Intro: [00:00:07] Coming to you live from the Business RadioX Studio in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:17] Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today on the show, we have the owner of a social media agency who helps small business owners make the most out of their time to optimize the amazing outreach of social media. Welcome to the show, Libby with The Crucial Social. Hello.

Libby: [00:00:43] Hello. Thanks for having me.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:45] Sure. Thanks for coming to the studio. I’m excited to talk to you. Um, one of the things that I think is very cool about you is that you are using social media to promote your business about social media. That’s. I mean, it’s working because that’s how I found you.

Libby: [00:00:59] That’s so funny you say that. I think a lot of people in my industry, we kind of just let our social media, like, fall on the back end because we’re so busy with everybody else’s. Um, and I kind of have let mine fall in the back in the last few months. So it’s good to hear that you saw me on social. I did, so it’s still working. It’s fantastic.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:17] I know right. It’s proof positive. Yes. Cool story. Cool backstory about your story of having your company is that it got started during the pandemic, which a lot of companies and businesses did not survive. But you like powered through. Can you tell me your your story?

Libby: [00:01:35] Oh, gosh. Um, do you want the longer the short version.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:38] Whichever one you like.

Libby: [00:01:40] Um, so I think my journey was kind of a it was a long journey of me just kind of having different little things that happened. And eventually I kind of put two and two together and was like, oh my gosh. Um, so just like a series of little things, I was working in vet med and I love animals. I loved being in vet med. However, the pandemic was extremely difficult in that field. Um, that field is pretty difficult regardless. And we were one of the few animal hospitals in the area that didn’t close down that was still seeing new patients. So we were very, very busy. And in the middle of that, my husband decided to quit his job and start a business.

Sharon Cline: [00:02:23] It was while you both are so brave.

Libby: [00:02:25] Oh, he’s brave. I’m just kind of flying on his coattails most of the time. He kind of came home one day and was like, I quit my job, but like, don’t freak out. And then he just paused and I was like, whoa, what? Um, anyway, so yeah, so he started a business. And that’s kind of how I started thinking about social media marketing. That was the first thing I did for him. Like, that was just the first thing that came to my brain. Right. Okay, well, we’re going to start you a Facebook page. You have no budget, you have no marketing. You have nothing but this idea in your head. And through that experience with helping him start that, I met a lot of local business owners. But we also had honestly, in my opinion, anyway, like pretty good success with his business, like within, you know, a few months to a year, he was getting orders from around the country. He was having brands reach out and all we were doing was Facebook and it was all organic. There wasn’t paid ads. We were just kind of posting and learning what people liked to see. And it really kind of formed his business. And with the connections I was making in the community with trying to not work him in the area, um, I was realizing, you know, a lot of people were just flabbergasted, like, oh my gosh, like, what are you guys doing? And we’re like, Facebook. I don’t know, like and I just, I kind of saw a hole there that I wanted to fix and kind of help people because we had just good, good experiences with it. Um, so after some time and kind of being in vet med and being tired, and as much as I loved my job, it was just a lot. And I was just kind of, you know what? I like this thing. I think I can do it. So with the community around, it seemed like a good fit. And once I made that decision fully and committed to it, it’s just been nothing short but amazing. It’s been great.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:11] I love the name.

Libby: [00:04:12] Oh.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:13] You know, it’s got that. What? It’s not alliteration. I can’t remember what it’s called. Got something? It’s got like that. Just the crucial social totally makes sense. It’s easy to say. It’s fun to say.

Libby: [00:04:22] That’s so funny. Thank you for saying that. There was definitely a few names, because when you register, you have to submit a couple. And I recently went back and found some of my old names. I was like, oh God, those were so bad. I’m so glad that that one was the one I chose and it was available. Uh, thanks.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:36] Sure. You know, online is kind of perfect to be able to work from home during the pandemic and really start to build something that doesn’t require you to be in front of other people. I mean, it was kind of a perfect timing, I suppose.

Libby: [00:04:48] Yeah, it’s funny, looking back at it, I’m realizing everything was kind of falling into place, even if it didn’t seem like it at the time. I think the pandemic really created and paved the way for social media marketing from an organic standpoint. Way more than it was before, and even just starting businesses like online businesses in general, like the pandemic, was a really big contributor to that. Honestly, being able to just start something online, you know, no money, just starting it and doing it because you had the time available and being able to build it was. I mean, I’m not going to say it was great because the pandemic was a terrible. But it’s it’s changed a lot for sure. Absolutely.

