114. Knowing When to Make a Change: Ashley Rector's Million-Dollar Skill
Imagine knowing exactly when it’s time to try something different for your business. Or when it’s best to keep going and not make a change at all. You would know you’re always spending your time and energy as efficiently as you can. But it’s surprisingly even more valuable than that. Ashley Rector joins us at the Mompreneur Co. Studio this week and tells us how she’s built a thriving digital marketing agency on the back of knowing when “next” needed to become “now.” She talks about her first business selling organic tote bags — 50 of them, to be exact — and making the call to close it down with thousands of bags still in inventory. She grew her next business, Harness Magazine, to 6,000 writers while still maintaining her day job as an attorney. The workload took a serious toll on her mental health though; she left her career as an attorney and sold Harness, knowing it needed outside help to continue growing. She started her digital marketing agency Quimby, recognizing her passion for marketing and realizing how often people asked her for advice about growing engaged communities on social media. She’s targeting over $1,000,000 in revenue this year. Now what if Ashley had kept at that tote bag business. Or kept grinding in her career. Or kept plateauing at her magazine. It’s easy to get stuck at any of those points, whether out of pride, sunk cost fallacy, or a belief that sticking with it was the admirable thing to do. It’s hard to make a change. Ashley has a skill that sets her apart. Whether it’s listening to her market, to her community, or to herself, knowing when the time for change is “now” secretly also means knowing when the time is “not yet.” SHOW NOTES Learn more about Ashley & Quimby Quimby Website Get a team of beautiful brains on your brand - work with Ashley’s team! Follow Ashley and Quimby on IG: @itsquimbydigital and @ashleylaurarector Meet Ashley Rector, a savvy entrepreneur who's as comfortable in the boardroom as she is in the playroom. She's the driving force behind Quimby Digital, a marketing firm that's been recognized by Forbes, Nasdaq, and Inc Magazine. Ashley's journey from commercial real estate attorney to digital marketing maven is as unique as it is inspiring. She's a mom of two, a business leader, and a firm believer in the power of a well-crafted social media strategy. Her mission? To work with female founded and funded startups to thrive online.