Irene Elliott is not your typical small-town Canadian girl. From her humble beginnings in Saskatchewan, she has carved out a career path that defies expectations and showcases her relentless drive for success. With a deep love for music and a passion for forging her own path, Irene has transformed from a musician into a savvy businesswoman and marketing guru.
Her journey is a testament to the power of self-belief and perseverance. When the corporate world beckoned, Irene didn’t just follow the path laid out for her—she created her own. She took charge of her destiny, first by mastering the ins and outs of the music industry, then by launching her own thriving marketing firm. Along the way, she’s navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship with resilience and an unshakeable commitment to leading with empathy.
In this interview, Irene shares the pivotal moments and key decisions that have shaped her career. From her early days in the music scene to her successful transition into the business world, Irene’s story is one of grit, growth, and the pursuit of dreams. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or simply looking for inspiration, Irene’s insights offer a powerful reminder that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
Irene, you’ve successfully transitioned from a music career to launching a thriving marketing firm. What were the key factors that helped you navigate these significant changes in your career path?
Many underestimate the entrepreneurial spirit required to be a musician. You are essentially a product you need to market and manage. Without a team, the responsibility falls on you – from crafting your trade, practicing, and recording to touring and promoting yourself. The fiercely competitive music industry becomes a crash course in marketing, business building, and ensuring the business thrived.
While building my music career, I also took on voice-over work and public speaking, which led to opportunities to mentor others in the entertainment industry and in personal branding. My transition to being recognized as a leader and businesswoman was very natural.
How did your background in music influence your approach to marketing and branding when you first started your firm?
I had to become a personal brand as a musician, so I quickly developed an intuitive grasp of branding. I understood the impact of online and offline self-presentation, from the chosen images and words to community engagement, gigs, and collaborations. This experience seamlessly translated into marketing. I readily grasped target audiences, brand messaging that resonates, and building trust through a strong image. Strategy and tactics can easily be learnt. It’s about finding those who care, those who want what you offer.
I now take this knowledge and connect brands with the people who I know will love them.
Can you share some of the biggest challenges you faced when growing your marketing firm from a one-woman show to a team of talented marketing professionals?
The biggest hurdle was generating enough demand while managing every aspect of the business. Initially, I overextended myself by not hiring specialists quickly enough. It was a hectic time, but perseverance paid off. By scaling thoughtfully, I eventually created a balanced team that could handle the workload effectively.
I’ve been very lucky that 95% of my clients have come through word of mouth, although the downside of my quick growth was having to neglect my own marketing efforts. For a long time I joked that I was a marketing professional that didn’t market herself. It felt like I was helping my clients grow although I never had enough time for my own business. Balancing client work with promoting my own business was challenging. It took time to build a team and delegate tasks like blogging, newsletters, and social media management… maintaining my personal brand. However, this ‘problem’ stemmed from a positive – being so in-demand that handling all aspects became impossible. It was a necessary step towards building a successful team.
What advice would you give to other women looking to start their own business, particularly in the marketing industry?
I find this question really interesting. There’s a statistic that men will apply for jobs when they only meet 60% of the qualifications whereas women will only apply for a job if they meet 100% of the qualifications. This means that women are often not shooting for something that they think is out of their current skill set whereas men are more risk inclined as they feel confident about striving for something that is beyond what they currently know.
In general, women are under a lot of pressure. Starting at a young age we’re fed so much information about what we should and shouldn’t be and this fuels this deep-seated insecurity, particularly when working in male dominated industries. This is exceptionally challenging for women who are thinking about becoming a business owner, so when they’re faced with an opportunity to start a business they often don’t out of fear that they’re going to fail, that won’t be able to learn what’s required, or that it will conflict with their desire to have a family.
In my personal experience I didn’t have a choice but to hustle. I didn’t come from a wealthy family and I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I had to push myself to learn outside of what I already knew because if I didn’t I might have ended up a housewife on a farm.. not that this isn’t a wonderful dream for some, it just wasn’t mine.
I wouldn’t have had the option to be where I am now – someone who has worked in some of the most competitive cities in the world and with some incredibly successful individuals and companies. I feel very grateful that I forced myself out of the world I grew up in to strive for more. This type of mentality instilled a growth mindset where nothing became out of reach.
So, my advice to women would be to push for something that you think is out of reach. Take the risk because you’ll be surprised when you find out that you can probably learn anything that comes into your hands and if you can’t learn everything then hire someone to do that part for you.
