Meet Emma Tessler | Founder + CEO, Ninety Five Media

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

Hi Emma, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Growing up, I always considered myself a very calculated person who was adverse to taking big risks. Any major decision I made was considered for a long time, and before taking it, I knew exactly what the expected outcome was. In that way, there was no risk involved.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve recognized that with no risk, there is often no reward. You miss the boat when you wait too long to make a decision. So much of our day to day lives require faith in our own decision making abilities and weighing the risk vs reward. To date, the biggest risk I’ve taken was quitting my corporate job to go full time in building my own brand, Ninety Five Media.

This was not a decision I made quickly – it was something I considered for many years before taking the leap. But when 2020 + the pandemic hit and everything we thought we knew crumbled, the way we lived changed, and business took a hit, it somehow felt like the right time. It was a “if I never do this now, I know I never will” moment and that has stuck with me. It was only in the moment where it felt like nothing was certain, and I couldn’t possibly know the expected outcome of this risk, that it finally felt safe to risk it all and take this massive leap of faith.

Since that day nearly 3 years ago, I’ve personally learned to take more risks, in smaller capacities. So much of running a business is risk taking. These risks should, of course, be thought out and have predictable outcomes – but the reality is that so much changes daily when you are running a company. All you can really do it take small leaps of faith and trust your gut feelings.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ninety Five Media is a female-led digital marketing agency based in Dallas, TX. We build results-driven strategies for scaling brands to help build an online presence and monetize that audience. We have a combined 40 years of experience and our white glove client experience is what truly sets us apart from others in our space. We deeply care about the success of our clients; watching their business grow thanks to the work we support them with is the biggest reward!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friend was visiting for a few days, I would take her to the most fun local Dallas spots! For drinks, we’d go to the best outdoor spots before they get too busy; HG Supply rooftop, and Katy Trail Ice House are two of my favs in Dallas and sitting by the water at Gingerman in Las Colinas is a great spot late at night. For entertainment, I’d bring them to the rodeo in Ft Worth, a random Sofar Sounds show that popped up, and live jazz at Revelers Hall. You can’t forget about shopping either; we’d definitely hit up the West Village, Highland Park, and Bishop Arts!

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?
“Crushing It” by Gary Vaynerchuck was a book that altered by brain chemistry when I read it in 2018. This book lit a fire under me to explore avenues of business I had never considered before. It showcased stories of other entrepreneurs and the unique paths they took to get where they are today, which inspired me to take the unconventional route. While Gary V’s teachings are somewhat polarizing, I finished that book inspired to take action and do things differently, which has served me incredibly well in all of the years since.

Website: ninetyfivemedia.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninety.five.media/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmatessler/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NinetyFiveMediaCo/

Other: Our podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-scrolling-start-scaling-podcast/id1635151196