Wild Web Woman Amy Swift is Founder of SMARTY, a Resource for Entrepreneurial Women

As promised, we are continuing with the second part of our Wild Web Woman Wednesday Interview with Amy Swift (@SMARTYAmy), founder of SMARTY. Not only is Amy a super savvy Wild Web Woman, but her passion lies in giving women a creative, supportive and “smart” community to launch and sustain their businesses.

Missed the first part? Read it here!

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10. What are the top three most vital marketing ingredients that have helped you become the professional you are today?
My top three are 1. Good copy. I know how to write and communicate with people pretty well I think, and my background obviously helps. 2. Visual identity. I am semi-obsessive about looking good online, and I think our logo proves that ( thank you http://www.airconditionedla.com/). 3.Consistent messaging. I think being known for something so people come back to for more and more is a great boost. So I am for that, and I think achieve it most of the time.

11. Where do you find inspiration to continue growing your business?
My inspiration comes from my community. I see lives changing and businesses growing all the time, all day long. It’s incredibly inspiring and motivating. I am lucky I don’t have to look very far – my inspiration are my SMARTIES!

12. When you are faced with a setback or an enormous business challenge, what do you do to keep moving forward?
Setbacks create content. I always learn so much from glitches in my own systems and usually they are instrumental in creating something new or really digging deeper into my “why” – so they don’t get to me like they used to. Or, it could also be that I’m getting very used to set backs!

13. Do you have any personal “wild web” role models? If so, what do you admire about this person?
My friend Mariel Hemingway is a major Tweeter and I love that although her generation wasn’t the first to adopt it, she herself was a leader. Even her daughter is learning from her! I also like @SheBrandLiz who is a cautious but strategic WWW. She moves like I do – not ahead of the pack but not behind it either – but
what she does do is really smart, really true and really useful.

14. What has been your biggest achievement recently that you are proud of?
WWW Lorrie Thomas called me a Weblebrity which was a pretty big achievement! But seriously, I’m really proud that I have a business that’s under a year old that is already profitable and that has so much potential. We have over 300 members in Los Angeles and are launching in Orange County and Pasadena, with other cities interested in replicating what we’ve accomplished. That is a great place to be, and very exciting for a new company. It’s a good feeling to know that I can help other leaders in other cities offer their communities something that will both make them a living and also be incredibly rewarding.

15. What is your ideal work outfit? (We work in our PHs whenever we can, what about you?)
My ideal work outfit is old Levis, a wife beater tank, my Mephistos (the real giveaway that I’m a mom) and lip gloss!

16. How do you think social media will evolve in 2010?
2010 evolution of social media, in my mind, will be really about content (less selling.) People are getting numb to all of the messages they get so we’ll have to be much more innovative, and to the same end, discerning about who we “follow” – wether that’s on FB or Twitter or any other platform. It might be about following fewer but making it strategic, or having fewer friends but making them really people you want to engage.

17. What do you think is the most challenging part about being a female entrepreneur? How do you overcome this challenge?
The most challenging part of being a female entrepreneur is having it all. I have a child, another on the way, a husband who is also an entrepreneur and then…..dare I say it…a life. It’s hard to keep the pieces straight sometimes—business is demanding, family is demanding…and they all matter. Family really does come first for me though because if the quality of that starts to fade, then I just don’t feel good about myself or anything else. My business prospers when I feel happy personally – so it’s a priority.

18. What is the ONE web marketing best practice that you would share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?
One of the best practices that I’m trying to drive home is about list-building. People constantly
take my business card and add me to their lists and I know this happens to many others as well. I want people to know that a business card exchange does not a future newsletter recipient make! You should ask first – create a relationship, reach out to people. Ask before you add. Period.

*For more information about Amy Swift visit the SMARTY website. 

Wild Web Woman Amy Swift is the Founder of SMARTY, a Resource for Entrepreneurial Women

At Web Marketing Therapy we cannot get enough of successful and inspirational women who rock the social web and are committed to doing great work!

The Wild Web Women absolutely adore Amy Swift (@SMARTYAmy)–founder of SMARTY. Not only is Amy a super savvy Wild Web Woman, but her passion lies in giving women a creative, supportive and “smart” community to launch and sustain their businesses.

Amy offers great advice for small businesses, entrepreneurs and marketing professionals. Read on for your dose of inspiration!

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1. Why did you choose your current career and how did you get started?
I started as a copy writer. So I’m sort of a “creative” who had to transition into being an “entrepreneur” and business owner. There’s a really big difference. I never had a network of other creatives that were that generous with helping me in terms of contracts and figuring out the ins and outs of doing business. It wasn’t a bad thing, but there was no network. I worked with a company called Ladies Who Launch for many years as
their founding editor in chief and we co-authored a book together, and I’ve also just been at the beginning of many great businesses so it all came together to start a women’s network for people like me – non-joiners who don’t want to network, in the typical sense, as much as learn, connect and keep growing.

2. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Diplomatic. Creative. Curious.

3. What online social media platform are you most addicted to? (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Linkedin…etc).
I’m not addicted – but at the beginning of any of them I’m an addict. First it was FB and now I’m more of a Twitter person, but only because it benefits my business so much and there’s a conversation there that I like to hear (read?!?).

4. What are some of the valuable mistakes you have made in the past regarding online marketing/social media marketing and what have you learned from these past setbacks?
I’ve made a lot of mistakes—silly things like having the wrong links or being a real freshman and not knowing how to shorten URLs properly–things like that. But mostly what I do when I don’t know how to do something is watch someone who does so that I don’t fall on my face with it. I’m an observer and then an executor.

5. Please share a professional phobia or obsession….confession session!
Phobia or obsession….I’m truly obsessed with Smartiquette – IE, business etiquette. I see so many small businesses or service providers miss the boat on this. Whether it’s being disorganized, being continually late, not having appropriate contracts, not having a good relationship with money and value – I could go on. This is why I’m launching Smartiquette, a business advice and etiquette blog/vlog/podcast about modern entrepreneurial blunders and how to avoid them.

6. What is your favorite word or phrase? Why?
My favorite word right now is shizzle. IE, “I’m the shizzle.” I like it because it’s an old reference and it’s silly. Got to keep it light.

7. What do you believe successful “Wild Web Woman” traits are?
Successful WW traits are consistency – having a message with a through-line that makes sense to your constituents, and relevance – saying things that apply to current news or conversation. People need to be told the same things in many different forms and WWW do this over and over, but keep it fresh and engaging. Another is that just because you’re smart at something doesn’t mean you’re good at explaining it. WWW are great articulators!

8. Do you have a personal mantra that you would like to share with other Web Marketing Therapy readers?
My personal mantra is you really are your brand all the time. I loathe the word brand, but I’ll use it for the purpose of just being simple. What you say, how you look, what your company looks like — it all sends a message, so make it what you want.

9. How do you indulge yourself (every once in a while!) to stay healthy and balanced?
Indulge myself? Hilarious! Taking bath’s are my biggest indulgence. Baby sleeping. Book in hand. Quiet.

*For More Insight on Social Media and the Wild Web Check Out Part Two of Amy Swift’s Interview!