Paige Arnof-Fenn had it all on paper—degrees from Stanford and Harvard, a resume packed with global brands like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Virgin. But behind the polished success was a deeper truth: she was tired of doing work that didn’t light her up.
So she did the unthinkable.
She walked away from the big titles, the prestigious boardrooms, and the soul-draining hustle… to build something that actually felt right.
In this powerful conversation, Paige opens up about how she traded corporate conformity for meaningful impact—founding Mavens & Moguls, a global marketing firm with heart at the center. She shares why she once fired her biggest client, what it means to market with integrity, and how true leadership starts with values, not vanity metrics.
🎧 If you’ve ever felt stuck doing work that doesn’t reflect who you are—or wondered whether it’s possible to build success without selling your soul—this one’s for you. 💫
Key Takeaways from this Episode
- Transition from Wall Street to heart-led businesses
- The impact of corporate giants on communities
- Learning from early startup culture
- The importance of aligning with client values
- Strategic client selection for business growth
- The dangers of compromising on core values
About the Guest
Paige Arnof-Fenn is the founder & CEO of Mavens & Moguls, a global branding firm serving clients like Microsoft, Virgin, and The New York Times. A Stanford and Harvard Business School grad, she’s a dynamic speaker, board advisor, and columnist featured in Entrepreneur and Forbes. Paige is passionate about helping brands grow with purpose and impact.
Additional Resources
- Website: www.mavensandmoguls.com
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paigearnoffenn
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Explore the Dialogue’s Treasures: Unearth the insights within! Delve into the profound wisdom woven throughout our conversation.
Speaker: 0:01
Welcome to the Heart-Led Business Show, where compassion meets commerce and leaders lead with love. Join your host, Tom Jackobs, as he delves into the insightful conversations with visionary business leaders who defy the status quo, putting humanity first and profit second. From heartfelt strategies to inspiring stories, this podcast is your compass in the world of conscious capitalism. So buckle up and let's go. Let your heart guide your business journey.
Tom Jackobs: 0:36
Welcome heart-driven Heroes. Today on the heart-led business show, we have the fabulous Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of Mavens and Moguls, where she weaves digital wonders for giants like Microsoft and Virgin. With degrees from Stanford and Harvard. She's a branding Bard with a passion for people. Join us as we dive into her journey of heart-led entrepreneurship and the art of crafting connections that really matter. Are you ready to feel inspired? I know I am. So welcome, Paige, to the show. How are you today?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 1:11
Tom. I am really excited to chat with you today.
Tom Jackobs: 1:14
I'm really excited for this chat as well because, in intro. Degrees from both Stanford and Harvard, I would say that you're a overachiever probably.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 1:21
I don't think I'd get into either of them today.
Tom Jackobs: 1:23
the first question I always like to ask is what's your definition of a heart-led business?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 1:29
For me it means, being in touch with what makes you tick, what you love, what you're great at, so you can put your whole self behind something that matters and that you put people first. That it doesn't mean that you're not gonna make a profit, but it means that if you attract the right colleagues clients and customers, you work in your zone of excellence, and that's where the magic happens.
Tom Jackobs: 2:01
Yeah, the combination of doing what you love attracting the right people and making a profit makes it so much more fun than the alternative, which I know from our previous conversation you were in a alternative situation in terms of not necessarily being heart-led. So why don't you tell us your journey into heart-led business ownership.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 2:22
I know it when I see it and I sought it out, is'cause my first job out of college in the eighties was a beeline to Wall Street. not exactly heart-led, but the paycheck was awesome the first Wall Street movie came out when I was a senior in college. Michael Douglas won the Oscar, when I saw the movie, I got hooked. I realized within a week of joining I made a two year commitment. it was gonna be a long two years. It really was not talking to my heart, the money was fantastic for a 21-year-old who didn't know much. After doing that for two years, I learned a ton. I met some great people, but I made a pact with myself that I was never gonna take a job for a paycheck again. That I'm sure there's another path where I could put my smarts to good use and also really enjoy the ride. So when I went back to get an MBA, I was very intentional and deliberate about the companies I wanted to interview for and put my stake in the ground. I realized marketing really was something that I was good at. I enjoyed, and it was a great, marriage of my left brain and my right brain. It was not all analytical. There was a creative outlet where I could really shine I joined the biggest consumer products company in the world. Proctor and Gamble. Some really big marketing companies, believed in investing in the communities where they sold their products. very profitable, successful businesses, but they put their heart into it. even though they were, the 800 pound gorilla in every category number one and number two products. they also were very community minded and. When there were things like natural disasters, they would come in and help the community rebuild. Proctor and Gamble, maker of Tide had 18 wheeler trucks, so people could get their clothes washed.
