When Mari Milenkovic launched With Mari in early 2025, it wasn’t her first ride in the entrepreneurial arena. She had already spent years building Her Brand & Co., where she and her co-founder empowered nearly 10 thousand entrepreneurs across 27 countries to create brands that radiated confidence and impact. But that was only the beginning.
With Mari is the next chapter—a high-touch marketing consultancy born from Mari’s passion for blending heart with strategy. Her mission? To equip female founders with the clarity, confidence, and strategic alignment they need to grow businesses they love. It’s the same formula that helped Mari herself find deep purpose and connection in her own work.
Here, Mari shares her journey through entrepreneurship—and the daily habits that keep her just as grounded and aligned as the clients she champions.
What core values guide your business? How do these principles reflect your personal values, and how do they influence your leadership?
I’ve learned that when a business aligns with your core values, everything changes. For me, those values are autonomy, adventure, and significance—and they shape how I help founders build businesses that honor both their ambition and their well-being. These aren’t just words I believe in; they’re principles I live by. I’ve built a life and business that reflect my love of exploration, along with my desire to do meaningful work.
As a leader, I bring both momentum and depth. I’m an activator who helps clients turn clarity into action, but I’m also always listening, evolving, and leading with empathy. Paired with my values, these traits influence how I show up as a strategic partner who moves things forward while staying grounded in what matters most to my clients.
Can you share a time when staying true to your mission or values required you to slow down or take a different path in your growth journey?
Choosing to sell my first company was a proud milestone and a deeply values-led decision. We had built something powerful with Her Brand & Co.—scaling our learning platform, landing major partnerships, and reaching thousands of women. But over time, I started to feel disconnected from the structure of the business. I craved a deeper connection to the work. My values were asking me to slow down and listen.
While the one-to-many model had incredible reach, I longed for the depth that comes from one-to-one work. Selling the business gave me the space to create something new. That something new was With Mari: a business rooted in personal connection, collaborative strategy, and sustainable growth. It was a shift from scale to depth, and it’s been the most aligned chapter of my journey so far.
Beyond financial success, what metrics or indicators do you track to ensure that your business growth aligns with your values?
I pay close attention to how my work makes people feel. One of the most meaningful metrics I track is the shift in my clients’ energy from the start of a session to the end. Many arrive feeling overwhelmed or unclear. I always close by asking how they feel—and if the answer is “aligned,” “confident,” “motivated,” or “clear,” that’s a win. It tells me we’re not just solving problems, but doing it in a way that feels grounded and supportive.
Another key indicator is that my business has grown entirely through referrals. Clients share my work with others because it genuinely made a difference for them. That kind of organic growth is a powerful reflection that I’m building something rooted in trust, alignment, and true impact.
How do you balance the demands of entrepreneurship with your physical and emotional health? What specific tools or practices have you integrated into your daily routine to maintain mental well-being?
For me, maintaining mental and emotional well-being isn’t about strict balance. Instead, it’s about integration. I’ve built a routine that supports me before the demands of the day begin: early mornings with coffee, reading, a walk, and time with my dog set the tone. Waking up at five a.m. might sound intense, but it gives me the space I need to do what fills me up so I’m not carrying resentment into the workday. I also weave in moments of joy throughout the day, whether that’s working from a café, stepping outside, or meeting a friend.
The ability to be flexible with my schedule is a huge part of this. If I can catch a midday workout or a walk between calls, I take it. I’ve learned that I won’t do everything every day, and that’s okay. Well-being moves like a pendulum, and I try to meet myself where I am.
Can you share a significant life event that profoundly changed your perspective on leadership? How has it inspired the way you lead?
Choosing to live nomadically changed how I think about leadership. Stepping away from the traditional expectations of where and how I should build a business gave me the freedom to reconnect with what really mattered. It taught me that leadership isn’t about fitting a mold or following a linear path. It’s about trusting your vision, embracing uncertainty, and creating space for others to do the same.
Living and working across different countries helped me become more adaptable, more present, and more empathetic. I lead differently now. I’m less focused on control and more focused on clarity and alignment. My decisions are rooted in values, not just strategy. I carry that mindset into every client relationship, encouraging founders to build businesses that support their lives, not the other way around.
“Leadership isn’t about fitting a mold or following a linear path. It’s about trusting your vision, embracing uncertainty, and creating space for others to do the same.”
What advice would you give to other women wanting to start or grow businesses in an intentional way?
You don’t have to do it alone. One of the biggest fallacies I see in entrepreneurship is the idea that you have to be great at everything —not just your area of expertise, but also marketing, finance, operations, etc. That mindset is exhausting and unrealistic. Surround yourself with people who complement your strengths. Build a small circle of founders you trust, lean on them, and let them lean on you.
Get an advisor early. Ask for feedback often. Even if you don’t know what kind of help you need, others will often see what you can’t simply because you’re too close to it. Intentional growth happens when you stop trying to do it all alone and start building support into your business from the beginning.
Mari is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.