September 5, 2024 • 38 mins
In this episode of the Mom Owned and Operated podcast, Rita Suzanne and Don Mamone discuss raising a family, running a business and remembering yourself.
Don Mamone’s decade-long career in hospitality culminated with their role as the Director of Events at the prestigious Beverly Hilton. Determined to embrace their creativity and pursue the dream of entrepreneurship, Don and their wife Emily opened a photography studio and have exceeded the expectations of their loyal clients from Dallas to Destinations around the world for over fifteen years.
As a speaker and coach Don teaches audiences and clients how to reach their maximum potential and impact by discovering and embracing their true identity. Having recently come out as non-binary, Don is a committed advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and consults with companies and organizations dedicated to diversity, inclusivity and representation as well as creating safe spaces that support and encourage unapologetic authenticity.
When they are not traveling the world for creative projects and speeches, Don lives happily outside the gender binary in Dallas with their talented spouse Emily and their creative child Frankie.
You can connect with Don on their website, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Send a text message! Email, if you want a reply though. ;)
P.S. You can find more interviews at momownedandoperated.com and learn about working with Rita at ritasuzanne.com/apply/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rita Suzanne (00:01):
Hi, this is Mom Owned and Operated.
I'm Rita, suzanne, and today Ihave my guest Dawn with me.
Dawn, I'm so excited to chatwith you.
Let's talk about all the things.
Please tell everyone, all aboutyou, your family and your
business.
Don Mamone (00:15):
Oh my gosh, all about me.
How much time do you have, Rita?
Rita Suzanne (00:18):
All the things we have about 20 minutes, let's go.
Don Mamone (00:21):
Okay, let's go.
Hello everyone.
I'm Don Mamone pronouns theythem.
I live with my beautiful andadorable daughter, frankie, and
my creative and talented wife,emily, in the state of Texas, in
the city of Dallas.
I am an identity coach, aprofessional speaker and an
author and I'm really excited totalk to you about
(00:41):
entrepreneurship and identityand being a mom and succeeding
and all the things.
Rita Suzanne (00:47):
Love it, love it.
So what we want to talk aboutfirst is success, like what is
your one service, that orproduct that you have that's
been a game changer for you andyour business?
Don Mamone (01:00):
So let me just first say that Emily and I have been
entrepreneurs for the betterpart of two decades, so going on
about 20 years.
We've owned a photographybusiness.
We do large corporate andnonprofit events, and I would
say that in that particularbusiness, our huge realization
was in 2012,.
(01:21):
When we rebranded our company,we understood and appreciated
the fact that authenticity inour marketing and creating an
offer that basicallydecommodified what can be
considered a commodity Okay, andso let me explain what that
means.
When you're a photographer, Ithink some people look at you
and they're like okay, so youhave a camera and you take a
(01:43):
picture.
I think some people look at youand they're like okay, so you
have a camera and you take apicture.
And when they do that andthat's all they see, then you
suddenly become a commodity,which means that you put all the
photographers who have a cameraand take a picture up on a
shelf and suddenly what is thecommon variable amongst them all
?
You're the cheapest, yourwork's good enough and you're
the cheapest, we're going to buyyou.
And so what Emily and Irealized all those years ago was
(02:12):
if we created a unique product,if we created a special
experience, then people wouldlook at us and stop saying, oh
so you're just a photographer.
They would understand that weprovided a service above and
beyond and that we had artistictalent and experience that was
above and beyond, and thereforethey would then pay above and
beyond.
And so suddenly people wouldstart saying like, oh yeah, you
think you want a photographer,but what you really want are the
Mamonis.
And so in that side of my lifeand in my entrepreneurship that
(02:35):
was my answer there when itcomes to being an identity coach
and a professional speaker, Ithink what it really boils down
to for me is that, once again, Ididn't want to just be anything
.
I wanted to be a linchpin and acatalyst in people's lives,
where they walked awaycompletely transformed, and so I
think I was endeavoring upondoing a little bit of this and a
(02:58):
little bit of that, and I'vefound and we're going to talk
about this, I'm sure, later,rita I've found clarity and
focus in everything that I do onthis side of my business, and
what that means is I find peoplethat are in desperate need of
support in uncovering andunleashing their maximum
potential, and that's all I do,and I do it in a very niche
(03:22):
level and I do it verypersonally and it's always sort
of really driven towards thatunique individual and that has
made all the difference.
Rita Suzanne (03:32):
I love all of that .
I especially love theproductizing your service,
because I feel like a lot ofservice-based businesses feel
like that based businesses feellike that, and I also love how,
in your business now, you'rereally honing in and helping
people really get that claritythat they need, because that, I
(03:53):
think, is what a lot of peoplestruggle with in general, not
just in right, not just inbusiness.
Okay, so what is your biggestsource of revenue in your
business right now?
Don Mamone (04:25):
entrepreneurs, businesses that are doing really
big events.
We have become an extension oftheir team that goes above and
beyond photography.
We really are a subject matterexpert for them, and so we'll do
multiple large conferences, um,in a week or a month.
That are, you know, four and5,000 people, four and five
photographers on the ground, andso, so that tends to make up
the largest part of our revenue.
Um, for my coaching and speakingbrand, it is definitely
(04:45):
corporate speaking opportunitiesin which I have the opportunity
to educate them and inspirethem to embrace authenticity in
their workforce, and one-to-onecoaching where an entrepreneur
will come to me, rita, and belike I am just stalled out.
Typically it's not the brandnew entrepreneur, it Somebody
who's been hustling and grindingand found some success, and or
(05:09):
has kind of found great success,but like, doesn't feel
fulfilled or feels like they'veput themselves in a place where
they're doing a job that they'vechosen right.
Entrepreneurship is a choicejust like any other.
They've chosen it, but theydon't really love it and they
feel kind of backed into acorner.
So those are the two thingsthat I do the most, that are the
most lucrative for us.
Rita Suzanne (05:29):
I love, I love that.
So how did you get into thecorporate events?
Is it just through networkingand just making connections,
because obviously those aregoing to be the most lucrative.
Don Mamone (05:40):
Yeah.
So it's funny because I'm a bigbeliever in both the nuts and
bolts and the hearts and flowersin business, and when I coach
people, I talk about that.
Right, the nuts and bolts arewhat you do and how you do it.
The hearts and flowers are whoyou do it with and the ways in
which you enrich your experienceas an entrepreneur and in your
day-to-day life as a businessowner, but also for your client.
(06:03):
And so what I found was we weredoing a lot of weddings and
social occasions and we lovedeverything about it, rita, like
literally everything.
It was a dream come true rightup until it wasn't.
And I think a lot of people kindof say, well, whether it's a
dream come true or not, this iswhere I'm at, this is what I do,
and I said to Emily you know,emily, I think that for the
(06:26):
wedding side of our business,I'm really I'm starting to get
complacent or I'm starting toget frustrated with not even the
wedding day.
I mean, that was what it was,but I think it was more about
the marketing and the salesprocess and the saturation of
the marketplace.
So what I started to do was,when my, my heart and my brain
talks, I listen and I said youknow I'd really like to expand
(06:49):
on our corporate side.
I really want to work withcompanies and businesses and I
want to do more of that.
And so what we did and I knowyou're you talk a lot about
marketing and and finding yourideal client.
I figured out who that clientwas and I figured out how to
find them, and I figured out howto find them.
And then I started marketing tothem much more ambitiously and
(07:10):
aggressively and it's reallybeautiful.
It started to happen.
Our business might've been like80-20, weddings and corporate
and then suddenly it was 70-30.
And it just kind of continuedthat.
And then there was a point atwhich I said you know what,
emily, we just didn't book awedding on a day because we kept
raising our price, whichbasically meant we started doing
less of them.
Right, and we didn't book thisone client.
(07:32):
It was a bride, and she saidyou know, we just decided to go
a different direction.
It was, it was, I think, theart, it was a little bit
different than what we wanted,and blah, blah.
I'm like that's great.
I found out about a week laterthat if we had booked that
wedding, we would have lost outon a seven day corporate
incentive destination project inCosta Rica.
Wow.
And I said, emily, that's it.
This is the universe's way oftelling me that we don't do
(07:53):
weddings anymore.
And I said so, we'll serve thebrides that have hired us and
the couples that have hired us,but after this, right, it's time
we're not doing any moreweddings.
And that was in, I think, 2015or 2016.
So we're going on a decade nowof doing largely this and I
think that, to answer yourquestion in a slightly
roundabout way, when you're anentrepreneur, you get to listen
(08:14):
to your heart and you get tolisten to your mind and what
it's telling you and not feellike you're just doing what you
do.
