As the CEO and Owner of COMO Marketing, Erica has been here since day one. We hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about our favorite boss lady!
- What is your favorite thing about working here?
- I love to talk through strategy and see the client’s eyes light up when they start to see the possibilities.
- Why marketing?
- Honestly, because when I was 18, my Nana told me that was what I was going to college for. We had a family owned business and she knew we needed to know more about it. It ended up being a great choice for me. I’ve loved my career in marketing.
- What is the hardest part of your job?
- The hardest part of the job is time management. My day gets filled with awesome meetings talking about ideas. Then I have to find the time to make sure they all get done.
- What is the best part about your job?
- Easy…the people. My employees, my clients…they all become friends that I care a great deal about.
- What is your favorite memory while working here?
- Winning Small Business of the Year in 2017. It was like the community said “we see you” and affirmed all of our hard work.
- What is a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
- I think it’s that I have five kids. People are always astonished by that. Or the six tattoos is fun.
- Where are you from?
- Joplin, MO
- What is your favorite restaurant in Columbia?
- This is too hard. I love so many. We are blessed to have great independently owned restaurants. But I’m most often at Tellers.
- Who is your celebrity crush?
- Kevin Costner. Yes please.
- If you could leave tomorrow and go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- Greece but that’s hard because traveling to so many countries is on my bucket list.
- If you won a million dollars, what would you do?
- Payoff this dream house I’m building and take that extended European vacation.
- What is your favorite childhood movie?
- Gone with the Wind
- If you could meet one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
- Jesus. I have some questions for that guy.
- What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?
- Paul Cauthen in Tulsa, OK. He’s just f’ing amazing.
- Who is your role model?
- My grandmother is and was my role model. She was successful in business, in marriage, and in being a nurturing mother and grandmother.
- What is the key to a perfect sales pitch?
- Connecting with your client.
- How do you pick which clients to pursue?
- Easy. We have a defined prospect that makes a good match for us. Small locally owned businesses with 5 or more employees that have the trust to engage with a partner for their marketing and the money to invest in it.
- What type of client relationship do you strive to have?
- I strive to have a trusting and friendly relationship with my clients. This seems to naturally happen with those that are the right fit for us.
- What is your secret to running a successful business?
- I think it’s being willing to always be a student…a student of business, a student of learning people, a student of my employees. If I didn’t put the emotional health of my team first, there are several times I don’t think we would have made it through.
- Where does your love of small businesses come from?
- My grandmother, JoAnne Anderson. She owned a business from 1953 until she died at which point my father took it over until he retired.
- Why is it important to support small businesses?
- Small business is the heartbeat of our community. I think that the last three years have shown that to us in ways not seen before. The small business owners you know aren’t trying to become mega wealthy and take advantage of people. They are wanting to make payroll for their employees, send their kids to college, and hopefully take home a little extra reward for their hard work and risk.
- What do you love most about your team?
- Hands down their loyalty and trust. They have stuck with me through some really tough times and I contribute that to our undying commitment to preserving our culture. We are authentic and we are accountable. We live by our 10 Guiding Principles. I love them all dearly.
