I've More Than Doubled My Social Media Consulting Business To $300K/Year [Update]
This is a follow up story for Social Media Manager Society. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 4 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
Almost four years ago, I took the plunge, quit my agency Director position, and started my own freelance social media consulting business and training business, the Social Media Manager Society. My business is half consulting, and half education to show other social media managers how they can do what I do!
On the consulting side of things, I love serving small businesses in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries all across the world, building their communities, and growing awareness on social media.
In the Social Media Manager Society, I teach women how to start, grow, and automate a successful social media freelance business so they can finally live the life of freedom they’ve always dreamed of.
I’m uniquely qualified to run the Social Media Manager Society because not only do I talk the talk, but I walk the walk. I have almost 15 years' worth of experience in social media, in agency, in-house, and freelance settings. I’ve helped agencies bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of client work.
I’ve helped clients achieve their growth and sales goals through social media. I’ve grown my own freelance business to a six-figure business in just over one year. So I know what it takes to be successful in this field. I also hold a master’s degree in secondary education, so I know a thing or two about creating lessons, teaching classes, and helping my students succeed.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 100 women, guiding them as they start and grow their businesses. It’s incredibly fulfilling to watch it happen and be a small part of helping them.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
Since 2020, my business on all sides has continued to grow. On the consulting side, I have only taken a handful of new clients, but I am still working with some of the same clients I have had since I first started. I am honored to continue working with such incredible clients and being a small part of their growth story.
When I started in 2020, I went from $0-$96k my first year. I very quickly broke that six-figure threshold in the second year. Now, I have done back-to-back years of almost $300k in consultancy revenue.
I’ve done so by maintaining strong working relationships with my existing clients, and by making them feel like they are seen, heard, appreciated, and respected. I send weekly notes to my clients, letting them know of a “win” we received on social media that week. I hold monthly calls with my clients, checking in and keeping them updated on their progress. I send quarterly reports so they know where we are and where we’re headed into the next quarter.
I celebrate little wins with clients - anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and more. I send small gifts during these times, just to know I am here and I respect them. It’s these little things that I am confident have allowed me to keep the clients I have had for many years. Because of this, I am also gaining a lot of clients through referrals from my existing clients, and that is how I have been able to continue to grow the consulting side of my business.
My goal is to keep my consulting business small. I don’t necessarily desire to grow into a large agency, so the size and client load I have now are ideal.
In the Social Media Manager Society, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 100 women, guiding them as they start and grow their businesses. It’s incredibly fulfilling to watch it happen and be a small part of helping them.
In 2023, I didn’t spend as much time on this side of the business as I would have liked. Personal issues plagued me in 2023 and my main goal was to stay afloat and get through each day as best I could. That did mean putting some things on the back burner if I could, and one of those things was marketing for the Society.
I have been working on expanding my educational offerings to individual digital offers, to better help as many women as I can. It will launch in 2024.
The best part about this business is that it’s just me. I do have a few consultants helping me here and there with a variety of things, but I am my only employee. It’s been incredible to be a part of!
I just want to continue to give myself grace. I am at a point where I don’t NEED to grow anymore. But if I do grow, I have the opportunity to help so many more people, both personally and professionally.
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
To be honest, the biggest challenges in the past year have all been personal. I had a personal illness, a major family illness that led me to be the main caretaker for a family member, as well as a death of a personal family member.
This was the first time in my life that I had gone through so much consistent grief and I wasn’t sure how to handle it all. As stated previously, my only goal was just to get through day after day as best as I could. I had to put certain things on the backburner - marketing for my course program being the biggest one.
I think it was one of the best decisions I could’ve made for myself at the time. I didn’t make as much money as I could have had I properly marketed it, but I still had multiple other income streams to fall back on.
Diversifying my business and my income streams was the best thing I could’ve done at the beginning of my business. This gives me the flexibility to live life if I need to.
But thankfully, all that is behind me and I look forward to a successful 2024!
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
One of my biggest lessons this past year has simply been grace. As said previously, this past year was an incredibly difficult one personally, due to health issues and family loss. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the things I want to do within my business, but sometimes, it’s just not possible.
One of the best (and sometimes worst) things about having my own business is that I’m on my own time. That gives me the grace to do the things I need to do in my personal life and not be so focused on growing when sometimes, all I need to be focusing on is surviving and thriving.
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
In the next five years, I’d love to reach one million dollars in my business as a whole. My goal is to improve my consultancy offers without adding too much additional work to my plate.
As a social media manager, there are a ton of different offerings I can provide to clients that don’t all include full management, such as content creation, done-with-you services, and VIP days. I plan on incorporating more of these offerings into my consulting business to increase revenue there without increasing too much work output.
My goal is to match my consulting practice income with these offerings in the next 5 years ($300k).
I’d love to help even more women start and grow their businesses, and I think my new offerings can assist with that. Through more strategic marketing (and quite frankly, more consistent marketing) I feel confident I can grow the Social Media Manager Society to exceed my consulting income. This is how I will achieve one million dollars in annual revenue in the next five years.
And, more than anything, I just want to continue to give myself grace. I am at a point where I don’t NEED to grow anymore. But if I do grow, I have the opportunity to help so many more people, both personally and professionally. That’s the attitude I’m taking into the next five years.
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
I have followed HerFirst100k and Your Rich BFF all year on social media and everything they do is so inspiring to help me grow! Highly recommend reading their blogs and Your Rich BFF’s new book.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
- Give yourself grace.
- Don’t be afraid to take risks and get your off your comfort zone. The best things are built in discomfort.
- Trust. Your. Gut.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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