The accidental entrepreneur

By Paige Arnof-Fenn

I started a global branding and digital marketing firm 24 years ago in Cambridge, MA. I joke I am the accidental entrepreneur. I started my career working for big public companies followed by running marketing at 3 successful tech startups, all had positive exits. When 9/11 hit marketing got cut across the board and all the best people I had worked with in my career were available. I knew lots of businesses that still needed help when several investors with portfolio companies in need of marketing tracked me down. It was like a red flashing sign in front of me. The epiphany was that I had people and projects and knew if I put them together I could help lot of clients so that’s what I did. I called the women in the group the marketing mavens and the guys the marketing moguls for short I called them Mavens & Moguls as a working name but never expected it would stick. I did research over e-mail with prospective clients, referrers, media, etc & tested ~100 names. Mavens & Moguls was one choice on the list & to my great delight & surprise it came out as a clear winner. It has helped us be memorable and stand out from the pack. Maven is Yiddish for expert and a Mogul is someone of rank, power or distinction in a specified area. I like the alliteration and I think it sets us apart from other consulting firms. It shows a little personality & attitude and implies we do not take ourselves too seriously. Would you rather hire "Strategic Marketing Solutions" or Mavens & Moguls? We are the "not your father's Oldsmobile" of marketing firms. If nothing else our name is a great conversation starter and getting into a conversation is all it takes to open a door. 

We have been at it ever since and are still having fun. If you have a good idea and are solving a real problem you’ll get market feedback quickly and can be up & running in no time. I had clients before I was able to admit I was starting a company. I knew I had made it when Harvard wrote 2 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). My company’s mission is to bring world class marketing talent and expertise to organizations that want to make a difference in the world regardless of size or budget. We believe every organization deserves the right words and pictures to tell their story in compelling ways.

 Connect With Paige

www.linkedin.com/in/paigearnoffenn

www.mavensandmoguls.com