Greetings. I'm Ashley McCauley Rombro. I've pasted my professional bio at the bottom of this Intro just so you know I am real. The bio was written by the CEO of a Baltimore company for whom I served as a VP of Business Development on a project basis in 2015. I founded my espresso business in 1996 and it did 5.5M at its peak and then after about 20 years and 50 retail locations, Bad Things Happened and I lost it (another story for another post). My 20+ years years growing my business coupled with really good instincts (first business at age 11) taught me that business is business...and it doesn't matter if you're selling coffee, legal services (my current biz), T-shirts or ideas (intangibles)...the ways to succeed are universal.

Where are all the entrepreneurs?

I learned about this site from my son and I was stunned to see the astonishing number of literate, educated, and even visionary thinkers on this site. What stuns me just as much is the absence of any discussion about small/midsize business. While I haven't read more than 30 or 40 posts, I have scanned topics and read many articles I loved...but discussion about how to improve and grow a business is loudly missing. And it is puzzling knowing firsthand that in any given room there are small business owners or those who want to start a company. SO..I thought maybe it was time to enter the discussion and offer my experience and even a little wisdom born of many hard knocks and a very nice dose of success. Let me be clear--for me (and most "successful" entrepreneurs I know and have worked with) "success" is NOT defined by your balance sheet. Those of us who have caught the brass ring have grabbed it with force and passion and hung on for dear life despite the naysayers, despite the lack of capital to upstart, despite the obstacles and the pain. And what drives us isn't the money. It's winning. It's realizing our passion. It's pulling perfectly extracted shots of espresso and ten years later knowing that your 200 employees are pulling identical shots when you aren't looking. Winning. That is what drives the true entrepreneur. The money follows.

I'm curious if Steemers (Steemians?) are interested in small biz growth and strategy "How To's"

Why am I here? I am genuinely fascinated with this site's business model and it's users. I like to learn and I'm learning. AND (drumroll please) I thought I'd dip my toe in the water and offer some value if this community does include entrepreneurial types/Founders/Owners who want to have those discussions. I've spent the last two years mastering (for lack of a better word--I'm not really a master..just WAY better than the 3 "agencies" I hired to do it for me) in Google Adwords. My husband is a lawyer and I thought it would be fun and lucrative to sink my teeth into learning the technical side of this type of marketing. I'm NOT a techie (my friends and family will tell you that my VCR still flashes 12) but after 2 years, lots of tearing my hair out and screaming at my screen --along with about $25K to agencies who taught me what NOT to do---I've learned the basics and a level or two above that. I currently generate 15-25K per month using Adwords and if I wanted to devote more time to processing the leads I could double that pretty easily . But..I just turned 50 and I want my weekends and maybe a weekday or two. So..that's me. If you read this and saw yourself...thought "hey..I want to hear more"..please reply and tell me what type of business you have or want. Adwords works differently for different businesses and my expertise is limited to retail or service (professional or otherwise). If there is any interest, I will post easy to follow "how to" guides about how to create and maximize Adwords campaigns that you can read and implement immediately. Now when my plate is clear, I “unpause” a campaign or two and the phone starts ringing and the email pinging and often within minutes. And I turn it on and off whenever I want.

Professional BIO (written by Jon Goldman, CEO BrandLauncher) Ashley Rombro Vice President of Business Development

Ashley Knows Business... Ashley Rombro has over twenty years of experience developing systms and tools that dramatically increase profits. She has expertise in creating strategic plans, marketing plans, and sales plans that deliver results. Ashley has trained many small- to mid-sized business owners in growing their business with less work than they ever thought possible. Ashley's industry specialties include retail, service retail, wholesale, healthcare and manufacturing sectors.

Ashley Brings Infectious Energy… Ashley Rombro brings years of experience, infectious energy, and a never-say-never attitude to her role as Brand Launcher’s Vice President of Business Development. She is a business pioneer who founded the largest specialty retail company in the US in her niche sector, installing over 50 retail cafes and kiosks in high profile universities and institutions . A Baltimore native who completed her graduate work in the nation’s coffee capitol, Seattle, Ashley developed a serious obsession with coffee that led her to build a $5M company whose clients have included: Johns Hopkins University and Hospital System, Georgetown Medical and Law Schools, and University of Maryland. (First little-known fact: hers was and remains the coffee of choice for both former and current Johns Hopkins University Presidents.)

Ashley Knows Grounds… Ashley has been profiled, interviewed, or featured in The Baltimore Sun, The Baltimore Business Journal, Specialty Coffee Retailer, and The Urbanite, and is considered an expert on “authentic espresso.” She gained industry fame for her specialized technique called “line vaporization.” (Second little-known fact: one of her busiest cafés produces 15 drinks per minute with an average wait time of under 60 seconds — even when lines wrap around the building!) Ashley also served as COO of the Medifast Weight Control Centers’ (NASDAQ: MED) East Coast franchisee. She is passionate about working with business owners to help them identify, clarify and actualize their visions. Oh, and she really likes coffee.