By Amanda Kuhnert
One of Mary Peterson’s favorite client stories is an entrepreneur who came to her hoping to turn her side gig—wedding coordinating—into a full-time business. After Peterson rebuilt her website with a focus on search engine optimization, the client began receiving so many more inquiries that she was able to leave her job and pursue her business full time.
“It’s those kinds of stories that let me know I’m actually making a difference in people’s lives,” said Peterson, who owns Woodland Studios, a digital media company based in Washington, Vt.
Zeroing in
When Peterson first envisioned her business, she was full of ideas. Her diverse background in digital media gave her the freedom to go in almost any direction. She reached out to Scott Holson at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) for help finding a focus. He encouraged her to talk to local business owners to find out what they actually needed.
After doing her research, Peterson decided to hone in on three services: web design, photography, and branding. A one-stop shop model. “This way a business doesn’t have to hire three different people,” she said. “They can hire me and save money.”
Networking works
After launching her business in 2025, Peterson embraced in-person networking as more effective than waiting to be found online. “We’re saturated with web designers,” she said. “So, what’s going to make me stand apart among the other people that you find when you Google ‘web design’?”
Her advice to other small business owners: Start with the network you already have, then build out from there. Peterson credits much of her growth to relationships she has formed through her involvement in the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Womenpreneurs. “Lean on mentors like the advisors at VtSBDC, community connections, and chamber networking,” she said. For her, it’s about building relationships first and then trusting that the clients will follow.
Two years in, that approach is working. Peterson’s client list ranges from apple orchards to construction companies to PR firms, with an even split between retainer work and one-off projects. Working across such a wide breadth of industries, she loves that she’s always learning something new.
Her small business also gives her flexibility. A new mom as of this spring, Peterson had this stage of life in mind from the start. “I wanted the business to work around my family,” she said, “not my family to work around the business.” These days, that sometimes means logging on at odd hours. “I’ve been switching websites over at 4 a.m.,” she laughed.
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