Meet the Team

Keeping you connected to the best marketing talent the military family community has to offer: Get to know the people behind The Small Business Marketing Studio!

Erika Heeren

Founder & President

Erika Heeren is an award-winning digital marketing and public relations professional with more than 16 years of experience spanning multiple industries and more than 200 clients.

Amanda Manupella

Operations Manager & Client Liaison

Amanda Manupella is an experienced business professional with a love for client experience management and personnel development. She keeps the infrastructure at The Small Business Marketing Studio working seamlessly to ensure the best possible outcome for our team and our clients.

Our Programs

We are a military family-owned and operated business. Our primary focus is bridging the gap between employment issues for military spouses and veterans and the need for small businesses to compete in an increasingly saturated market.

Our mission is two-fold:

To help small companies market themselves effectively in an ever-changing business ecosystem.

To provide sustainable and flexible career opportunities for the unique needs of military spouses and first responder spouses and veterans.

The Virtual Marketing Professional Program

Our flagship program, the Virtual Marketing Professional Program recruits qualified military spouse and first responder spouse marketers and places them with businesses of varying sizes from various industries.

For the business owner, you select the tasks you need completed and purchase a monthly package based on the hours your marketer will need to complete the tasks. We are so confident in our vetting and training process that we do not require long-term contracts for the business owner. You simply pay month-to-month for as many hours as you need. No risk, no hassle, and you’ll be contributing to the financial stability of a military family while growing your business.

The CMO Project

Our network includes a selection of executive-level marketing professionals who are military spouses or veterans.

For businesses who are scaling quickly, our contract CMOs are in high demand for growing small businesses, private and public enterprise companies, non-profit organizations, as well as local, state, and federal government agencies.

Internships

This is not a “run and get coffee” type of internship. We offer 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month internships for aspiring marketers and veterans transitioning out of military service into civilian careers.

During an internship, you’ll be going through a comprehensive training program, job shadowing and performing supporting tasks for our Virtual Marketing Professionals, and receiving one-on-one coaching with our President, Erika Heeren. You’ll be working on real client projects, producing great content and driving revenue for small businesses.

Our internship is great for veterans looking to get into the field of marketing right out of the service. As a part of the internship, we’ll work with you to build a resume and portfolio featuring your skillset, and provide interview coaching to help set you up for success as you enter the civilian workforce.

To be notified of the next internship opportunity, join our email list!

The Scholarship

Our network includes a selection of executive-level marketing professionals who are military spouses or veterans. For businesses who arave scaling quickly, our contract CMOs are in high demand for growing small businesses, private and public enterprise companies, non-profit organizations, as well as local, state, and federal government agencies.