Listen to those voices andfollow them and be ambitious
about it, because you get tochange.
That's the most amazing thingabout being an entrepreneur is
you get to change and grow andadapt and create a life you
really want to live.
Rita Suzanne (08:32):
I agree and I love how you slowly pivoted over
versus just abruptly droppedeverything and just said you
know what.
We no longer do this because Ithink that sometimes we get
caught so caught up in theburnout or complacency of
working with or doing a certainthing and we're just like I'm
(08:52):
done Right, and we just give itup.
But you know, that's not reallythe smart thing to do.
It's just like when someonequits a job without having a
backup job in place.
So I think that that's thesmartest thing.
So what is the most valuablefinancial lesson that you've
learned through this wholeprocess?
I feel like we've kind of hitit, but go ahead.
Don Mamone (09:14):
Yeah, so obviously there's kind of two sides of the
balance sheet, right.
The most valuable lesson that Ilearned from an expenditure is
that entrepreneurs largely arerisk tolerant but not
necessarily super ambitious, andso I think that I might have
(09:37):
been a little bit more risktolerant and would have extended
myself a little bit more, andwhat I mean by that is, you know
, when we were in the weddingindustry, we decided to get a
small brick and mortar studio,but it took us a long time to
decide whether or not thatliability and blah, blah, blah.
It was really really a greatmove, and so there was a part of
me that feels like, oh, itwould have been nice to have
(09:58):
done this earlier.
But I also believe that thingshappen when they're supposed to,
so I'm a big believer in that.
The other thing is, I thinkpeople that own their own
business feel like they have todo it on their own, and I would
have brought on not necessarilya team, but I may have been more
ambitious with trainingassociates.
(10:20):
I would have been more ambitiouswith getting a CPA and a
bookkeeper from day one.
Even if it was the mostexpensive and hardest thing to
tolerate to get my financialhouse in order.
I would have done that and,lastly, I would have invested.
I've invested tens of thousandsof dollars at this point in my
career in coaching and ininstruction, and I think before
(10:40):
that I was just bootstrapping it.
I would have invested earlier,because one of the things I now
realize is time is our mostvaluable commodity on the planet
.
You can't get it back, youcan't make more of it, and so I
probably would have investedwisely in people that could help
me find my path.
Maybe some shortcuts, ways toget over hurdles and through
(11:00):
obstacles quicker and with lesswork.
Rita Suzanne (11:03):
Yeah, well, they say, you invest either time or
you invest money, right?
Don Mamone (11:07):
And sometimes both.
Rita Suzanne (11:11):
Okay, so what is one marketing tactic or channel
that you would recommend thatother mompreneurs invest in or
take time in?
Don Mamone (11:20):
So my number one, no questions asked, it doesn't
matter what the marketing as arelationship marketer has been
by far and away the reason thatI've succeeded in everything
I've ever done as anentrepreneur.
And I don't typically like theword networking, I think it has
a slightly kind of cringy vibeat this point.
(11:41):
So I say relationship marketingbecause I believe genuinely in
the power of relationships, andso I think that in the advent of
social media and the digitalonline space, that is oftentimes
like the wild wild west wherethere are no rules, and when
there are rules, those rules arechanged or unfair or they move
the goalposts and all thosetypes of terrible analogies
(12:02):
about feeling like you make onestep forward and 10 steps back.
I've been parts of associations, I've sat on boards of
directors, I have done things inmy career so that when I have a
problem, when I have anopportunity, when I have a
concern and I need an expert, Ican find them, and so that's one
side of it right.
You literally are building acollaborative team of people
(12:25):
that you can go to.
And I told Emily, I, like I'venever felt like we've had a
problem or an opportunity in ourbusiness that we couldn't solve
with one of the relationshipswe formed along the way, right,
and so that's sort of intangible, in a sense that it's about
business operations.
But I'm also going to tell youthat all of our really great
pieces of business, all of ourunbelievable leads, all the
(12:46):
things that we look at eachother at the end of the day are
like can you believe this is ourlife, can you believe we get to
do this?
Every single one of them wassomehow brought to us by someone
that knew us, someone thatreferred us, someone that was
our raving brand fan.
It's from the wedding industry,so it's a little bit older, but
I had a bride call me up oneSunday afternoon and say you're
(13:08):
going to be getting a call fromStephanie.
I was like, okay, who'sStephanie?
I was at brunch today and shewas sitting with a bunch of her
girlfriends celebrating the factthat she just got engaged and I
ran right over to her and Igive her your card and I said,
if you don't hire them, you'resilly.
And I was like well, thank youfor interrupting this bride's
brunch.
It's very sweet of you, butthose are the type of raging
brand fans you get when youconnect with people on a heart
(13:30):
centered level.
So, yes, get out there.
Get out from behind yourcomputer and or have zoom
meetings, coffee chats.
Be creative about ways wherepeople remember who you are and
want to support you in yourgrowth.
Rita Suzanne (13:42):
Yeah, so that was going to be my follow-up
question was what is a tip thatyou have for people who maybe
are a little bit introverted orshy when it comes to
relationship marketing?
Don Mamone (13:54):
So find your emotional support extrovert.
I joke around with that.
I was like, okay, I'll be youremotional support extrovert
because I can go into a roomfull of people that I've never
met before and work the room forhours and get to know people
and ask people.
So that's number one.
Number two the coolest thingabout being a relationship
marketer as an introvert or evenan ambivert and, by the way, if
(14:14):
you're an extrovert, take thisnote too People like to talk
about themselves and being anintrovert is oftentimes like
it's hard to make thatintroduction.
It's hard to then have that chat.
You can literally start aconversation with somebody and
say tell me what you do and howI can support you in that.
(14:35):
The number of times somebodysays to me oh my God, what a
great question.
It really does open thefloodgates of them being
authentic with you, telling youwhat they do and telling you
what one of their strugglesmight be.
And suddenly it's not aboutlike small talk or this or that.
Those are definitely the things.
That's in person.
And I really want to tell youthe number of people that I've
(14:56):
met that take my business cardand say, oh, I'm going to send
you an email that never followup that you know, friend me on
LinkedIn or Facebook or one ofthe other social medias, and I
literally never hear from themagain and wouldn't be able to
pick them out of a lineup.
It's way too often.
So that's the other thing I'mgoing to encourage you to do is
find what works for you.
I have gone so far as to like,when I meet people that I know I
(15:20):
want in my orbit, I willliterally send them a Starbucks
e-gift card and be like hey,let's have a coffee chat, the
coffee's on me, I love that andthen they'll schedule a Zoom
meeting through my Calendly Ifyou don't have a Calendly or an
Acuity or not even Google Mailhas it where people can pick
time on your calendar that youget to set up and you still own
(15:41):
your time, don't worry, do thatand just have a coffee chat
calendar and have them sign upfor 15 or 20 minutes.
You would be amazed when I dothat, Rita, like there's a flood
of inquiries that we see a veryshort period of time later.
So it's 100%.
There's a million ideas and ifyou need more, just have your
audience reach out to me.
I'll give them a ton.
Rita Suzanne (16:00):
Yeah, I think that that's a great idea, especially
the Starbucks thing, because Ithink that takes the pressure
off of them and then almost theyfeel obligated right to be in
kind, to sit down and sit downwith you.
Especially if it's someone youfeel like you really need to
make that connection with them.
That's a great tip.
So do you have any marketingmishaps that you want to share,
(16:23):
something that maybe didn't goas well as you had hoped?
Don Mamone (16:26):
I mean, I've tried email campaigns that flopped.
I have tried, we always go forostentatious and I think that
what I want your audience toknow is you get to be exactly
who you are everywhere you go.
And so, like I can think oftimes when I've coached
mompreneurs before and they'relike well, I just don't want
(16:48):
this person to think insertthing here that I'm going to
have spit up on my shirt if Ishow up for a meeting, if my
kids are going to be adisruption, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
Okay, if people think thosethings they're not your client,
I don't care what service youoffer, I don't care what product
you sell.
If those people are worriedlike, oh my gosh, this is one of
(17:18):
those mama punners, not yourclient, and that's okay, let
them filter their way out.
And so we have done some pretty,um, braggadocious, ostentatious
things that keep people'smemory.
Um, emily and I did a ourclients rock campaign one time
where we drove around to our 20or 25 biggest clients in Dallas
and we dressed up like rockstars and it was October, so we
bought all the stuff at theHalloween stores and we just
dropped off a little gift basket.
It costs, I think, $8 perbasket.
We assembled them ourselves andthey had a pet rock and pop,
rocks and smart pop andeverything was about rock and
pop and excitement and we just,it was just a loyalty thing.