Sharon Cline: [00:05:28] I was thinking about how many companies and businesses out there during the pandemic didn’t have the opportunities to advertise like they normally would. In other words, um, being out amongst public people and having specials at their restaurant or whatever, it was the natural way that people or even on billboards, people weren’t even leaving their houses. So having something online is just kind of so them, I’m sure they turn to you and were like, help, you know, how do you how can I help build my business while I’m not even out really doing my business?

Libby: [00:05:59] Yeah, it was definitely a wake up call. I think there were a lot of businesses that just kind of pushed online marketing and social media to the side. Like even though everyone says you need to be on it, you know, my business is fine, I don’t need it. And then all of a sudden, that’s really one of your only options to make a giant pivot into that. Um, yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:06:20] So in getting started with your business and you did go to school, you went to, um, you have a degree in what did you tell me? It was.

Libby: [00:06:30] Uh, graphic design.

Sharon Cline: [00:06:30] Graphic design? I was like, design, but it wasn’t just design. It was graphic design, which I, um, I know, like you were saying, can lend to what you’re doing right now, but becoming kind of your own business owner, you know, there’s a lot of steps and things that you that someone who’s out there who may have been considering doing something like this, you know, doesn’t really know what the average steps would be. So what was it like for you to go through from start to now, getting your business going?

Libby: [00:06:58] There was a lot of learning. There was a lot of pivots, honestly, when I started and kind of got the bug of seeing my husband start his business and just having the time, freedom and the mental freedom to fully focus on the thing and build something. Um, I originally thought I was just going to be a VA, like a virtual assistant. I was kind of leaning into that. Um, I even bought a course to help me start, and it kind of laid out, you know, how to register your business and all these things. And I did start networking and actually start my business originally as a VA. Wow. Uh, agency, which I totally forgot about until just now.

Sharon Cline: [00:07:36] I was going to say that’s actually very clever timing too, for that. Yeah.

Libby: [00:07:39] No, it was it was all the rage. And people I mean, people still don’t know what a VA is, but, um, it was definitely something that was getting popular because of the pandemic. And I’m an organized person. I like doing, you know, kind of reception things. Um, but a lot of people didn’t know what that was. And I really had a hankering with my husband’s business, with the social media. And so there was a lot of time that went by and a lot of things I tried to do, um, that I think ultimately it was just very clear now that I’m looking back at it, that VA was the wrong thing to try and be doing, like the real calling and the real thing I needed to be doing was social media. Um, again, it’s but it’s trial and error, you know, you don’t know until you just keep trying different things. Um, something I tell myself often, like one of my mantras is, um, you don’t fail until you stop trying. Um, because even if you are supposedly, you know, quote unquote failing at what you’re doing, it might not be the right thing that you’re trying to do. And there’s something else better out there. You just have to be open to pivoting for it. And, um, so I will say it’s not a linear line. It’s not even a slow like curve up line. It’s just a weird circle of diagonals, like.

Sharon Cline: [00:08:50] Up and down and backwards and forwards.

Libby: [00:08:52] Yes. Um, but it’s um, I mean, it’s interesting. There’s never a dull moment. There’s never a boring day. Yeah. Um, but it’s definitely like a journey. And it’s a journey you have to learn to appreciate. The destination is not even that important once you get started.

Sharon Cline: [00:09:09] It’s fascinating to me how much social media drives everything. I have a picture that I actually took a screenshot of, um, regarding advertising and I thought, wow, this is fascinating. 55% of people. This is according to a 2023 article. Um. I’m looking to see. Uh, I don’t even have the official, like, website that I got this from. However, it looks legit. It was 55% of people learn about brands from social media, which is more than half the average internet user spends 397 minutes per day online, with much of that on social media sites. And 79.7% of people make purchases based on online or social media advertisements. That’s such a high percentage. That was shocking to me. And it’s I think I fall victim to it all the time, but I thought that was interesting.

Libby: [00:10:03] Yeah, it’s one of those things you don’t realize it until you’re in it and you’re analyzing it kind of similar to what you were telling me earlier, with the design and the colors and the psychology behind that, um, being able to be on the business side of it, it’s absolutely mind blowing what’s actually going on on the social media sites for business. And it’s something you don’t think about as the normal social media consumer, and maybe even you might buy 1 or 2 things. But if everybody is buying 1 or 2 things a week, that adds up to a lot.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:35] I bet it does. And also, I was thinking about the different kinds of businesses that would come to you to have your, their, your marketing expertise. And so it’s not just a product oftentimes. Right. It’s a service.

