Every great story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. However, in our case our agency has a clear beginning, a complicated middle, and instead of an end our story continues to unfold.
The beginning
After returning from a life changing tour in Israel in 2015, I was looking for something exciting to give my attention to. I had been working in corporate America for over 2 years when I learned about a program called “Project Blueprint” hosted by the United Way of Greater Houston.
United Way Project Blueprint prepares emerging and current leaders of color for leadership roles on nonprofit and public sector boards and committees.
Unitedwayhouston.org
At the end of the program, graduates get the opportunity to participate in a nonprofit fair where organizations attend in the hopes of recruiting members for their respective board of directors. Since I was working in communications at the time, most of my conversations centered around the role communications and marketing play in a nonprofit organization. I quickly realized the need most organizations had to optimize the use of social media to enhance their recruiting and fundraising efforts.
As a result of the fair, I had an AH HA moment! I thought what if I create a business offer to help nonprofits and faith based organizations with their communication and marketing efforts. I left my corporate job with the conviction of becoming an entrepreneur. Next, I enlisted a friend to help craft and define the services we could offer.
My friend became my business partner. We quickly branded our venture. And MediaPurposed, LLC was born.
We gained a couple of clients. Pitched a lot of proposals. And tested our offering. Everything seemed promising.
The middle
Shortly after, we were moving at full speed. We were gaining momentum. We had a strong sense of working with the common good in mind. We wanted to be socially responsible in everything we created. This was part of our ethos.
As things began to shift, I felt my friend and I were being pulled in different directions. This led us to dissolve our partnership. I learned that ending a partnership is like getting a divorce. We legalized the separation and I maintained ownership of the brand. However, I have to acknowledge my friend was the angel I needed to get MediaPurposed off the ground. I am eternally grateful to her for dreaming with me. (Dear friend, if you read this, I wish you know how much I love you!!!)
After dissolving the partnership, my season shifted. Doors of opportunity started to close for me in Houston. After praying, I sensed God directing me to move back to Cincinnati. My directive was to go work for my mom and help her manage her business.
I resisted the idea that Cincinnati was to be my permanent residence. I took my mom on as a client since I wanted to keep an exit strategy open for when I moved back to Houston. Well, the move never happened and I’ve been planted in Cincinnati ever since.
My mom owned and directed a child care center and I was the consultant. Although I had taken her on as a “client,” things quickly escalated and I became the executive director. I ended up leading the center for over 4.5 years.
During this time, I occasionally consulted with potential clients. However, I considered MediaPurposed dormant if not dead.
The initial idea of MediaPurpose was to help organizations with communication and marketing related challenges. After my experience leading the family business, I decided to offer business planning and management consulting services. However, due to my full time involvement in the family business, MediaPurposed had to remain dormant.
The unfolding
After closing the child care center, I was free to start exploring new opportunities. I was thinking I would go back to corporate America. However, I was not convinced this was the next chapter for me. So I did what I do best when I am uncertain what to do. I prayed.
As I began praying for direction, I kept coming back to a thought. I had the recurring idea of what if I was to relaunch MediaPurposed? It was more of a question than an assertion.
Due to my love for the local church body, I started brainstorming ideas on how MediaPurposed can serve churches. To be honest, I was struggling to see a clear path forward. So I kept this quiet to myself. I have learned that God is a great confidant. So I would just talk about it during my prayer time.
Then, the unexpected happened on January 6, 2024. A prophet visited the church I was a member of. And this happened:
I considered this to be confirmation enough to do something!! Consequently, MediaPurposed is reborn.
Now, our story continues to unfold. Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Jarissa
