OFFICIAL JOB TITLE: Founder, Principal Consultant of InboundMate
HOMETOWN: Fayetteville
WHERE ARE YOU FROM? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? I am from Melbourne, Australia. I moved to Fayetteville in 2014, to be with my now-husband. I started visiting Northwest Arkansas in 2011.
How would you describe living in Northwest Arkansas?
NWA has a perfectly-sized population—events and businesses of a thriving city, yet the intimate relationship-based community of a small town. The personal and professional growth I’ve seen living here couldn’t be replicated anywhere else.
What do you do with your free time in Northwest Arkansas?
I spend a lot of time relaxing at home with my husband, step-daughter and three cats. After I moved here, I picked up running as a hobby. My first 5k was the Dogwood Festival in Siloam Springs and since then I’ve probably raced in over 20+ local fun runs. In NWA, we’re lucky to have endless trails with amazing scenery and it’d be foolish to not take advantage of the Razorback Regional Greenway, lakes, state parks and hiking trails.
What are your favorite spots?
As a solopreneur, I spend a lot of time in coffee shops. Thank goodness we have some amazing ones in NWA! Puritan, Onyx Coffee Lab, Cave Springs Coffee Co, Arsaga’s, Pour Jons and Heroes Coffee Co are just some of my favorites. The Walton Arts Center is a wonderful venue for seeing broadway shows. The Walmart Amp to sit up-and-close to the biggest musicians in the country at a fraction of the cost of a stadium ticket.
”The friendliest place you’ll ever live.
Josephine'sNWA Tagline
Some of your favorite events/festivals?
RunBentonville – This race series is everything a city-person living in a not-so-city town needs to be active and motivated. Amateur and experienced runners alike experience 8 themed races throughout the year concluding in a half marathon.
Bikes, Blues & BBQ – I’d not experienced blues music or American-style BBQ before moving here and this festival was a fantastic introduction to both. I think my favorite part, however, is seeing Dickson St lined with bikes and everyone just having an amazing time visiting the various vendors.
DiaCon Alley of the Ozarks – This one is a new favorite. What’s not to love about a Harry Potter conference with local vendors? It sold out in a few hours, with thousands on the waiting list.
GiveCamp NWA – A weekend-long event where technology professionals from designers, developers and database administrators to marketers and web strategists donate their time to provide solutions for non-profit organizations.
NWA TechFest, a non-profit organization, runs a day-long technology conference that brings tech professionals and students together to learn and network. Speakers from Arkansas, and around the country, travel to the conference to present on a range of topics including cyber security, devops, mobile development, STEM initiatives and more.
Imagine you know everything you currently know about the region, but you have yet to visit here. You now have 24 hours to experience NWA, what do you do?
Arsaga’s Depot >> Crystal Bridges >> Razorback Greenway >> Pea Ridge National Military Park >> Sassafras Springs Vineyard
Where do your passions lie? What inspires you?
I graduated college at the University of Melbourne with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. I’ve always had a passion for expressing myself through the written word. Of course, as most people know, it’s extremely difficult to turn an Arts degree into a career. Luckily, when I started my career in Fayetteville, I had the amazing opportunity to become a content marketer with a growing startup called DataRank. Since then, I’ve combined my love of writing with an interest in entrepreneurship and a passion for helping women succeed in business. I started my business, InboundMate, to help bootstrapped businesses market their company without spending a fortune on ads.
What local causes are you most passionate about? Why are you so active and involved in this community?
Technology startups can be isolating for women. I was eager to meet other women in the workforce who could share their opinions and experiences. So in 2017, I started a Meetup group called NWA Professional Women’s Book Club. We meet a few times a month to discuss books about business, entrepreneurship and women’s experiences in the workplace. I am thankful for the amazing people I have met through this book club and all they have taught me about their industries and experiences. We have over 230 members including managers, entrepreneurs, students and stay-at-home moms.
”Anybody has the opportunity to learn and grow here. There are so many resources supporting the community there’s no reason why you can’t turn your dreams into a reality.
What makes NWA different from everywhere, USA?