Alexis Rago, Founder of Marketing Mana LLC
Name: Alexis Rago
Founder: Marketing Mana LLC
Who is Alexis Rago?
Alexis Skigen Rago brings 25+ years of marketing expertise, working with companies of all sizes in various industries (33 and counting), including technology, eCommerce, retail, legal, financial solutions, insurance, real estate, health & wellness, coaching, and more. Alexis earned her MBA from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan (Go Blue!). She enjoys traveling, exercising, cooking healthy foods, eating chocolate that’s worth it, and being a boy mom, daughter, friend, and volunteer.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Marketing Mana helps established small business owners who have hit a growth plateau, create intentional marketing based on value-driven differentiation that generates growth outcomes and pushes your revenue from 6 to 7 to 8 figures. By leveraging our strategic foundation-building skills, we can help find your Dream Clients, message your value, and double your sales within a year.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Being a FoundHer means celebrating amazing women who are entrepreneurial in spirit and action. We share our learnings, challenges, and vulnerabilities in an effort to support each other, so we all improve and our customers win even more. Madeleine Albright said it best "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other." She would have loved FoundHer.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I support other female founders and women in business in various ways. I show up to their events, whether they are a sponsor, speaker, or host. I create meaningful connections to people who can help as power partners, prospects, vendors, etc. I purchase their services or goods when it's relevant to my needs. I engage on social media to help share their message to my network. When I'm a guest on her podcast, I share the content across my social platform, website (with linkbacks), and sometimes via email as well (I don't email my list often). I have a few women's networking groups and accountability partners with female founders, and they are my friends. I am there for them when they need support or want to celebrate, as they are for me. It's truly beautiful.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
Right from the start. I had worked in corporate and agencies for over 20 years before I started Marketing Mana in 2018. I knew the time was right because I wanted to focus on strategic work, where the customer was central, and be able to work with people who embodied mutual respect and cared deeply about providing value and purpose. It was important for me to own my time and choices without asking permission.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
It’s all me. I use a social media management platform to publish my posts. Relationships, one at a time. I am proud that every single one of my LinkedIn connections are people that I have actually met and spoken with, not just connected to create a shallow network.
How did you land your first client?
A referral.
My second client I met through TEDx Naperville experiential event hosted at his business. I struck up a conversation with the owner, listened to his challenges and struggles, saw the value he offered and got a meeting where I closed the deal..
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I apply personal growth to business thinking, create a safe space for business vulnerability, borrow ideas from the outside, and uncover hard truths to create true differentiated value, and achieve outcomes quickly. I also follow through.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
Have a CRM from Day 1.
Get my message tighter earlier.
Celebrate being different and shed the corporate stiffness that creeps in.
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