It’s said that “a rolling stone gathers no moss,” but most stones could do worse than to gather sisters Holly and Bonnie Moss, the dynamic duo behind do-it-all sales and promotional firm HMoss Consulting (www.hmossconsulting.com). Young, talented, and mile-a-minute energetic, the Moss women have built a successful enterprise in two short years out of not much more than eagerness, experience, and determination.
They say it’s in the genes. “Our father was an entrepreneur,” Bonnie says. “It’s all we know. We grew up with this do-it-yourself mentality.
“Owning and operating your own business is tough,” she continues. “It’s challenging; it’s not as easy as getting a regular salary, but the rewards far outweigh the downside.”
According to the firm’s backgrounder, “HMoss is a full service marketing, brand and business development, PR, and media-planning firm that specializes in the online market.” The company offers services that include ad conceptualization, media buying, copy writing, promotion, campaign management, trade show coordination, events marketing, sales generation, and design and creative management.
What all of that means, says Holly, is “We do it all, from soup to nuts. When people hire us, they’re ‘outsourcing’ their sales and marketing functions, to use a popular buzzword. We become their sales and marketing arm.”
Typically, the Moss sisters say they can provide a complete sales and marketing package for much less than an in-house staff would cost, considering the spiraling expenses associated with benefits packages and taxes. Even though there are only two of them, the Mosses can tailor a cost-effective plan to fit any budget from the smallest start-up’s to the largest corporate giant’s. Their current client roster includes such companies as Electracash, AdultLounge, Goodthinxx, CNWB, and Webair.
The strength of the Moss partnership comes from the sisters’ similarities and differences, they say. Not surprisingly, a good deal of good-natured rivalry colors their daily interactions, but they swear that actually aids in their pursuit of clients’ goals. Holly, who founded HMoss, holds a bachelors degree in business administration. Not to be outdone, four-years-younger Bonnie obtained a masters degree in the same field. Holly is a veteran of the online adult community: During her tenure in the industry, she has served as vice president of marketing for iGallery Inc. and as an executive with Babe Net Inc. Bonnie started out at advertising and public relations firms in the mainstream, where she worked on nationwide marketing efforts for Fortune 500 Companies. With a little help from her big sister, she made the leap into adult in 2000. Once there, she worked for Tri-Tech Internet Services for three and one-half years, ultimately serving as marketing director for Tri-Tech subsidiaries Cyberage and CNWB.
“I dragged my sister into this biz,” Holly says laughing. Her sister counters, “Yeah, but I didn’t resist very hard!”
Bonnie describes Holly as “the easygoing one.” Holly calls her sister “the outgoing, fiery one.” They both say Holly’s expertise is in sales and strategic alliances, while Bonnie’s is in the creative end of advertising, public relations, and trade show and event coordination.
“We’re a good team,” Bonnie says unabashedly.
Her sister adds, “We’ve both worked in the adult industry for awhile now, so we’ve got the learning curve down. We know the right people to make things work.”
It’s not just knowing the right people, but being known, and respected, by the right people that makes a difference, Bonnie hastily interjects. “[Holly’s] got credibility in the industry,” she says proudly. “She knows everyone, and everyone knows her. They like her, and they trust her.”
Holly sees HMoss clients’ trust as a reflection of the trust and genuine fondness the sisters have for each other. “We work and live together,” she says. “You have to work at that kind of relationship, because it’s not always easy. But I’ve known her all her life, so I feel very, very comfortable with her. I’d rather argue with her for five minutes and then laugh about it afterward than have the kinds of disagreements some business partners have. We get over ‘difficulties’ really quickly.”
Bonnie agrees, adding, “Working with your sister as your business partner has a lot of advantages, because the trust and support are already there. We both have each other’s backs. We always know we have each other’s best interests at heart. I can always ask her opinion, and I know she’s going to be honest with me. That comfort brings a lot of positive energy and productivity to the company.”
A special camaraderie is very evident in the women’s interactions. They say it’s a product of their upbringing. The parental Mosses are very aware of what their daughters do for a living, and “they’re very supportive of us,” Bonnie says. Their mother, in fact, serves as the treasurer for Women in Adult (www.womeninadult.com), an organization the pair founded in 2003 to support and empower businesswomen in the adult industry. The Moss sisters take a great deal of pride in how the all-volunteer organization has developed, in the networks it has spawned, and in the women-owned businesses in whose success it has played a role.
“I think it brings us all an awareness,” Holly says. “It shows everyone in the industry that women can help each other, not just compete with each other. It’s a phenomenal group, and it’s growing all the time.”
So is the reputation of HMoss Consulting. Clients give glowing kudos to the women and their professional undertakings.
“We are very pleased to have HMoss represent Electracash,” says Electracash Chief Technical Officer Mike Hoffmeyer. “Holly and Bonnie are helping us build our brand awareness and equity, to ultimately bring us to another level within the transaction processing market.”
Raffi Vartianian, president of AdultLounge, says, “Holly and Bonnie are the most powerful women in this business. Their knowledge and experience makes working with them easy and effortless. Their long-time contacts and relationships bring much value and many opportunities for our business. They are worth more than we can ever offer to pay them.”
The sisters blush at such compliments, but they admit they’ve worked hard for them. “It’s just what we do,” Holly says simply. “Our goal is to make every client a success, and we want to make it easy for them.”
Bonnie adds, “When people actually stop and listen to what we can provide, sometimes they’re surprised. Sometimes I’m surprised that we’ve managed to gain all this experience and all these wonderful contacts in our lives, but we’ve had some great mentors.”
“And we have some great clients,” Holly interjects. “That makes what we do very rewarding.”
