Who is Erika McInerney?

It’s me, hi 👋

Thanks for tapping through to this page, I’m really glad you’re here and I’m always grateful to be here, because this business of mine is a true mashup of my brain and my heart. So how did I get here?👇

I have always loved storytelling but I’m also a bit of a nerd so advertising and marketing seemed a natural step for me after I finished my first degree in Media and Communications. Of course, I thought ad agency life would be all beer and ping pong (there was a bit of that) but mostly it was hard work and long hours. Now, 28 years later, I look back on my career and see the value it presents not just to me, but to you.

The biggest gift I have is the ability to walk into a small business in any niche and find my way to the heart of your problems and immediately start working on solutions.

I talk about my qualifications and experience, not to humble brag, but to explain why I can do that👆and why working with me is so comfy - I get you.

Over the years I’ve completed a Masters of Marketing, a Certificate in CX (Customer Experience) and I’m proudly a Certified Practising Marketer with the Australian Institute of Marketing.

I’ve worked with well over a thousand fantastic clients on incredible projects. I’ve won awards, been a finalist many times, managed teams and ran an ad agency for a while. I spent time working in other businesses where I was exposed to different ideas, work practices and communication styles. I learned to adapt quickly, to be flexible and to comfortably work across multiple industries at once.

I also travelled extensively, until we had two kids and moved to Warragul, Gippsland declaring I was “done with advertising”. Then I co-created the Warragul Farmers’ Market, leading me to fall in love with small business and community and with the power that social media held in supporting those two things. So my third child was born in early 2016 - this business baby Mac&Ernie.

That’s my story in a nutshell.

About Mac&Ernie

Here are three key aspects that shape who I am, what I deliver for my clients and community, and how I deliver on my promises.

Honesty and authenticity is my happy place
I'm here to support and guide small business owners, leaders and anyone overwhelmed by marketing or social media.
I'm committed to helping your business grow ethically, avoiding any tricks or shortcuts that are out of character or not useful. With my experience, qualifications and certifications, I'm fully equipped to solve problems and find effective solutions.
I genuinely care about businesses in smaller towns and rural areas. While I also work outside the regions (thanks to the magic of technology), I spend a lot of time out and about across Gippsland soaking up all the gorgeous energy and passion to be found in those ‘hard to reach places’.
If you’re in a small town, I understand the challenges you face and I'm here to help you achieve the business success you crave. I know that your growth doesn't just impact you – it ripples through your entire community and beyond.
Intelligent and enjoyable training: My training isn't dull; it's smart, impactful, and relevant. You'll gain insights that lead to real business and mindset improvements.
Measurable results: My strategies go beyond theory – they lead to increased sales and growth for your business and community.
Clear delivery of strategy and training: I'm an expert, but I speak your language. My goal is for you to achieve your goals - whether that’s sales and marketing success, learning new skills or simply boosting your confidence.
I love to craft smart marketing strategies and content that works. I'm not about following the crowd. Drawing from my extensive experience and deep knowledge of consumer behaviour, I devise and deliver creative strategies that resonate and connect with your audience.
I also deliver one-on-one marketing and social media mentoring and coaching that will build your skills, knowledge, capacity and confidence and stop you stressing and guessing about what to post and when.
I provide clear explanations and instructions, avoiding confusing jargon and always keep my examples relevant. There’s no point teaching you the latest strategy from Mattel’s Barbie Brand if it has no relevance to your business growth and success.
I often collaborate with local governments, business networks, and franchises to provide low-cost and accessible training to businesses, community organisations, and groups with a common purpose or problem.
Through my own social media, newsletter, podcast, blog, workbooks and guides I provide a stack of actionable tips that are low or no cost. Not everyone has the budget for training - I get that. I give you enough to get going so you can see the value and benefit of knowledge and DIY your way to success.

Mac&Ernie allows me to do the things that I love;

Learning, teaching, encouraging, chin wagging, mentoring, creating stories, inspiring and helping small businesses grow.

I get to live and work within the values I cherish: knowledge, integrity, community and creativity.The best part is that I get to share all this with you.

My business is guided by these core values:

Knowledge

I am a lifelong learner, committed to sharing my knowledge with you. I know that digital and social media marketing can be confusing and hard to keep up with. I do the hard work for you - navigating the changes and distilling the important stuff into what is specifically relevant in your business or your industry.

I strip out all the jargon and fluff and build marketing strategies and content plans that are smart, effective and relevant. All my training is developed with your success in mind - whatever success looks like to you.

Creativity

The solutions we work on will be effective and we’ll get there together by being innovative, fresh and creative in our approach.

There’s no cookie cutting here (just cookie eating). Everything I do takes time because I’m not working from templates. I’m working with you, wholly - your purpose, your goals, your challenges, your time commitments, your skills, your resources.

Integrity

Integrity means different things to different people. To me, it means openness and honesty and you’ll find that’s exactly how I roll. I have built a reputation for being trustworthy, and for guiding with honest feedback that is always kind.

Community

Perhaps the most visible of my business and personal values is my commitment to helping strengthen local communities. When I work with you, I’m not only invested in your success, I look at your role in the bigger picture and explore ways to connect and collaborate. Community can be hyper-local, online or even global - but is always an incredibly important part of business success.

I have been both a volunteer and paid mentor in my field since 2016, working with organisations such as Small Business Victoria, Australian Small Business Advisory Service, Startup Gippsland, Inspiring Rare Birds, She Mentors, AMI, Ken Hore Tourism Mentoring and more. I also regularly donate my time and skills to local organisations that align with my values.

How does it feel to work with me?

Navigating marketing and social media can be intimidating. I’m here to make it friendly and fun.

I blend warmth, honesty, and humour to build your confidence. My experience and genuine concern for your needs makes me a business partner you can rely on.

The way I see it, my reputation has been built over 28 years of working in marketing and advertising.

It’s built on:

Results - hard work pays off
Keeping promises - there’s no ‘fluff and bluff’ here
Being thorough - the big picture is great, but small details make the difference
Valuing feedback - committing to continuous improvement