By Britney Grover
Anna Mannerfelt Fingers’ experience has spanned the globe—and not just because she grew up in Sweden and is now living in Elizabeth, Colorado. Her career in marketing and advertising has enabled her to work with companies from around the world, culminating in her own Wired Mustang Inc. At Wired Mustang, she frequently gets to combine her experience and passion for promoting others’ businesses with her favorite subject: horses.
Anna describes herself as “a super happy and dedicated Amateur rider.” She currently trains with Shaina MacDuffee of Larkin Meadows in Parker, Colorado. “I love, love, love competing in the jumpers, and in the past few years Shaina has inspired and trained me to do equitation as well as the hunters,” Anna said. “So great for mind, soul and horse—and SO hard!”
Luckily for her clients at Wired Mustang, Anna isn’t afraid of hard. Some of her most rewarding experiences have been “rescuing” clients from difficult situations with other marketing agencies, and ensuring that they get the results they need. “It’s insanely rewarding to have happy clients and, when done right, prove digital marketing works to ‘Increase Online Horsepower’ for business and brands,” she said.
How did you become part of the horse world?
I was born and raised in Sweden with five sisters, and with such big family, we couldn’t afford to own our ponies or horses. So I worked very hard at the barn on the weekends and after school to pay for lessons on school ponies and for local horse shows. I remember, even when I was in day care, we got to play and “ride” homemade stick horses. I was hooked, and ever since wanted to own my own horses. It took about 35 years for that to happen!
When did you start your company and what gave you the idea?
I started my marketing career in Stockholm, Sweden, working at an advertising agency—that was over three decades ago. Since then, I’ve lived and worked in different countries and different states in the U.S. I’ve always been in advertising and marketing, both on the agency side and client side, so I’ve seen a thing or two and learned lots of real lessons along the way.
I started Wired Mustang because I saw there was a need for smaller to midsize businesses in the U.S. to be represented correctly by an agency/marketing firm that cares about the results for the client—not just to get a monthly paycheck, or set up automated marketing tactics that don’t work. My mission when I started Wired Mustang, seven years ago, was to change that! We have over 94% of our clients still with us since we were “foaled,” because of our approach and results—we make them look good and increase their sales or lead flow. That’s what marketing is all about.
How did you get the name Wired Mustang?
Ah! As a passionate, horse-obsessed person with “slightly” high energy, I’ve been called “wired,” and it was something that just felt right to use “wired” and “Mustang” because of resilience in the Mustang horse. Our tagline is “Increase Your Online Horsepower.”
What part does your company play in the horse world?
As an industry agnostic agency, we have the immense pleasure to collaborate with some amazing equine-related brands as well as non-equine-related brands across the U.S. Of course, our herd (team members) at Wired Mustang all have a passion for and interests in horses, which provides that little extra “know-how” industry insight that always helps when driving traffic to an
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equestrian website or developing equestrian brands. To design a website showing off the most beautiful animals in the world, which we think are horses, is just so amazingly rewarding! And most of the time, we get to try the products or services on our own horses, too—so we become their brand ambassadors, in a way!
What’s the best part about being a woman entrepreneur?
I have free rein to utilize my years of marketing experience 100%! Our brand values are completely in line with my own, and we only work with nice people and businesses that align with our company values. That’s pretty groovy.
What challenges do you face?
By nature, I’m very competitive and want my clients to “win” all the time. Just like when you go on course—we ride to win, right? But now and then, I must shorten my own reins and pace myself, as I want success to happen too fast for our clients, and sometimes it doesn’t happen that fast, no matter what you do. And marketing is at the front line of the economic climate, so we are the first to see and feel those challenges.
What great things have happened because of your business?
I met Editor-in-Chief Jan at Sidelines and got to interview her, which was so cool! Yeeehaw! Joking aside, there is nothing better than to do the right things for business owners. For example, when they call you and say, “I have no idea what you guys did, but the phones are ringing off the hook.” It’s very rewarding to see your own business “galloping on,” as we say here—still going strong after seven years, and many more years to come, hopefully! I speak to new amazing business owners daily—and that is so fun!
What’s the best thing about your life?
As we know, life goes up and down, and I’m so blessed and grateful that when life was very tough, I regrouped, moved to Colorado with my Quarter Horse at the time and met the best man in the world—David, who also is a horse owner, by the way—and decided to start Wired Mustang.
What are your goals for yourself and your business?
To continue to increase online horsepower for brand owners—it’s my jam! Oh, and the real goal: one day, hopefully in the near future, to have an office “Barndominium” where half of the barn is an office with open windows to the turnout of my retired horses so they can peek into the office and get a carrot any time during the office day, or randomly join a Zoom call for authentic equine flavor.
What advice would you give to other women considering entrepreneurship?
Just start! And stick to what you feel is the right business you want to do—not what society tells you to do. Never ever, ever give up. Owning your own business is sometimes very tough, yet the rewards for you, your team and your clients are priceless.
Also be aware that the better you get, the more exposure you get, the harder the competition becomes. So don’t be surprised if suddenly you feel that your “peers” are not your supporters any longer. It’s all OK! It’s just business. Just like riding a line at a course—you have to know the strides and commit, yet be prepared if the line comes up long or short. Jump the jump and move on—you got this!
For more information, follow @wiredmustang on Instagram and Facebook or email anna@wiredmustang.com
Photos courtesy of Anna Mannerfelt Fingers, unless noted otherwise
Photo by George Rosales