Libby: [00:10:49] Yeah, I think most of my clients honestly are service based. I think we’re definitely getting into an era in social media. You know, the pandemic’s died down. Um, we’re we’re we seem back to normal. So the normal kind of dancing or product advertisements, like the normal ways for you to advertise on social is no longer really converting as well. As soon as people think they’re being sold to, they swipe, they’re done. Um, so yeah, a lot of my clients are service based. Honestly, a lot of it is about awareness and kind of setting them up to be maybe different in their niche. And I think there are a lot of service based industries that think that way, like, oh, social media, you have to have a product, it has to sell online like e-commerce. But honestly, I don’t feel like that’s the case at all. There’s so much room to just kind of build trust and put awareness out there for your brand. Um, I think any person that has a service based industry, honestly, a lot of your competitors are probably not doing the social media marketing, and it gives you a leg up for sure. I mean, you just said how many people are on there all the time. That’s how many people you could be talking to, you know, just without doing anything.

Speaker3: [00:11:58] Do you think there’s.

Sharon Cline: [00:11:58] A reluctance, um, to use social media? Um.

Speaker3: [00:12:03] Why do you.

Sharon Cline: [00:12:04] Think they want to do they the people who are reluctant, what do you think they would naturally want to do?

Libby: [00:12:09] Oh, naturally. I think it’s more old school stuff. Um, you know, let’s get in a magazine, let’s get in a flier. Let’s maybe do some, like, geo fencing. Um, but it’s more direct ads, like, let’s make an ad that says buy my thing. Um, there’s. Which is fine. Um, I just, I with organic social. It definitely. You have to be a little bit more creative. I always say people don’t like getting on social to be sold to. So you have to be in that space of being knowledgeable and aware of your service or product in a way where people are like, I like her, she’s cool. I’m going to go buy that deodorant. Like I like what she said about that. I relate to that type thing. Not a this deodorant is so great. Five stars because x, y, Z. Nobody likes those when they’re scrolling on Facebook, you know? Um, so it’s just I think it’s just out of the norm. It’s a totally different way to think about marketing in general. And it’s it’s hard to kind of transfer your train of thought when you’ve been doing it one way for so long, especially industries that are so developed in how they advertise, like the trades and stuff. Like a lot of times they have it really mapped out, like they know that they’re doing Google ads, they know that they’re doing these neighborhoods magazines. Like, they have it pretty strategically laid out and planned out, and it’s just a completely different way of thinking about business.

Sharon Cline: [00:13:30] I was looking up some of the, um, social media ad campaigns that have done really well in the past, and one of them was dove, and I watched, um, like, there’s a little video that shows how they were encouraging people to submit their own photos of some of the things that they’ve done with, like a hashtag that, that, um, tagged dove in it. And fascinatingly, I mean, it did it amazingly well because you’re not being sold to you’re being encouraged to participate. And the next thing you know, your brain is kind of wired to start noticing more dove products or dove things. And there’s an investment that you’ve, I guess, made for yourself. And then you’re almost like a loyal customer to something you hadn’t even bought yet. Yeah. You know, but but you participated in advertising. And I just think that’s so interesting. It’s so different.

Libby: [00:14:20] No, it’s so different. Like, there’s just a lot of community building on there, and there’s so many different ways to try and build that community and build that trust and those relationships just. Posting a post and writing something, not even having a direct conversation. Uh, it’s it’s interesting. I think a lot of people don’t realize that you can create loyal people without having to sit and talk with them face to face, not that face to face conversations are out or not helpful. They are. But they’re like, that is that’s happening. It’s happening. Like you can get brand loyalty through those. Like it’s amazing.

Sharon Cline: [00:14:55] Who’s your ideal client? Like who? Who kind of works best with you?

Libby: [00:14:59] I really should have been more prepared for that question.

Sharon Cline: [00:15:01] Um, no. I throw them out there. I’m coming from left field. Nothing is linear either. My brain works in an interesting way.

