318. How to Build a Brand with Ashley Viola of Meridian

Today, we highlight the amazing work of Masterminder, Ashley Viola, who founded Meridian in 2016 and has since grown it into an amazing, highly sought-after producer and purveyor of beautiful, handmade home decor pieces.Ashley started her career working with the world famous Muppets. Specifically, she was a producer and director on Sesame Street, tasked with finding ways to produce content and grow the brand on new and emerging platforms. That’s arguably the start of her entrepreneurial journey, as she had to go out and discover new possibilities and turn them into reality before anyone else had laid a path yet.The skills she developed on Sesame Street transferred right over into launching and running a product line – especially one like Meridian which is sold direct to consumer, and without a reliance on paid ads.Ashley talks about how she believes the pandemic contributed to the rapid growth she's seen over the last couple of years - her business was fortunate enough to remain operational as the rest of the world closed down and, with everyone stuck indoors, people started making an effort to decorate their homes as nicely as possible. We also get into the deeper introspective side of business building. What is your identity? Are you a business, just a shop, or a full-blown brand? In Ashley’s case, it seems pretty clear that she’s now operating as the latter! Then we explore what the future holds for Meridian and how Ashley is continuing to turn her plans into reality.Brought to you by the Shop 1 in 5™ Pledge! Commit to making 1 in 5 of your purchases from a small business, whether online or offline. The Shop 1 in 5™ Pledge is a way to make an impact together when (and where) it matters most. Join us and take the pledge today!Resources:Meridian on InstagramMeridian WebsiteProduct Biz Owners at $200k+ yearly revenue: Are you a product business owner that has built your business to a multi-6 figure to multi-million dollar business? If so, sign up here for our FREE live training, The Proven Path to a Million Dollar Product-Based Business, where we will discuss the 3 stages of business to grow and level up to a profitable million dollar business that works for you. The Product Boss Mastermind has limited spots available that are open for consideration to applicants $200k and above, apply here.Join the Shop 1 in 5 Small Business Shopping Directory. It’s holiday-ready, too! Get listed now!101+ HOLIDAY CONTENT IDEAS Beyond the Discount is YOUR shortcut to creating a marketing strategy for the 2021 holiday season so that you can create content that successfully resonates with your customers during the busiest season of the year and gets you loyal customers that actually buy from you! The first-ever holiday content marketing plan designed to help you grow your customer base and increase your product sales – without spending a single dollar on ads!Check out and shop from hundreds of small businesses from the Small Business Shopping Directory. It’s the go-to directory to discover, support, and shop small businesses all in one place.Attention: It's the Biggest Small Biz Holiday Collab Ever: For the month of November, over 200 businesses from our Directory are offering exclusive discounts. Don't miss it! Get your FREE discounts guide here: www.shop1in5.com/dealsConnect:Website: theproductboss.comInstagram: @theproductboss