Rita Suzanne (17:42):
Yeah.
Don Mamone (17:42):
And I think that went really well.
And we had like one client, um,that that kind of didn't get it
.
I think they were a little biton the this sort of kind of
quiet and conservative side, um,and so I was like I don't know
if that landed for them andEmily's like that's okay, we did
20 of them, right.
And so I think that that themessage there is, your marketing
efforts may not be foreverybody, and that's okay,
(18:04):
right.
Your marketing gets to be forthat client that sees it and
says, oh my gosh, this is soclever, this is so wonderful.
So, even if you fail, failfaster, because it means you're
trying new and different thingsand you're really putting
yourself out there.
Rita Suzanne (18:21):
Yeah, I think that , and that makes me think about
moms putting themselves out onvideos specifically, because I
think a lot of times people areafraid to market themselves on
reels and all of these otherthings.
What if my friends see me?
Who cares?
Just do it.
You need to get out there anddo it, because obviously they're
(18:41):
not your target.
They're going to move past youway faster.
Right, they're going to see youfaster.
Don Mamone (18:46):
They are, and I'll be candid.
I love to be vulnerable and Ilove to be authentic, and so,
for those of you that arelistening to this podcast as
opposed to potentially watchingthe video, you know I introduced
myself as Don Mamone pronounsthey them I'm non-binary and I
live in the state of Texas andin the city of Dallas, and, um,
if you need the courage and theconfidence to step out in front
(19:06):
of that camera, just rememberthat I'm somewhere in Dallas.
I'm likely going out to dinnerwith my wife and I'm wearing a
dress and heels, because that'show I express my gender identity
to the world around me.
And I do that not necessarilywithout fear, but I do it
without any wonder or worryabout whether I'm inconvenient
for someone else or whetherthey're judging me or what they
(19:28):
might be thinking about me.
So, to everyone listening tothe sound of my voice, you get
to shine, you get to show up,you get to be loud and clear and
you get to take up massivespace.
And if that's inconvenient forsomeone, rita, that's a them
problem and not a you problem.
Rita Suzanne (19:43):
I love how comfortable you are with
yourself, and I think thatthat's how everybody should be.
And oftentimes I think womenespecially get too wrapped up in
worrying about what otherpeople are going to think about
them, especially in business,right.
They get too concerned, forfear of judgment, of what
(20:03):
everyone is going to think orsay.
So how do you define success inyour business?
Is it solely financial or arethere other factors?
Don Mamone (20:16):
Um, I would say that for me it's, it's ironic, but I
don't even know that.
Um, I mean, yes, every businessgets to make money.
Right, we're not a 501c3.
Um, we're not a charity.
Although we do veryphilanthropic things, I think
that money for me is a tool likeany other.
I'm not money motivated, but Ido know that we need to make
(20:37):
money.
I am time motivated, and so Ido live in this city of Dallas,
but right now I'm on the Gulfcoast.
We just survived a hurricanewith my sister, because we're
the crazy ones that had plannedto come down here for the 4th of
July holiday and my nephew'sbirthday and my birthday and my
wife and I's anniversary and allthe things.
And when they said, well,there's a hurricane that might
come, I'm like, well then, we'llweather it together.
(20:58):
And so for me, as anentrepreneur, and my wife, we
get to come down here for twoweeks at a time.
My daughter gets to spend timewith her cousins and her aunt
and her uncle, we get to usetheir pool and we get to travel
through areas where we wouldn'tbe able to do that with a nine
to five corporate job.
And so for me, success is sortof creating a life that we
(21:22):
genuinely love to live Now.
Would I love to make a littlemore money so I could do some
more things and give some moreaway and have more impact.
I would, and I continue tostrive for that.
But also, I get to createimpact on people's lives and I
get to do that in a way that I'mnot working 15 hour days and
(21:44):
never seeing my daughter and allthose types of things.
And so for me, and I think sooften the reason that moms
become entrepreneurs and peoplethat I've coached is it's that
bridging that gap right.
So many moms are told they getto live in either or existence.
You get to either be a good momor you can be a good employee,
(22:08):
or a good corporate servant, ora good breadwinner.
You can't do both and Idisagree with that.
First of all, even if you didwant to have a nine to five job,
there is a way I think andplaces that you're welcome to be
a parent and a corporateemployee, but as an entrepreneur
, it is this beautiful,unbelievable opportunity to say
(22:29):
I get to be both a present,available mom or parent, and I
get to chase this dream ofcreating a business, being,
being an entrepreneur, and so,um, for me, that's the success
is understanding that this is aboth and world, and you get to
create the life that you wouldlove to live, both as a parent
(22:50):
and as a business owner.
Rita Suzanne (22:51):
I love that.
So what is one tool, app,software, something that you're
using, that's kind ofstreamlining your life right now
, that you would love to sharewith us?
Don Mamone (23:04):
So, brand aside, I don't really care what brand
people use.
I have been doing this for 20years and I will say that
there's always something new andflashy and different.
I believe that some of the mostimportant things is about
relationships, okay, and so Iwould say that every app that I
use, everything that I do, comesback to that concept of a
(23:26):
relationship.
So, for example, I have abookkeeper and a CPA right, and
that's the relationship.
The tool that I use is for myrelationship with money Right,
and so I have a bookkeeper and aCPA right, and that's the
relationship.
The tool that I use is for myrelationship with money Right,
and so I have.
If you don't have zero or quickbooks online or whatever it is,
you get to because you'resetting the stage now for the
future.
You right the you that is aseven figure entrepreneur
(23:50):
doesn't use a spreadsheet totrack their expenses and their
income.
They use a bookkeeping and CPAmanagement software.
If you are going to haveclients, you get to create the
best possible experience forthem.
I had people in photography.
If you're listening to thispodcast and you're a
photographer, we've usedPixieSet for the last like 10
years, and for those, rita, thataren't photographers.
(24:11):
It's an image management andhosting software, but it also is
a studio manager and it has awebsite builder and all these
things and it's grown over thelast 12 years.
When I bought it, it was one ofthe most expensive on the market
.
Okay, people like you're sosilly, you're so silly, why
would you spend all that money?
And I said because of all theones that I've tested as a
consumer, this is the best.
This creates the bestexperience for my customer.
(24:33):
This has the best feature setfor my customer, and I believed
them when they say that theywere going to be advancing it
forward.
And now people are moving to itin droves because they really
are the best on the marketplace.
I'm willing to invest because Irealized that when you create
something for this customerright so, having a CRM
management system I can tell youwhen it was inquired, when it
(24:54):
booked, how much it booked for,how far out it booked.
You know we track our demand,all those things.
So really, it's not whichspecific app you're using, but
to understand that everybusiness, every single one, gets
to invest early in somethingthat manages their money because
of their relationship withmoney, something that is the
(25:16):
deliverable for their clientbecause of the relationship with
their client, relationship withthemselves.
Right, I do use productivitysoftware and journaling and
note-taking software.
So I think the moral of thestory here and probably you're
like, don just give me an answerbut I genuinely believe that
people think that I can't affordthat.
You can't afford not to do itand I can guarantee you that
(25:41):
when you get your house in orderand everything is streamlined
and people are like my gosh,this person got back to me fast
and I have the deliverable Iwant and blah, blah, blah, it
pays for itself very quickly.
Rita Suzanne (25:52):
I mean even when I first started for itself very
quickly.
I mean even when I firststarted, I one of the first
things that I invested in wasFreshBooks, and I remember and I
use QuickBooks now and Icouldn't imagine trying to run a
profit loss.
I mean you can't run a.
You can't, like you said, youcan't run a report off of a
spreadsheet.
But you know, every month youshould be looking and I tell my
(26:13):
clients you should be lookingand see what products or
services are making you the mostmoney and then making decisions
on it.
Are you going to keep this oryou're going to move to
something else?
Anyways, I remember one timehaving an argument with somebody
over the internet telling themthat it was not professional for
them to be invoicing out on aVenmo or something like that,
(26:35):
and I'm like business ownersshould not be doing this.
This is not professional at all.
Don Mamone (26:41):
It works.
But I think, and it works formaybe, the side hustle and and
maybe that that's great.
But if somebody's and I thinkthat that's important to
acknowledge right, like I, um, Ibelieve that everybody's
journey and path is differentand, um, I think that that there
are many different paths togetting to where you want to go,
but, um, I think that mostpeople that are coaching into,
(27:06):
uh, a successful career, rightas an entrepreneur, would say
that there are certain thingsyou do upfront, right, you
register a URL, you make sureyou have an email that's
associated with that URL.
So, mompreneurs, if you're outthere and you still have, like
creativekitten at gmailcom, likeI get it, tech is hard.
