Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today we are going to talk to a (former) Tech PR Executive in silicon valley who broke the 9to5 jail and by that I mean she quit a six-figure job that she hated. She ended up living in Argentina for a year playing semi-pro soccer and writing a novel, and she just launched a line of products based on her novel.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I’m talking to Maria Murnane

DD: Maria, who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

MM: My name is Maria Murnane. I’m what you might call an “accidental entrepreneur.” I fell into what I’m doing now simply because I truly hated what I was doing before (tech PR in Silicon Valley). So I quit! It was scary to walk away from a career path I’d been on for so long, but I knew I had to make a change or I’d be miserable forever.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

MM: Well, I wasn’t ready to face the question of what to do next after quitting, so I bought a ticket to go to Argentina and Chile for 2.5 weeks by myself to practice my Spanish. After two weeks I had no desire to go home, so I got a job playing semi-pro soccer in Buenos Aires and decided to stay for a year. (I even got paid! Not much, but still!) So there I was, living in Argentina playing soccer, and one day I decided to write a novel. I love to write and had always wanted to write a funny book about living, working and dating in San Francisco, so I thought that was the perfect time to do it. (It turned out to be WAY harder to get published than I thought it would be, but it finally happened!)

In my book, a romantic comedy called “Perfect on Paper,” the main character (Waverly Bryson) comes up with a line of witty greeting cards for women called Honey Notes. Waverly first invents them as a way to help her manage the pain of a breakup, but soon they begin to reflect her insights into much more than just romance. Here are two examples of the cards:

Front: Ever feel like you don’t know anything at all?
Inside: Honey, congratulations. At least you finally know that.

Front: Is it worse to be fake or bitchy?
Inside: Honey, just face it. If you’re asking, you’re probably both.

DD: How did you prepare yourself for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

MM: After “Perfect on Paper” came out, I couldn’t believe how many readers commented on the Honey Notes and said what a great product they’d make in real life. At first I thought “I can’t do that because I don’t know anything about the greeting card business,” but then I decided to stop being afraid of the unknown and give it a try. I polled my readers to find out which Honey Notes they liked the best, and then went for it! It took a few months to get it all together, but I did it. And I didn’t stop there. Given the interest in the Honey Notes and the Waverly Bryson character, I thought it would be fun to create an entire line of Honey products, so I named the site Waverly’s Honey Shop then added Honey Tees and Honey Totes, all featuring witty quotes from Waverly. For the past several weeks I’ve been carrying a Honey Tote around that says “Is it worse to be fake or bitchy?” and a few women have literally stopped me in my tracks to ask where I got it. How cool is THAT? I’m planning to add several more Honey products and am also working to get the entire Waverly’s Honey Shop line into actual brick-and-mortar stores.

DD: What are your our Top 5 tips for employees who want to be entrepreneurs?

MM: 1) If you have an income now, save for a rainy day later! You never know when you might need that cushion to start a brand new life.
2) If you have an idea for your own business, DO IT. No one is stopping you but yourself.
3) Ask lots of questions. You can learn something valuable from everyone.
4) Always test product ideas with potential customers before investing too much in inventory. A little market research can go a long way.
5) When things get rough, remember to be proud of yourself. It’s not easy to do your own thing.

DD: How are you now? Are you still in same business, and how do you feel?

MM: Years ago, when people asked what I did for a living, I’d shrug and say – without enthusiasm – that I was a senior account director at a PR firm. Now when people ask me what I do, I laugh and say “I’m not exactly sure”. Some mornings I’m answering fan emails, doing a media interview or updating Waverly’s Facebook page. Some afternoons I’m at my printer’s office deciding which fonts to use on which color Honey Tees, or on the phone dealing with domain issues at GoDaddy.com. Some evenings I’m speaking on a panel about how to get published, or standing in front of a sorority to share my story of how important it is to follow your passions in life. It’s such a cliché, but life really is too short to spend it doing something that doesn’t make you happy.

DD: Thank you so much Maria! It has been a pleasure talking with you about your adventure as an entrepreneur! I wish you the best of luck in the future with the book and Waverly’s Honey Shop.

MM: You just referred to me as an entrepreneur; Entrepreneur? Author? Motivational speaker? I might not know exactly what I am, but I know for sure that I’m happy! Thank you so much for listening to my story, and good luck with your very cool site!

DD: So, that was Maria Murnane everyone, PR director turned author/entrepreneur. Her number 5 tip really stood out to me: “When things get rough, remember to be proud of yourself. It’s not easy to do your own thing.” Maria is right: no it’s not, but it’s worth it.

Now go, get a copy of Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)Adventures of Waverly Bryson

Here’s to success for all!!