SBA's Mentor-Protégé Program and other veteran, woman and small business designations play a critical part in the successful creation of Mindful Solutions.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL, USA, June 28, 2023 - Mindful Solutions St. Augustine (MSSA) President, Sharon Cunningham, had been working for more than two decades as comptroller at LMO, a national marketing agency, when she realized that she wanted to start her own marketing services firm. At this point, she started strategic discussions with her employer to explore and eventually move forward with an SBA Mentor-Protégé Agreement. This combined with her woman-veteran designation would help to create opportunities in an already crowded market space.
“Having the support of my employer and mentor, LMO, in this venture is invaluable,” says Cunningham. “This Agreement was not entered into lightly. Through researching the program, I learned that as a protégé company, MSSA would have access to the mentor’s resources, experience, and assistance, and that as the mentor company, LMO would have the ability to effectively compete for set-aside federal contracts. “
Securing additional relevant socio-economic designations is another way to increase your likelihood of success, especially on the government contract side. Mindful Solutions has applied for and received the following certifications: VOSB, WBENC, NVBDC, SBA HUBZone, SBA WOSB and SBA EDWOSB.
“The work that Sharon has done to secure her certifications, build out a team of marketing experts, and expand MSSA’s capabilities is remarkable,” says LMO Director, Scott Laughlin. “She offers tremendous value to both government and commercial organizations that need a mission-focused approach to their marketing and advertising goals.”
In the last few months, MSSA has built a powerhouse of PR, marketing, media, and strategy experts. Most recent additions include:
Susan Woodard was hired as MSSA’s VP of Marketing and Client Services. She has more than 20 years of experience working for healthcare, SaaS, Publishing, and CPG companies, and has driven successful branding and integrated marketing strategies that drive business growth and engagement.
Carol Lyn Colón, formerly with a Senior Vice President with Zeno Group and a SVP of Corporate and Public Affairs with Ogilvy, is MSSA’s Lead Communication Strategist and women’s advocacy expert. She specializes in surround-sound media campaigns for both commercial and government clients.
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Meet the entire team.
The company’s biggest differentiator is its underlying mission to serve not only its clients, but to serve its communities. We do this through working with other women and veteran-run businesses, supporting local non-profits, and supporting local treatment and addiction groups.
About Mindful Solutions St. Augustine
We are a veteran women-owned full-service marketing agency that helps companies execute on their brand strategy, develop impactful content, engage prospects and customers, and gain a layer of support for their internal marketing teams. Our capabilities include strategic and tactical planning, PR and media relations, offline and digital media, graphic design, website design and development, videography, social media, and market research. And with every client, we take a holistic visioning-based approach to align our services with their goals and objectives.
For more information, visit www.mssafl.com.
Susan Woodard
Mindful Solutions St. Augustine
+1 904-305-7757
susan.woodard@mssafl.com