Rita Suzanne (27:25):
But it's one of those things.
That's why they do it.
But, yeah, you can still useGmail.
You just go sign up for workworkspaces through Google, like
you know, and you still can useyour Gmail and you know it's
still possible and, like you'resaying it's.
It's frustrating to me when Isee them at Gmail and these were
coaches that were using Venmoas their preferred payment
(27:49):
portal and I just I couldn'tbelieve it and like these were
successful and I just I couldn'tbelieve it and like these were
successful.
Those were air quotes of youknow, if you're not watching Um,
okay, I'll, I'll move on Um.
So what are you reading orlistening to right now?
It?
Don Mamone (28:05):
doesn't business related, but you know so I'd
like to tell you an anecdote,because I'm a storyteller, um,
I'm an author, author.
I'm 50,000 words into my firstever book, which is very
exciting for me.
I'm hoping to have it in editand maybe published by the end
of the year.
But we get to acknowledge thatwriting a book is quite the
undertaking, and I was workingwith a business coach which,
(28:28):
again, one of the ways in whichI know I'm genuinely serious
about creating a change oraccomplishing and being
committed to something, is whenI outlay money, Right.
So if you're a member of thisaudience, I can't afford that.
Sometimes it's the catalyst youneed, right?
So I told Emily, like, as we gointo 2024, I've been talking
about writing a book.
I had put down maybe 10 or20,000 words over time and I
(28:51):
said this is going to be thebest, coolest Google doc for the
rest of my life If I don't paysomeone to make sure this gets
published.
And so I did, and I was tellingher like I'm struggling.
When I hit about 40,000 words,I was like I am feeling all the
things that every momopreneurhas ever felt.
Rita Suzanne (29:09):
Right.
Don Mamone (29:10):
I feel like I'm an imposter.
I'm overwhelmed.
Who's going to even read this?
Why are they going to read it?
I walked into a bookstore.
I was like, look at all thesebooks.
Like I'm just I'm literallyputting a pebble of sand on the
beach of life.
And she's like, okay, you needto stop writing and start
reading.
And I was like, okay, and she'slike she has all these little
(29:32):
cool habits and things aboutusing a writing prompt to get
you going and asking yourself aquestion and answering and then
just keep going.
None of it was working.
I was like I admittedly read.
A lot of what I'm writing isvery emotionally driven and so I
think that there's anintimidation and a bit of
unpacking.
That's happening.
Anyway, I set a goal to read 24books in a year, which is a
pretty big jump from where I hadbeen, and I have read every
(29:56):
different type of book you canimagine, because I'm reading
differently now.
I'm reading not only to consumethe content.
I'm reading and I'm looking atthe way the person writes and
whether I'm enjoying it or not,and times when I'm like I'm
getting kind of bored here, andwhat that did was the more I
read and the more things that Iliked or didn't like, the more
it pushed me to get back to mywritten page.
(30:18):
And so in the last six months Ihave read a book called the
Last One, which is like athriller that someone
recommended me that I wouldnever have read in a million
years.
Now I'm back to back readingmemoirs by a memoirist by the
(30:38):
name of David Sedaris, who'sreally a wonderful author.
By way of like, you read it andyou feel like you're in his
childhood bedroom, living lifewith him, which a lot of my, my
vibe is, is is going to be aboutthat in my book, and so I feel
like, oh, cool, okay, I get toto learn from this.
Um.
And then business andentrepreneurial and, for those
that that you were interested,there is a psychologist by the
name of dr benjamin hardy.
I not only read his books, butI I had the pleasure of
(31:00):
photographing him, listening tohim speak, and it's all about
future selfing and it's a verypopular um right topic in
psychology, and I'll just, I'llleave you with this from a from
a writing perspective.
It broke my brain when I wasflipping through his book while
he was there and it saidresearch now shows us that we're
pulled forward into our futuremore than we are pushed forward
(31:24):
by our past.
And the reason I thought thatwas so brilliant and the reason
it kind of broke my brain alittle bit, rita, is I want all
the mompreneurs to understandthat where you've come from
certainly can contribute towhere you are right now, but it
doesn't necessarily in any wayindicate where you're going to
go right, where you want to go.
The life you want to live,that's on the horizon, can in
(31:48):
fact, pull you forward moreambitiously and more creatively
and more entrepreneurially thanthe past.
So look towards the horizon anddecide where you want to go,
point yourself in that directionand make the decisions.
Be the person that you get tobe.
Because you noticed what I saidI'm an author.
I have not published yet a book.
(32:09):
I'm in the process of writingthat book but I'm okay saying
that I'm an author because Iknow it's going to happen.
It's just a matter of timing.
Rita Suzanne (32:17):
I love that and I love that quote.
That's very profound and I likeit.
I'm going to put that in here.
Don Mamone (32:24):
Okay.
Rita Suzanne (32:25):
Last question so how are you making time for
yourself?
There are so many things goingon.
What are you doing forself-care?
Don Mamone (32:33):
So I am a big person that is into energy and
exercise and things, and so Ihave committed to closing my
rings every day, which I know issuper cliched right now and
kind of cringy to even say, butlike I really do, I got a
walking pad for my room, becauseit's 112 degrees in the shade
in Dallas and if I don't get upearly enough, it's just not
going to happen.
So I walk and I write and I dothings like that.
(32:56):
I am a huge believer in nonheroic, massive self care things
.
Yes, take a spa day, take itall, go for 12 hours and
disconnect from the internet andleave your spouse and your kids
behind and spend the entire dayon you from the internet and
leave your spouse and your kidsbehind and spend the entire day
on you.
But, more importantly, wake upa little bit earlier and have a
(33:19):
skincare routine that involvesapplying different creams and
lotions and things you know.
Take that three minutes to sitand breathe in and out.
Um, find what's going to helpyou this is the way I say it
cognitively or mentally,emotionally, spiritually,
(33:40):
whatever grounds you and feedsthose parts of you.
Do those things, but I thinkmost oftentimes people think of
them as big grand things.
And some of the things that Ilove the most now are like I'll
go and I'll put my hair up inthe cutest little top knot
you've ever seen.
And in the old days I was likeI just wash my face before I go
(34:00):
to bed.
I wash my face and I put on atoner and then I put on a serum
and then I put on a moisturizerand then I walk out of that room
kind of rubbing my handstogether, thinking I'm so pretty
and taking care of myself anddoing all the things.
So that's my jam is is both thebig, more ambitious efforts but
day to day small things that weknow are going to make a
(34:22):
difference.
Rita Suzanne (34:29):
Yeah, I agree.
I think that, um, when I firststarted this, people would say
things like oh, go get my hairand my nails done, and and.
But then I would say well, evenspending five minutes in the
car by yourself is self-care.
Anything that's going torecenter you taking a bath, you
know, like you know, sometimeswe don't even get to use the
bathroom by ourselves when,especially when you have
multiple children and they'reyoung, you know.
Don Mamone (34:50):
So it just doing what you need to do to recenter
and be alone for a few minutesor whatever conference last year
(35:10):
, that was all mom, mom openersand the, the challenge they have
, disconnecting from theobligations of that identity,
that part of their identity, um,is heartbreaking, um, and
admirable at the same time.
It is so admirable that um Istarted developed an ability to
(35:31):
see, but more than ever, that ifyou're not good to yourself,
you're not going to be good toothers, and so I cannot cannot
say with more enthusiasm howmuch I love and respect moms and
how much I believe them sodeserving of of their own time,
their own abilities to care forthemselves.
Rita Suzanne (35:51):
I love that, okay, so where can we find you?
Where are you at, where youhang out online?
Don Mamone (35:57):
I like to say that I'm everywhere.
I'm omnipresent, but I knowthat's probably not true and
there's a lot of people outthere.
I would say that my biggestsocial media presences are on
Instagram and LinkedIn.
I do have a YouTube channel,but I get to be better about it.
So if you're in the socials andyou want to look me up on
Instagram, I'm at Don Mamoni andI'm sure you can put that in
the show notes.
(36:17):
I'm at Don Mamoni pretty mucheverywhere.
I do have a website at DonMamoni.
I do spark calls and sessionsfor people to find out how we
might be able to usher themforward, catalyze them and put
them in a place where they'reachieving greater with less work
and a bit faster, maybe eventhan they hoped.
So I mean, my name is reallythe thing right?
(36:38):
I'm at Don Mamone pretty mucheverywhere.
So come find me, and I justwant I want to make sure that
everybody understands this.
