Today we’d like to introduce you to Melodie Tao.
Melodie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a mom, wife, business owner, social media marketing consultant, professional speaker and entrepreneur.
My entrepreneurial mindset started at a young age. Growing up, I was ambitious and wanted to make and save my own money. I was involved in ventures from selling Girl Scout Cookies to running lemonade stands. I also started playing the harp at the young age of four and would charge to perform at events and weddings.
In 7th grade, there was an opportunity to attend an East Coast trip, but the cost was high. I set a goal to earn my own money to attend. I did this by selling candy! I bought bags of lollipops from the dollar store and sold the individual candies for 25 cents each. Little did I know, that creating my own opportunities was just the beginning of my journey to running my own business.
My first job out of college was working in radio sales at iHeart Media. I loved this job because even though I was working for a company, I was in charge of bringing in my own business. During this time, internet marketing started to boom and social media was at the very beginning stages of becoming a viable business tool.
In 2008, I began using social media for my own personal growth because I loved the infinite opportunities to connect with people online. I launched MarketingMelodie.com
My goal in the next five years is to continue growing my business as a social media consultant and speaker on an international level. I have a big vision for my career and I am grateful for my husband Rodney’s support. He is also a business owner. He is a professional pianist, piano teacher, and church organist, so we can both relate to creating our own opportunities.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a business owner is extremely challenging because it is not just a job that ends at 5 pm, it’s a lifestyle that becomes part of your existence. My biggest challenge came recently when I became a mom to my baby daughter Cayley. I am still a work in progress with learning how to balance being a full-time mom who wants to be involved in raising my daughter and also a full-time business owner with lofty goals, especially in the next five years.
I am learning how to be more efficient with my time spent working. Having a baby makes it much easier to ignore requests to lower my rate and do work that’s not aligned with my goals, so I’m actually creating more value with my work now and likewise I am attracting people who value my services.
Please tell us about Marketing Melodie.
My tagline for Marketing Melodie is “Marketing your way to success!” I am an entrepreneur and business owner who specializes in social media marketing consulting and speaking. I am committed to helping businesses create success by authentically building their brand and becoming expert resources using social media.
I am proud of some key accomplishments that have accelerated my marketing career and highlighted my company through my 10 years in business. These include becoming an international speaker less than 1 year after launching my business, being invited to SXSW Interactive as a Social Media Mentor, getting hired as a Marketing Professor to create and teach Social Media classes at National University and Platt College San Diego and being featured as an expert on Fox 5 San Diego for a series of Social Media Segments.
More recently, I’m most proud of creating a balanced life where I have the opportunity to continue growing my businesses with while still being fully hands-on with raising my daughter. I haven’t missed a single milestone and I have worked extremely hard to get to a place where I can have the best of both worlds with my business and family.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
One of the biggest barriers today in female leadership, that I am currently working to overcome is the lack of support for new moms, and moms in general to continue thriving and growing in their own business.
No one pays for your maternity leave when you are self-employed (luckily my hard-working husband picked up the slack) and it’s nearly impossible to completely shut down your business for a few months. Despite this, I have the flexibility and freedom to be take days off whenever I want and I can work anywhere with my laptop.
My goal is to inspire other women in my situation to continue pursuing their passions and dreams. It is possible to build your own business while raising kids, we just need to surround ourselves with the right support team and community.
Pricing:
- $299- 1 Laser Marketing Consulting Session
- $1,000- 4 Laser Marketing Consulting Sessions
- Prices Vary- Social Media Speaker
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marketingmelodie.
com - Phone: 858-335-9421
- Email: melodie@
marketingmelodie.com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
marketingmelodie - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
marketingmelodie - YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/
MarketingMelodie
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
