Main Responsibilities of a Founder and CEO at Mustard and Moxie
Anna, Founder & CEO of Mustard & Moxie, wears many hats, juggling day-to-day tasks like "accounting, contracts, and marketing" alongside client work, which involves helping nonprofits "analyze, collect, and understand data about the community they're serving" to create compelling narratives that attract funding and partnerships. This necessitates constant client pipeline management, as many projects are short-term, requiring a proactive approach to business growth.
Business Management, Data Analysis, Nonprofit, Client Relations, Marketing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Anna Boudinot
Founder & CEO
Mustard & Moxie
New York University, 2000
UCLA Anderson MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Scholarship Recipient, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Anna's role involves diverse responsibilities, encompassing accounting, contracts, invoicing, payroll, marketing, advertising, website and social media management, and tax filing. She emphasizes the importance of awareness across all business aspects, including client management and business growth.
2. A key aspect of Anna's work is helping nonprofits analyze and interpret community data, transforming it into compelling narratives that highlight human stories and hard data. This work allows nonprofits to establish expertise, attract partnerships and funding, and potentially effect systemic change.
3. Anna highlights the importance of proactive client pipeline management, given the short-term nature of many projects. This ensures consistent work and business stability. It showcases the importance of business development in her field.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
In my current role as a small business owner, I manage all the day-to-day tasks that keep my business running. This includes accounting, contracts, sending out invoices, and paying my employees.
It also involves ensuring my marketing, advertising, website, and social media are in good shape. I have to file all the proper taxes with the state and federal government, and renew my local business license every year.
I do have people who support me, such as an attorney, a bookkeeper, and an accountant. However, as the owner, I need to be aware of everything happening in all elements of my business. I can't just focus on the client work itself; I must also spend time managing the business and ensuring it grows.
Furthermore, I need to maintain a consistent pipeline of potential clients. Many of our clients hire us for short-term projects, usually three to six months. When a project ends, I can't be scrambling to find a new client, so this is an ongoing effort.
The work we do for clients involves helping nonprofit organizations analyze, collect, and understand data about the communities they serve. We then turn that data into a compelling story, using both human-centered narratives and hard data.
For example, we might present data on poverty rates in a community and its impact on the wider region. We put hard numbers behind the inequities occurring and use that story and data to benefit the organization.
This helps establish the organization as an expert and a go-to resource for understanding the issues their community faces. The story we tell also aids them in securing partnerships with corporations, governments, and other organizations.
It helps attract donors, funders, new employees, and volunteers. For some organizations, this work even helps them impact systemic change beyond just providing direct services to their community.