Meet Maureen Mwangi of Startward Consulting in Frisco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maureen Mwangi.

Maureen is a brand growth strategist with experience working with Fortune 500 companies and clients. Her experience with multi-million dollar companies exposed her to the intricacies of brand strategy. In essence, she got to learn and understand what makes brands grow. Having grown up in Kenya in a family that operated small business, Maureen was exposed to the challenges that entrepreneurs face when starting businesses like the one her parents managed. This formative experience intensified her passion for helping small and medium-sized grow their businesses. Maureen felt that the best way to help these businesses grow is by sharing her expertise and knowledge in brand strategy through her consulting firm. Her goal is to be the go-to brand consulting company for small and medium-sized businesses in Dallas, the United States and across the globe. She believes each brand is unique and has its own “sex appeal” that can attract consumers, thereby translating to sales and business growth.

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?
Most entrepreneurs will tell you that it’s never a smooth road. There are always ups and downs, twist and turns, but you always have to stay focused on your goal. For me, the biggest challenge has been defining my business model. When I first started Startward, I thought my model would provide your typical consulting engagement where I’d work with clients over a few months over an agreed-upon scope of work. However, I quickly learned I had to create a hybrid model that builds upon the typical consulting engagement. Currently, we are working on short term programs and consultations for small businesses that might not have the financial power to pay and sustain a multi-month consulting contract with our company.

Of course, there are additional struggles that we have faced: From setting up the right systems to getting the right partners to figuring out the intricacies of building a sustainable business, but you quickly learn that as an entrepreneur; challenges are a way of life in the business life cycle, so you have to be smart and agile in addressing the challenges. Otherwise, you get stressed and the business and/or clients suffer as well.

Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Company: Startward Consulting

What do we do: We work with small and medium sized businesses to unlock growth and uncover the potential for the brands we work with. We do this by taking our clients through our Brand Catalyst Blueprint, which shows clients how to create a magnetic brand.

What do we specialize in? We specialize in brand strategy. We align the disciplines of branding, strategy and analytics to help our clients elevate their brand’s position in the market.

What are we known for: We are known for exceptional client excellence and a unique understanding of brand strategy.

I am proud of: I am proud of the fact that the client we have worked with really appreciate the impact we have made on their businesses within a very short period.

What sets us apart: Personalized attention to each client. We are not a consulting company that will send you to contractors and leaves you there. We work with you to help you address your challenges and if some of the challenges cannot be addressed in-house, we find trusted partners that walk with you as we all look to resolve the client’s problem.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory was the birth of my sister-Anita. She and I have an 11-year age gap. Her birth exposed to taking care of a young child- from changing diapers to feeding them and understanding their unique way of communication (most of the time it’s through crying). Additionally, Anita taught me to be patient, to express love, and above all, to be an excellent role model. Our relationship is the true definition of sibling-love! As the eldest sibling, I have always mentored Anita and there is nothing I am more proud of that seeing her excel in her studies and other activities outside of the classroom. In fact, she is the inspiration behind the Taji Foundation, which is part of Startward Consulting. Watching my sister take my advice and use it to achieve her dreams inspired me to start the foundation so I could mentor and also pay tuition for needy students in Africa.

Contact Info:

• Address: 9900 Spectrum Drive, Austin Texas, 78717
• Website: https://www.startwardconsulting.com/
• Phone: 5715511014
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: facebook.com/startwardconsulting

Image Credit:
All photos were taken by Ephraimsphotography in Dallas.

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