My capacity to love is infinite,and so I think it's really fun
when I tell people that my jobon this planet is to create
change and impact with thespoken and written word, and so
(36:59):
what I want to speak into theuniverse now is, I bet you,
every one of the people that'slistening to this podcast
struggles or wants to be seen,and I just want them to know
that I want the opportunity tosee them and to know them and
that I love them for everythingthey're doing and everything
they're creating in the world,want the opportunity to see them
and to know them and that Ilove them for everything they're
doing and everything they'recreating in the world.
Rita Suzanne (37:16):
So sweet.
Thank you so much for being aguest.
It's been such a pleasure.
I appreciate it.
Don Mamone (37:22):
I appreciate the opportunity to share my story
and to help your audience, and Ihope it does just that.
Thank you.
Hi, this is Mom Owned and Operated.
I'm Rita, suzanne, and today Ihave my guest Dawn with me.
Dawn, I'm so excited to chatwith you.
Let's talk about all the things.
Please tell everyone, all aboutyou, your family and your
business.
Don Mamone (00:15):
Oh my gosh, all about me.
How much time do you have, Rita?
Rita Suzanne (00:18):
All the things we have about 20 minutes, let's go.
Don Mamone (00:21):
Okay, let's go.
Hello everyone.
I'm Don Mamone pronouns theythem.
I live with my beautiful andadorable daughter, frankie, and
my creative and talented wife,emily, in the state of Texas, in
the city of Dallas.
I am an identity coach, aprofessional speaker and an
author and I'm really excited totalk to you about
(00:41):
entrepreneurship and identityand being a mom and succeeding
and all the things.
Rita Suzanne (00:47):
Love it, love it.
So what we want to talk aboutfirst is success, like what is
your one service, that orproduct that you have that's
been a game changer for you andyour business?
Don Mamone (01:00):
So let me just first say that Emily and I have been
entrepreneurs for the betterpart of two decades, so going on
about 20 years.
We've owned a photographybusiness.
We do large corporate andnonprofit events, and I would
say that in that particularbusiness, our huge realization
was in 2012,.
(01:21):
When we rebranded our company,we understood and appreciated
the fact that authenticity inour marketing and creating an
offer that basicallydecommodified what can be
considered a commodity Okay, andso let me explain what that
means.
When you're a photographer, Ithink some people look at you
and they're like okay, so youhave a camera and you take a
(01:43):
picture.
I think some people look at youand they're like okay, so you
have a camera and you take apicture.
And when they do that andthat's all they see, then you
suddenly become a commodity,which means that you put all the
photographers who have a cameraand take a picture up on a
shelf and suddenly what is thecommon variable amongst them all
?
You're the cheapest, yourwork's good enough and you're
the cheapest, we're going to buyyou.
And so what Emily and Irealized all those years ago was
(02:12):
if we created a unique product,if we created a special
experience, then people wouldlook at us and stop saying, oh
so you're just a photographer.
They would understand that weprovided a service above and
beyond and that we had artistictalent and experience that was
above and beyond, and thereforethey would then pay above and
beyond.
And so suddenly people wouldstart saying like, oh yeah, you
think you want a photographer,but what you really want are the
Mamonis.
And so in that side of my lifeand in my entrepreneurship that
(02:35):
was my answer there when itcomes to being an identity coach
and a professional speaker, Ithink what it really boils down
to for me is that, once again, Ididn't want to just be anything
.
I wanted to be a linchpin and acatalyst in people's lives,
where they walked awaycompletely transformed, and so I
think I was endeavoring upondoing a little bit of this and a
(02:58):
little bit of that, and I'vefound and we're going to talk
about this, I'm sure, later,rita I've found clarity and
focus in everything that I do onthis side of my business, and
what that means is I find peoplethat are in desperate need of
support in uncovering andunleashing their maximum
potential, and that's all I do,and I do it in a very niche
(03:22):
level and I do it verypersonally and it's always sort
of really driven towards thatunique individual and that has
made all the difference.
Rita Suzanne (03:32):
I love all of that .
I especially love theproductizing your service,
because I feel like a lot ofservice-based businesses feel
like that based businesses feellike that, and I also love how,
in your business now, you'rereally honing in and helping
people really get that claritythat they need, because that, I
(03:53):
think, is what a lot of peoplestruggle with in general, not
just in right, not just inbusiness.
Okay, so what is your biggestsource of revenue in your
business right now?
Don Mamone (04:25):
entrepreneurs, businesses that are doing really
big events.
We have become an extension oftheir team that goes above and
beyond photography.
We really are a subject matterexpert for them, and so we'll do
multiple large conferences, um,in a week or a month.
That are, you know, four and5,000 people, four and five
photographers on the ground, andso, so that tends to make up
the largest part of our revenue.
Um, for my coaching and speakingbrand, it is definitely
(04:45):
corporate speaking opportunitiesin which I have the opportunity
to educate them and inspirethem to embrace authenticity in
their workforce, and one-to-onecoaching where an entrepreneur
will come to me, rita, and belike I am just stalled out.
Typically it's not the brandnew entrepreneur, it Somebody
who's been hustling and grindingand found some success, and or
(05:09):
has kind of found great success,but like, doesn't feel
fulfilled or feels like they'veput themselves in a place where
they're doing a job that they'vechosen right.
Entrepreneurship is a choicejust like any other.
They've chosen it, but theydon't really love it and they
feel kind of backed into acorner.
So those are the two thingsthat I do the most, that are the
most lucrative for us.
Rita Suzanne (05:29):
I love, I love that.
So how did you get into thecorporate events?
Is it just through networkingand just making connections,
because obviously those aregoing to be the most lucrative.
Don Mamone (05:40):
Yeah.
So it's funny because I'm a bigbeliever in both the nuts and
bolts and the hearts and flowersin business, and when I coach
people, I talk about that.
Right, the nuts and bolts arewhat you do and how you do it.
The hearts and flowers are whoyou do it with and the ways in
which you enrich your experienceas an entrepreneur and in your
day-to-day life as a businessowner, but also for your client.
(06:03):
And so what I found was we weredoing a lot of weddings and
social occasions and we lovedeverything about it, rita, like
literally everything.
It was a dream come true rightup until it wasn't.
And I think a lot of people kindof say, well, whether it's a
dream come true or not, this iswhere I'm at, this is what I do,
and I said to Emily you know,emily, I think that for the
(06:26):
wedding side of our business,I'm really I'm starting to get
complacent or I'm starting toget frustrated with not even the
wedding day.
I mean, that was what it was,but I think it was more about
the marketing and the salesprocess and the saturation of
the marketplace.
So what I started to do was,when my, my heart and my brain
talks, I listen and I said youknow I'd really like to expand
(06:49):
on our corporate side.
I really want to work withcompanies and businesses and I
want to do more of that.
And so what we did and I knowyou're you talk a lot about
marketing and and finding yourideal client.
I figured out who that clientwas and I figured out how to
find them, and I figured out howto find them.
And then I started marketing tothem much more ambitiously and
(07:10):
aggressively and it's reallybeautiful.
It started to happen.
Our business might've been like80-20, weddings and corporate
and then suddenly it was 70-30.
And it just kind of continuedthat.
And then there was a point atwhich I said you know what,
emily, we just didn't book awedding on a day because we kept
raising our price, whichbasically meant we started doing
less of them.
Right, and we didn't book thisone client.
(07:32):
It was a bride, and she saidyou know, we just decided to go
a different direction.
It was, it was, I think, theart, it was a little bit
different than what we wanted,and blah, blah.
I'm like that's great.
I found out about a week laterthat if we had booked that
wedding, we would have lost outon a seven day corporate
incentive destination project inCosta Rica.
Wow.
And I said, emily, that's it.
This is the universe's way oftelling me that we don't do
(07:53):
weddings anymore.
And I said so, we'll serve thebrides that have hired us and
the couples that have hired us,but after this, right, it's time
we're not doing any moreweddings.
And that was in, I think, 2015or 2016.
So we're going on a decade nowof doing largely this and I
think that, to answer yourquestion in a slightly
roundabout way, when you're anentrepreneur, you get to listen
(08:14):
to your heart and you get tolisten to your mind and what
it's telling you and not feellike you're just doing what you
do.
Listen to those voices andfollow them and be ambitious
about it, because you get tochange.
That's the most amazing thingabout being an entrepreneur is
you get to change and grow andadapt and create a life you
really want to live.
Rita Suzanne (08:32):
I agree and I love how you slowly pivoted over
versus just abruptly droppedeverything and just said you
know what.
We no longer do this because Ithink that sometimes we get
caught so caught up in theburnout or complacency of
working with or doing a certainthing and we're just like I'm
(08:52):
done Right, and we just give itup.
But you know, that's not reallythe smart thing to do.
It's just like when someonequits a job without having a
backup job in place.
