I started blogging in 2001 and I began running my own business and selling at craft shows in 2004. I launched my company as a blog, Miss Malaprop, in 2006, and within the first month of the website’s launch, I got a mention in Bust Magazine’s weekly email newsletter. (That was the first of many mentions in local and national press!) Miss Malaprop later evolved into an e-commerce shop and pop-up retail venue for handmade and eco-friendly products. Here’s a peek at what MissMalaprop.com and my old e-commerce shop looked like in the early days:

In 2013, I wrote and self-published a book, How to Make Money at Craft Shows, based on what I learned during 10+ years of selling at art markets and craft fairs.

In 2014, I shifted my focus and began working professionally in marketing, as well as speaking, teaching and consulting other entrepreneurs on digital marketing topics. At FSC Interactive, a leading digital marketing agency, I specialized in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, and content marketing, and I also trained our small business clients in digital marketing skills.

As Director of Marketing at LookFar, I spearheaded the expansion of the 3rd & 4th annual Ada Lovelace Awards, which honors women in technology. Through a combination of direct email outreach, PR, and social media promotion (with no advertising spend!) we doubled the size of the event and number of nominees from the first two years. I also curate and publish LookFar’s Southern Startup Report, a twice-monthly newsletter covering the latest tech startup happenings in the American Southeast. Since taking it over, the subscriber base has increased more than 635%, also without spending any money on advertising. I also served as Marketing Specialist for Aeolidia, a top-ranked agency that develops Shopify ecommerce websites and offers logo and brand identity design services for creative product-based businesses.

In 2015, Gambit named me one of 5 Local Instagrammers To Follow, and in 2016, I was honored to be included in the 19th class of Gambit’s 40 Under 40, which salutes the brightest innovators, artists and professionals in New Orleans. I’ve also been featured in numerous tv appearances, podcasts, books, and print publications, including BUST Magazine, WWL-TV, Forbes, VICE, Gambit Weekly, Wharton Business Radio on Sirius XM, The Times-Picayune, and many more.

As time went on, I created the Badass Creatives podcast and got involved in public speaking and teaching. Eventually I felt that I had outgrown the Miss Malaprop moniker and in 2020, I shifted everything that remained from MissMalaprop.com over to this website, BadassCreatives.com, and my public speaking website MalloryWhitfield.com.