Paige Arnof-Fenn’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with a business plan — it started with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to pivot. In this episode of Inventive Journey, Paige shares how she went from Wall Street financial analyst to building a 24-year global marketing firm by trusting her instincts and leaning into what she loved most.

Raised in a family of bankers, Paige assumed finance was her destiny. After earning a degree in economics, she landed on Wall Street and quickly realized that while she was good at the work, it didn’t energize her. A single conversation changed her career trajectory when a colleague pointed out that everything Paige enjoyed about banking — planning events, managing promotions, and shaping perception — was actually marketing. That insight led her to business school, where she discovered a natural talent that reshaped her future.

Paige went on to work at iconic companies like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, gaining world-class training in branding, positioning, and strategy. But when the internet boom of the late 1990s arrived, she took a risk that surprised everyone around her. Leaving behind corporate stability, Paige joined early-stage startups where speed, experimentation, and direct customer feedback ruled the day. Those experiences rewired how she thought about growth and innovation.

After three successful startup exits, the events of 9/11 abruptly changed the business landscape. Marketing budgets disappeared, companies panicked, and uncertainty ruled. Instead of stepping back, Paige leaned forward. Her network of founders, investors, and executives reached out for help — and she said yes. Without writing a business plan or opening an office, she began connecting great people with real problems that needed solving.

That decision led to the creation of Mavens & Moguls, a virtual marketing firm built decades before remote work became mainstream. Paige scaled the business organically through relationships and referrals, assembling a global team of experts who could move fast and adapt to change. The firm survived the dot-com crash, the Great Recession, and COVID by staying lean, flexible, and focused on results.

In this conversation, Paige also shares hard-earned leadership lessons — including when loyalty can hold a business back, why culture matters more than titles, and how building the right team is essential for long-term success. She explains why branding is no longer optional and why everyone, not just celebrities, is a brand in today’s digital world.

This episode is packed with insights for founders, marketers, and anyone navigating career pivots. Paige’s story proves that success doesn’t always come from careful planning — sometimes it comes from being brave enough to follow what feels right and smart enough to evolve when the world changes.

To chat about this one-on-one, grab a free consult at strategymeeting.com