What role does empathy play in your approach to leadership and client relationships within your firm?
To be honest, after working in competitive industries I’ve found a common theme. Traditional leadership can be somewhat aggressive and short. The higher up the leadership ladder, the shorter the emails become and the more direct they are. This is great – when you have limited time, you want to get straight to the point. However, I’ve found the best way to work, manage my team, direct properly, guide leaders and work with clients is to be thorough and to pay attention.
Women, I believe, are very detail-oriented and naturally empathetic leaders. I think this empathy allows people to really understand what you’re trying to do, how you’re showing support and respect. Empathy in leadership is often overlooked, and I think it’s a key component to supporting growth. Without understanding, we can’t grow.
What was the moment you realized that you wanted more control over your destiny, and how did that realization shape your career path? Did you face self-doubt and how did you overcome it to pursue your goals?
I was working in this one role where I traveled across North America and the UK. I ran brand awareness campaigns, working with some of the top entrepreneurs in those regions. It was an incredible position – I had a limited budget to make a big impact, and I wore multiple hats. I managed the brand, ran the campaigns, developed partnerships and marketing strategies, and even executed the tactics myself. It was hectic. Then, when the pandemic hit, I was laid off. This made me realize that I was essentially an entrepreneur within this company that could easily be replaced.
There was no reason why I shouldn’t take that same budget and apply it towards my own business. Why shouldn’t I be creating something for myself, rather than for someone else?
Of course, starting your own business can be stressful. Fear creeps in, and imposter syndrome can develop. But I decided to push through it. I realized I’d already been doing these things for so long; I just needed to apply them to something I truly cared about. Looking back at all my jobs, I realized I loved working with talented, smart people, building brands, and developing strategic plans to see growth. The rest was just putting things into action and deciding on a company name.
What are some of the personal qualities you believe have been crucial to your success in both music and business?
In my field, knowledge matters, absolutely. Staying educated and following industry updates is essential. However, for me, genuine honesty has been the cornerstone of my business growth. I’m a no-nonsense person – I tell you directly what I think and how I believe things should be done. People trust me because I don’t need to sell them anything. I explain the value we bring and how we can help. It’s a simple proposition: take it or leave it.
Integrity is second. There have been many opportunities where I could have jeopardized my integrity for more money. Looking back, I’m very glad I didn’t develop that mindset for myself. This has allowed me to work with some pretty amazing people and brands with great missions and products that help, not hurt. Doing good is good business.
How do you unwind and recharge after a busy day running your consultancy and managing various projects?
My two favorite wind-down hobbies right now are gardening and painting. I’ve been gardening for a long time, though I recently transitioned from vegetables and annuals to perennials, trees, and shrubs. I love learning about how plants grow and believe there’s so much we can learn from nature that can be applied to daily life.
With painting, it’s pure expression. It’s all abstract. I love doing this thing called smooshing, where I just grab a bunch of paints and smash them all over the place to see what happens. It’s very messy, but very rewarding and fulfilling because it’s thoughtless and pure emotion. Painting is a great stress reliever for any business person or someone who carries a lot of emotional weight, is analytical or highly strategic.
Can you share a personal mantra or philosophy that guides you in your daily life and work?
It may seem lame, but: kindness is cool. I think apathy is what destroys growth and what stops people from really understanding each other or stops businesses from really pushing forward. Kindness allows you to understand another person’s perspective, to be open, to be thoughtful, to be considerate and at the end of the day business is really just about people. If you’re not kind in your messaging, if you’re not kind in your interactions, if you’re not kind in your leadership, I think you’re missing the point.
How do you hope your story will inspire other women, particularly those from small towns, to pursue their dreams and take control of their careers?
I think the inspiration is in sharing my story, fearlessly. I can’t tell other people what businesses to start or tell them what they should be interested in or where they should go in their lives. Each person will decide what a big goal for them is and what makes them happy. If there are others that are like me and relate to my story then I can hope that my words will inspire them and they will turn this inspiration into action without fear.
I’m just a small town prairie girl from Saskatchewan, Canada. If I can do it, you can do it.
Find out more about Irene:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-elliott/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irreennneee/
Website: https://www.ieconsulting.me
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5bG0A2zflQEQyxPWZyvTnn?si=jdw2Xtd_TaaS3eUASMozXQ
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