Episode 028
Anna Madill
Believing in yourself is a powerful force that propels dreamers to achieve. And in the world of marketing, Anna Madill stands tall as a true testament to this principle. Anna embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with unwavering determination and a profound belief in the power of action. As the owner and CEO of Avenue, Anna’s path to success was not without its share of challenges. While growing her business, Anna defied expectations and shattered stereotypes and was recognized by Portland Business Journal as a 2023 Executive of the Year, the Women of Influence Award for 2020, and the Forty Under 40 Award for 2017.
"I really believe that if you want something or have a goal, just take a moment to close your eyes and just sit back for five seconds, ten seconds and just imagine and envision what that success or what that goal is and what it means to you."
[00:00:00] Welcome to Women’s Million Dollar Conversations with Alice Tang, where we share stories from successful business women who have saved, earn or sold over a million dollars and discuss how they build their success and insights to help you achieve your goals. Now let’s join the conversation.
Alice Tang: Good morning, Anna, my new friend, I’m very happy and excited to have Anna with me. , two things about Anna. I know she is a proud owner of a digital agency, it’s a big corporation. Her goal is to work with company who made important impact to their company and to the community.
The second exciting thing I want to shout out is, , she is really hot. She is named and received the award from Portland Business Journal, , CEO of the year. So congratulations, Anna.
Anna Madill: Thank you, Alice. It’s really an honor to be here and I’m so thrilled and I’m just a big thank you to Christie [00:01:00] for introducing us I’m excited to have this conversation.
Alice Tang: Beautiful. So Anna, , our audience is waiting to hear about you. Would you introduce yourself and your company and anything you want to share with us?
Anna Madill: Sure. So my name is Anna Madill. I’m the founder and CEO of Avenue, and we are, as Alice mentioned, a B Corp Digital and social media agency based here in Portland.
And so essentially, B Corp are companies that focus on people, planet, and profits. So it’s built into our mission, our operations, keeping in mind not just. Running a sustainable, profitable business, but also making sure that we are giving back to our community, creating an amazing workplace, , to support and empower our team members as well as being focused outwardly on environmental sustainability
and so we are very much committed to our community work, , and creating a really great workplace for our team members.
Alice Tang: Our community is really happy to have you with us. So here we are.
[00:02:00] Question number one, what’s your value of money since we are on the woman million dollar conversation?
Anna Madill: Yes.
It’s such a great question and kind of a big question, and I know in preparing for this, you mentioned, what is your first experience with money when going back to childhood? And I really did reflect on that and just thinking I had a really wonderful childhood, but money was not in extreme abundance.
I’ll just put it that way. And so I think my first experience actually with money was when I needed to quit gymnastics because we could no longer afford to pay for the gymnastics classes. And that was just a moment where something that I really enjoyed. As a kid and I still do enjoy, , following gymnastics, but it was just one of those things that I no longer was able to do.
And it was that sort of, that moment that clicked , okay, so there is a give and a take and you can have certain things when you pay for them. And I just remember carrying through into the rest of my life, just , a thought around that things have value and that. Not everyone [00:03:00] has the same resources with which to acquire said things.
And when I think about the value of money, to me, I think the first part would be, security. I think money really signified security not having to worry about. Housing and any of the other things in life.
But now I think as Avenue has grown we’ve had,, very good years and challenging years and then, we’ve been on a great trajectory over the last, , five plus years. Is that now money to me is time.
And so I’ve realized that time is a finite resource. I only have so much time in my day and so much energy with which to give to community, my family, my friends,, and to my business. And so money actually can translate into. Being able to hire experts and resources so that I now have more abundance of time.
Alice Tang: Yes, time is the one limited asset when we use it, it won’t
[00:04:00] be replenished so beautifully. said money buys time so that you’re relieved to do the things that you feel that is most meaningful and most impactful to your family, to your loved ones, and your community. . Great job, Anna. Love that answer.