So I think that that's thesmartest thing.
So what is the most valuablefinancial lesson that you've
learned through this wholeprocess?
I feel like we've kind of hitit, but go ahead.
Don Mamone (09:14):
Yeah, so obviously there's kind of two sides of the
balance sheet, right.
The most valuable lesson that Ilearned from an expenditure is
that entrepreneurs largely arerisk tolerant but not
necessarily super ambitious, andso I think that I might have
(09:37):
been a little bit more risktolerant and would have extended
myself a little bit more, andwhat I mean by that is, you know
, when we were in the weddingindustry, we decided to get a
small brick and mortar studio,but it took us a long time to
decide whether or not thatliability and blah, blah, blah.
It was really really a greatmove, and so there was a part of
me that feels like, oh, itwould have been nice to have
(09:58):
done this earlier.
But I also believe that thingshappen when they're supposed to,
so I'm a big believer in that.
The other thing is, I thinkpeople that own their own
business feel like they have todo it on their own, and I would
have brought on not necessarilya team, but I may have been more
ambitious with trainingassociates.
(10:20):
I would have been more ambitiouswith getting a CPA and a
bookkeeper from day one.
Even if it was the mostexpensive and hardest thing to
tolerate to get my financialhouse in order.
I would have done that and,lastly, I would have invested.
I've invested tens of thousandsof dollars at this point in my
career in coaching and ininstruction, and I think before
(10:40):
that I was just bootstrapping it.
I would have invested earlier,because one of the things I now
realize is time is our mostvaluable commodity on the planet
.
You can't get it back, youcan't make more of it, and so I
probably would have investedwisely in people that could help
me find my path.
Maybe some shortcuts, ways toget over hurdles and through
(11:00):
obstacles quicker and with lesswork.
Rita Suzanne (11:03):
Yeah, well, they say, you invest either time or
you invest money, right?
Don Mamone (11:07):
And sometimes both.
Rita Suzanne (11:11):
Okay, so what is one marketing tactic or channel
that you would recommend thatother mompreneurs invest in or
take time in?
Don Mamone (11:20):
So my number one, no questions asked, it doesn't
matter what the marketing as arelationship marketer has been
by far and away the reason thatI've succeeded in everything
I've ever done as anentrepreneur.
And I don't typically like theword networking, I think it has
a slightly kind of cringy vibeat this point.
(11:41):
So I say relationship marketingbecause I believe genuinely in
the power of relationships, andso I think that in the advent of
social media and the digitalonline space, that is oftentimes
like the wild wild west wherethere are no rules, and when
there are rules, those rules arechanged or unfair or they move
the goalposts and all thosetypes of terrible analogies
(12:02):
about feeling like you make onestep forward and 10 steps back.
I've been parts of associations, I've sat on boards of
directors, I have done things inmy career so that when I have a
problem, when I have anopportunity, when I have a
concern and I need an expert, Ican find them, and so that's one
side of it right.
You literally are building acollaborative team of people
(12:25):
that you can go to.
And I told Emily, I, like I'venever felt like we've had a
problem or an opportunity in ourbusiness that we couldn't solve
with one of the relationshipswe formed along the way, right,
and so that's sort of intangible, in a sense that it's about
business operations.
But I'm also going to tell youthat all of our really great
pieces of business, all of ourunbelievable leads, all the
(12:46):
things that we look at eachother at the end of the day are
like can you believe this is ourlife, can you believe we get to
do this?
Every single one of them wassomehow brought to us by someone
that knew us, someone thatreferred us, someone that was
our raving brand fan.
It's from the wedding industry,so it's a little bit older, but
I had a bride call me up oneSunday afternoon and say you're
(13:08):
going to be getting a call fromStephanie.
I was like, okay, who'sStephanie?
I was at brunch today and shewas sitting with a bunch of her
girlfriends celebrating the factthat she just got engaged and I
ran right over to her and Igive her your card and I said,
if you don't hire them, you'resilly.
And I was like well, thank youfor interrupting this bride's
brunch.
It's very sweet of you, butthose are the type of raging
brand fans you get when youconnect with people on a heart
(13:30):
centered level.
So, yes, get out there.
Get out from behind yourcomputer and or have zoom
meetings, coffee chats.
Be creative about ways wherepeople remember who you are and
want to support you in yourgrowth.
Rita Suzanne (13:42):
Yeah, so that was going to be my follow-up
question was what is a tip thatyou have for people who maybe
are a little bit introverted orshy when it comes to
relationship marketing?
Don Mamone (13:54):
So find your emotional support extrovert.
I joke around with that.
I was like, okay, I'll be youremotional support extrovert
because I can go into a roomfull of people that I've never
met before and work the room forhours and get to know people
and ask people.
So that's number one.
Number two the coolest thingabout being a relationship
marketer as an introvert or evenan ambivert and, by the way, if
(14:14):
you're an extrovert, take thisnote too People like to talk
about themselves and being anintrovert is oftentimes like
it's hard to make thatintroduction.
It's hard to then have that chat.
You can literally start aconversation with somebody and
say tell me what you do and howI can support you in that.
(14:35):
The number of times somebodysays to me oh my God, what a
great question.
It really does open thefloodgates of them being
authentic with you, telling youwhat they do and telling you
what one of their strugglesmight be.
And suddenly it's not aboutlike small talk or this or that.
Those are definitely the things.
That's in person.
And I really want to tell youthe number of people that I've
(14:56):
met that take my business cardand say, oh, I'm going to send
you an email that never followup that you know, friend me on
LinkedIn or Facebook or one ofthe other social medias, and I
literally never hear from themagain and wouldn't be able to
pick them out of a lineup.
It's way too often.
So that's the other thing I'mgoing to encourage you to do is
find what works for you.
I have gone so far as to like,when I meet people that I know I
(15:20):
want in my orbit, I willliterally send them a Starbucks
e-gift card and be like hey,let's have a coffee chat, the
coffee's on me, I love that andthen they'll schedule a Zoom
meeting through my Calendly Ifyou don't have a Calendly or an
Acuity or not even Google Mailhas it where people can pick
time on your calendar that youget to set up and you still own
(15:41):
your time, don't worry, do thatand just have a coffee chat
calendar and have them sign upfor 15 or 20 minutes.
You would be amazed when I dothat, Rita, like there's a flood
of inquiries that we see a veryshort period of time later.
So it's 100%.
There's a million ideas and ifyou need more, just have your
audience reach out to me.
I'll give them a ton.
Rita Suzanne (16:00):
Yeah, I think that that's a great idea, especially
the Starbucks thing, because Ithink that takes the pressure
off of them and then almost theyfeel obligated right to be in
kind, to sit down and sit downwith you.
Especially if it's someone youfeel like you really need to
make that connection with them.
That's a great tip.
So do you have any marketingmishaps that you want to share,
(16:23):
something that maybe didn't goas well as you had hoped?
Don Mamone (16:26):
I mean, I've tried email campaigns that flopped.
I have tried, we always go forostentatious and I think that
what I want your audience toknow is you get to be exactly
who you are everywhere you go.
And so, like I can think oftimes when I've coached
mompreneurs before and they'relike well, I just don't want
(16:48):
this person to think insertthing here that I'm going to
have spit up on my shirt if Ishow up for a meeting, if my
kids are going to be adisruption, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
Okay, if people think thosethings they're not your client,
I don't care what service youoffer, I don't care what product
you sell.
If those people are worriedlike, oh my gosh, this is one of
(17:18):
those mama punners, not yourclient, and that's okay, let
them filter their way out.
And so we have done some pretty,um, braggadocious, ostentatious
things that keep people'smemory.
Um, emily and I did a ourclients rock campaign one time
where we drove around to our 20or 25 biggest clients in Dallas
and we dressed up like rockstars and it was October, so we
bought all the stuff at theHalloween stores and we just
dropped off a little gift basket.
It costs, I think, $8 perbasket.
We assembled them ourselves andthey had a pet rock and pop,
rocks and smart pop andeverything was about rock and
pop and excitement and we just,it was just a loyalty thing.
Rita Suzanne (17:42):
Yeah.
Don Mamone (17:42):
And I think that went really well.
And we had like one client, um,that that kind of didn't get it
.
I think they were a little biton the this sort of kind of
quiet and conservative side, um,and so I was like I don't know
if that landed for them andEmily's like that's okay, we did
20 of them, right.
And so I think that that themessage there is, your marketing
efforts may not be foreverybody, and that's okay,
(18:04):
right.
Your marketing gets to be forthat client that sees it and
says, oh my gosh, this is soclever, this is so wonderful.
So, even if you fail, failfaster, because it means you're
trying new and different thingsand you're really putting
yourself out there.
