STIL Classics Founder Marissa Cristina on Entrepreneurship, Organization & Taking the Reins on Life

Entrepreneurship has always been in Marissa’s DNA. From a young age, she knew she wanted to pursue a career that felt like more than just a job. As life got busier, she needed a tool to help her stay organized but couldn’t find a planner to do the job. So, she built her own. For episode 54, we’re sitting down with Marissa to talk about her experience creating and growing STIL Classics. Marissa explains the science behind analog vs digital planning, why STIL had to pivot from social media to email marketing and how STIL keeps up with the demands of content creation. Marissa also touches on what her MS diagnosis meant for her health, business and outlook on life. She shares her advice for other entrepreneurs battling chronic pain and illness while building a business. Marissa is passionate, dedicated and a perfect reminder that if the product you want doesn’t exist, make it.

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Show Notes:

1. Was Marissa always entrepreneurial?
2. Did her parents encourage entrepreneurship and organization?
3. What was it like to move to Canada as a kid?
4. What sparked the start of STIL Classics?
5. How Marissa designed a planner that was both functional and fashionable. 
6. Digital vs analog planning: Which is better for our brains?
7. Common mistakes people make organizing their schedule. 
8. Marketing a niche product: How STIL leveraged social media in the early days. 
9. With the changing social media landscape, how has STIL adapted their social media and email marketing strategies?
10. All about email: flows, types of content and connecting with your community. 
11. How does STIL incentivize email sign-ups?
12. What is Club STIL?
13. Keeping up with content as a small business. 
14. STIL’s experience on TikTok.
15. Why content creation is about more than focusing on the sale.  
16. How Marissa’s 2017 MS diagnosis changed her life and approach to business. 
17. Advice for entrepreneurs battling chronic illness and pain while building a business.
18. How to find the things in life that make you happy in the hard times. 
19. One piece of advice that’s stuck with Marissa. 
20. Who Marissa is seeing making waves? 

Discussed in this episode:

1. Shop STIL Classics: https://stilclassics.com/ 
2. STIL Classics on Instagram and TikTok: @stilclassics
3. Marissa Cristina on Instagram: @marissacristina 
4. Arthur on Instagram: @kokonuk

Waves Social with Mike (@mmmiiike) and Mitzi (@mmmitzi). 

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Big Things with Mitzi (@mmmitzi) and Mike (@mmmiiike).

For more from Arcade, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @helloarcade. https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Production by Morgan Berna, editing by Oliver Banyard.