Ladies Who Launch: Jen Murnaghan || Digital Dandy
Jen Murnaghan was one of the mighty good hustlers I met in my first workshop series for mumpreneurs. An Irish expat with two energy packed young boys, Jen moved to Hobart with her husband Vinnie when he took over the kitchen reigns at MoNA. When we met, she was working on a bespoke local themed tea towel business, selling online and at craft markets. It was awesome, the designs were cute and tourists and locals snapped them up, but it was a concept that was hard to scale, and she was clearly building to a bigger profile and presence. As her boys went to school and freed up her time a little, it was clear that while her designer homewares were hitting the mark in the market, what was really taking off was her mastery over social media.
From this recognition that what she was doing was a valuable service and could help other businesses like hers, Digital Dandy was born. The boutique social media consultancy has gone from strength to strength, and as it has stretched its legs, it has also presented Jen with lots of opportunities and challenges to her own beliefs and confidence.
She has risen to those challenges, and used them as moments for introspection, recalibration, self study and as fears to push through and dissolve. Jen is absolutely a classic case study in being open to agility in small business, anticipating the wave, starting something when you aren't quite sure you are ready, and knowing when to bring others in to help. I put the five big questions to her about Digital Dandy and her good hustling...
Describe Digital Dandy in one powerful sentence:
We strive to empower and nurture businesses to create a powerful presence online. We are committed to the importance of maintaining the balance between screen time and real time. (yah yah, 2 sentences... but they are essential)
How do you integrate service to others in your business model?
I get a real kick out of collaboration and I love to play matchmaker in business. Lucky I'm into 'social networking, right?! Observing potential connections is my service and it's my belief that what you give out you reap in return, you just have to be open to allowing Karma work its magic.
What were some of the highlights and lowlights of your journey to where you are now?
Highlights = hands down being recognised as having genuine value by my peers. Recognising the legitimacy of what I was creating was a MASSIVE watershed and I continue to invest in that recognition so that I can provide a sustainable, robust and respected service offering.
Lowlights = fear of failure, lack of knowledge with certain systems and processes. I turned them into highlights though by acknowledging I needed help and getting it! Total game changer
Do you have a spiritual practice?
Yes if I was a spiritual dog, I'd be a mongrel. I was raised Catholic, practiced with conviction but lost faith in the institution when the stories of abuse unfurled. I have huge respect for buddhism and find peace in yoga and meditation practice ( need to practice that more regularly). We have a lovely relationship with a local Presbyterian church thanks to some close friends, where the kids get to experience spirituality and moral guidance from people we trust and respect.
Advice for others who want to start their own good hustle?
Do some serious work on your self-belief. Invest in living and breathing your unique selling proposition. Make plans, get feedback. Make more plans and for goodness sake learn how to say no.