Second question is about a million dollars. Of course we are here. How long does it take you to get to that million?
Anna Madill: Yeah, so it’s interesting. I think we can focus on , the million dollars in revenue. So that was definitely a milestone for Avenue. I think on the personal sort of wealth side, that’s a whole nother journey and one that was starting to be built from college graduation and there’s a lot of things that go into that.
The first home purchase and then building from there. But I will really focus on the, crossing the million dollar threshold for Avenue and that was a six and a half year journey for us. To get there. And I think, many companies would actually get there much more quickly than Avenue did.
And so when I look back at that,, I really think that I can appreciate the journey with which it took to get to that million [00:05:00] dollar threshold. Because I learned so many skills, , I was able to build a really sustainable business that is focused on employee wellbeing, our culture, our values, , the work that we put out into the world for our clients and also our community work.
That was the time duration so now that we are over a million dollars in revenue and are climbing from there,
Alice Tang: How did it make you feel when you look at your numbers, like being a business owner, it’s one of the things we look is the numbers, right?
Anna Madill: Yes.
Alice Tang: So how does it make you feel and what did you do? Did smell the roses? or no, we got to look at 2 million now.
Anna Madill: It’s a little bit of both. I think that as we were approaching that threshold, I talked to many business owners and colleagues who had said,, once, I crossed that threshold, I thought we were going to celebrate, , and it was gonna be the huge thing.
And then it was really just onto the next thing. There’s. Still all , the same problems or the same goals that were happening and you just moved on. So I think what, we did really nicely at Avenue is we did really take a pause to celebrate it. And it was a [00:06:00] moment where I felt incredibly proud, , and not just of myself.
I think I feel a lot more pride for my team and what they. Really truly helped me to accomplish and, helped avenue to accomplish. And all of our clients that we are impacting, building relationships with and also the work that we’re doing in the community and elsewhere.
So I think a lot of pride, , and we were able to take a little bit of a pause to celebrate together as a team and really recognize that being a milestone given, many of the challenges and barriers that we’ve faced over the years. And then of course, I’m very driven and goal oriented. So you know, there is the additional, let’s keep building and there’s a lot of things beyond, we’re gonna grow in revenue and profitability, but also impact. So I think as a certified B corporation, profit, revenue, and then impact go hand in hand.
Alice Tang: Very good. Answered. Pause and celebrate and onto the next goal, but make sure that the team notice that they are part of the success journey.
Anna Madill: Yes, very much
Alice Tang: so on
Play How long did it take for you to reach a million dollars
[00:07:00] your journey in building to that $1 million of revenue, I’m sure there are a lot of biases you have dealt with, and what is the biggest bias you have come across and how did you overcome it?
Anna Madill: for the majority of my career, and even to this day, I feel like there’s a certain way that I need to show up and present to be taken seriously, and that really hasn’t changed whether we were at 250,000,, 1.4, 1.5, , past that million dollar mark.
I think that it’s being. Looked at and having assumptions made based on outward appearance. So for example, , even throughout my career, before Avenue, I think if you look at me, I look relatively young, and that is hereditary, that comes along with being Asian being a woman, being, slight in stature.
And often being assumed to have less experience. And agencies who might do similar services or the same services at Avenue, but the youth projects, some sort of lack of credibility [00:08:00] or experience. And so I think that was one of them throughout my career. I think the other bias would be the woman and the Asian trying to fit into that stereotype of.
Whether it’s the model minority myth of, a great worker bee but not really leadership material. But also trying to strike that fine balance of being driven and very much like yourself. I think Alice, upwardly driven, but also doing it in a way that, comes across as.
Positive versus, there’s many things that, if there’s a woman and she’s Asian and she’s striving she’s bossy, and trying to really strike that fine line between, being on that leadership track while also dodging and weaving through those biases.