Libby: [00:15:11] Um, my ideal client, honestly, I am. I’m pretty niche down. Like, I really want to focus on small businesses. Um, I’ve decided that, like, I don’t really want to work with larger corporations or or larger businesses, but ideally, the clients that I, I end up working with really well and having a great time is people that are open minded to the idea. They’re not afraid to try something, but they’re also willing to be authentically themselves when they show up. Um, and just kind of play around with it and have fun. Because honestly, if you’re having a good time, like connecting and creating the content, it does so much better. Um, so like you have to be open minded and a little bit willing to put yourself out there to get to that point. Um, but it’s really for me, I’ve noticed it’s about the person, not necessarily the industry that they’re in. And that could change as I go on. But right now it’s more about being able to enjoy who I’m working with and the content that we’re putting out there.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:12] Is there anything that you’ve done that you just think this is exactly why I do this, why I’m in this industry, and how this makes me so happy to see this campaign do well, even if it’s not an official campaign. But like an ad that you worked on, is there something that stands out for you?

Libby: [00:16:28] Um, honestly, it’s not like a particular thing. It’s just a, like a, like a time lapse of things, you know, working with clients, like even just just consulting for a few months and then seeing their seeing them post consistently and seeing them kind of change how they do it and seeing more people engage and seeing them show up more confidently because they’re getting a little bit more comfortable and more used to it. Like, I love seeing that. Like I love being able to scroll through and be like, oh my gosh, Sarah did this. Like, this is great. Like, I love what how she did this. She put together so well. Like that’s I enjoy doing that so much. Like that’s really the biggest reward for me.

Sharon Cline: [00:17:01] Is there an aspect of your personality that you think lends really well to this industry? I mean, you’re young, which is perfect because, you know, older people like me. The challenge is more like what social media? Like I was saying earlier, I like TikTok, are such a struggle for me. It’s easy to make a reel. I’ve done it, but I don’t like. It’s just not my I don’t know, I don’t know what to say.

Speaker3: [00:17:25] Nobody thinks.

Libby: [00:17:26] About it. The only it’s interesting, I was talking to somebody about that earlier. She’s like a photographer and she’s like, I just, I forget to get, you know, the behind the scenes stuff. I’m just not thinking about it. I’m like, you’re not thinking about it because your job is not to be a content creator. For Instagram, your job is to do photography for your clients. So like there shouldn’t I feel like there’s kind of this idea that we all have to be perfect at getting videos of ourselves all the time. That’s not really realistic. A lot of the people that you see that do that, that’s what they do for a living. They’re content creators. They get paid by brands to do that. Um, I’m sorry, what was the question? I went off on a tangent.

Speaker3: [00:18:01] Oh.

Sharon Cline: [00:18:01] That’s okay. Uh, what aspects of your personality that make this, like, really work for you? Um. You’re creative.

Speaker3: [00:18:08] Clearly.

Libby: [00:18:08] I’m definitely creative. I grew up in a very creative household, but I also was, um, I think I was I was definitely shy as a kid, and my parents were not. And I think it gave me a lot of opportunity just to kind of watch social interactions and see how people just kind of watching the whole social thing go on. I was not a social person until apparently recently. Now I’m called a bubbly person, which is very interesting to me. Um, but I think it’s given me a lot of insight on just understanding how those conversations go, because that’s kind of what we’re trying to accomplish on social media is just an authentic conversation, right?

Speaker3: [00:18:44] Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:18:44] You’re right. It’s like you were saying not to be pandered to, but actually to be engaged with, which poses its own challenge when you’ve got a screen or a phone or whatever in front of you. But, um, I always ask clients this because TikTok is a big thing. And so how how important are you finding TikTok to be? I have I have bought several things that I’m like, this looks amazing. And now I have like a rule for myself that if I like something, then I save it and then go back to it if I want to later, but not to just, I mean, yeah, because, you know, how many lipsticks do I need?

Speaker3: [00:19:20] Or lip glosses.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:20] Or whatever else product or scrub Daddy’s, which I love. Okay. Go ahead.

Libby: [00:19:25] Um, honestly. So I started almost two years ago now, and I wanted to, um, how do I put this and my industry, there’s a lot of people that do everything, and then you kind of get into it and you realize they know maybe 1% of everything, because there’s a lot to digital media and digital marketing 100%. There’s so much. So when I started, I didn’t want to be spread out. I wanted to do one thing really well. And so I, um, I just decided I was going to really just focus on Facebook and Instagram, and that was going to be my thing. I didn’t have a lot of people around that were I mean, it was hard to talk them into doing reels, let alone getting on TikTok. You know, a lot of as soon as I say TikTok, it’s I’m not dancing.

Speaker3: [00:20:09] You know, like, okay, I’m not going to make you dance. But, um, there.

