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Editor:
This time we’re chatting with someone who has a truly fascinating story. Jen Perdew is the president and CEO of MyNAMS, the novice to advanced marketing system. So if you’ve ever wanted to have your own online marketing moneymaking business, then you’re going to love this conversation. Whether it’s affiliate marketing or writing winning sales copy, Jen has you covered. She’s got so much knowledge and I’m sure we’re going to touch on that. So Jen, welcome.
Jen Perdew:
Thank you so much for having me here. I appreciate it.
Editor:
It’s great to have you. Now, as always, I think we should start with a quick overview of MyNAMS and also how you got started online.
Jen Perdew:
It’s a very crazy story how I got started online, actually. But quickly, on our business, we really started as a live workshop company, where we were bringing together instructors and bringing people live to events twice a year. And we did about 15 of those live events in Atlanta. And the groups and the people that were coming kept saying, “We want more than just two times a year. What can you do for us?” And so we developed a membership programme that we still have, our MyNAMS Insiders Club. And this is really where our super-serious business owners and startups tend to gravitate towards.
And so our biggest focus is really helping either small businesses who have brick and mortar, try to get them into more online channels, or for business startup and really teaching people the foundation and the fundamentals of online business. There’s so many bright, shiny objects out there, and a lot of people get discouraged easily. And we really wanted to focus on the foundational stuff, which isn’t sexy but we feel like it’s really important. And one of my clients told me the other day that we were the last house on the block for him. But it was worth the drive.
Editor:
I love that.
Jen Perdew:
I’m like, “That’s my new tagline.” So that’s really what we focus on. And my background, actually, was I was 20 years in logistics and operations for the outdoor rec industry: whitewater rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, things like that. And my parents were so excited after they paid for me to go to college to do that.
Editor:
Of course.
Jen Perdew:
In 2015, my dad actually knew that the company was growing and needed somebody in the back end of the business to handle the logistics and the support and training for staff. And he also knew that the company was turning into something. We weren’t really sure at that point where it was going. But he also knew that he was going to want to retire someday, and he didn’t want to put all this effort into something that was just going to go away. And so he brought me in with the idea of, let’s see how this goes. Let’s see what you think. And as I really started digging into the business more and more, we came up with a plan for me to actually buy the company when he decided he wanted to retire. And so I did that January 1st of this year.
Editor:
So this is a true family business.
Jen Perdew:
It is. And that’s what’s been interesting. And I think that’s kind of why I’m getting a little bit more attention right now, because with internet marketing being still — it’s not in its infancy, but it’s still new enough that there’s been no real family or legacy style businesses that have been able to happen yet, with families. And so this truly was, we planned this out, we knew we wanted to keep it in the family. I haven’t planned what happens next. I still plan on being in this business for another thirty years to support me.
But from that perspective, he and I really had some good strategies in place for systems and processes so that it would be a really super easy transition. And last year, about the last half of last year, I really started making the decisions and writing the emails, writing the content so that it would be not just this very abrupt, “Oh my gosh, she bought the business January 1st and it’s completely different now.”
Editor:
Yeah. It is always about that transition in situations like this, isn’t it? And for anybody who’s either listening or reading to this, your dad is David Perdew?
Jen Perdew:
Correct. Correct.
Editor:
Who of course is a legend in his own right in internet marketing. How was that for you, though, Jen? Obviously, big shoes to fill in many ways.
Jen Perdew:
Yeah. So it’s been interesting, and I’ve actually been on quite a journey over the past few months. And I’ve been really honest with people about this, that it’ll mess with your head a little. And I came into this, January 1st. The business has done fantastic. I already had a lot of plans in place for things I wanted to do. My dad had his vision for how he wanted the business to be run, and I have a different vision for that. And so I’ve been trying to put that in place. But at the same time, I feel like we all go through this kind of imposter syndrome. Whether you’ve been in the business for 20 years or not, you hit those milestones and you think, “Oh wait, wait, wait, what am I doing? What’s happening? Why is this happening?”
And it’s been something I’ve been working through with my own business coach of trying to make sure that I’m not trying to fill his shoes. That’s the big thing, I think, for myself mentally is not going there mindset-wise. It’s really understanding that I worked hard to be able to buy the business. I bought this business, he didn’t give it to me, I bought it. And he’s very happy to get a check from me every month. And so really just getting confident in my abilities.
Editor:
It’s great to hear that. It’s great to hear that actually you’re not just stepping into your father’s shoes and continuing what he’s done. You’ve got your own direction to lead and your own management style and your own, as you say, you are the owner of this business now. You’re not just running it to continue it in the legacy of your father. So that’s great to hear, Jen. And how has the reaction been, because you have a team, how has the reaction from the team been to that as well?
Jen Perdew:
It’s been fantastic. I should not even sit here and say that I doubt things or I question things. I think we all do that as business owners. But the reception that I’ve gotten from our members, from other people in the internet marketing community, my team, my family, it’s been fantastic. Everything that I have challenged myself with since I bought the company is all been self-imposed…
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