realized early on that she wanted to switch career tracks. Being a Financial Analyst in investment banking paid well but the hours and lifestyle did not leave time for anything else, so after two years Paige decided to go back to school for her MBA which allowed her to rebrand herself, try a new area as a summer intern in marketing, gain new skills and build her network and confidence.  

For Paige, getting an MBA was critical for finding work she enjoyed and making the transition smoothly. She took marketing classes and got experience on and off-campus to help herself build a resume in the new field which gave her credibility as a marketer. Paige positioned herself as being strong analytically which would help her be a better marketer using data to make decisions. She thinks it is possible to rebrand yourself if you are strategic about the process.  

According to Paige, it is important to have a story to explain your transition and show confidence in your decision not to be defensive about it. She realized the skills and activities she liked best in her finance career were the ones that would make her a better marketer.  

Once Paige shared that perspective, the recruiters understood her interest and offered her jobs. She has also loved the work and has been in marketing ever since, first going in house at large Fortune 500 firms like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola then running marketing at three successful startups and now as an entrepreneur. Her clients include Microsoft, Virgin, The New York Times, Colgate, venture-backed startups as well as non-profit organizations. Paige graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School and is a popular speaker and columnist who has written for Entrepreneur and Forbes. 

An Inspirational Journey Towards Entrepreneurship 

Paige’s early jobs gave her great experience but she really started to love her career when she became an entrepreneur and took the leap right after 9/11 when the company she worked for cut their marketing. She had nothing to lose. 

Paige says, “Being an entrepreneur provides me a platform to do work I truly enjoy with and for people I respect. I get to set my priorities, I have time to travel and hang out with my inner circle, and work out every day. It has been a journey to get here but I am lucky to have found it. I love the autonomy, flexibility and the fact that I know every day the impact that I have on my business.” 

She says when she worked at big companies she always felt the ball would roll with or without her, that if she got hit by a bus, someone new would be in her office right away. Now her DNA is in everything she does and she can trace every decision and sale to something she did or a decision she made and that is incredibly gratifying and fulfilling. Like most entrepreneurs, Paige is working harder and longer than ever and she has never been happier. 

Paige believes that working for yourself and building a business you started is incredibly rewarding and gratifying. Recalling her experiences as an entrepreneur, she says, “It has been a lot of fun, I joke that I am the accidental entrepreneur. I knew I had made it as an entrepreneur when Harvard wrote two case studies on my business a few years after I started it, we were very early to pioneer sharing resources on the marketing front (before my company it was really only done with HR, legal and accounting/finance). I am so much happier in a career that allows me to use both sides of my brain, explore a more creative path and use my business acumen in all sizes and types of businesses from the very largest public companies to venture-backed startups and now running my own firm.” 

Moreover, she adds, “If you are not excited by your job, I am a big fan of finding ways to bridge to another track to find something you truly enjoy spending time doing that shares your talents and gifts. I created a platform to do work I enjoy and feel energized by. I feel I have found my purpose because I used to work all the time and life was passing me by. I got raises and promotions but it was all work and no play and I did not feel fulfilled.” 

Since starting her business, Paige has joined boards and volunteered for several organizations. She is a mentor to the next generation of leaders and has helped build a very successful anti-bullying program that >100,000 middle school-aged kids have gone through. As a marketing consultant Paige is able to write articles, contribute to books and speak at events to share her experience and lessons learned. 

Learning from Past Challenges 

While talking about challenges, Paige said her biggest mistake was not realizing sooner that the people she started with are not always the ones who grow with her. The hardest lesson she learned when she started her company is not getting rid of weak people earlier than she did in the first few years of her business. Paige had spent more time managing them than finding new customers. She knew in her gut they were not up to snuff but out of loyalty to them, she let them hang around much longer than they should have. She says it would have been better for everyone to let them go as soon as the signs were there. They became more insecure and threatened as the company grew which was not productive for the team. As soon as Paige let them go, the culture got stronger and the bar higher. Paige said, “A team people like is to be surrounded by other stars. It is true that you should hire slowly and fire quickly. I did not make that mistake again later on, so I learned it well the first time. I wish I had known it even earlier though but lesson learned for sure!” 

Quintessential Skillsets for Transformational Leadership 

Most of Paige’s business comes from public speaking and networking and those are two key skills that have helped her succeed. She also recommends leaders have thick skin, a strong work ethic and a good sense of humor because it is a tough job where the hours are long, a lot of people tell you no (investors, board, customers) and it can be lonely at times. She says, “You have to be a magnet for great talent to be able to build a strong team too. It is the toughest job you will ever love. In my experience, the most important traits for successful leaders are: 1) Strong moral compass which cannot compromise on ethics and values; 2) Good communicator who is able to rally the troops and keep them on the critical path; 3) Smarts who are technically competent and they work hard to earn the respect of their team; and 4) Bonus is having a great sense of humor and fun to work with.” 

Innovating Through Smart Technologies 

Smart technology runs our lives today and it is hard to stay on top of the latest tools and platforms to take advantage of current trends so you may feel lost, confused or frustrated by all the options and noise in the market today. There will be new tools and technologies coming for sure but we can see that mobile continues to grow and voice search is starting to explode. Estimates predict that half of the searches will be done by voice this year which is a big disruptor. Mavens &Moguls’ clients are going to need an SEO strategy to support voice search so that it will include accommodating a faster speed to enhance the user experience, natural language search for vocal queries and enhanced local SEO listings which will be a game-changer for many businesses. The company helps them stay on top of all these trends. 

Disruption is Reality 

 According to Paige, disruption is about breaking tradition, shaking things up, challenging the status quo and forcing people to look at something with fresh eyes. It can be scary, exciting, and unsettling but one must innovate and grow to stay relevant today. Innovation is about progress and change, transforming something into a new and improved state. As a leader one has to be comfortable and embrace both to be successful. If these terms make them nervous they should pick another career path.  

Moreover, Paige feels, one must be comfortable with the concept or they will cease to exist. Disruption is a reality. The only constant is change, so get used to it. “I think Sara Blakely at Spanx represents both innovation and disruption. She identified a problem women had that was not being addressed, and created a new category making her a billionaire. She embodies all the best qualities of leaders and entrepreneurship: persistence, problem-solving, determination, smarts, visionary, energy and hustle. She continues to grow the brand and stay relevant, brilliant!”, Paige asserts. 

Looking Forward to a Creative Future 

As of now, Paige’s plan for the new decade is to find new ways to bring creativity into her life. She thinks as one ages, it is important not to become a creature of habit and to keep their antenna up to be exposed to new and fresh ideas, products, ways of thinking, people and experiences. It is so easy to get busy and let inertia kick in so Paige wants to make a conscious effort this coming year to be more creative in everything she does. “No matter what line of work you are in, I think making creativity a priority in 2020 will serve you well and make life more fun and interesting. It is no surprise that creativity is the top skill recruiters look for today.” 

Encouraging Solidified Business Relationships 

 It might sound counterintuitive but when it comes to leading budding business leaders, Paige’s best tip is to disconnect from technology and focus on cultivating human, face to face relationships to grow one’s business (when not social distancing). Meeting for coffee or lunch (even virtually) can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc. and it is a great way to get to know people better, their interests, hobbies, and dreams. Paige has found that building relationships is what drives her business and technology supports them once they are solidified. In her vision, technology helps advance the conversation but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time.