Libby: [00:20:12] Hasn’t been a lot of interest from clients. But I will say recently, this past year, with the research that’s come out and the analytics, TikTok is not going anywhere. I know there’s a lot of political things that were going on too, which was kind of part of why I was like, uh, if it’s gone away, then I’ve wasted so much time learning about it. Um, I think it’s definitely coming on the up and up for sure. They actually did a study recently. It came out at the beginning of the year, but they pretty much said TikTok was the number two search engine, and that was across all generations across all platforms. So it was like Google, TikTok, YouTube. So with that in mind, it’s like, hmm, I definitely should be on TikTok if I have something that people are directly searching for. Um, so that those are conversations I’ve definitely had this year with clients and potential clients. Um, being able to start incorporating that because I think it’s definitely getting more important.

Sharon Cline: [00:21:09] What would you say? That is something that you think the average person who is considering advertising and social media doesn’t know. Because when you’re talking about analytics, um, you have a lot of statistics to back up why it works. So I’m thinking that that’s something that someone out there I wouldn’t have known that TikTok was the number two search engine.

Speaker3: [00:21:32] I wouldn’t that’s a shock.

Sharon Cline: [00:21:33] Yeah, but how important is that to know? So I’m wondering if those are the kinds of things that you feel like people need to understand is how powerful that is?

Libby: [00:21:40] Yeah, 100%. I think people underestimate it still. And I don’t want to say everybody needs to be on social because again, it’s your business. It depends on what level you’re at and what you’re able to do. But I will say there is no other free place for you to directly advertise to as many people as social media, 100% like it’s a free platform. You don’t have to pay for ads. You can be on there and promoting your business. It just takes a little bit of time and takes a little bit of know how. Um, and you can do it yourself like it’s a free resource that people can use. So it’s kind of it’s a no brainer for me to just be on there and be available. Even if, you know, people are searching for you on Google, they’re still going to check you out on Facebook to get to that next layer. You know, they’re all they always are. It’s like I tell people and they’re like, what page should I be on? Like, well, what’s your customer and what’s their journey to get to you? Because if they’re searching you on Google and then they’re double checking you on Facebook, then what you put on there is going to be different than if they’re discovering you on Facebook, you know, or searching you on TikTok. Um, so there’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s just it’s there. It’s a free resource. Like use it.

Speaker3: [00:22:54] Yeah.

Libby: [00:22:54] Really use it to help yourself. It’s not going to harm you in any way to be on there.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:59] Do you ever pay for advertising? Have you do you need to? I don’t know how important that is.

Libby: [00:23:04] Um, I, I focus on content and organic, so I don’t do paid advertising for my business. I play around enough to be dangerous with my husband’s stuff. Um, and I’ve kind of learned a lot from that. But I will say ads is it’s a whole different side. I feel like organic is a lot more. Well, there is analytics and data. There’s a lot more creative side to it. Um, ads. There’s a lot of there’s a lot of data. There’s a lot of numbers, um, and psychology behind it a little bit more. And that’s just not my strong suit. But I will say ads are great. They can help. But definitely no no. And trust to your paying to do the ads or um, creating the ads because there are a lot of ways that these platforms do try and take advantage of you from that field as a business owner. Um, because there’s just different ways of doing it. But like, you know, boosting posts, I know some business owners, it’s and it prompts you to write. It’s like, hey, do you want to boost this post? It’s doing pretty well. That boosted post. You’re going to be paying more for that and probably getting less results because there’s less that you’re able to, um, select on who it goes to as opposed to actually creating a full ad and saying, I want to target this neighborhood and this type of person in this neighborhood that makes this much, you know, like you can qualify your client a little bit more if you actually create the ad. Um, but it can get it can get pricey, it can get dicey.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:32] I can only imagine. I was speaking to another social media person a couple of years ago, um, about how there are ways that the analytics will show you whether someone accessed your website through a phone or a tablet or a computer, and then the times that they do so that you can maximize when you want to put an ad out, you know, so it’s so nice to be able to have that all of that access right there at your fingertips to be able to, like you said, maximize the the amount of time that you’re spending trying to get people to go to your site.