Alice Tang: There’s always biases and one of the things that I think hand in hand with the external bias is our internal bias, because we feel people perceive us that way it could be perceived because Asian, we technically look younger than our age. Thank you God, for giving us the [00:09:00] best skin.
You are right because Asian are perceived also as a worker bee. It may not be perceived as in the leadership role. So how can we change that? So I am going to share a very short story yesterday. Post from a Filipino background friend that I have at LinkedIn.
And she says she went into a baker’s show, really commercial baker. And she wasn’t taken seriously. She said, is that me immigrant or is that Asian? Is that, am I a woman or such? So she pushed back at the booth when she was not taking, seriously. Come to find out that those two people just started their business.
They didn’t know what to do, and now the conversation turned. They are looking for advice from this very experienced. Commercial baker who’s walking around a commercial exhibition looking for new things or things for her to be excited or to buy
Anna Madill: wow.
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that.
Alice Tang: Absolutely.
[00:10:00] Okay, onto the next question. What process did you take if you have a big decision to make?
Anna Madill: I really like to bring it back to a couple of different things. One is values, and two is the perceived outcome.
And so I tend to think that I make decisions really quickly and I think that’s my quick start nature. I like to move fast. I like to, Take information, make a decision, and move forward. In some cases there are larger decisions that just need a little bit more thought process behind them. And in those cases, I think.
Part of it, it’s always the gut sense. I think we have to trust our gut to some degree. I love to leverage as many data points of information that I have to make that decision calibrate that. And then also from a value standpoint is if the decision is, Avenue related, which
they usually are is, how does this help Avenue show up? Leading with our values and making sure that we are true to who we are. And so oftentimes just looking at our core [00:11:00] values and our mission for what we want to put out into the world can clearly help me understand which decision is the right way to go or not.
Alice Tang: Is that aligned with the values and the direction? And the future that, you and your team have decide, and then you’ll make that decision. Beautiful. Beautiful. Okay a slightly turn in the last seven years when you have owned your business . You probably have some point of time where sometimes life become very difficult.
And I’m not sure if you hit a point where it’s, God, it’s so difficult, I want to quit. But what kept you going?
Anna Madill: There was a turning point about year two in Avenue I did a whole EO talk on this. But it was a turning point where I made a lot of mistakes as a business owner I read the landscape incorrectly and we just were cratering essentially in terms of revenue profitability. And there’s a turning point where I. Was literally cleaning up my [00:12:00] resume and wondering if I should go back and get , a real job. And thinking to myself, Hey, I’m still employable, right?
It’s only been like a year and a half or something like that. And so there’s a very clear point where things were not working well. And I think that was the lowest moment for Avenue as well as me personally. I think in the last. 15 years. That is the lowest point that I can remember in my life.
And I think the other part of the question was, what kept me going? And it really was the future. In the deepest, darkest hit, I would envision like, oh my gosh. What does the future look like?
If this weren’t happening? If this weren’t real, what is the, what is the scenario that actually is real, even though it wasn’t at the time? And so I’ve since learned that I have through StrengthsFinder that I have the futuristic strength as my top strength. So it’s really looking into the future.
Envisioning things, and it was that I actually call it daydreaming, [00:13:00] where I would look into the future and daydream about what I imagined or what I wanted, and I would create this momentary world of what Avenue was successful when we weren’t successful at the time, and those small moments of hope and inspiration.
Helped keep me going. And I think also kept me in line with the north star of thinking, okay, I see that vision. I can clearly see it and I have a really hard decision to make today because we’re in like this deep, dark pit. But that would help me make one good decision that day that would, put us on this path.
And it was those little small right decisions. A few, wrong decisions of course, but that helped put us on a really strong upward trajectory.
Alice Tang: Very good. So futuristic personality. So look into future and then maybe restrategize how you’re gonna get there. And of course you might hire the right people on your bus, ?
So they can take care of the things that actually [00:14:00] Anna might not want to do
Anna Madill: or not as good at, team members are things than I am. Yeah, so we have an amazing team. .
