Inspired by other female entrepreneurs, Lindsey Framer took the plunge and started her own inbound marketing agency in 2014. Celebrating her 3rd anniversary with Responsive Inbound Marketing this month, she reflects on becoming a business owner, how she rises up in a male-dominated industry, and what makes all the work worthwhile.
Do you remember the moment you decided to start your own business?
I was laying by the pool in St. Maarten reading an article about entrepreneurs; in it, Lauren Bosworth was talking about starting her own business and how she wished she had done it sooner. That hit home with me and inspired me to take that leap and go out on my own.
What’s the hardest part of owning your own business?
It’s a lot more work than having a regular, full-time job. The highs are high and the lows low, but that’s part of the game. It’s tough and gets stressful, but I have no regrets.
What’s it like to be a female in tech?
Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes I feel like if I were a male salesperson on the phone, prospects might take that person more seriously. It’s even more important for me to convey confidence. The tech space is better than it was 10 years ago and we’re seeing more and more female entrepreneurs and CEOs, but there’s still a long way to go.
If you were sitting down to a coffee with someone just starting their own business, what advice would you give them?
Go for it. I started from nothing, just a savings account. I had no entrepreneurial background; I didn’t have a mentor; I didn’t have anyone paving the road for me. I did have the support of my friends and family and have been successful ever since.
There are a lot of marketing agencies out there. What makes Responsive Inbound Marketing different?
We’re a small, boutique marketing agency. We’re all specialists in everything we do. When you sign on with a 100 or 200-person agency, you don’t have that special relationship with the people you work with. [At RIM] we put our blood, sweat and tears into everything that we do. This isn’t just a job for us; it’s something we truly believe in and there’s heart behind everything we do. We see ourselves as an extension of our clients’ marketing teams.
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What is something you’ve learned since starting Responsive?
I’m always learning something new. But if I had to pick one or two things? I used to be awful at sales. Now I’m much more comfortable having that open conversation with clients and asking them questions. It takes a lot of rejection to start becoming more successful and you start to not take things as personally – it’s all part of the business world. The second thing I’ve learned is confidence. I wasn’t nearly as confident when I first started this business.
What is the biggest and best result you’ve seen over the years for a client?
In 2016 we landed one of our client’s biggest clients to date through an inbound marketing campaign. We attracted them with a blog, and they converted through a campaign. We were and remain really proud of this accomplishment. It shows how powerful a good content strategy can really be.
Before Responsive
A psychology undergraduate, Framer didn’t always work in marketing, though she considers herself a born marketer.
There are so many college grads and career changers trying to break into marketing. How did you do it?
I’ve worked as a marketer since 2004; but I didn’t start out there. I had friends who were in marketing and it sounded really cool and creative, but I didn’t actually have any intention of going into it myself. I started out as a receptionist and one day my company asked me to help with some marketing projects. I did good work, got promoted to the marketing team, and the rest is history!
What makes a good marketer in your opinion? I think of someone who is a creative, outside-the-box thinker. If an email campaign didn’t work out well for example, they’ll look at it a few different ways and say, “let’s try it this way next time.” I think a natural born marketer is someone who likes to take risks. You don’t see results unless you take risks.
“A good marketer is someone who likes to take risks and thinks outside the box,” says Framer @RspnsvInbndMktg. Click To Tweet 
What do you think is the future of Inbound Marketing?
I think that email marketing is going to go away. People are becoming so inundated in their inboxes that they’re going to realize soon enough that people aren’t opening their emails.
What are your favorite sources for discovering marketing trends and news?
I keep up with HubSpot’s blog, they’re always up to date with new algorithms and trends.
How do you balance inbound marketing with a more traditional approach to marketing? Is there a place any more for outbound tactics?
I don’t ever think that inbound marketing is the only way you should go, mainly because inbound takes some time to work. It’s OK to use outbound if that works for your company. Outbound is good for reaching out to people that you know need your product.
What is your favorite part about marketing?
You see results from all the hard work you’re doing.
What’s one app that you couldn’t live without?
Does email count? I check my email constantly, so much so that my husband is like “get off your phone.” For the most part, I’m a workaholic, but I know when to quit and when to care about something else.
You’re clearly devoted to your job, but what do you do when you’re not working?
I spend a lot of time in Maine in the summers on my husband’s boat. Or hiking with my pup, Dakota.
What’s In Store For The Future
Passionate about running her business and helping her clients adopt inbound marketing, Lindsey predicts what Responsive Inbound Marketing will look like in 5 years.
Where do you see your company 5 years from now?
In 5 years, we’ll have more clients, but still a manageable amount whom we love working with. We want clients that we understand and get.
I see myself with a larger, but still small team of specialists. When I think about growing RIM, my mantra is, “Hire people that are smarter than you to have a successful business.”
It’s important to remember, I don’t make our agency successful – a team makes it successful. I only hire people with the same mindset as me, which is “This isn’t just a job.”
Share in Responsive Inbound Marketing's 3rd Anniversary this month! Save 5% on your first 3 months of inbound marketing services when you sign up in March! Contact us to learn more.