Rita Suzanne (18:21):
Yeah, I think that , and that makes me think about
moms putting themselves out onvideos specifically, because I
think a lot of times people areafraid to market themselves on
reels and all of these otherthings.
What if my friends see me?
Who cares?
Just do it.
You need to get out there anddo it, because obviously they're
(18:41):
not your target.
They're going to move past youway faster.
Right, they're going to see youfaster.
Don Mamone (18:46):
They are, and I'll be candid.
I love to be vulnerable and Ilove to be authentic, and so,
for those of you that arelistening to this podcast as
opposed to potentially watchingthe video, you know I introduced
myself as Don Mamone pronounsthey them I'm non-binary and I
live in the state of Texas andin the city of Dallas, and, um,
if you need the courage and theconfidence to step out in front
(19:06):
of that camera, just rememberthat I'm somewhere in Dallas.
I'm likely going out to dinnerwith my wife and I'm wearing a
dress and heels, because that'show I express my gender identity
to the world around me.
And I do that not necessarilywithout fear, but I do it
without any wonder or worryabout whether I'm inconvenient
for someone else or whetherthey're judging me or what they
(19:28):
might be thinking about me.
So, to everyone listening tothe sound of my voice, you get
to shine, you get to show up,you get to be loud and clear and
you get to take up massivespace.
And if that's inconvenient forsomeone, rita, that's a them
problem and not a you problem.
Rita Suzanne (19:43):
I love how comfortable you are with
yourself, and I think thatthat's how everybody should be.
And oftentimes I think womenespecially get too wrapped up in
worrying about what otherpeople are going to think about
them, especially in business,right.
They get too concerned, forfear of judgment, of what
(20:03):
everyone is going to think orsay.
So how do you define success inyour business?
Is it solely financial or arethere other factors?
Don Mamone (20:16):
Um, I would say that for me it's, it's ironic, but I
don't even know that.
Um, I mean, yes, every businessgets to make money.
Right, we're not a 501c3.
Um, we're not a charity.
Although we do veryphilanthropic things, I think
that money for me is a tool likeany other.
I'm not money motivated, but Ido know that we need to make
(20:37):
money.
I am time motivated, and so Ido live in this city of Dallas,
but right now I'm on the Gulfcoast.
We just survived a hurricanewith my sister, because we're
the crazy ones that had plannedto come down here for the 4th of
July holiday and my nephew'sbirthday and my birthday and my
wife and I's anniversary and allthe things.
And when they said, well,there's a hurricane that might
come, I'm like, well then, we'llweather it together.
(20:58):
And so for me, as anentrepreneur, and my wife, we
get to come down here for twoweeks at a time.
My daughter gets to spend timewith her cousins and her aunt
and her uncle, we get to usetheir pool and we get to travel
through areas where we wouldn'tbe able to do that with a nine
to five corporate job.
And so for me, success is sortof creating a life that we
(21:22):
genuinely love to live Now.
Would I love to make a littlemore money so I could do some
more things and give some moreaway and have more impact.
I would, and I continue tostrive for that.
But also, I get to createimpact on people's lives and I
get to do that in a way that I'mnot working 15 hour days and
(21:44):
never seeing my daughter and allthose types of things.
And so for me, and I think sooften the reason that moms
become entrepreneurs and peoplethat I've coached is it's that
bridging that gap right.
So many moms are told they getto live in either or existence.
You get to either be a good momor you can be a good employee,
(22:08):
or a good corporate servant, ora good breadwinner.
You can't do both and Idisagree with that.
First of all, even if you didwant to have a nine to five job,
there is a way I think andplaces that you're welcome to be
a parent and a corporateemployee, but as an entrepreneur
, it is this beautiful,unbelievable opportunity to say
(22:29):
I get to be both a present,available mom or parent, and I
get to chase this dream ofcreating a business, being,
being an entrepreneur, and so,um, for me, that's the success
is understanding that this is aboth and world, and you get to
create the life that you wouldlove to live, both as a parent
(22:50):
and as a business owner.
Rita Suzanne (22:51):
I love that.
So what is one tool, app,software, something that you're
using, that's kind ofstreamlining your life right now
, that you would love to sharewith us?
Don Mamone (23:04):
So, brand aside, I don't really care what brand
people use.
I have been doing this for 20years and I will say that
there's always something new andflashy and different.
I believe that some of the mostimportant things is about
relationships, okay, and so Iwould say that every app that I
use, everything that I do, comesback to that concept of a
(23:26):
relationship.
So, for example, I have abookkeeper and a CPA right, and
that's the relationship.
The tool that I use is for myrelationship with money Right,
and so I have a bookkeeper and aCPA right, and that's the
relationship.
The tool that I use is for myrelationship with money Right,
and so I have.
If you don't have zero or quickbooks online or whatever it is,
you get to because you'resetting the stage now for the
future.
You right the you that is aseven figure entrepreneur
(23:50):
doesn't use a spreadsheet totrack their expenses and their
income.
They use a bookkeeping and CPAmanagement software.
If you are going to haveclients, you get to create the
best possible experience forthem.
I had people in photography.
If you're listening to thispodcast and you're a
photographer, we've usedPixieSet for the last like 10
years, and for those, rita, thataren't photographers.
(24:11):
It's an image management andhosting software, but it also is
a studio manager and it has awebsite builder and all these
things and it's grown over thelast 12 years.
When I bought it, it was one ofthe most expensive on the market
.
Okay, people like you're sosilly, you're so silly, why
would you spend all that money?
And I said because of all theones that I've tested as a
consumer, this is the best.
This creates the bestexperience for my customer.
(24:33):
This has the best feature setfor my customer, and I believed
them when they say that theywere going to be advancing it
forward.
And now people are moving to itin droves because they really
are the best on the marketplace.
I'm willing to invest because Irealized that when you create
something for this customerright so, having a CRM
management system I can tell youwhen it was inquired, when it
(24:54):
booked, how much it booked for,how far out it booked.
You know we track our demand,all those things.
So really, it's not whichspecific app you're using, but
to understand that everybusiness, every single one, gets
to invest early in somethingthat manages their money because
of their relationship withmoney, something that is the
(25:16):
deliverable for their clientbecause of the relationship with
their client, relationship withthemselves.
Right, I do use productivitysoftware and journaling and
note-taking software.
So I think the moral of thestory here and probably you're
like, don just give me an answerbut I genuinely believe that
people think that I can't affordthat.
You can't afford not to do itand I can guarantee you that
(25:41):
when you get your house in orderand everything is streamlined
and people are like my gosh,this person got back to me fast
and I have the deliverable Iwant and blah, blah, blah, it
pays for itself very quickly.
Rita Suzanne (25:52):
I mean even when I first started for itself very
quickly.
I mean even when I firststarted, I one of the first
things that I invested in wasFreshBooks, and I remember and I
use QuickBooks now and Icouldn't imagine trying to run a
profit loss.
I mean you can't run a.
You can't, like you said, youcan't run a report off of a
spreadsheet.
But you know, every month youshould be looking and I tell my
(26:13):
clients you should be lookingand see what products or
services are making you the mostmoney and then making decisions
on it.
Are you going to keep this oryou're going to move to
something else?
Anyways, I remember one timehaving an argument with somebody
over the internet telling themthat it was not professional for
them to be invoicing out on aVenmo or something like that,
(26:35):
and I'm like business ownersshould not be doing this.
This is not professional at all.
Don Mamone (26:41):
It works.
But I think, and it works formaybe, the side hustle and and
maybe that that's great.
But if somebody's and I thinkthat that's important to
acknowledge right, like I, um, Ibelieve that everybody's
journey and path is differentand, um, I think that that there
are many different paths togetting to where you want to go,
but, um, I think that mostpeople that are coaching into,
(27:06):
uh, a successful career, rightas an entrepreneur, would say
that there are certain thingsyou do upfront, right, you
register a URL, you make sureyou have an email that's
associated with that URL.
So, mompreneurs, if you're outthere and you still have, like
creativekitten at gmailcom, likeI get it, tech is hard.
Rita Suzanne (27:25):
But it's one of those things.
That's why they do it.
But, yeah, you can still useGmail.
You just go sign up for workworkspaces through Google, like
you know, and you still can useyour Gmail and you know it's
still possible and, like you'resaying it's.
It's frustrating to me when Isee them at Gmail and these were
coaches that were using Venmoas their preferred payment
(27:49):
portal and I just I couldn'tbelieve it and like these were
successful and I just I couldn'tbelieve it and like these were
successful.
Those were air quotes of youknow, if you're not watching Um,
okay, I'll, I'll move on Um.
