Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Merz.
Hi Michelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was stuck working long hours at a forensics lab, leaving my newborn son at daycare all day. I’d get home just in time to give him a quick bath, feed him, and put him to bed. It broke my heart not being able to spend more time with my little one during those precious early years. That’s when I decided to take a leap of faith. I quit my job, and we hit the road, traveling the country together. I needed to find a way to pay the bills with a mobile income source. The solution? Selling websites – ironic since I had no clue how to build one. I dove in headfirst, teaching myself to code and design from scratch. That first website job turned into a flurry of referrals from happy clients. Before I knew it, I owned my own branding and design studio. It was a whirlwind but exciting, getting to spend my days creating while my son was by my side. Eventually, the studio was acquired by a more prominent local agency, and I started a new creative agency.
However, marketing was shifting, and referrals alone couldn’t sustain my business growth. I became obsessed with mastering lead generation and understanding what drove sales in this digital age. As I implemented those strategies, clients started pouring in. That’s when it hit me – so many business owners are talented but stunted because they’re overwhelmed, trying to do it all alone. Their time is maxed out between client work and hustling for new business. I realized I could help free them from that constraint by teaching them marketing automation and sales systems that operate 24/7. And that’s what I do now – help entrepreneurs and creators reclaim their time and energy by building perpetual lead machines for their businesses. And it all happened by accident because I wanted to be more present for my son’s childhood years. It’s been one wild ride, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a challenging road. I’ve had some bad experiences with business partners that set me back, and in my eagerness to learn how to run a successful business, I could have made better investment decisions while trying to figure it all out on my own. Those mistakes cost me thousands of dollars. I also struggled with analysis paralysis, agonizing over finding the “right” time and perfect strategy before taking action. Looking back, I spent too much time in that cycle of overcautious planning rather than just putting one foot in front of the other. If I could go back, I would have invested in hiring a qualified mentor from the start. Having an experienced guide could have saved me from those costly pitfalls and given me the wisdom to take calculated risks sooner rather than overanalyze every move. While the path was imperfect, those struggles were invaluable learning experiences. They gave me battle scars but also the resilience to pivot, adapt, and trust my instincts as an entrepreneur. If I had a smooth ride the whole way, I might have needed to develop the grit to survive and thrive in business ownership.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Silience and Sonder?
At Silience and Sonder, we specialize in helping small and medium businesses scale sustainably. Our mission is to turn your marketing, lead generation, and sales into automated machines that work tirelessly around the clock to drive revenue growth for your business. These automations and funnels are the key to you, the business owner, winning back your time so you can focus on other priorities. We take immense pride in teaching small businesses how to apply the same advanced marketing approaches that big corporations utilize. Even if your budget is lean, we want these powerful strategies to be accessible to all business owners, no matter how small. One of our core values is maintaining a human-centric philosophy in our marketing methods. You’re marketing to actual human beings – not just data points. We aim to help you understand all the critical touchpoints required to guide a stranger into becoming a loyal client. Then, we automate as much of that process as possible through automation, funnels, and systems. We don’t use a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach. And we certainly don’t make empty promises of overnight success. We promise fully customized strategies tailored to your business’s unique needs and goals. Strategies that will undoubtedly catalyze your company’s growth in a scalable, sustainable way that ultimately frees you from manual marketing efforts. Our brand is committed to helping small businesses implement big-business marketing capabilities. We simplify advanced automation without sacrificing the all-important human elements that forge real connections with your audience.
How do you think about luck?
It may not be the most popular opinion, but I truly believe every successful business has at least a sprinkle of luck woven through its story. That said, luck alone is never enough to build something sustainable. The luck I’ve experienced has been amplified by the chances I’ve taken, the relentless effort I’ve poured in, my refusal to accept ‘no’ for an answer, and my determination to bounce back from every rejection. Was it pure luck that a random bar owner took a chance on an inexperienced me to build his website, an opportunity that set off the whole snowball effect of my entrepreneurial journey? Maybe. Or the universe’s way of rewarding tenacity pushed me to keep knocking on doors until one finally opened. In many ways, I feel fortunate – blessed even. I have found my niche, my passion, and my “ikigai” as the Japanese concept goes – the intersection of what I love, what I’m good at, what the world needs, and what I can get paid for. All while being able to create the freedom-based lifestyle I craved. But I also recognize that luck is one ingredient, and I wouldn’t be successful without my relentless work ethic, resilience, life-long learning, and commitment to personal growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.silienceandsonder.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silience_and_sonder/f
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Siliencendsonder/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-merz-151b5a157/
Image Credits
Ashly D Photos