Tom Jackobs: 4:24
I've seen those in Houston.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 4:26
Coca-Cola owns Dasani water in places where they couldn't get clean water. They would pack up trucks and distribute water to, to communities that needed it. And I loved working for businesses that put their money where their mouth was. Like they knew that for the consumers to be able to come back strong and buy their products again, they wanted to build that relationship. Beyond the transaction. And that really left a great impression on me. I left my corporate marketing chapter and joined three startups as head of marketing. again, I mean it was internet 1.0, before things got really crazy. But I think there was a lot of positive energy. In the early startup days. it was the wild west. We didn't know what we were doing these, technology businesses started by these idealistic young people. They were younger. The first startup I joined, the two guys that founded it were younger than me, but they really did wanna do well by the world, everyone wanted to go public and, make money, but. also do right by the world. It was idealistic fun young and energetic, that was a great chapter as well for kind of different reasons. And then after nine 11, I hung out a shingle and started my own firm. And when it's your when the buck stops with you, when it's your business, you have a decision to make and I really wanted to work with clients aligned with my core values and saw the world the way I did, it was a circuitous route, but, I learned at each chapter and I think I've built the kind of business that I can be really proud of.
Tom Jackobs: 6:11
That's great, what a great place to learn marketing than Proctor and Gamble, the hallmark of marketing when you look at companies in the world.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 6:20
They invented brand management. it didn't exist running a business on a product it wasn't just, a profit and loss statement you ran it, like your own company great training to be an entrepreneur.
Tom Jackobs: 6:33
Yeah, absolutely. And then to also see how they give back as well, because didn't they give, soap to the ducks.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 6:40
Valdez oil spill, the Dawn dishwashing, it cuts grease when you wash plates after a greasy meal. that exact formula, it did, it cleaned the ducks and it was amazing in terms of, getting the wildlife back to normal after the fact. So you're absolutely right that. Opportunities for their products to do good in the world and to help wildlife, and humanity, that left a great impression on me.
Tom Jackobs: 7:09
How have you taken that learning and put that into your business?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 7:13
One of my first clients, when you're a young business and sign on an early client. It's such a vote of confidence I was excited, to work for this small business. The guy hired us to handle all his public relations for a year. He signed a six figure engagement letter, so I thought, wow, I really made it My company is on the map, early on, just in the first month or two. having a few misgivings because things weren't really as I was hoping they would be. The guy was not a particularly nice guy, a jerk. He wasn't paying us, on a regular schedule. Two months in, he was already behind on payments so on month three we had a face-to-face meeting. This was well before covid. we were doing a lot of meetings, on conference calls. We decided to meet at his headquarters I had two team members in New York City and two here in Boston and he was based in Boston. The four of us got together at his office and, we were gonna go over how we've been doing for the first 90 days, and frankly, the team had done an amazing job getting him some really high quality mentions in some of the greatest business journals and, on cable tv. they had a lot of great things in the pipeline. And so I said to the guy, since we've we're all together, maybe we could just, before we jump into the agenda, you can just thank the team and tell'em how you think things are going. It's just, I feel like we hit the ground running and they have worked so hard it almost looks too easy. I'm excited for all the great press they've generated. And he said to me. Why would I thank them? I'm paying them. that was a gut punch. I knew the guy was a jerk, but that big of a jerk? Is that even who thinks of that? I, and so then I sent him, it's funny because you mentioned Ping and in fact, we're a bit late on payments, so maybe at the end of this meeting. You could walk back to your desk and write a check so we can get caught up. I could see the guy was just not really the kind of person I was proud to be working with. So we jumped into the agenda, we went through everything. as the meeting was wrapping up I reminded him that he needed to get his checkbook and catch us up. And he comes ba And the meeting was not very fulfilling when you're, when you do work that you're excited by, and the client takes the air out of the balloon left, right and center, you gotta scratch your head and say is this even worth it? So when he brings the check I said to him, really don't think we're the right team for you. I think you're gonna be better served by another group. And he was taken aback and said. firing me as a client? And I thought, I think we are we've, done a great job in the first quarter and I'm thrilled we've delivered, beyond our expectations. But at the end of the month now that we're paid up, we should wrap up, shake hands and part ways. he was just shocked. And we wa the four of us walk out of the meeting, we get to the parking lot. And it was like a weight had been lifted and my team, they were in shock. They're like, I can't believe you did that. But it dawned on me when it's your business, the buck stops with you, if you're working with or for people that are not aligned with you. Again, from a values mission, vision standpoint. didn't wanna build a business with people like that. My biggest fear, honestly, at that moment was knew he was a jerk. And he probably knew he was a jerk. And a lot of his small business owner friends probably absolutely knew the guy was a jerk. And I thought, oh my God, if people that know him were impressed by all the press that we generated for him. they thought, I'm a jerk too, but I'm not as big of a jerk as that guy. imagine what that group could do for me I thought, big red flashing sign. I don't wanna build a practice with these types of clients. So if I don't cut loose now, this could take me to a place I have no intention of going. the good news is, it's a feng shui thing. When you clear out clutter, it opens things up. For something better within six weeks we had replaced the revenue with great that were aligned with us on so many levels. And the team was just like thrilled and explosive in terms of the energy they had really multiplied, because of just getting that monkey off our back to learn in the first months of my company.
