IMG_5023I’ve got news…really big news.  At least it is big news to me and my friends and family.  But first, let me tell you a story.

I come from a long line of entrepreneurs…isn’t that word so fancy? Let me start over, I come from a long line of folks who worked their butts off everyday to make the family business work.

My great-great grandfather, Wylie Twiggs, opened a grocery story in my hometown of Gentry, AR.  He named it Twiggly Wiggly grocery store.  Is that not the best name ever? Well, there was one little problem.  The Piggly-Wiggly grocery chain was not amused and sent my great-great grandfather a letter saying, stop using Twiggly Wiggly, it is too close to Piggly Wiggly.  So, reluctantly he did and renamed his store Twiggs Grocery.

He then passed the store on to my great-grandfather, Faye Twiggs, who ran the grocery store for most of his adult life after a career building highways.  The store then became Twiggs IGA and was in downtown Gentry on Main Street.  His son, my granddad, Jim Twiggs, Sr,  worked in the store as a teen but left for the Navy after high school, then became a writer and lived in New York.

My dad, Jim Twiggs, Jr,  took over the family business when I was about 5 years old and ran Twiggs IGA for 20 years in Gentry. He grew the store and moved to a larger location (twice).  Growing up in the grocery store business is a pretty great way to grow up.  I got to roam the aisles on roller skates, play on the intercom system, participate in rotten biscuit wars and eat all the candy I wanted.   I learned so much from my dad about hard work, customer service and promotion following him around the store for all those years.  I think that’s probably when I caught the entrepreneur bug, I just didn’t know it yet.

All of the men in my family had their ups and downs in owning their own business.  However, one of the best things I can remember about my parents working for themselves was that they were always there for me.  They were at every one of my high school basketball games and they were at about 85% of my college basketball games (keep in mind those games were in the SEC…lots of driving).  Owning their own business gave them the freedom to be there for me.

Why tell you all of this ancient history?  Maybe you guessed it, my big news…I am starting my own business.   The Twiggs Group (pardon the landing page…masterpieces take time!) is a consulting firm specializing in marketing, strategy and social media.  At this time, it’s just little ole me, but someday I will grow it to a team of great people working hard for our clients.  The Twiggs Group will work with creative, fun and collaborative clients who want to strategically market and promote their business.  Our tag line: We tell the world about you.

I can’t tell you how excited  I am to embark on this adventure.  Most importantly, it will allow me the freedom to be there for my son and attend all of his basketball games now and in the future (for more on Spencer, check out my blog SportsMomma).

None of this would be possible without the incredible support from my husband.  He has not one time faltered from his unwavering spirit to help me.  I am truly blessed. The support from my son and my family and friends overwhelms me.

Now the hard work begins.  I look forward to the challenge and I can’t wait to work with my current clients and future clients on helping them grow their business.  You can reach me at allyson@thetwiggsgroup.com or on Twitter @thetwiggsgroup.  Would love your help on follows and referrals.  If you know a business that needs social media management or marketing help, please let me know.

BCard_Back

So honored to be mentioned in the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal:

Sudden Departure

by Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Editors

Did you know Rogers’ top tourism official has resigned?

Allyson Twiggs Dyer, executive director of Visit Rogers since October 2010, is leaving to launch her own marketing company, The Twiggs Group.

Dyer said she will stay on through at least mid-November to help with the transition of finding the next person to handle oversight and day-to-day duties of the organization.

Before coming to Rogers, Dyer — a Gentry native and basketball player at the University of Arkansas from 1990 to 1995 — was director of the Fayetteville Convention & Visitors Bureau for eight years.

Dyer said she will start her business from her residence in Fayetteville, with the ambition of opening an office near the downtown square in the future.

The change in occupation, she said, will afford her the flexibility to spend more time with her family, particularly with her son, a junior at Fayetteville High School and an aspiring college basketball player.

Visit Rogers, which receives funding from a 2-percent tax on hotel and motel rooms in the city, has an operating budget of $800,000. Its staff includes two full-time employees and one part-timer.