MB Piland Advertising + Marketing | 2025 Small Business Awards
Compiled by LAUREN JURGENSEN & BRADEN DIMICK | Photos by CHRISTINA NOLAND
MB Piland Advertising + Marketing | Owner Martha Bartlett Piland | Legacy in Business Award Winner
How does your company help the community?
We improve the health and well-being of our community by working with clients in the health, advocacy, education, economic development and financial sectors. Our “Punctuating the Period” campaign provides menstrual products to students in need at Topeka public schools. We also hosted a “See the Good” pop-up photography exhibit and have been running college student shadow days for nearly a decade.
What market gap does your business fill?
We developed the Banktastic National Millennial Advisory Board to help us offer better products, services and communications to millennials. We conduct monthly research with them to guide our financial client work. We can also call on them for custom client research to test products, branding, campaigns and more. Because other verticals are overlooking the importance of this audience, we’re expanding access to other companies who want to learn more about how millennials view their brand and what to do to attract them as customers.
What mistake taught you a valuable lesson?
In the early days, we brought in a specialty interior design partner to collaborate on client retail spaces. The partner, who wasn’t local, didn’t sign our contract. I trusted them, but I shouldn’t have. We had to navigate some very difficult situations in order to give the client the best work product and maintain relationships. There was incredible stress and multiple challenges with little recourse. That was a rookie mistake we’ve never repeated.
What do you look for when hiring?
The ability to think strategically and independently, and tenacity. Integrity and sharing our purpose are also extremely important to culture fit.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
I have two pieces of advice for anyone just starting out. First, make time to work on the business, not just in the business. This is a failure of many entrepreneurs. They’re so busy trying to run things, they fail to plan, set measurable goals and market. You must commit to putting time on your calendar every week for working on your business. No excuses. Second, get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don’t fall into the trap of complacency and safety. Putting yourself out there is the only way to learn and grow.
How do you stay motivated?
I’m probably my own biggest competitor and critic, so I’m always looking for ways to build muscle, learn more and do more. The reward is in the doing, as well as in the accomplishment. I also keep an ongoing list of big and small victories to look back on when I need a little pep talk. It’s a fantastic way to practice gratitude.
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