Tom Jackobs: 12:02
Oh yeah. But the biggest question I have for you on that story is, did his check clear?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 12:07
I deposited it on the way home from the meeting. I didn't wanna take a
Tom Jackobs: 12:11
Yes.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 12:11
good.
Tom Jackobs: 12:12
You'd think that's a jerk thing to do, right?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 12:14
Exactly.
Tom Jackobs: 12:15
Wow. Yeah. that's a question ask of heart-led business owners, are there times you need to make money and take on clients and what does that feel like? your story illustrates the problem when you don't follow your heart intuition know who you wanna work with, and still make a profit.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 12:32
You can't fake that. I feel like if people think can go through the motions or just oh, I'll just do it this time and when we get through it, I won't do that again. It's a very slippery slope. So in, in my experience, you have to. be brutally honest and do it right the first time because you don't wanna compromises or, just do something that's not congruous to the person you are and the business you wanna build because you'll make compromises in a way that it. It never turns out the way you want it to, and I think the more brutally honest you can be with yourself early on, the better.
Tom Jackobs: 13:18
Yeah, absolutely. I've had those situations where, money was tight and clients come in, you do the interview and just need the money, they always are a pain don't do what you ask them to do, and then they're not happy, so they're not gonna refer anybody to you. They're gonna actually probably badmouth you. It's not a win for everybody, and that's a shame. it's a hard lesson when you're leading with your heart and you wanna serve everybody and you probably think, oh, they'll be different this time. But it never is your gut knows.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 13:47
Even though, this was a six figure contract, the guy signed. We were servicing him at a level higher than what he was paying for, and he was not happy. I realized throwing more money at this was not gonna make him happier. you're just digging the hole. What's the quote when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. I realized we could not get out of this. In a way that was a win-win. Like you said, he was never gonna be happy and we were never gonna be the right group for him. by finding people more aligned with us, the energy explodes and things more than compensate because they really are the kind of people you wanna be around, and it just makes for a much happier, more productive experience.
Tom Jackobs: 14:37
When setting up your business, did you go through a process of doing like the core values, the mission, and the vision of the business? And then after this episode, did it have you go ba did your mind say, I need to go back and revisit my core values, mission and vision to make sure that this never happens again? And what was that process like?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 14:59
Honestly, I'm more opportunistic than strategic. Yes, like I am very, persnickety. I don't know what the right word for my clients. We do. The mission, vision, values, exercises, that is something that, you know, when, for this, a certain type of engagement that's non-negotiable. Bit of a cobbler's kid to be brutally honest with you, because I have never taken my own business. that level of kind of intensity that I would for my own clients. However, I have with my team, had very lengthy discussions and been very intentional and deliberate. The messaging and reviewing the website and talking about how we're presenting ourselves at certain conferences or meetings. So the answer is, I think I'm constantly doing it in a way because I try and live our values every day, and with every decision of who we're gonna work with and bring into the group, both as a colleague and a client. It's more part of the air we breathe, the water we drink, but I do not do the level of intense. Process that I would for a client who's paying us a lot of money to do that.
