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#WIB-Q&A With Lisa Spruyt Founder Of Moonstone PR

1. Can you please tell us more about your business?

A. I’m the founder and managing director of Moonstone PR, a digital marketing agency situated in Somerset West, Western Cape. I offer social media management, copywriting, public relations, SEO, email marketing, web design, graphic design, and virtual assistance (admin, editing, proofreading, transcribing, etc.).

Packages can be tailor-made, and the rate (monthly or hourly) is worked out based on the client’s budget and needs. I currently have local clients in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and an international client in New Zealand.

2. When, how, and why did you start your business?

A. I started my business in July – yes, in the middle of lockdown! I was still living in Port Elizabeth and working for an advertising agency that I’ve been with for seven years.

My partner was offered a job in Somerset West, and I felt this would be the ideal time to make a significant shift and do what I’ve always wanted to do (start my own business).

I quit my job, started my company from our dining room table with packing boxes all around me, and worked my bum off. Just over four months later, and I currently have 12 clients. I have been featured on “women in business” sites and interviews for YouTube channels.

3. What is your role in the business?

A. I’m the managing director, but because I’m a one-woman show, I do everything from admin, sales, quotes, invoices, and bookkeeping to all the actual digital marketing work required.

4. Where did you study, and what did you study?

A. I studied BA Media Communication and Culture at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth. I majored in scriptwriting and graduated in 2013.

5. How did you finance your business?

A. I used my savings to start up my business, and to this day, I’ve only ploughed my own money into it, which I’m very blessed and grateful to have been able to do.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

A. There isn’t a typical workday for a digital marketer. I’m sure those in the same industry will relate; the hours and days kind of flow into one another. Deadlines are a real thing!

If I had to describe my workday, it would start at 9am and first check and reply to emails. I then create social media content for my clients and send out any articles that need to be distributed to print, broadcast, and online media.

After some coffee and breakfast, I try to get sales leads and handle any work that may pop up. It usually brings me to 5pm/6pm when a glass of wine is well-deserved.

7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?

A. I work from home, and my partner is a golf professional who works at a driving range, so he’s usually out from 9am until 6pm. It perfectly fits, and I can get everything done while having the right home and work-life balance.

We also find it important to take a break when it allows us and spend some quality time together.

8. What drives you and inspires you?

A. Just the journey that I’ve been on in such a short amount of time. It takes hard work, dedication, motivation, and a great support system. Happy and satisfied clients also definitely drive me. It’s a tough industry to be in, but a very rewarding one.

9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

A. Those random mornings when you’re wide awake at 3/4am, and your brain becomes flooded with thoughts and ideas. I immediately take these down in my notepad app.

This is how I came up with the name of my business. “Moonstone PR” came to me after visiting a gemstone store in Hogsback; I was inspired. And so I lay awake at 3am trying to put this inspiration into action. A lot of research led me to the meaning of a moonstone. The stone symbolises new beginnings, inner growth, and strength. It also enhances inspiration, success, and good fortune in business.

10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?

A. I do all my marketing on my social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn). A lot has to do with word-of-mouth, also. I’m part of a few private groups on Facebook where people look for digital marketing services, so I’ve found it to be such a great tool to get new clients.

11. What is next for your business?

A. I’m still very young and new, but it’s been wonderful to see what has already been achieved. I aim now to get bigger and gain more exposure. Ultimately I would like to employ two or three people, rent an office space, and create a creative work environment for me and others.

12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?

A. I was one of those who always thought to myself that I wouldn’t be able to do it, there’s too much competition out there, and I should stay in my little comfort zone. The trick is to silence those thoughts and show them who the boss is.

Just start somewhere, invest everything you have, work long hours, and eventually, you will see it slowly evolve – it’s an incredible feeling.

Short bio
  • Name & Surname: Lisa Spruyt
  • Date of birth: 13 August 1990
  • Current age: 30
  • Job title: Managing Director of Moonstone PR
  • Hometown: Somerset West, Western Cape
  • Birthplace: Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
  • Qualification: BA Media Communication and Culture degree (Nelson Mandela University)
Contact information
  • Mobile number: 072 455 0604
  • Email address: lisa@moonstonepr.co.za
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