Acadium Student Success: How Maria Completed 6 Apprenticeships and is Building Her Dream Business

Maria Cristina Ong is a passionate entrepreneur whose dream was to create her own online business that would help other entrepreneurs like her — and she’s done it! But that dream didn’t build itself. She worked hard, completed 6 Acadium apprenticeships, and launched Avione Media.

We talked to Maria and asked her more about herself, her goals, and her dreams and vision of success. Read this inspirational entrepreneur’s journey from little experience to 6 apprenticeships completed, and finally, building her own firm with her mentors as clients!

Hi Maria! Can you tell us why you wanted to do a digital marketing apprenticeship?

I wanted to start my own online service-based business and work from home.

Before joining Acadium, I had taken several online courses about running an online business, design, tech, social media management, and more.

However, even with so much knowledge, I still had major impostor syndrome!

When I found Acadium, I knew that it was going to be a great opportunity to finally put my skills and knowledge to the test, and learn first-hand what it was like to work with someone online.

Who did you apprentice with and what skills did you gain?

My mentors were:

• Renee Dominguez, Founder of Empowered LeadHERship;
• Jo Ebisujima, Owner of Jojoebi;
• Niki Worden-Elkins of The Scientrest;
• Elva Li, Owner of Elva Li;
• Sam Bearfoot, CEO of Making Visibility Effortless; and
• Caroline Depalatis, Founder of YourGlobalFamily.

From my apprenticeships, I learned more about brand creation, email marketing, social media, SEO, website design, e-commerce, paid advertising, graphic design.

I also gained experience in market research, content marketing, marketing automation, marketing analytics, online course set up, chatbot set up, CRM set up, and more!

How much experience did you have before your apprenticeship and what were your key takeaways after you completed it?

I had zero formal experience with digital marketing before my apprenticeships! I had a bit of knowledge from the online courses that I had taken and from helping family and friends manage business pages.

Doing my apprenticeships definitely solidified and further developed my skills. Receiving great feedback from my mentors gave me so much confidence!

They made me realize that I can do so much, and that I truly can help other online entrepreneurs with my online business!

I would say that the skills that I have developed the most are design, content creation, and social media marketing.

My mentors were also kind enough to share their own experiences about running and managing their online businesses. They gave me practical advice and were always generous in sharing their time, knowledge, and resources.

The guidance they gave me is truly priceless!

I’m really grateful that I found mentors who genuinely wanted to support me in my journey as an online entrepreneur like them.

Can you share your top tip for Acadium students who want to secure an apprenticeship?

1. Make a decision to commit.

If you want to secure an apprenticeship on Acadium to fast-track your learning and experience, you need to be committed. Show businesses and potential mentors your desire to learn, help, and follow through!

2. Great communication is ALWAYS key.

When reaching out to potential mentors, personalize your messages and ask how you can help them. You can also tell them about your own goals and why you want to be their apprentice!

In my experience, my Acadium mentors were very generous in sharing their knowledge and wisdom about running a business and helping me with mine.

3. Enjoy the experience! :)

What are your favorite marketing tools?

For communication, I love using Slack! It’s easy to use. It’s also easy to track and organize conversations.

For design, my favorites are Canva and Adobe Applications.

For scheduling posts on social media, Later and Planoly for Instagram, Tailwind for Pinterest, Buffer and Facebook Creator Studio for Facebook.

Lastly, for organization, I love using Asana and Clickup!

What is your dream job?

I’m happy to say that I already landed my dream job! Having my own online business has given me the lifestyle and financial freedom that I’ve always wanted.

Acadium was definitely one of the stepping stones that helped me get to where I am now!

I’m really thankful for the opportunities it gave me to learn from and connect with online business owners/mentors — most of whom are now my clients.

What’s next for you?

I plan to continue growing and scaling my online business as well as improving my skills to be able to help more online entrepreneurs!

If you’re ready to start building your dreams and making them happen, Acadium can help! Sign up at Acadium.com or download the app for iPhone and Android and start searching for an apprenticeship today!