Building a Business After Burnout: Christina Spaulding on Owning Her Career

Please share a brief introduction and your business:

Christina Spaulding is the founder of Manzanita Marketing and focuses on international SEO and content marketing. With more than 20 years of in-house marketing for firms like Textbroker and IGT, Christina understands a diverse range of industries. A passionate advocate for international content, she has spoken at PubCon and DigiMarCon, and has published pieces on Search Engine Land.

In 2021, she started taking on a few freelance clients. When she was laid off for the 7th time in 2023, she made the leap to full-time marketing consultant. This way, she could promote herself and her clients, instead of just promoting one employer.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

No, but I have gone freelance before.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

It's funny - I didn't have a formal strategy when I started. That's ironic for someone with so much time in marketing. I've had great success with in-person networking. 

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

I won a $25,000 grant through a state program, StartUp NV.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

It takes a long time to start, and success comes in fits and spurts. Keep going anyway.

What did you go before starting your own business?

I started in the translation industry, then moved to marketing.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I was laid off for the 7th time, and I was sick of being beholden to one company.

Do you have any recent wins?

Got my largest client to date in 2025, and it's a values match as well as a services match.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

Non-business - Flipp. It's a grocery store app that has all the weekly fliers. Absolute shopping game changer.

Who are your customers?

Companies looking to add Spanish or other languages to their website, marketing agencies, and SEO companies that only work in English

What's your favorite business tool?

Zoho. It's got a free version of almost any business software. When you need more functionality, the pricing is very competitive.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to exist. Perfection can come later.

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