When Emily K. Howard launched her business consulting firm last year, she learned a lot.
But to her surprise, the main lesson was that you don’t have to know everything and you don’t have to be perfect.
Howard, owner of Cheetah Strategy, said: “I couldn’t say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I can’t do that.
“But in my own business, it doesn’t have to be that way. Or, “I’m not the best person for that, but let me introduce you so-and-so.” ”
A native of Albuquerque, Howard has had a career in marketing and advertising. In 1999 she joined DDB Worldwide in Dallas, one of her first internet marketing agencies in the country.
After she returned to Albuquerque in 2005, her employers included two longtime marketing firms and most recently the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Howard is also a vocalist and cheerleader in his hometown. She is co-founder of the Start Bragging ABQ initiative and co-host of its podcast with a mission to encourage residents to talk about their city with pride.
Howard’s decision to go independent in the business world was not without its problems. She launched her first marketing company in 2013, but her children were still young and “overdone.”
The current iteration, Cheetah Strategy, is building a client network, and Howard is pleased with the success so far. Her clients include the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Economic Forum and Jemez Her Pueblo.
But why the name “Cheetah”?
“I read somewhere that naming a family, like the name of a sports team, ties the family together,” says Howard. “So my daughters and I teamed up. He became a cheetah. When we came up with the strategic planning business, we realized that the way cheetahs hunt is very similar to strategic planning. Plan your approach ahead.
“I feel like marketing has a lot to do with unity and bringing people together.”
What is it like to have your own business?
“I love meeting all these new people and learning about different businesses. I really like getting involved and understanding what’s going on and how I can help them. It’s refreshing. am.”
Why did you decide to try again after your first attempt failed?
“Lots of reasons. I think one of them is better scheduling with my kids and having a little more control over my own schedule. Another reason is helping more companies. I love the Pueblo Cultural Center of India, but for me it was more challenging to work with different types of companies.More people and more diversity.”
What was harder than you thought?
“Accounting. I find it difficult to do everything but strategic planning (and) marketing: accounting, sales, mileage tracking, all those little things.”
What was the hardest thing for you?
“I divorced my first husband when my children were young. Even though we were very friendly, it was pretty hard. That was also when I was doing my (first) consulting business.” There was a lot but my family, my parents, my siblings, they are amazing, my friends were amazing, I had a great support system at the time, it was probably the hardest thing I had to go through I think it was.”
What does splurge mean to you?
“Clothes that don’t sell. My mother gave me a bargain.”
Do you have hidden talents?
“You mean tennis? I played until I was 12 and then quit. I tried and made a team in college (Texas Christian University). I still play tennis pretty competitively.” The U.S. Tennis Association has a team, and I play in that league, and it’s probably more competitive than people think.”
what are you proud of
“I am most proud of raising my daughters to be kind people. I feel like they…noticing many things that other children might not be aware of, and wanting to help other children.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
“Oh, where do I start? It’s a good story for my daughters, I tell them, “This happened to your mom, so you’ll survive no matter what.”
What is your advice to new business owners?
“Get help. I think the key to success the second time around was knowing what to do and in what order. Do you talk to your accountant first, or your lawyer first, or your LLC?” How do you put it together?So I think it really helps to get help early before you make any big decisions. Make sure you understand what is involved in what you do.”
what is your goal?
“I want to continue helping as many companies as I can, and I think I have to figure out if I can do it alone forever or if I need to ask for help. The company’s mission is to provide accessible strategic thinking, and accessible is a big deal for me, which means it’s affordable (and) they called me I will be by your side when the time comes.