The feeling of being undervalued or unseen can be draining, especially if you’re an entrepreneur! But for determined double Alabama A&M University graduate Maleeka Hollaway, early feelings of failure became the basis for her business empire! Now, she spends her time helping others get the media and press visibility they deserve but may not necessarily know how to receive. By creating a branding and PR agency, she helps everyday small business owners, entrepreneurs and professional service providers.
Hollaway had always been a hard worker. She initially graduated from AAMU with a B.A. in English and Literature/Letters, and then returned for graduate school to earn her M.S. in Communications. Once she graduated with her second degree, she found herself surprised by the tumultuous time she was having. “I looked great on paper but I did not have one piece of experience many of the companies wanted from me at the time — and that experience was in graphic design,” she said. In addition to the burden of her job search, she was also 24 and fresh out of an abusive marriage.
It wasn’t until Hollaway received great advice from her sister that her life took a turn for the better. “…My younger sister told me to charge for my writing and editing skills,” said Hollaway while reflecting. “She told me to start a business… so that’s what I did! Periscope was hot at the time so I built up a huge audience and following there and the rest is HERstory.” And with that, OMG, or the Official Maleeka Group, was born!
Founded in 2015, OMG offers three types of services: Public Relations, Brand Communications, and Marketing. Public Relations services include campaign strategy, press release write-ups, media pitching and training, plus researching, speaking & appearance opportunities. Under Brand Communications, there are options for website creation & copy, landing/lead page creation & copy, and video communications, and more. Lastly, Marketing services include brand messaging and marketing, video marketing, social media and digital content marketing and more!
OMG is so successful now that Hollaway has employed her own mother! “At every level of business, there are new levels of rewards and challenges and I am embracing them all,” said Hollaway. “From hiring a winning team and creating harmony at home and in the office to scaling my company offerings and staying on top of current industry changes, I’ve been hit with it all and have come out on top.”
To highlight how businesses can help support each other, Hollaway has partnered with the first-ever Facebook Elevate HBCU Hackathon. “We all need a community where we can bounce ideas off one another and get support on growing and scaling,” said Hollaway. The venture will help OMG reach the next level, despite both the anticipated and unexpected growing pains of navigating a small business. We are proud of our growth and our tenacity to roll with the punches and continue to grow in spite of small business challenges.” The next Hackathon event will be November 6th! Interested marketing and engineering students with an interest in supporting black-owned businesses through pitching ideas and designing solutions are encouraged to apply.
To learn more about Maleeka Hollaway and her exciting work, find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or check out her website today!
