Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Clark.
Hi Marissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Marissa, and most Central Floridians probably know me from my time on XL 106.7 and Johnny’s House. While finishing my Master’s degree at UCF I applied for an internship on the show (I had been a listener since middle school!), and loved it so much I refused to leave until they offered me a job. That led to a wild five-year journey that still feels surreal to think back on.
However, towards the end of 2018, I experienced what you could call a textbook “burnout,” both mentally and physically, which led to a hospital stay, packing all of my belongings into a storage unit, and moving back home into my childhood bedroom. For the first time in my life, I was forced to slow down and re-evaluate what made me happy, both professionally and personally. Eventually, I combined my passions of broadcasting and women’s empowerment to form a business consulting and mentoring other female entrepreneurs. My goal is to help other women simplify their businesses and find that elusive work/life balance in order to avoid the burnout I experienced.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, goodness no! One of my favorite books is Oprah’s “What I Know For Sure,” a collection of columns on things she knows for sure in a world of uncertainty. When I found myself at ‘rock bottom,’ it was an insightful exercise into creating the life I wanted.
I asked myself, “if I could have/be/do anything I wanted, what would that be?” It took several iterations of my business to figure that out, but I learned that instead of quitting when something didn’t work out, I just needed to pivot. I also discovered “Imposter Syndrome” is a real thing.
With social media, it’s impossible not to compare yourself to others. I used to be of the belief you had to have everything “figured out” in your 20’s. I believed by age 30, I would be in a dream career, married, a home-owner, and on my way to starting a family. Not a single one of those came true. And that lack of confidence carried over into my business when first starting out. I hired people for roles I didn’t think I was good enough to do myself and was constantly second-guessing my decisions.
In fact, I actually read that men tend to overestimate their abilities and performance, and women underestimate both. But eventually, I learned that to succeed, confidence and perseverance matter just as much as competence. Once I began to trust myself and get past that Imposter Syndrome, scaling the business became infinitely easier.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our business is a hybrid of events, coaching, consulting, and mastermind-ing for women. Not long after leaving my radio career, I began to notice a trend of minimalism… people ditching their homes and moving into vans, and organization shows like Marie Kondo and The Home Edit who encourage you to simplify your life to increase happiness. Yet all I had ever encountered in business was that in order to be successful, you needed to do more.
Wake up earlier and hustle more. Spend more time at the office (regardless of productivity). Take on more projects, even if it means sacrificing weekends. I realized, of course, we’re all overworked and burnt out!
So often, we get addicted to the chaos and hamster wheel of business that when we sit still, we feel like something is wrong. I promised myself that I’m absolutely going to work hard. But I’m also going to work smarter, too. I’m going to work hard to build systems that will allow me to also build a lifestyle to rest and enjoy life, and I want to help other women do the same.
I wanted other women to know that not only can you be an impactful and successful businesswoman, but you can also do it while being an amazing wife, mother, friend, and human being. Now I’m really proud to be able to help women grow their wealth, community impact, and free time.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve always considered empathy my superpower. In the cut-throat world of media, it was perceived as a weakness, so when it came time to enter entrepreneurship, I was petrified I wasn’t nearly “tough enough.”
One of my favorite (very successful) entrepreneurs, Marcus Lemonis, once said, “You don’t have to be a [expletive] to be good at business,” and that was oddly very comforting. Because I feel things very deeply. I care a lot about our clients, my team, and the people that I love. Eventually, I learned that when you put service-over-selling, not only can you still be profitable, you can absolutely have a larger impact, too.
Contact Info:
- Email: marissanclark91@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.marissaclark.net/mastermind
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissaonair/
Image Credits
@amandacalabresephotography
