Meet Molly Waxman | CEO/President of Mowax Visual

We had the good fortune of connecting with Molly Waxman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Molly, what do you attribute your success to?
The single most important factor behind the success of Mowax Visual is the people that work at this company and the passion they have for what we do. When I launched Mowax in 2016, alongside my business partner, Shane Kupka, we decided that we wanted to create an atmosphere where the talent and expertise of the employees could take center stage. Every hire that we have made since our inception is based on the idea that we want to surround ourselves with people who are experts in their field or who have the drive and potential to thrive in this environment. We encourage every person who works for us to carve their own path at the company based on what they love to do and where their experience lies. Our company is one where growth potential is endless and dedication and work ethic unparalleled. When you love what you do, you truly start to get out what you put into your work each and every day. Our clients can feel this energy when they work with us. They know that we are going to care about their projects just as much, if not more than they do. By making it our focus to build a team that is inspired and empowered to find their own connection to the work, we have created an environment of trust and loyalty, both internally and with our clients. This is how Mowax has been able to find such great success over the last 5 years.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mowax Visual is a full service creative and production agency who specializes in bringing our clients’ visions to life in both the physical and digital world. We set ourselves apart from our competitors by providing a team of experts who can help guide our clients from conception all the way to execution. Most creative agencies do not have a production team in house and most production houses do not have a full service creative agency attached to it. We have both. Our clients can come to us to handle every single aspect of their projects. We can design the space, build it, install it and then create the digital marketing strategy behind it. We pride ourselves in being able to fit in the nooks and crannies of any company and help them in any area they cannot handle internally. I am excited because over the past year, we have nearly doubled the size of our team and therefore significantly expanded our capabilities. We started with 3 people in 2015 and now, we are a team of 12 and growing. Every single person that we have hired possesses a different set of skills than anyone else in the company. This gives us a wide range of perspectives and more innovative ideas, further separating us from our competitors. We have learned many important lessons over the last 6 years. We become better with every project that we take on by always looking at ways to improve for the next one. The first several years of the business had continued growth year over year, however, 2020 proved to be a very challenging time for us. Our client base was primarily focused on the retail and fitness industries, which greatly suffered when stay at home orders went into affect. We had to retool our business and change our focus. As owners, we made a decision to forego our compensation for the year so that we did not have to decrease pay from any employee. We also added a 401K program for added security to our employees. We came together as a team, meeting every day, and figured out creative ways to get through the lag in business. Every single person came to the table with new ideas and a positive attitude on how we could stay afloat during such a challenging time. I think that our team mentality during the hardest days of COVID are indicative of who we are as a company. Every person who works at Mowax Visual truly care about this business and its success. We all put 100% into every single thing that we do and are willing to make personal sacrifices for the betterment of the business. This company is different from others because of this. The people who work here are special. We care a lot…not just about Mowax, but also about each other and our clients.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend came to Dallas, I would try to expose them to the best food, art and culture that Dallas has to offer. We would have to start with brunch at Beverly’s Bistro on Fitzhugh and then head downtown to the Dallas Museum of Art. We would then walk over to Klyde Warren Park in the afternoon for an evening of food trucks and music in the park. The next day, we would head out to Dallas Cowboys Stadium for a tour and then try to catch a Rangers game across the street for a day of eating, drinking and baseball. The next day, we would relax in my backyard listening to music, swimming and sharing memories. We would close out the day by having a delicious sushi dinner at Shinsei, followed by some drinks and dancing at Inwood Tavern. The following day, we would head out to Fort Worth (stopping at Hard8 along the way for some true Texas BBQ). We would visit the stockyards, walk around town and then head home for a nice home cooked meal and rent a movie for a quiet evening at home. The final day would be spent with my kids in tow. We would start with breakfast at Snooze AM Eatery and hit up the Perot Museum. Then, margaritas (not for the kids) and tex-mex at Meso Maya next door. We would rest by the pool in the afternoon and then have a babysitter come for the kids so that we could go to The Charles for a truly special dinner. By then, we would all be exhausted!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As cliche as this may sound, my mentors in life and business have always been my parents. I am dedicating my shout out to them for multiple reasons. They have encouraged and supported me throughout my life to set my goals and aspirations high and to work as hard as possible to achieve them. They taught me that success is more about progress than perfection and that every failure in my life would make me stronger in the end. Growing up, I watched both of them achieve incredible success in their own professional lives. My dad is an entrepreneur who owned his own Life Insurance business for over 40 years and my mom was one of the most accomplished development/fundraising professionals in Austin, TX for over 30 years. My parents also showed me the true definition of achieving a work/life balance. I learned so much from watching them balance their professional successes and family obligations. While I have many memories of them going into the office or needing to work late or at home, I cannot remember one important dance recital, basketball game, or event that they did not attend. When I decided to launch Mowax Visual in 2015, my parents were my biggest advocates and cheerleaders. While I may have had doubts or insecurities, they pushed me to follow my dreams and trust my intuition. I would not have the success I have today if it were not for them. I lost my mom this past October and while the void is overwhelmingly apparent in my every day life, I know that she left this world with an incredible amount of pride in what I had accomplished.

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