She needed a short hippie phase, but Stephanie Funk has landed back on her feet with her own consulting company.
Funk left Acorn: An Influence Co. in February after her financial partners bought out her half-ownership of the social media company.
Funk, a member of Arkansas Business’ 40 Under 40 in 2016 as Stephanie McCratic, formed the company after leaving Acumen Brands, where she did social media work.
In mid-June, Funk launched Funk & Co. to help smaller companies with their marketing needs.
In less than a week, Funk said she has contracts with four clients, which include Greenwood Gearhart of Fayetteville and Retevo of Bentonville.
“It’s for companies that can’t afford a CMO, but they need someone beside the CEO or some junior millennial to manage their marketing,” Funk said. “They need a central hub responsible for their brand and their messaging. The CEO gets to takes that piece off their mind because they know they have someone at the helm of marketing who knows what they’re doing.
“There’s no option for the successful startup. They need to own their brand. They have to look bigger than they are. They have to look legit. They can’t look like they’re doing this in a basement somewhere.”
Funk said the quick success has her already planning to expand her one-woman operation.
Funk, 40, said the last few months of 2016 were a blur because she went through a divorce, a home sale and left the company she created. When she left Acorn, Funk said she immediately jumped into another job to keep busy but her friends convinced her to take some time off.
“I felt like I was working in ‘Office Space,’ the movie,” Funk said. “I decided to take some time off and let my brain do its thing. I did a lot of yoga and meditation. I went full hippie for a time.”
What emerged from her time off was the idea that she could put her marketing skills to use for companies that needed a marketer but couldn’t afford a full-time marketing director.
When Funk asked her business contacts about her idea, she was overwhelmed by the positive response.
“I was just guessing there was this hole in the market because all my friends are startup CEOs,” Funk said.
“Within two days my calendar was completely packed with prospect meetings. I got all these emphatic ‘yes’ answers. Literally everyone I talked to was ‘Yes, let’s do this. Please come do this for me.’”
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