How Every Business Owner Can Help Military Families & Save Money

Erika Connects Veterans & Military Spouses with Small Business opportunities. Erika's Company (Small Business Marketing Studio)  will help your business stay lean and agile with experienced, talented marketing professionals on a monthly subscription. No hidden fees, no contracts, no hassle – just premium marketing services at less than a third of the cost of a full-time employee. Here is Erika's Bio & Her Linkedin is here: Erika Heeren is an award-winning digital marketing and public relations professional with more than 16 years of experience spanning multiple industries and more than 200 clients. As President of The Small Business Marketing Studio, Heeren works to connect qualified military affiliated professionals with small businesses in need of support. She also has a career coaching program designed to help military spouses, first responder spouses, and transitioning veterans find sustainable careers in marketing and communications. As a consultant and contract CMO, Heeren provides corporate training and project management services for enterprise and small businesses looking to improve upon their internal and external communications strategy. As AVP of Communications for the New Jersey Chapter of the American Marketing Association, Erika is involved in the recruiting, managing, and support of the communications team of the chapter. The team supports the chapter by creating and implementing a cohesive internal and external communications practice to better serve marketing professionals in New Jersey. With a long-standing passion for guerrilla marketing tactics, she also works with small businesses and non-profit organizations to provide affordable, professional-quality content development and outreach services. Her clients include local small business owners, marketing agencies, public universities, media outlets, authors, IT firms, and non-profit organizations. As a volunteer, Erika has served in a leadership capacity for multiple nonprofit organizations. Heeren successfully created and implemented the first digital marketing curriculum for her local SCORE chapter in Idaho. In addition, Heeren has served as an entrepreneurial mentor for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families e-Mentor program. Heeren frequently connects with local educators to promote entrepreneurship and careers in marketing and communications for outgoing high school seniors. Most recently, Heeren served as a regional & state judge for the National History Day High School Competition. Erika Heeren is an experienced and engaging speaker in the areas of women's issues, small business development, digital marketing, and the issues facing veterans and the military family community. She is also an outspoken advocate for veteran and military spouse employment, education, and entrepreneurship. Heeren's first book, First Dollar Feeling, will be hitting Amazon and local bookstores in 2020. She also frequently writes for various print and web publications on the topics of small business development and military family advocacy. Heeren is a military spouse – her husband Jacob is currently an active-duty soldier in the United States Army. They are currently stationed in Idaho, where SSG Heeren serves as a recruiter. Erika has two children (Ben and Lottie), two dogs (Piper and Penelope), and one obstinate cat (Bernie Boots). She enjoys reading, writing, and playing the piano in her spare time. Heeren is a 2019 Idaho Business Review Women of the Year honoree, a 2019 Women in Content Marketing Awards – Mentorship winner, a 2016 Idaho Press Awards recipient, and has been featured on Inc.com as one of the Top 10 Women in Content Marketing. If you would like to help out Military Families please click here. Please go to www.abqpodcast.com where you can get show notes, resources ,and links to everything we talked about today to help you navigate your journey as an entrepreneur and business owner in ABQ. Follow me on instagram at @abqjasonrigby or sign up for my email list here where I drop business, leadership, and marketing secrets to help your ABQ Business!