Meghan Feyerabend

Meghan Feyerabend is the first entrepreneur I’ve had the privilege to interview. Meghan owns Formada Creative, a small marketing and design agency in Siloam Springs, AR. Meghan’s business does branding, packaging, logo work, and beyond. 

Upon meeting Meghan, I was immediately struck with her casual coolness and vivaciousness. Meghan exudes confidence and strength-- clearly a woman capable and good at what she does. Our conversation covered many topics surrounding being a female entrepreneur from boundaries to perfection to perspective. Here are some of the highlights:

 Challenges of being a Female & Entrepreneur: 

One of the first things we discussed was having to overcome people not taking her seriously due to her position as a woman. People assume that her husband runs the business. She has had clients with an obvious gender bias and toxicity. Thankfully, this is the exception rather than the rule. Meghan has found that taking herself and her work seriously aids in counteracting those that don’t. That confidence in her own ability negates her own doubt and the doubt of others. If you doubt yourself, you leave room to make assumptions that other people also doubt you. 

Another challenge of being a female is having to be concerned about safety. Meghan expressed frustration about having to think about being alone in a space or running by herself. Meghan cited instances of safety scares that wouldn’t have happened to men. With that, she sometimes feels the need to lock the doors of her business space if she is there alone. She went on to talk about how those things align with people also assuming that she isn’t strong or capable of doing certain things, referencing her love for snowboarding. While both she and her husband are avid snowboarders, people are often surprised by her participation. 

 Perks of being a Female & Entrepreneur:

Women have a unique perspective to offer the marketing and design space. As I talked to Meghan, we discussed how easy it could be for marketers to manipulate clients or consumers. Meghan often gets feedback about how easy she is to work with and how well she serves the client. She attributes that better service partly to her position as a woman and partly due to her motivation to help the client rather than herself. Beyond clients, Meghan appreciates women’s ability to manage and interact with employees in a way that is understanding of people’s needs. Meghan also cites the freedom of being an entrepreneur and getting to define her own path as a female entrepreneur. She celebrates the differences. 

 Boundaries and Expectations:

I like to ask everyone I encounter how they deal with boundaries because I struggle so much with it. Meghan reiterated that it’s hard and something she is still learning but also getting better at. She used to run her studio out of her house, making boundaries almost impossible. She emphasized the importance of discipline in trying to turn off your work. However, she makes exceptions for client work when it’s quick and easy. She has sent files off on the top of a mountain and accepted work on the streets of New York.

Another element of this is learning to manage your own expectations. Meghan has a quote displayed in her space that says, “Do not fear perfection, you’ll never reach it.” While the temptation is to create a perfect product, sometimes you just have to get it done. You can do things really well, but they don’t have to be perfect. Meghan is learning not to hold herself to standards she can’t reach. Doing so can be paralyzing to progress because it can prohibit the motivation to start a project. It’s about striking a balance between expectations and ability while still doing excellent work. 

 Network:

Meghan highlighted having a support group of people who understand her position. She noted the other business owners in the area that have been helpful and that she has been able to help. She made the qualifier that these people are most helpful when they aren’t dismissive or fake, meaning they don’t just say “oh you got this, you’ll be fine.” Her friends and fellow entrepreneurs in her life are able to listen and empathize and be a sounding board for problems and ideas. 

 Womanhood:

Meghan considers herself a strong woman because she doesn’t succumb to fear. She seeks progress and learning. She stands up for herself. She finds pride in being a woman because she feels women have so much to offer with their unique perspective. She is excited to be a part of female empowerment. Society would benefit from more women leaders. Meghan loves that women are in the unique position to catalyze change and be inclusive in their leadership. Women in our political systems and in leadership are important and worth fighting for. We discussed women’s unique ability to empathize and be understanding of those who are different and typically excluded. 

 I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Meghan. She is clearly excited to be a woman and the possibilities of that role within society and entrepreneurship. Her enthusiasm and pride in women are infectious and inspiring. Though she often was quick to say she didn’t want to degrade men, she was also honest about the world she sees around her. That recognition allows for conversations like ours that lead towards action and change. Meghan is participating in that change given that her clients have been so satisfied by the work she does for them. Her clients’ responses are testament to how women’s perspectives in business are so valuable.