So what are you reading orlistening to right now?
It?
Don Mamone (28:05):
doesn't business related, but you know so I'd
like to tell you an anecdote,because I'm a storyteller, um,
I'm an author, author.
I'm 50,000 words into my firstever book, which is very
exciting for me.
I'm hoping to have it in editand maybe published by the end
of the year.
But we get to acknowledge thatwriting a book is quite the
undertaking, and I was workingwith a business coach which,
(28:28):
again, one of the ways in whichI know I'm genuinely serious
about creating a change oraccomplishing and being
committed to something, is whenI outlay money, Right.
So if you're a member of thisaudience, I can't afford that.
Sometimes it's the catalyst youneed, right?
So I told Emily, like, as we gointo 2024, I've been talking
about writing a book.
I had put down maybe 10 or20,000 words over time and I
(28:51):
said this is going to be thebest, coolest Google doc for the
rest of my life If I don't paysomeone to make sure this gets
published.
And so I did, and I was tellingher like I'm struggling.
When I hit about 40,000 words,I was like I am feeling all the
things that every momopreneurhas ever felt.
Rita Suzanne (29:09):
Right.
Don Mamone (29:10):
I feel like I'm an imposter.
I'm overwhelmed.
Who's going to even read this?
Why are they going to read it?
I walked into a bookstore.
I was like, look at all thesebooks.
Like I'm just I'm literallyputting a pebble of sand on the
beach of life.
And she's like, okay, you needto stop writing and start
reading.
And I was like, okay, and she'slike she has all these little
(29:32):
cool habits and things aboutusing a writing prompt to get
you going and asking yourself aquestion and answering and then
just keep going.
None of it was working.
I was like I admittedly read.
A lot of what I'm writing isvery emotionally driven and so I
think that there's anintimidation and a bit of
unpacking.
That's happening.
Anyway, I set a goal to read 24books in a year, which is a
pretty big jump from where I hadbeen, and I have read every
(29:56):
different type of book you canimagine, because I'm reading
differently now.
I'm reading not only to consumethe content.
I'm reading and I'm looking atthe way the person writes and
whether I'm enjoying it or not,and times when I'm like I'm
getting kind of bored here, andwhat that did was the more I
read and the more things that Iliked or didn't like, the more
it pushed me to get back to mywritten page.
(30:18):
And so in the last six months Ihave read a book called the
Last One, which is like athriller that someone
recommended me that I wouldnever have read in a million
years.
Now I'm back to back readingmemoirs by a memoirist by the
(30:38):
name of David Sedaris, who'sreally a wonderful author.
By way of like, you read it andyou feel like you're in his
childhood bedroom, living lifewith him, which a lot of my, my
vibe is, is is going to be aboutthat in my book, and so I feel
like, oh, cool, okay, I get toto learn from this.
Um.
And then business andentrepreneurial and, for those
that that you were interested,there is a psychologist by the
name of dr benjamin hardy.
I not only read his books, butI I had the pleasure of
(31:00):
photographing him, listening tohim speak, and it's all about
future selfing and it's a verypopular um right topic in
psychology, and I'll just, I'llleave you with this from a from
a writing perspective.
It broke my brain when I wasflipping through his book while
he was there and it saidresearch now shows us that we're
pulled forward into our futuremore than we are pushed forward
(31:24):
by our past.
And the reason I thought thatwas so brilliant and the reason
it kind of broke my brain alittle bit, rita, is I want all
the mompreneurs to understandthat where you've come from
certainly can contribute towhere you are right now, but it
doesn't necessarily in any wayindicate where you're going to
go right, where you want to go.
The life you want to live,that's on the horizon, can in
(31:48):
fact, pull you forward moreambitiously and more creatively
and more entrepreneurially thanthe past.
So look towards the horizon anddecide where you want to go,
point yourself in that directionand make the decisions.
Be the person that you get tobe.
Because you noticed what I saidI'm an author.
I have not published yet a book.
(32:09):
I'm in the process of writingthat book but I'm okay saying
that I'm an author because Iknow it's going to happen.
It's just a matter of timing.
Rita Suzanne (32:17):
I love that and I love that quote.
That's very profound and I likeit.
I'm going to put that in here.
Don Mamone (32:24):
Okay.
Rita Suzanne (32:25):
Last question so how are you making time for
yourself?
There are so many things goingon.
What are you doing forself-care?
Don Mamone (32:33):
So I am a big person that is into energy and
exercise and things, and so Ihave committed to closing my
rings every day, which I know issuper cliched right now and
kind of cringy to even say, butlike I really do, I got a
walking pad for my room, becauseit's 112 degrees in the shade
in Dallas and if I don't get upearly enough, it's just not
going to happen.
So I walk and I write and I dothings like that.
(32:56):
I am a huge believer in nonheroic, massive self care things
.
Yes, take a spa day, take itall, go for 12 hours and
disconnect from the internet andleave your spouse and your kids
behind and spend the entire dayon you from the internet and
leave your spouse and your kidsbehind and spend the entire day
on you.
But, more importantly, wake upa little bit earlier and have a
(33:19):
skincare routine that involvesapplying different creams and
lotions and things you know.
Take that three minutes to sitand breathe in and out.
Um, find what's going to helpyou this is the way I say it
cognitively or mentally,emotionally, spiritually,
(33:40):
whatever grounds you and feedsthose parts of you.
Do those things, but I thinkmost oftentimes people think of
them as big grand things.
And some of the things that Ilove the most now are like I'll
go and I'll put my hair up inthe cutest little top knot
you've ever seen.
And in the old days I was likeI just wash my face before I go
(34:00):
to bed.
I wash my face and I put on atoner and then I put on a serum
and then I put on a moisturizerand then I walk out of that room
kind of rubbing my handstogether, thinking I'm so pretty
and taking care of myself anddoing all the things.
So that's my jam is is both thebig, more ambitious efforts but
day to day small things that weknow are going to make a
(34:22):
difference.
Rita Suzanne (34:29):
Yeah, I agree.
I think that, um, when I firststarted this, people would say
things like oh, go get my hairand my nails done, and and.
But then I would say well, evenspending five minutes in the
car by yourself is self-care.
Anything that's going torecenter you taking a bath, you
know, like you know, sometimeswe don't even get to use the
bathroom by ourselves when,especially when you have
multiple children and they'reyoung, you know.
Don Mamone (34:50):
So it just doing what you need to do to recenter
and be alone for a few minutesor whatever conference last year
(35:10):
, that was all mom, mom openersand the, the challenge they have
, disconnecting from theobligations of that identity,
that part of their identity, um,is heartbreaking, um, and
admirable at the same time.
It is so admirable that um Istarted developed an ability to
(35:31):
see, but more than ever, that ifyou're not good to yourself,
you're not going to be good toothers, and so I cannot cannot
say with more enthusiasm howmuch I love and respect moms and
how much I believe them sodeserving of of their own time,
their own abilities to care forthemselves.
Rita Suzanne (35:51):
I love that, okay, so where can we find you?
Where are you at, where youhang out online?
Don Mamone (35:57):
I like to say that I'm everywhere.
I'm omnipresent, but I knowthat's probably not true and
there's a lot of people outthere.
I would say that my biggestsocial media presences are on
Instagram and LinkedIn.
I do have a YouTube channel,but I get to be better about it.
So if you're in the socials andyou want to look me up on
Instagram, I'm at Don Mamoni andI'm sure you can put that in
the show notes.
(36:17):
I'm at Don Mamoni pretty mucheverywhere.
I do have a website at DonMamoni.
I do spark calls and sessionsfor people to find out how we
might be able to usher themforward, catalyze them and put
them in a place where they'reachieving greater with less work
and a bit faster, maybe eventhan they hoped.
So I mean, my name is reallythe thing right?
(36:38):
I'm at Don Mamone pretty mucheverywhere.
So come find me, and I justwant I want to make sure that
everybody understands this.
My capacity to love is infinite,and so I think it's really fun
when I tell people that my jobon this planet is to create
change and impact with thespoken and written word, and so
(36:59):
what I want to speak into theuniverse now is, I bet you,
every one of the people that'slistening to this podcast
struggles or wants to be seen,and I just want them to know
that I want the opportunity tosee them and to know them and
that I love them for everythingthey're doing and everything
they're creating in the world,want the opportunity to see them
and to know them and that Ilove them for everything they're
doing and everything they'recreating in the world.
Rita Suzanne (37:16):
So sweet.
Thank you so much for being aguest.
It's been such a pleasure.
I appreciate it.
Don Mamone (37:22):
I appreciate the opportunity to share my story
and to help your audience, and Ihope it does just that.
Thank you.
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