Emily Moore: From Solopreneur to CEO

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Emily Moore is the Founder of Moore Media Group, a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, Mississippi. She and her team help clients across various industries reach their audience through public relations, advertising, branding, social media, and marketing. 

In this episode, Emily shares how she’s stayed open to change throughout her business journey – and how that mindset has led to unexpected opportunities. 

Press play for the full interview or keep reading below!

Committing to a Career

Emily didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in public relations. At college, she tried five different majors before eventually landing in communications. Even then, she wasn’t 100 percent sure what she wanted to do after graduating. 

“There are so many things you can do with a degree in communications,” she says. “There was no clear path and that was really intimidating.”

Emily’s first job out of college was working as a television reporter and producer, covering breaking news and feature stories. Her big break was a fun Halloween story about a chupacabra that ended up going viral and being featured on Saturday Night Live.

From News to PR

Although Emily loved her work as a reporter, she didn’t love the lifestyle. The 3:00 a.m. start time meant she rarely saw her soon to be husband. When they decided to start a family, Emily knew she wanted to change careers.

Working in news taught Emily the power of storytelling and PR seemed like a great way to make use of those skills – but the corporate environment didn’t suit her personality. She tried several PR agencies but none felt like the right fit.

Eventually, Emily realized she wanted to do her own thing. She and her husband didn’t have kids yet and they felt comfortable taking the risk. So in 2017, Emily founded Moore Media Group.

From Solo Show to CEO of Moore Media Group

In the beginning, Emily was the sole employee of her company. “It was just me and I didn’t have plans to turn it into an agency. But I took it one step at a time and kept saying yes to opportunities, yes to clients.”

When a local college student asked about an internship, she became Emily’s first hire. From there Moore Media has grown to a team of seven.

Emily realized that clients liked to have one person they could go to for all their needs, so she took on everything from websites and branding to social media. If a client asked for a service she wasn’t able to perform, she hired someone to fill the gap.

The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Emily’s great client experience and can-do attitude won over her clients, and it wasn’t long before she’d made a name for herself in her small town.

The business grew quickly through word-of-mouth referrals. “Doing good work for people and really caring about their work makes them want to refer you,” Emily says.

Understanding the Numbers Side of Your Business

When it comes to pricing and finances, Emily says, “Honestly I didn’t know what I was doing in the early days.” Pricing her services felt a bit like a guessing game.

But when she started hiring employees, she knew she needed to make more data-driven decisions. With her husband operating as her unofficial CFO, Emily has been able to grow her team with confidence.

“I still get nervous whenever I hire someone because it’s a big commitment financially. But it makes me so much more confident to know the numbers support those decisions.”

If you’re curious about the numbers side of your business, check out The Blueprint Model, my finance course for entrepreneurs! 

Shifting into a Leadership Role at Moore Media Group

Between 2022 and 2023, Emily has doubled the size of her company. With a new office space and a growing team of seven, it’s a big change from the solo operation she started back in 2017.

“There have been some growing pains that I’m still going through because, in the beginning, it was me doing everything.” 

Although being the go-to for every client provided a great experience, Emily also found herself working long hours without proper boundaries. Now with two children at home, she’s more focused on building a team that can operate independently. 

In addition to hiring an Account Director and Creative Director, Emily has also started working with a business coach to help her transition into more of a CEO role. “That’s been a really big change for me personally and the company.”

Tips for Managing a Team

As the business continues to grow, Emily has found she enjoys her CEO role. “I like seeing light bulbs go off, and helping the team create something they’re proud of.” That was a strength she didn’t realize she had back when she was stuck in the weeds of client work.

Although being the CEO means having difficult conversations and occasionally letting employees go, Emily says it’s worth it to keep the company moving forward. “Sometimes you have to have those hard conversations because it’s best for the whole team.” 

Now that she spends less time managing clients, Emily has more free time to focus on the future of the company and her long-term vision.

Money is a Tool to Create the Life You Want

“I’m not motivated by money and never have been,” Emily says. For her, quality of life has always been more important. “I just want to spend more time with my kids, focus on my mental health, and be able to read a book every now and then.”

This is one reason why Emily has grown Moore Media Group so quickly: hiring help keeps her workload manageable, even if paying employees cut into her profit margins. She also loves being able to support her team members, pay them well, and provide flexible work options.

“Money is a tool I can use to create the life I want, but it also helps my team create the lives they want as well.”

Implementing Boundaries Around Family Time

Emily is a big advocate for remaining flexible both at work and at home. After having her daughter, Emily thought she would want to have her at home while she worked – but trying to be both a mom and CEO at the same time left her unable to focus on either role.

Putting her daughter in preschool turned out to be the best decision for their family. Emily has learned to focus on the quality of time they spend together, rather than the quantity; she shuts down work at 5 p.m. and takes Fridays off to be with her kids.

“You can’t do any of it well if you’re trying to do it all at once. Now when I’m working, I’m fully working. When I’m with my kids, I’m fully with my kids.”

Staying Open to Possibility 

Both in her company and in life, Emily has never followed a rigid plan – instead, she stays open to whatever opportunities come her way. 

One of those opportunities led to her writing Words Are Like Magic, an illustrated book of encouraging poems that have been featured on Good Morning America. She also recently supported her husband through the launch of his own business, Case Canvas.

Emily’s advice to other entrepreneurs is to be open to change and hold plans loosely. “If it’s not going well, you don’t have to keep powering through. If it starts to feel wrong, look closer to see what needs to change.”

More from this Episode

To hear the full story and more about Evelyn Henson, press play on the player above for the full interview or click here to download the transcript.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

The Midnight Library

Words are Like Magic (Emily’s Book!)

Emily on Good Morning America

Grab a customizable phone case from Case Canvas!

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Emily Moore

Emily Moore is the Founder of Moore Media Group, a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, Mississippi. Before launching the agency in 2017, she spent several years as a television reporter and producer, covering breaking news and feature stories. During these years she saw firsthand the power of storytelling and communicating a message in a way that is both efficient and captivating. She and her team use these skills today to help clients across various industries reach their audience through public relations, advertising, branding, social media, and marketing. Emily is also the author of Words Are Like Magic, an illustrated book of encouraging poems. She lives in the Jackson-metro with her husband, Tyler, and their two children.

CONNECT WITH EMILY:

Website | Follow Emily on Instagram

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