Libby: [00:25:08] It’s great. And then it’s like overwhelming almost. Well, like as as a business owner, you know, if that’s what you’re doing and you’re trying to look at, look at all your numbers and see what time it was, and then recalibrate everything while you’re also running the business. It gets a lot. But yeah, there’s so many tools. I mean, Instagram, you can go to each post on Instagram and you can see, um, which like where they saw that post on Instagram, whether they saw it on their home feed, whether they saw it on your profile. So they had to find your profile, or maybe they saw it on their discovery page, like it’ll tell you where they saw that post. So like that can kind of help you understand where are these views coming from, or am I coming up on their discovery page, or are they just seeing me on their feed because it was suggested, um, you can see how many people saw it that followed you versus non followers that saw it and how many people followed you from that post. So there’s a lot of analytics. Um, I will say organic is a little bit different compared to maybe paid ads because you can’t necessarily. Directly measure a direct conversion for a sale. Unless you have a Instagram shop or TikTok shop, you know they can bounce around on organic for a long time before they actually buy. So I will say that’s one thing about organic that I think is a little bit hard or a deterrent for people making. The investment is it’s you really can’t measure a direct ROI beyond the the analytics that the platforms have, if that makes sense.

Sharon Cline: [00:26:36] It does, it does. I was thinking as well how challenging it all is because it’s 24 seven. You don’t get a break, not only as a business owner, but just as you’re looking for your clients. It’s always being churned out and and worked through. In other words, not every ad I’m going to see the same ones as I go on Instagram or Facebook. And so if I miss a certain window, well, then maybe I just miss that one, you know, because, you know, it’s unless you’re up 24 over seven looking at everything, I’m sure it’s constant barrage of other companies putting their content out as well.

Libby: [00:27:13] Yeah, it’s uh, it’s definitely a lot. It never stops. And that’s part of why, at least for me. I try to understand my clients but understand my clients clients, because that gives you way more information and you’re going to hit it. You’re going to hit the mark a lot better than somebody who’s just, oh, these are the most general active times. Well, no, these are the most active times in topics for this particular type of person. Um, so that helps a little bit. I think the more research you do, you can do a lot better with posting and kind of get ahead of the game with maybe the other competition. That’s just kind of throwing money at it and covering all bases, if that makes sense.

Speaker3: [00:27:51] It does. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:52] How do you balance your life with your you just start laughing. Lots of people in this studio struggle with the same thing, you know, how do you balance being a business owner and, and kind of keeping things from becoming 24 over seven for yourself?

Libby: [00:28:10] Yeah, it’s a journey for sure, especially when you’re new and you’re starting. There’s kind of a an ideal of, you know, well, it’s new. I have to prove myself. I have to do all this and be available all the time. Um. It’s a journey, I guess.

Speaker3: [00:28:27] I mean, I’m pretty good.

Libby: [00:28:28] Like, um, after a few months of being in business, like, my phone’s notifications turn off after seven. And so, um, unless you’re immediate family, I won’t get it. Um, I’ve definitely gotten to the point of including in contracts and just ways I communicate with clients like we’re talking on this one platform. These are my business hours. Um, you know, this is not an emergency. This is what an emergency would look like. And in that case, you can call me. Um, so I think just kind of clarifying with clients what to expect and what I’m available for. And I mean, at first it’s rough because you you feel bad, you want to do everything, but you have to understand that there has to be a little bit of a balance, because if you’re running 24 over seven, you’re not giving enough quality to your clients. So, um, sometimes you have to go through that experience to understand it. Um, but yeah, just and again, I think surrounding yourself with people that fill your cup, um, so even if you are busy seeing people, it’s people that make you feel better. They fill your cup. So, um, it’s just it’s helpful. Community is a big thing, I think. For sure.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:32] I like that you are talking about managing expectations, because how do you know unless you have it really clear?

Speaker3: [00:29:38] Yeah.

Libby: [00:29:39] And even sometimes people don’t read the contracts and you still have to. I learned a lot through experience. I will say I was lucky enough to, uh, collab with like a local digital marketing agency when I started. And so she had a lot of clients that I was doing social media for. So I learned a lot very quickly. Um, and some of that was managing expectations and client communication. So I’m super thankful for that experience because I learned a lot. I learned a lot.

Speaker3: [00:30:07] In a short amount of time.

Sharon Cline: [00:30:10] What would you say is something that really surprised you about this industry or being a small business owner?

Speaker3: [00:30:17] Um.

Libby: [00:30:18] I will say, um, my husband says this a lot. It’s surprising how easy it is to cover that minimum wage paycheck that you were worried about covering before. Um, I came from a family of entrepreneurs, for sure, and. Saw it was difficult. Sometimes I’ll say it that way. So growing up, I was very much have to have a job, like going to work hourly, like going to find something I like doing and just get really good at it and do annual hourly. Like there was no other thought in my mind I was going to do anything different. And of course, my husband is an entrepreneur and his heart, and he obviously made the decision and I just had to kind of roll with it. Um, but that was something that was super surprising to me, being able to see. Not that it’s not difficult because it is difficult. It never stops. But the money for me, it was, I mean, and we were not making a lot of money. We were making like minimum wage. So it was easy for us to be able to cover what we were making. And it was like, oh, wow. So this is actually doable. Um, how else can we make this better and like, keep doing it? You know.

