Eminent SEO is Celebrating 4 Years – A Personal Journey

How I Got Into Marketing

Roughly 9 years ago I was a young single mom with 2 little kids. I was tired of working the long hours required of a restaurant manager… and I found myself at a career crossroad. Do I continue pursuing the restaurant management path I was on, which, although it was tiring and stressful, offered security – or, do I take a leap of faith and start over in a totally different field?

I made the tough decision to leave restaurants altogether and humbly accepted an entry level position at a young internet marketing firm as a billing assistant. Uneducated, but hungry, I was eager to learn and excited to work in this new space.

Initially I was not required to understand marketing or even the products we offered- I was in billing, so I was to perform basic billing tasks.  I spent several months perfecting my basic daily tasks and found myself questioning processes which lead to many questions and a lot of time researching on my own. I found the idea of organic website marketing fascinating and my desire to learn more continued to grow.

Because the company was small and young, there was a lack of internal process and training, so I took it upon myself to study at home and teach myself as much as I could about Google’s algorithms, keyword research, link building, customer service and strategic marketing.

After a few months of studying and learning, I requested to be considered for an opening as a sales assistant. My boss was surprised at my request and felt I was not equipped for the position. I explained that I had been studying and asking questions and felt prepared. He decided to give me a shot – but I sensed he was hesitant.

I was excited for the chance, but I quickly learned as the only female in the sales room, I was in for some serious testing. I was not only going to have to prove myself as a competent sales assistant, I was going to have to prove that a girl was just as capable as the boys.

You know how the saying goes… what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? I would happily share the nitty gritty details of how I was treated and the shocking things I discovered… but for now I will leave it at this: Never underestimate a young single mother with multiple mouths to feed.

That year I was top sales person. That year I became the first ever female sales manager. That year I discovered my passion for marketing. That year I found my true career path. That year changed me forever.

Eminent SEO Was Born

Several years later in October of 2009, after many changes, learning experiences and new opportunities, I found myself at a crossroads yet again.

I had a choice to make. Do I leave this space and start over yet again? Or, do I persevere and continue doing what I love, knowing I would have to sacrifice a lot?

What happened next was a blur… two of my best friends and I started working, not knowing then that what we had actually set in motion was the beginning of our own company – what was later to become Eminent SEO.

I like to joke that we started the company with a Hotmail account and a spreadsheet. We literally had nothing. Days ran into nights and for months and months we worked around the clock trying to satisfy the client demands while still learning how to set up systems, structures and build a team.

I thank God every day for my dear friends who stuck by me and worked their asses off to make this happen (a special shout out to Tatiana and Chris). Our team of 3 turned into 4, then 5, 6, 7… then the referrals kept coming in and we were expanding our services and before we knew it, our small group turned into a large team and Eminent SEO is now supporting a full time staff, several dedicated partners, dozens of resellers and hundreds of client websites.

When we started, we didn’t do it for the money. We did it for the people. The client’s that came to us were desperate for help. They had been burned and found themselves at a dead end and needed to find people who they could trust. Chris, my partner, and I knew that in order to find success and also contentment with who we are, we had to build our business on doing the right thing. Sure, it’s easy to make a quick buck doing SEO – but we were in this for more. At the end of the day you have to be able to look at your staff, your clients… your kids… and say, no matter what we always tried to do the right thing.

Eminent SEO has been in business now for 4 years this month. We celebrate client successes regularly in the office and find it extremely rewarding that we are able to put forth products and services that help our clients reach their own business and website goals. Our team is made up of an eclectic group of hard working people who are committed to doing the very best job they can do.

A Big Thank You

I wake up every day feeling blessed for this continued opportunity and I just want to end this blog post with a huge thank you. Thank you to the team for sticking with us and choosing to be part of this exciting journey with us. And, thank you to our partners and our clients. You gave us a chance, some of you even when we were just getting started, and we grew together in the process. Now, as we all continue to grow, I look forward to many more years of continued successes in our business and personal lives.

I love marketing. I love helping others grow. And, most of all, I love knowing that I am investing into something that I can always be proud of.

Wishing you the same.

Cheers,

Jenny Stradling

Eminent SEO, CEO

Chris Weatherall and Jenny Stradling – Owners of Eminent SEO

Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.

Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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