Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Cancela.
Tammy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After growing up professionally in Fortune 50 companies, I understood how to climb the corporate ladder and by 2001, I was VP-Marketing at Sprint with $8 billion revenue responsibility. The whole experience was very good for me professionally as I learned how to successfully market big brands and negotiate big corporate environments.
And then one day I was giving the keynote speech at a customer conference at the Hotel Nikko Atlanta. As was my habit at these conferences, I ate breakfast alone to gather my thoughts and then set out for the ballroom where customers were already gathering. As I crossed the lobby, I saw a small group of people gathered around the television screens watching a breaking news story.
Within a few seconds, I saw the second of two airliners devastate the Twin Towers and my life was changed forever.
Suddenly, the 80+ hour weeks, constant travel and stress outweighed the upside and I knew I wanted something else. I wanted to connect with people and do a job that meant something more than making money for large corporations.
I consulted for a few years, but couldn’t seem to break free from big corporate projects that weren’t all that appealing to me anymore. Eventually, though, Liz Barber (the founder of The Barber Shop Marketing and a legend in North Texas media) asked me to come help her run the firm and I realized I was home.
We worked with the owners of some of the largest and most well-known brands in the region, though we were a boutique firm. Our clients were small to midcap, privately owned or franchises, for profit and nonprofit. We were able to move projects forward much faster than we ever could in corporate America. One of the best parts of the experience was getting to work with the people who had built these great businesses and their teams who were directly affected by the success of our campaigns.
Ten years later, we sold the firm and I was off to my next adventure. And even though Liz is enjoying her retirement now, I still miss working with her and I will always be grateful for her trust in me.
It was that personal touch that made me realize my work had meaning. Small businesses in America make up more than 99 percent of all employer companies and employ almost 50 percent of all American workers. Small business as a whole is a huge economic driver in our economy, and helping them achieve success contributes to jobs for workers that support families and give them a sense of achievement and dignity.
A related subset of small business is franchising. I worked with dozens of franchisors and franchisees over the last ten years or so. I learned that U.S. franchises employ almost 8 million people and offer the average person (including a lot of veterans) the opportunity to own their own businesses with a brand and support system that improved their chances of success.
On a parallel path, I began to explore the complimentary practices of meditation and yoga. While I had been highly competitive in Corporate America, I learned awareness, calm and the sense of being connected to the living world through meditation and yoga. These practices were so difficult for me that I began to let go of competitiveness and learn to accept the things I was capable of achieving each day.
To my great surprise, this love of helping businesses succeed and my profound and growing sense of awareness and acceptance fused to form The Marketing Connection (my current consulting practice) and Meerkat Mob (our social media and online reputation management business designed for small and local franchise businesses).
Has it been a smooth road?
All endeavors – large and small – are going to be faced with a few roadblocks and challenges. For example, I thought we’d be able to sell our services through our website and so far, that hasn’t been our client journey. So I am still making sales calls every day while running the business and working for clients. It’s easier if I remind myself that I am reaching out to talk to a human being and it gives me a chance to have a wonderful connection!
I have a copy of Max Ehrmann’s poem, Desiderata, on my desk. My favorite line is “…whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
Or said another way, “OK, so we haven’t figured out how to sign up clients on the website…yet. Let’s try something else. Next!”
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Marketing Connection and Meerkat Mob – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
In my consulting practice, The Marketing Connection, I work with mid-market companies on things like branding and positioning, market and customer segmentation, revenue improvement, process management, strategy alignment and related areas.
Our newer business, Meerkat Mob, focuses on social media and online reputation management for small and individual franchise businesses. It’s really been fun branding this company with our team. I get asked how we decided on the name Meerkat Mob. It tickles me to reply, “because we’re a small, crafty, curious, business marketing team purpose built for local and franchise businesses. What better icon than a meerkat to exemplify “small, crafty and curious? It makes everyone smile.
Our success comes from understanding our clients and the nature of business ownership. After all, we’re small business owners, too!
Whether you own a franchise or have built a mid-sized business from the ground up for the last 40 years, as the owner you are a jack of all trades. You must be ready to deliver the catering order, run a print job, answer the phone and meet with the bank. Often, all in the same day.
That’s where we come in. The Meerkat Mob team learns our customers’ brands, their business and their industry. If possible, we patronize their businesses. We have become adept at being able to manage their social media and respond to reviews as if we were the owner in his or her own voice.
When we consult within a client’s business, we get to know them and their team. We work hard to understand the culture, social dynamics, decision making style and priority projects. And we stick with it until we get the results they want. Often, a successful conclusion requires a combination of experience, hard work, stick-to-it and some measure of charm!
Bottom line? We keep our eye on the goal and leave the team better off than when we started. They will typically learn new skills and improve trust among their teams. It’s a great feeling to know we’ve had a lasting impact.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I often say that Dallas is a big city, but also a small town. It is hard to go anywhere without running into someone you know! Our incredible diversity of people, cultures, food, arts, educational opportunities, medical care, interesting neighborhoods, sports…there is truly something for everyone. And our central location in the U.S. along with our international and regional airports allow us to travel anywhere in the world conveniently.
If we could arrange for high temperatures to stay below 100 degrees, reduce the number of cars on the road and improve public education in Dallas, our city would be hard to beat!
Pricing:
- Meerkat Mob Core Package – Small or Franchise Business Social Media and Reputation Management $299 per month per location.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meerkatmob.us
- Phone: 214-273-0122
- Email: tammy@meerkatmob.us
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/meerkatmob.us/posts/?ref=page_internal
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammycancela/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
