Meet Amanda Wood | Owner & Marketing Guru

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Wood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for my marketing business came from listening to my old boss! I started my career in the corporate world working at the US headquarters of an oil and gas service company. I worked alongside the president, and day-in-and-day-out would listen to him “sell” the company during our meetings. He sold by simply telling the story of the company. He would describe the history, how the worldwide company came into the US through acquisition, and then how it became successful in the onshore oilfield service.

I used to say he could sell ice to an Eskimo, and I stand by that statement. He was just a good salesman, but his technique was so simple!

So, years later, when I decided to start my own business, I instantly knew my unique differentiator would be storytelling marketing.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The part about my business that excites me the most is hearing my clients’ initial feedback after I submit a design to them. I often work with startups and love to support other entrepreneurs, so I design quite a few logos, which can be very challenging, but I also enjoy that part of my work very much.

Logo designs can be a difficult process. Working with people from many different industries provides me with a variety of work and lack of boredom, however, as I tell my clients, “you are the expert in your industry”, so I have to try to learn as much as I can from them in order to come up with the creative ideas for a logo design, tagline, new campaign, etc. Sometimes this can be challenging. I try to overcome this by overcommunicating my process with my clients, and it starts on Day 1. In the world of communication, over-communication is key!

Explaining processes through over-communication is something I’ve learned to do over time. I’m a very process-oriented person and have had to learn that not everyone is that way. Slowing down to explain my process helps my communication with my clients later on while we are working together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, since I’m north of the city in The Woodlands/Conroe area, I’ll provide an itinerary for my side of town!

Sunday: You just arrive, so let’s do something low-key like Woodson’s that nearby. It’s always a happening place – especially if it’s some sort of sports season, (which I think is almost year-right, right?…I don’t watch sports)

Monday: We could go into downtown Conroe, which is only 15 minutes north of The Woodlands. There are fun antique shops, restaurants and fun, new bars that have opened up recently like 202 Main. Dinner would be at my favorite, Red Brick Tavern!

Tuesday: Whether we order in or go out, Kyu is a great, new spot!

Wednesday: It’s Hump-Day, so let’s celebrate with a nice dinner at Fieldings Local!

Thursday: DATE NIGHT! Since we just did Fieldings Local the night before, we may want to do something different, but I still love Fieldings Wood Grill, which is their more casual place and also where my husband and I went to celebrate after he proposed. 🙂 To offer something different, I’d suggest Zanti for a romantic date-night.

Friday: There’s a local restaurant in Conroe called Honor Cafe that is so good for breakfast! Let’s go there and then go shop at Donna’s Furniture off of 336 and browse because that’s one of my favorite things to do. For dinner, we could go to this brand new restaurant that stays open late and turns into a club for fun dancing! It’s called Amrina, and I’ve been wanting to go ever since it opened!

Saturday: Your last day visiting, sad! 🙁 Let’s go big and start the day early with kayaking on the waterway. The Woodlands was so beautifully designed, and it’s so nice to have the water and surrounding parks all around town. For lunch, we could dine at one of the spots on the waterway. One of my favorites is Cyclone Anaya’s! They have the best crab nachos! For dinner, let’s stick to the theme of the week with locally-owned restaurants and go to Killen’s Steakhouse. We love to eat at the bar and visit with the staff that’s so nice. If there’s a group of us, we could grab a table and go all-out for a delicious meal!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people who have supported me throughout the years since starting my company in 2017 – I’ve worked for everyone in my family (literally!), so their support means everything to me. The one person I’d like to give a shoutout to specifically would be my husband because he is the one who believed in me and that I could do this before I believed in myself. He’s the one who told me to go into business for myself because I needed to be my own boss. He’s the one who let this be financially possible for us. And, he’s the one who gets to see all of my designs (whether he likes it or not) before I show the client!

Website: https://availmarketing.guru/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/availmarketingguru/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avail-marketing/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrsAWood

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvailMarketingGuru/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoSx76s41P-HNyySjsrVBsQ

Other: https://www.instagram.com/minniemarketer/

Image Credits
Headshot image credit goes to Chelsea Williams Photography.