Today we’d like to introduce you to Arianne Virsunen.
Arianne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and small business. Both of my parents are entrepreneurs and when I was in elementary school, I started my first business; a day spa in my bedroom where I would treat my mom’s girlfriends. As I’ve grown up, I supported small businesses whenever possible. When I went to college at SDSU, I majored in Communications and Digital Media Studies and became very interested in the power of social media. I started to talk to the small business owners whose businesses I supported (a.k.a. my nail salon, hair salon, acupuncturist, etc.) to see what their needs were and then began helping them with Instagram and Facebook.
I was talking to my close friend (and now business partner), Dylan Canepa, about creative ideas that could help small businesses get involved in the digital space. He had a great experience with Facebook advertising and was also passionate about helping local companies so we teamed up to create BRND House last year. We both work full-time jobs during the day and collaborate at night in order to help our clients grow their businesses through social media! It’s extremely rewarding.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all, haha. Starting a business requires exceptional organization, amazing communication skills and a lot of trial and error. I started the business when I was 22 and still finishing my last semester of college so it’s been a struggle to balance my full-time job, my class schedule, my social/personal life and jumpstart my business. Accounting and financial management has never been my strong suit so learning to understand profit and loss statements and how to balance the books was a struggle but I learned very fast being through into the process. Some advice that I would give any young woman who has an idea for a business is to launch fast and make adjustments as you go. I have ‘perfectionist’ OCD tendencies so originally I wanted everything completely figured out and set up before I launched and announced the company (perfect branding, website, business plan, etc.). The brand of BRND House has already changed so much that I now understand that it will evolve as we go and there’s no time to hold back and question your ideas. The other piece of advice I have is to find a mentor with expertise in your industry that you can go to with questions – this is something we did not do soon enough and it makes the world of a difference.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with BRND House – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I own BRND House and I also work for a company called RMD Group, a hospitality group in Downtown San Diego. At BRND House, we specialize in Digital Marketing services including Social Media Management, Content Creation, SEO Strategy, Branding, and Paid Advertising. We’re primarily known for our expertise in Instagram and Facebook. What sets us apart is that our team is made up of young millennials who love the intricacies of social media platforms so we’re able to cater that expertise to business owners who do not have the time to grow in their digital presence.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
My favorite creative apps for content creation include Lightroom, Canva, Mojo, Unfold and KiraKira and my favorite apps for organization include Asana and my Outlook calendar. The fun, entertaining podcasts I’m listening to right now include The Morning Toast, Straight Up with Stassi, The Bitch Bible and Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness and my favorite business/motivational podcasts include The Skinny Confidential Him & Her, The Ed Mylett Show and Gary Vee, of course. The book that I’ve been reading every morning right now is The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday; it’s really grounding.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 408-821-2146
- Email: thebrndhouse@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ari.virsunen
Image Credit:
Arianne Virsunen
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