Sharon Cline: [00:31:27] That’s exciting, though, because there are so many people out there that listen that have an idea. But, you know, yeah, life and just bills and family and pressure. Yeah. Um, stops people from making that kind of leap. So I will.

Libby: [00:31:43] Say I definitely noticed a shift. There was two times. The first time was when I quit my job and decided to go full time because before it was like, oh, I’ll do it on the side. And then when I start covering my income, then I’ll quit. And I mean, kudos to people that can do that. I could not do that. Like I was so distressed out, like working 11 12 hours and coming home and having to work more on top of life and pets and everything like that was intense. But as soon as I just kind of, you know, said it out loud and was like, I’m quitting, I’m committing to this. It was like everything kind of fell in place. Like, and I tell people, like, the universe conspires with you, not against you. So when you kind of make that mentality and you set that out, it’s so funny how everything just kind of falls and it’s like, whoa, that wasn’t as terrible as I thought, you know? Like I made it. I’m on the other side of the bridge. Awesome.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:38] But that was like a ginormous bridge. It was.

Speaker3: [00:32:40] A ginormous bridge, and it.

Libby: [00:32:42] Was terrifying walking over it. But we made it to the other side, and, um, and it’s like, oh, that was a cool experience. Like, what’s the where’s the next one? You know.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:50] How can we do this again? Or how can we grow? That’s what’s so exciting to me is like you, you actually get to see the growth and you’re you’re doing what I always call like the American dream. You know, here’s my business that I want to start, and then you do. And there’s so many resources that are helpful to do it, like even setting up an whatever business name you have or state of Georgia, all of the things that I had to do for my voice over business, same thing. I didn’t know what I was doing. So just basic Google like, how do you do this? And there’s just kind people in the world that make an article or a video to show you what to do. So it’s it’s it is doable. Yeah. But what would you is there anything that you’re not afraid of anymore now that you’ve, you’ve seen success? Um.

Libby: [00:33:34] I think I’m less afraid of showing up online, for sure. I think that was, um, scary to start my own pages and show up and, you know, get the photography done, and, um, your website’s beautiful.

Speaker3: [00:33:47] Thank you. Yeah.

Libby: [00:33:47] A shout out to Kaitlyn Debs, who did my photography. She does amazing work. Um, she helped me a lot, but I think just showing up online, I used to get so nervous and anxiety hitting that post button, and now it’s just like, whatever. You know, if it flops, I learn something. And then if it didn’t, I learn something. So we’re just, you know, we’re just going to do it and see what happens. Um, but it’s also, you know, it it pays off. Right? Because you’re not the first person to tell me the last couple of weeks that the online stuff, like, looks good and it’s informational and all that stuff. So like, it’s it’s good to know that that’s that’s out there and helping and it’s hearing that makes it less scary. Right? It’s like my efforts were not in vain. So that was definitely probably a big thing.

Sharon Cline: [00:34:30] So part of that is the is just being brave enough to fail, right?

Speaker3: [00:34:36] Oh yeah.

Libby: [00:34:36] Like you have to know you’re going to suck. Like if you scroll down to like my first few posts on Instagram, they are rough. But I’m also not going to get rid of them because it showcases my journey. Um, but it’s yeah, you have to be willing to be bad to get good 100%. And I think if you come at it with that mentality, it kind of changes everything too. And also just kind of a learner’s mentality. Right? Like I think there’s definitely an ideal, like as a business owner, as an expert in something, you have to know 100% of the thing. And that’s actually not true. And I think anybody who acts or says that they do know, oh, I know 100% of this thing. They probably don’t because they haven’t been learning and updating themselves with the things that are changing.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:20] So it’s true, right? If someone says they know everything, it’s just their own little their little slice.