Alice Tang: So we are winding down to the last two questions. If there is one very good advice or very bad advice that has impact you the most, what would you tell our audience?
Anna Madill: About year two-ish with Avenue things were not going well. And I started looking around and when things are not going well and things are going downhill, it’s very easy to think, oh my goodness, someone did this to me.
Have more of a victim mindset of Oh my gosh, why is this happening to me? And, my husband said to me, imagine that the world is actually at this moment conspiring to help you succeed.
So even though everything feels like it’s failing and the world is not aligning to my goals or my needs, what if it was? It was an amazing piece of motivation and advice that was given to me, that allowed me to [00:15:00] see my situation in a more positive light. And to look at opportunities that might have, first presented as big obstacles or big challenges, but as opportunities to move forward.
And we did. So I always look back at that.
Alice Tang: I so grateful that you share this small story, but big impact is the victim or Victor mentality. You’re still in the same zone, you’re still in the same picture at the same place. But how do you look at it? . You have hope or you just licking your wounds and say, everybody did it to me.
Great answer. Thank you. Piece of good advice for woman who’s watching this if they want to be a Anna. What is one piece of good advice?
Anna Madill: Such a great question. I think that I, and this is just my futuristic side coming out, is. I really believe that if you want something or have a goal just take a moment to close your eyes and just sit back for [00:16:00] five seconds, 10 seconds and just imagine and envision what that success or what that goal I is and what it means to you.
So it might be a promotion or a raise could be getting a dog or, buying your first house or something like that. But whatever it is starting your own business. Just take a moment to envision what that future state looks like and paint that, what does it look like when you walk in the door and you’re getting that promotion?
What does it feel like? And for me, that has been able to help me solidify the vision and the goal that I can then start working towards.
Alice Tang: Beautiful. And once again, so envision the future, the clearer you can see it . Where you imply you believe in it. And the universe actually is going to help you to get there.
. Even with the obstacles that it throw at you
Anna Madill: yeah. Thank
you.
Alice Tang: Yes. Last question. What are you grateful
for?
Anna Madill: Gosh, so many things, and I love that question. So I’m grateful for my [00:17:00] husband and my son Ian.
Ian just turned three, two weeks ago and they really keep me going. And I’m just so grateful and so lucky to have so much support from my husband, Cameron, and just so much love, in our household. And so that is something that I am very grateful for.
Alice Tang: Thank you so much Anna and to contact Anna.
We have information in the post for you guys. So Anna, thank you so much for making time in your busiest schedule.
Anna Madill: Thank you so much for having me. This was such a pleasure to, speak with you and I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation.
Anna Madill is an award-winning impact entrepreneur and investor, board member, speaker, mentor and community leader who strives to leave the world a little better each day. Her work as the Founder and CEO of Avenue, a B Corp and 1% for the Planet digital and social media marketing agency driving real impact for nonprofits and purpose-driven companies serves as a vehicle to empower transformational change for her team, her clients and her community. Avenue’s proprietary suite of marketing products and custom services help brands and businesses of all sizes grow sustainably and successfully. As a Certified B Corporation®, Avenue is proud to be part of a global movement of people using business as a force for good. We believe B Corps are redefining success in business and inspiring businesses to not only be the best in the world, but to be the best for the world.
Anna’s efforts have been recognized by the Portland Business Journal with the CEO of the Year Award in 2023, Women of Influence Award in 2020 and Forty Under 40 Award in 2017, and by B Lab with the B Corp Best for the World™ (Workers) and B Corp Best for the World™ (Community) designations in 2022, along with a variety of other awards. She serves on a host of boards and is an EO Global Speakers Academy (GSA) Certified Speaker who regularly speaks on the topics of digital marketing, social impact, entrepreneurship, leadership, culture, B Corps and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her four-year-old son and is a proud wife, mom and casual marathoner.