Erika Mosteller on Finding the Story Beneath the Strategy
Two weeks after Erika Mosteller’s boss refused to give her time off to grieve a family tragedy, she quit.
What followed was a season of uncertainty, scrambling to figure out what came next while searching for new professional opportunities. Through it all, Erika’s husband kept encouraging her to consider a different path entirely: building something of her own. He knew that if she never gave entrepreneurship a real chance, she might always wonder what could have been.
Armed with online courses, a crash course in entrepreneurship, and $50,000 from the family’s savings account, Erika launched a social media management business from scratch. What she discovered along the way was that her background as a historian and curriculum writer had quietly prepared her for this work all along. Her real gift wasn’t simply marketing—it was uncovering the deeper story underneath a business or organization: the thread that connects mission, message, and meaning in a way that genuinely resonates with people.
Today, Erika B. Marketing Agency sits at the intersection of story and place, helping mission-driven founders communicate with greater clarity, connection, and purpose. Last year, Erika also co-founded a media company designed to help locals see their communities through a more thoughtful and informed lens. Across everything she builds, Erika is ultimately doing what she has always loved most: shaping worlds through words and leaving them better than she found them.
What’s been the hardest and most rewarding part of your entrepreneurial journey?
As a mom, a wife, and a CEO, there is never enough of me to go around, so I have to set firm boundaries and maintain the courage to uphold them. I built my business to support my family without doing so at their expense—but I did not commit to that core value until one year into the business, after my daughter explained how much she missed me. At that point, I had shifted from being the primary parent to the main breadwinner. I reframed my viewpoint of motherhood and work to understand that I create a schedule that financially supports my family but also allows me to be with my kids in meaningful ways, all while bringing them along on the journey of building an agency that puts words to visionary organizations and work in our community.
Have you discovered any underappreciated leadership traits or misconceptions around leadership?
Good leaders listen as much as or more than they talk. Knowing how to ask the proper question is one of the most important leadership skills because the line of questioning determines the trajectory of your conversation and path forward. Listening, allowing people to discuss their viewpoints and feel heard, and then having the wisdom and discernment to distill nuggets from the answers are rare and valuable gifts.
What are some of the most meaningful impacts your work has had so far?
I serve the same market where I live, and most of my clients are civic organizations who sit at collaborative tables together to move our community forward. I am able to take the mission, messaging, and initiatives of multiple organizations into account when I consult with one of the collaborative partners, aligning goals and strategies instead of duplicating efforts. The stories I hear from my Community Foundation client informs the writing I activate for my community development client who wants people to better love where they live. The alignment is an added value for each client individually and collectively, and it's deeply rewarding for my agency.
What would you tell your younger self if you were to start your entrepreneurial journey all over again?
Don't be afraid to take up space as a sharp, bold, creative woman.
Growing up, the only professional women I knew were teachers, and the message I heard from them was regret for having to work instead of "getting" to be stay-at-home moms. I loved time with my young children, but I was also consistently restless because I felt the strain of holding immense energy that needed intellectual and creative outlets.
I wish I knew earlier to embrace and harness that energy, to channel it into beautiful things inside of and outside of my home, and to feel proud of my ability to succeed as a mom and a CEO.
How would you describe the journey you’ve had in a few sentences. And would you do it all over again?
I would do it all again, times infinity. Entrepreneurship is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. I am smarter, more emotionally intelligent, wiser, and a better writer and listener than before. Taking the leap into entrepreneurship has sharpened my financial savvy, my parenting skills, and my understanding of how systems work for good.
