Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Gray Heiser Alexandra Sharp.
Hi Rachel Gray Heiser, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We met in 2023 at our corporate job, where we made up 2/3 of the regional marketing team for a Fortune 200 company. We instantly bonded over our shared disdain for corporate America and the monotony that came with it. In February of 2024, our company sent us to the corporate office for a training across the country. We always joke that we can’t believe they sent us “unsupervised.” After bailing on the scheduled team dinner, we found a cuter restaurant in town for a girls night. It was here that we teased the idea of starting our own agency. A joke spiraled into a game plan, and by the time we were back at our hotel, we were sharing the news with our husbands. From then on, we dedicated our working hours to our corporate job, and every other spare minute on developing our agency. It took us a while to land on a name and brand, but around May of 2024 we had launched an Instagram and began outreach for our first client. Pheme Marketing was officially born, and we were finally taking a chance on ourselves. By August 2024, both of us were able to leave corporate America and pursue our agency full time. We’re now over a year into business and loving every minute of it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As amazing as this journey has been, it hasn’t come without its challenges. Any business you start goes through a period of having to prove yourself to potential clients. You have to build confidence in your product or service, and with that know your worth. A lot of small business owners may not see the value in full time social media management or professional branding, so we had to learn how to sell ourselves. We like to compare it to hiring a tax professional in tax season. It pays to have a professional running your social media or designing your branding. As AI and platforms like Canva become more accessible to non-designers, hiring a professional might seem like too much of an investment, especially when you’re just starting out. What people don’t know is that you can’t ever trademark a logo make with these platforms. You also run the risk of your business blending into the industry by using pre-created templates. Hiring a designer ensures you have a professional, quality logo and social feed that will stand out, perform better, and last longer than the “easier” options.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Pheme is the greek goddess of fame and renown, known for making the small feel great and the great feel even greater. We wanted our brand to be a champion of area small businesses, providing them with intentional social media management and brand design. We didn’t want to take ourselves too serious, offering a community first approach that focuses on building genuine engagement over vanity metrics. In our first year, we’ve been able to work with a variety of amazing clients across industries.
We pride ourselves on always being students, whether that’s staying on top of the ever changing social media landscape, or meeting our clients at their need by learning a new skill. The beauty of coming from a small corporate marketing team is that we wore several hats and were able to learn an array of skills that is applicable to more than just social media and brand design. We’ve ran ads for clients, designed event flyers, and even handled some email marketing.
That being said, we really thrive in social media and brand design. We love working with clients that aren’t afraid to try something new. Alexandra lives for content creation and social strategy, while Rachel really loves graphic design. We compliment each other well, and clients love having a package deal for their marketing team.
How do you think about luck?
We’ve gotten really lucky with a strong support system. Building a new business from the ground up takes a village. It’s like having a baby. From ideation, we’ve had people in our corner celebrating us and offering assistance in any way they can provide. Our husband’s really took a chance on us in the beginning. They always joke we will be successful enough one day to return the favor so they can quit their jobs. We’ve also been extremely lucky to make wonderful connections within our industry. Having peers you can rely on to bounce ideas off of or complain about a difficult client in confidence. And with that having mentors to guide us and provide referrals. We truly wouldn’t have made it as far as we have without our support system.
Pricing:
- Social Media Management starting at $800/month
- Brand Design starting at $750
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @phememarketing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Pheme-Marketing-61565470299663/
