Things are clearer at the top of the mountain
Liz Johnson greets you warmly. You immediately feel at home especially when her small kitten Mittens prances in for a quick cuddle and nuzzle to let you know she’s happy to see you as well.
Liz loves cats and couldn’t help but rescue this two-month old feral from a local dump site.
“She was very under nourished but she’s doing fine now,” says Johnson, who is a recent addition to the board of directors for RappCats, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping stray, abandoned and/or injured cats in Rappahannock.
“I’ll be helping them with fundraising,” says Johnson, an enthusiastic animal advocate.
Johnson laughs with a broad smile as she talks about her love for horses and cats. Her can-do attitude had her working at a stable when she was 10 to help pay for show fees. She knew if she wanted that world of being around horses that she’d have to work for it.
“I learned a lot of valuable lessons from that experience... if you want something, you have to make it happen,” says Johnson who has been doing just that for more than three decades.
Taking businesses to new heights is what her business is all about from strategic planning, branding or rebranding, marketing, advertising, web design, social media and promoting but all with a gentle and compassionate hand.
Hailing from Wheeling, West Virginia, Johnson spent much of her early career working for an international company where she managed large staffs with very large budgets.
“I realized that I was out of touch with local businesses and the local market and felt that I could make a difference so I started my own business,” says Johnson who has been the owner and principal consultant for Mountain View Marketing for the past 13 years.
“We’ve grown steadily... doubling twice in the last four years,” says Johnson who attributes her success to her “very creative team” which includes a webmaster, graphic designer, videographer and two professional photographers.
“We can take you from the start and execute to completion,” says Johnson who then adds a sweet caveat…” we are one of the few agencies where there are no annual contracts.”
“It’s important that we earn our clients business every day,” says Johnson noting that initial consultations are free.
Johnson moved her business to Rappahannock from Fauquier about a year and a half ago.
While focused on the greater Piedmont area, clients extend to Northern Virginia to include Fairfax and Arlington. Named after incredible views from her windowed office space when in Warrenton, Johnson has kept the name with her move to Washington.
“We’re about reaching new heights and growing their target markets... we don’t offer cookie cutter solutions... each business is different... we look for the best fit and the best channels to get there.”
Optimistic, positive and high energy, Johnson is ever open to new opportunities... like playing the drums.
“It’s great, I love it,” says Johnson who visits the music rooms at Drum and Strum in Warrenton weekly for her blast into the past.
Beating to her own drum, Johnson has forged a business that builds and boosts businesses.
“It’s all about making things happen.”