Leeah Murray
We sat down with Women to Women Network member Leeah Murray of Meraki & Co. LLC, and here's what she had to say…
Who are your clients/customers?
I work with any small business or entrepreneur looking to establish or elevate their online presence. I don't choose to niche by industry because, as a creative person, that leads to burnout for me. I thrive when I have entirely new industries and different types of businesses to learn about. In the last year, I have made websites for clients from Arizona to Portland, from cannabis testing to mechanical engineering.
How do you help your clients/customers?
I build websites and do in-depth branding to help my clients find their voice, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and anything to do with a digital presence.
I'm working on setting up some courses. I've recently been teaching classes for the Multnomah County Library in Portland, and they've requested I create more curricula. I will turn that into an online course that people can take advantage of.
With the state of the economy, small businesses and entrepreneurs tend to have a feast-and-famine cycle, so I strongly believe in creating multiple revenue streams. I'm passionate about explaining to people the power of YouTube, which is an evergreen lead generator for your business. It generates a passive income to help through those famine months.
I've also had some experience producing podcasts. Most recently, I surpassed 1000 listens within a month of launch without sharing it personally across my social platforms. I'm using my technical marketing skills for search engine optimization, so the growth has been wonderful. I'm also excited to put that into a course because it's another way to earn passive and residual income.
What brought you to this line of work?
When I was 12 or 13, I started making websites for fun. I wouldn't step away from the computer. When I was 19, I worked at Walgreens in the beauty department, and on break, one of the pharmacists asked what I did for fun. He told me I could make money creating websites, which was the spark I needed. I began cold emailing businesses in the white pages, and I got fortunate. About five people took the bait, and I had great experiences with my first clients.
One of my first clients was a bed and breakfast in Tucson, and I got her in Sunset Magazine. She paid me $500 more than I billed her, and she encouraged me to raise my rates and value what I was doing.
What brings you joy?
Solving problems is an incredible rush. I love to think outside of the box. When a customer comes to me with a unique situation, I like to try to solve it in unconventional ways. I have no formal training in graphic or website design, so I taught myself reverse engineering by right-clicking and viewing the source code on a website. I love the challenge of overcoming a problem and hearing my clients say I've made their lives easier.
What defines you and your business?
I'm very intentional about doing the right thing and finding new ways of doing business. I'm in the process of changing my company to a B Corp. Unfortunately, I've had many run-ins with very unethical people that keep business and ethics separate. I bring my values into my business because I genuinely care about my client's business as much as I care about my own. My business is a large chunk of who I am, so I take it very seriously.
What's the most important thing you want people to know about you and your business?
Whether or not you choose to work with me, I will always strive to give the best advice I can. I'm not trying to sell people on what I do. I seek to support what is best for you and your business before all else without any agenda.