Today we’d like to introduce you to Blanca Balli.
Blanca, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Owning two small businesses in the marketing industry was definitely not in my “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” essay that I wrote at the end of high school. The original plan was to go to college and become a high school history teacher. That plan, along with many others along the way, failed immensely!
Instead, I ended up working several different jobs searching for something that felt right, something that I was good at doing. Out of every job I held, the only constant that stuck out was the love of working with people. Learning their life stories, failures, and successes. My wife is the one that ended up shining a light on my path. She wanted to start a photography business but was more keen on being behind the camera than on the phone with clients. I jumped at the opportunity to meet new people while still getting quality time spent with my wife and making some extra cash on the side. Before we knew it, our weekends were booked out for a whole year and we were making long-lasting friendships and business relationships with clients, vendors, and venues.
Five years of owning a small business with no previous education in business or marketing was a rough learning experience! There were lots of failures and lessons to be learned but eventually, those experiences helped us create something that would open the door to even bigger opportunities. As we continued to grow, so were several of our other friends who also owned small businesses. When we would meet them up for dinners or other social outings, conversations would always revolve around business and the current struggles. They had their service or product available but had a hard time reaching their communities. The trials and tribulations of our photography company had taught us how to navigate marketing strategies and successfully reach our audience through effective media. If we were able to do it for ourselves, why not share the wealth in helping other small business owners in our community. This is how Ziptie Media was born.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has this been a smooth ride? Heck no! This has been the most turbulent life ride I’ve experienced so far. The struggles have come in multiple forms. Having another business required additional equipment, all of which came with colorful price tags. In the beginning, you do what you have to do to get by as you slowly build your portfolios and inventory. Every day is a hustle, every email or phone call is a prospective client. Despite already having a foot in the industry, pulling my first clients was asking them to place a large amount of trust in me. It’s not just taking pictures of their service or product- it’s telling their story, capturing their magic and giving THEIR audience a reason to choose them. No pressure right?
Ziptie Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Ziptie Media specializes in making better creative content for small businesses. We help them with everything from promotional and event photography and videography, to website refreshes and copywriting. The most common thing we receive inquiries on is creative content for social media channels.
The aspect of our company that I am most proud of is our ability to give our clients a true voice in the digital sphere. There is so much content that floods our social and digital worlds every minute of every day and we are able to navigate it to ensure that our clients reach and captivate their audience. When we work with a client, we spend several hours in their establishment or on service runs with them to ensure that we have a strong understanding of what they’re putting into the world. By placing ourselves in their shoes, we are able to narrate their “why” and the positive change they’re trying to make in their community. We were one of these new small businesses as one point. People with passion, wanting to make a change or add a positive impact on their communities. That’s what sets us apart from other media companies.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far was seeing the finalized paperwork after we officially filed Ziptie Media as a company with the state of Texas. It was a significant milestone in our journey as small business owners because it was the result of years of hard work, sacrifices and challenging lessons learned. Running a photography business was one thing, but channeling over into a full-fledged media company is an entirely different beast. Creating this company has been one of my greatest accomplishments so far.
Contact Info:
- Email: blanca@weareziptie.com
Image Credit:
Ziptie Media
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