If I’m Being Brutally Honest

If I’m being brutally honest, I would tell you that
I have failed more times than I have succeeded.If I’m being brutally honest, I would tell you that
I have more self-doubt than self-confidence.If I’m being brutally honest, I would tell you that I have said
“no” to opportunities because saying “yes” scared me.

Five years ago I was a stay-at-home-mom trying to start my own photography business. Photography was exciting, business was exhausting and foreign. I dove into every online marketing course, social media workshop, and small business class I could get my hands on. This education lead to a successful business, and eventually, a job as a marketing coordinator at a photography resource company.I loved my new career, but struggled to work for someone whose vision didn’t align with my own. After learning the in’s and out’s of marketing, I left my role to create my own business. Two months later, I was job hunting and stumbled upon a perfect job. I became the blog editor and product photographer for a creative company in the wedding industry. A few months later, I absorbed the social media strategist position, and quickly realized I found my calling.

A quick cross-country move took me away from this job, but I knew I wanted to do something on my own instead of searching for a new job. I used my blended skills to create The Inspired Editorial, an online publication that features creative entrepreneurs in all industries. This is when I joined a co-working space in my city’s downtown so I could reconnect with other business owners and creatives. The Inspired Editorial’s existence created fun speaking & networking opportunities with local creative geniuses. I loved the social aspect, but my passion for the actual business fizzled almost overnight.

This realization lead to me applying for “real jobs”. Applying for jobs is step 3 in my typical quitting cycle. Try, fail, bail, repeat. I found myself in the interviewing phase for a social media analyst position with a local marketing firm. Prepping for the interviews included tasks like earning my Google Analytics certification and chatting with my studio mates about social strategy. During one of these conversations, a friend asked how much I charged for social media consulting. This wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked about business consulting, but it was met with my typical answer, “I don’t do that.” A week later, I found out I didn’t get the job, and I knew in my heart it was time to explore the idea of offering consulting to small business owners.

If I’m being brutally honest, I would tell you that I leapt. I outlined my consulting services, created a business plan, bought a consulting contract and website domain, branded my business, and created a website within 30 days of not getting the job offer. And now I am announcing it to you.

If I’m being brutally honest, I would tell you that I still believe that I am meant for great things, despite my past failures and shortcomings.

Introducing: Social Strategy Co.

Social Strategy Co. helps small businesses grow by providing social media + marketing guidance. Elevate your business with marketing consulting, social media & blog management, and social media advertising. You can learn more about my services here.

What does this mean for The Inspired Editorial? Honestly, I am not sure. But while I am figuring it out, I am starting a new blog series called the Starting a Business Series. I will outline the entire creation of Social Strategy Co., from the process of naming the business to the amount of money I spent on branding. I want to share the vulnerable and relatable side of creating a business. So stay tuned for more information.