Tom Jackobs: 16:23
Yeah. it feels like you intuitively can see when a new client approaches and you go, okay, let's make sure we're all in alignment and works.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 16:33
I remember after that experience with the jerk client. I was introduced to the CEO a hot technology business out of MIT, very prestigious investors, pedigreed team launching the business. And the guy met me at a networking event. He'd said he'd heard great things about our firm. He really wanted to hire us to work on his marketing and, When he gave me his elevator pitch, it really didn't resonate with me, to be quite honest. Even though he had all the right kind of, experiences on his resume, he was getting money from a lot of blue chip venture capitalists. He had all the makings for the golden child, and he was he said to me what his marketing budget was, which was not insignificant. But when he was telling me about his business, it just didn't resonate with me why I wasn't buying it the way that he was using all the buzz words and jargon and whatever. It's like he kinda had a very polished pitch, too polished and it just didn't make sense to me, maybe I'm a little old school. Maybe I've read too many Warren Buffet annual. Letters. he only invests in things that really he understands and he understands how they make money. And this guy just doing it for me. And so I told him how appreciative I am that he sought me out and that he wanted to hire us, but I just didn't think we were the right firm for him, then he like sheepishly laughed and he said to me. The truth is I was low balling you on the budget. I've got more money than I had wor, throughout for the marketing budget. Now he gives me a number, like 25 or 30% higher. He is now I'm sure you're much more interested in working with us. Actually, no, it's not a question of your budget. I don't think we're the right firm for you. it was almost like back in the dating days where the less interested you are the more interested they are that guy was stalking me. he had to hire us, had to get us on the team. I'm not going down that path again. I know what kind of partnerships are productive for us. I know the kind of firms we can really help. To Be explosive. This is not that kind of firm. And finally he got the message. But do think if you're doing something because the money looks good or they're impressed with your resume, or funders probably not a great reason wasn't for me.
Tom Jackobs: 19:06
Yeah. there needs to be that fit. It is like a marriage in terms of working closely together and their reputation affects your reputation as well. And especially when it comes to marketing and pr, I would imagine that, they do something really bad, but like you're there to save it. And then people are like but why is that firm? And, it gets tangled.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 19:28
And it is true that if you look at you spend the most time with, personally and professionally, you are associated with them for better or worse. And so you have to look around and say, are these the people bring out the best in me? Are these the ones that are gonna get me? To the place I'm trying to go. And if they're not, you have to ask yourself, am I spending so much time with these people? Why am I doing this? Because, you wanna do things that really build your brand and build your reputation and not dilute equity that you've put in to the brands you're building. I think it requires you to be brutally honest and say, these are my people, or these are not my people. No matter how good the money is.
Tom Jackobs: 20:12
Yeah. the earlier you do that in your business like you did, you had that experience that catapulted you to do that hard work. for listeners wanting to start a heart led business, What Paige is saying is so critical for building that business that you truly love and the clients that you love to work with, if you start to go down road where it's just, I really need the money, it's never gonna work out.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 20:37
It's hard to justify like I did it last time. think about the opportunity cost. Think about what you're not doing because your heart's not in it your gut's telling you these are not my people. you could be building better, stronger relationships with people who are really gonna get you where you wanna go long term. keep the long-term goals in mind and realize there are detours on your path. it's okay to pivot. but it's not okay to compromise what you believe in and what you stand for because you are diluting your brand and you are sending a signal to the people who might be great for you. That you're not the kind of business that they wanna partner with, so be careful.
Tom Jackobs: 21:25
That's great. And you know that, that pivot versus compromise, I think that's a really good distinction. Pivoting is D, very different than compromising in terms of compromising values. so glad you brought that up Paige, this half hour has gone by so quickly. what a great talk and conversation. I love the stories to illustrate what heart led really means. you can still be very successful and profitable and still be a heart led business. how can people learn more about, your business and potentially working with you?
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 21:56
The two best places are on LinkedIn, and my company website, mavensandmoguls.com. And one of my clients always says, because my company has an ampersand, and my last name is hyphenated. There are too many words for her to remember. She always remembers Paige and Mavens. If you Google, Paige and Mavens, I'll pop right up so you can find me that way too.
Tom Jackobs: 22:18
All right or pop that into chat GPT and they'll get your whole history there as well. That's awesome. We'll link all that up into the show notes. Paige, thank you so much for taking your time outta the day and having to chat with me and having our listeners listen in as well. I really appreciate it.
Paige Arnof-Fenn: 22:33
Tom, this has been super fun I love the premise of what you're doing and the stories that you're getting to tell, and I think it's such an important message thank you.
Tom Jackobs: 22:45
Thank you for tuning into the Heart Led Business Show. I certainly appreciate it. And make sure you are checking out exactly what Paige is doing. Go to her website, check out everything and if it makes sense and your heart led as well as she is. You're not a jerk, then make sure you give her a call. And if you could do me a solid favor and do what other considerate and smart listeners are doing is to share this show with others that could use the advice that was shared today. And until next time, lead with your heart.
Speaker 2: 23:15
You've been listening to the heart-led Business Show, hosted by Tom Jackobs. Join us next time for another inspiring journey into the heart of business.