Meredith Liepelt Rising Star Publicity

Meredith Liepelt isn’t new to the entrepreneurial game. She started her CEO journey with a product-based business that she marketed well and received great publicity as a result. After selling her first company, colleagues and other women she knew in business would often ask her for marketing advice, which led to her second business as a marketing coach. Over the years, however, she realized that it was her inherent skill as a publicist that clients were really coming to her for. Liepelt switched gears, rebranded and thus Rising Star Publicity was born. Today the Dublin, Ohio-based mompreneur relishes the freedom having her own business has given her to spend with her family and is launching an online coaching program to continue to help female entrepreneurs reach their goals.

Liepelt’s story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:

I started coaching after I sold my first business, which was a product-based business. Prior to selling it, women business owners called me from around the country asking me how I got publicity and marketed it so well, and that led me to start a marketing coaching practice. As I was coaching clients on their marketing, I would often “throw in” publicity on the side. Then I noticed more and more people were coming to me for media coverage. That’s when I decided to rebrand my coaching practice to Rising Star Publicity, and go all-in on PR and visibility.

I certainly have financial goals that are very important to me, however, reaching them without also helping others and personally growing wouldn’t be very rewarding to me. I have noticed that the more I can help people, the more my income grows. And when I grow professionally, I also grow personally, so it all goes hand-in-hand. All of these things mean success to me.

I have recently been interviewed and been accepted to be interviewed on some big podcasts and YouTube shows in my industry. I was recently on the Learn More Earn More YouTube Show with Nancy Juetten. That was a highlight for me because she’s very respected in the coaching industry and that experience has helped to open doors to other great opportunities for me.

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One of my current challenges is creating more leverage in my business. I am the PR representative for a handful of clients and am currently working on growing the coaching side of my business. To that end, I am creating an online program where I will work with small groups of people. In this program, I teach the same techniques and strategies that I use successfully with my consulting clients. I’m excited about this “done with you” online coaching program I’m creating because I’ll be able to help many more clients become recognized authorities in the media without them having to pay expensive agency prices. It’s very rewarding to me to see clients who are truly rising stars receive the accolades they deserve in the media. I get a front row seat to watching them build courage and confidence and also love seeing their websites get updated with their TV segments, podcast appearances, and articles in which they appear.

Many personal milestones and situations in my life have affected by business decisions in some way. When I had my first daughter years ago, I suddenly saw the world through a different lens. At the time, my husband and I lived in Virginia, in a suburb of Washington, DC. During this time, we experienced September 11, the anthrax issues, and the DC sniper. It made me realize that while I loved living in DC and all it offered, I wanted something different as I raised my family. We moved to Columbus, Ohio, which is close to my husband’s family. I moved my business with me and the day we moved, my dad, who lived back in Virginia, became ill. I found myself half in Ohio and half in Virginia for months to help take care of everything. Losing my dad was incredibly difficult but watching my mom handle it with grace was a gift. During this difficult time, I realized that I didn’t want to run that business anymore so I sold it and started my marketing coaching business. My mom moved from Virginia to Ohio shortly thereafter and has lived three miles from us for about 14 years now. She has helped me by looking after my girls when they were little so I could work. Now that my kids are in their late teens, we get to take care of her. My business has allowed me to create flexible work hours so I can raise my kids and now, take care of my mom. What could be better than that?

[Related: ‘If Not Now, When?’ – Women Entrepreneurs Launch Mid-Pandemic]

I have many role models. I’ve long admired Oprah Winfrey for the way she gives of herself, her work ethic, and how she changes and adapts to stay relevant. I also admire Michelle Obama for her grace, humor, charisma, compassion, wit, and oh my goodness – those powerful speeches! I also admire Nancy Marmolejo, the CEO of Talent and Genius, for being so completely authentic to who she is and building a business where she helps others to do the same. And of course, my mom, for being a strong woman with a huge heart.

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