Hi Shannon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When beginning my career, I never envisioned working for myself. I graduated from the University of Memphis with my BA and MA in Communication, with a focus in Community Relations. I had waited tables all through college at a local restaurant chain, and the summer after my first year in graduate school, I reached out to their Marketing Director and asked about an internship.
I became their first Marketing Intern, and that fall they hired me as their first part-time Marketing Assistant. Once I graduated, they created the position of Marketing and Events Coordinator for me, which I accepted as my first “big girl job”. I served in this role for four years, overseeing all communications for the company, setting up a Communication strategy, developing systems and timelines, and implementing many new initiatives. One of my favorite parts of the job was meeting so many unique and wonderful people in the Memphis community.
Over time, these people asked me to start helping with their business social media on the side. My very first freelance client was a company that one of the owners of my day job referred me to. From there, my side hustle grew by word of mouth. Two years later, I found myself working two full-time jobs: My day job and my freelancing job. I had to make a choice. In October 2015, on a leap of faith and a foundation of hard work, I left my full-time job to pursue my freelance career full-time.
I focused my business on working with Memphis small businesses and non-profits on marketing strategy, social media, public relations, email marketing, and blogging. I hired my first contractor after the first year, and now six years later, we’re a team of five passionate, hard-working, and talented individuals. As we have grown, I have even more exciting plans for the future!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road! No road to success ever is, in my opinion. When deciding to pursue freelance full-time, I was confident in the skills I needed to execute client campaigns. However, I had no idea how to run a business.
That was the biggest learning curve. Over time, I also had to spend time learning how I wanted to craft this business, what structures I wanted to set up, and how I wanted to run it for the long term. My previous restaurant experience helped me relate to clients and understand where they come from, but learning the nuances of each individual account and how I could best serve each one took time.
Alongside the technical struggles, I suffered a great deal of imposter syndrome. It’s still something I fight today. Knowledge, experience, and time have all helped grow my confidence.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My team and I create and execute marketing, public relations, and social media strategies for local Memphis businesses that create a positive impact in their community.
Memphis is an incredible city with a vibrant small business scene, and I specialize in telling the stories of these businesses and helping them connect with their community. Our knowledge and understanding of how the city operates and how Memphians think run deep. We know what makes them tick.
Specifically, we focus on marketing strategy, social media, public relations, email marketing, and website content and blogging campaigns. We pride ourselves on high-quality, consistent, reliable work. We work with clients where they are at, and we help them get to where they want to be. We understand that not every business is the same, so we work individually with each client to come up with a plan that is perfect for them. Then we have fun executing it!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Committing to promoting Memphis is more than implementing marketing campaigns for businesses. My team and I spend lots of time in the community volunteering for different non-profits, serving on boards, and doing pro bono work for those in need.
We love talking with interesting people, exploring neighborhoods, and getting to know the city on a micro-level. We also spend time enjoying everything the city has to offer: music, food, art, outdoors, and so much more. We believe these different aspects of what we do contribute overall to the quality and depth of care we put into the work we do.