MEET NANTUCKET ISLAND MARKETING
FOUNDED BY
RENEE PERKINS
LOCATION: Boston, MA
@nantucketislandmarketing
THE INTERVIEW
Written by Boston Women’s Market
BWM: First the fun stuff; how do you enjoy spending a weekend in Boston? Any favorite spots or recommendations?
Renee: I am a huge foodie and love trying new places. I am particularly a huge fan of Italian and Mexican food. You can mainly find me out with some friends on weekends or heading to some scenic areas taking content photos! I currently love the restaurant Buttermilk & Bourbon, that has been my spot the past few months!
BWM: What's your favorite Podcast or Book of the moment?
Renee: I love reading memoirs for leisure, but my podcasts are strictly for bettering myself professionally. I'll listen to any episodes that are recommended to me, but I love Being Boss. Podcasts are a great way to find real-life examples of people doing what you do and the struggles they have as a business owner. Sometimes owning your own business can make you feel like you’re completely on your own, and small business podcasts really help with showing you that you really can do it!
BWM: Do you have a favorite go-to business tool or resource you can recommend to the BWM community?
Renee: Apps like Canva are great for anyone just starting out. My pet peeve is people screenshotting content and reposting it! Make it yourself and make it your own! Canva is super user friendly and great for small business owners to create their own content and have it look professional.
BWM: Ok, let's get down to business. When did you start your business? What was your "Aha" moment that helped you find this path?
Renee: One day in the spring of this year, I was working outside and I was thinking to myself how much animosity I had about finding a job and sitting behind a desk for a few years before I was able to be promoted and lead a team or use my creativity to my full potential and that thought scared me more than anything. On top of that, all I was hearing about on the news was how small businesses were struggling and I wanted to help them. I was ready for the challenge of starting my own business and growing up on Nantucket and the atmosphere I lived in really helped with that.
BWM: How did living in a tight-knit community like Nantucket influence your career path and passion for small business?
Renee: Nantucket is built off of small businesses. I was working full time whenever I had a school break by the time I was 15. I worked in everything from concierge, real estate, event planning, to bartending and crew for my parent’s boat tour business. I grew up in a very entrepreneurial household, and working a typical 9-5 wasn’t the “norm” at all. My parents both have multiple small businesses, with their main business being a harbor tour boating company out of Nantucket. Most of my friends’ parents also had their own business so there was no-one telling me that working for yourself isn’t typical in the “real world”. I grew up with the mindset that I would one day have my own business and figuring out exactly what that would be would come later. Many of the job positions I held over these years included two main things: speaking with clients on a daily basis in a professional setting and helping these businesses better market themselves through writing or graphics or otherwise. With my creative mind and growing communication skills, it was only natural that I fell in love with Marketing Consulting.
BWM: Can you tell us a little about your specialty in helping small businesses find their voice?
Renee: Growing up, working the number of jobs I did, exposed me to so many different industries and businesses and this gave me a very good understanding of how different industries operate and how to best target their consumer. I also grew up alongside the age of social media and this has helped me develop an understanding of social media and marketing that few other older companies possess. Creativity and social media marketing come very naturally to me. This knowledge, paired with my communication and “people skills”, allows me to develop a very strong relationship with my clients which is something that they appreciate immensely. Small businesses are cared for so deeply by the people that own/run them and a lot of what I do is about trust.
BWM: The past few months have forced all of us to pivot, creating opportunities and challenges that may not have revealed themselves before. How has COVID affected your business this year? How are you pivoting?
Renee: Although I founded this business during the pandemic, it has shown me that there is a great need for marketing help with small businesses. On one hand, businesses have very limited resources in terms of a marketing budget, but on the other hand, those small businesses that are going to survive have had to pull out on the stops to stay afloat. I have really emphasized that I'm here to help and just like them, my friends, my family, and I have a small business so I completely understand.
BWM: What positive opportunities have revealed themselves due to the pandemic?
Renee: Many business owners are overwhelmed with just running their business right now and they have no extra time to put aside to market themselves during the pandemic which can hurt them as well.
It feels like I am truly making a difference for the businesses I work with. Coming up with creative strategies and ways to help them stay afloat and even thrive has been a huge positive.
BWM: If you could give one piece of advice to another woman wanting to kick start their passion, what would that be?
Renee: Let failure and doubt from others fuel you. To be completely honest with you, so many people thought I was crazy to start a business right out of college.. in the middle of a pandemic. It's true, who does that? But I had a goal and I had a dream and I kept telling myself my senior year of college when I was applying to jobs: “Ok in 5 years, you’re going to leave whatever corporate job you have and do this because this is what you want” I was living for the future instead of loving what I do every day of now, and I wanted to truly challenge myself. I took the job market "slow down" as a sign that the time to start was now, and I jumped. Following your dreams means you have to make failure your friend. There is no road map and failing is a natural process when you run your own business. Believe me, things will go wrong, but don’t let it discourage you. Eventually, with enough hard work, it will lead you in the right direction. The fear of knowing exactly what my future would look like 20 years down the line in a corporate job scared me more than the fear of going off on my own and just making it happen, trusting the process, and living by the notion that the “sky’s the limit”. If this sounds like you, then this is your sign too.
SERVICES WE LOVE
Nantucket Island Marketing Services
Nantucket Island Marketing’s focus is to help small businesses achieve their goals through the many services they offer and build custom packages to fit the specific needs of our clients.
Social Media Management
Web Design
E-mail Marketing & Blogging