Libby: [00:35:26] Yes, they know a little bit of the slice that they that they know about. But everything is so changing and different all the time. Um, you have to kind of be okay. With having a learners mentality. I think that’s how you get better.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:40] I love that you frame it as look where I was, look where I am now. You know, it’s almost like the before and after. Okay, so the first book I did as an audiobook I cannot listen to because I am so much better now as far as the technique and like this, the things that I had in the background as far as like noise and I just, I have better equipment, I’m better. And and seeing where I was, I actually struggled to listen to it because I’m like, I would so do a better job. But it is important for me to just my own self to say, wow, look how far I’ve come and look what my standard is now. I didn’t even have a standard. I was just happy to get work.

Speaker3: [00:36:19] Yeah, exactly.

Libby: [00:36:20] I think we get in our heads a lot when we’re, you know, it’s been, oh, it’s been this long. Like I’m still doing the same thing. I’m not learning a lot. So being able to have those things that you did and look back at them, it’s like, oh wow. No, I’ve done so much. I’ve gotten so much better. I’ve learned so much. Like it’s definitely important to understand that so you can be like, okay, like I see I’ve grown. I’m going to keep growing. Let’s see what I sound like next year. You know, like, what’s that going to sound and look like?

Sharon Cline: [00:36:51] It is the journey as as like trite as that little phrasing, you know, enjoy the journey. But it really is because I if I knew better then I would have done better then. Yeah. So but I didn’t. So but that’s okay because I didn’t. How so? Yeah I appreciate that. Just reminder because it’s very easy for me to, you know, look at the negatives.

Speaker3: [00:37:12] Yeah. Well and it’s.

Libby: [00:37:13] Easy on social to look like that to you know people want to personally brand or be this, uh, you know, banker that knows everything and has these viral reels and it’s I can guarantee you, whoever you think you’re looking at is on chapter like 500 out of your chapter five. And if you scroll down to their first TikTok or their first reel, it probably looked terrible.

Speaker3: [00:37:33] So and it’s probably.

Libby: [00:37:34] Been a few years since then.

Speaker3: [00:37:35] So actually, a really good point.

Libby: [00:37:37] Yes, I mean, I we compare ourselves so often to things that look and seem like they’re authentic and not sage or not produce, and they are most of the time they are. So it’s just kind of understanding, like everybody starts from the bottom. There is somebody in my networking group the other day that said, um, he was dealing with a client that was doing the same thing, comparing himself to somebody else’s, like finished, like finished journey. And the guy was like doing what the guy said, but he was struggling to, like, get to that point that he was comparing himself to with the guy. And, um, the guy from my business group was just kind of like, you’re he’s not documenting his journey. He’s documenting his finished product like he’s on top of his hill now, and that’s what he’s doing. But that’s not what he was doing to get there. And I think especially with social media and content creators and influencers, like it might look like that’s their journey, but it’s not. Their journey was probably not as glamorous or interesting, like they’re very few people actually document the whole journey. So just kind of pay attention to that because that can really overwhelm people.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:47] Yeah, there’s a lot of drama out there.

Speaker3: [00:38:51] There’s so.

Libby: [00:38:52] Much drama.

Speaker3: [00:38:52] Yeah. Oh yeah, people are involved.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:55] There’s drama, you know? But um, you know, certain people that I follow on Instagram and, you know, they’ll do I won’t even know the back story, but I’ll just see the apology video and I’m like, oh my God, what happened? You know, and it’s out there because, you know, people make choices and they’re I’m sure if they knew better, they would do better. So yeah, watching people’s journeys, it does for my own self. It does require me to be willing to be humble. And that’s, that’s, you know, I want the professional side of me to lead. But it’s I’m certainly you’re right in that if I do show up at the studio sometime in sweatpants or because we were talking before the show, like there are cameras in here, and that’s like the next sort of frontier for us. I’m like, man, can’t wear my sweatpants. And Libby was like, well, it’s real. And that’s true. I mean, that’s today’s a sweatpants day. And it just is. But it’s kind of nice on radio. You have no idea. Yeah, I could look whatever. But yeah, I guess there’s relatability, which is nice. So, um, I’m sure that that there’s an element of that regarding social media marketing, but, you know, it’s you can contrive that, make that happen. Today is a sweatpant day when it really isn’t. But like it really would be. Yeah. For me.

Speaker3: [00:40:04] Yeah, 100%.

Libby: [00:40:05] I mean, social media, you know, it’s all about being social. It’s all about being authentic and making that connection and, and relatability. So I would tell you to have one like, you know, and just just do it, make it a thing and talk about it. It’s um, I mean, it’s your choice, but it’s it just kind of makes people connect with you more because they are going to have a sweatpant day, you know, like, that’s the thing, a thing. And we’re kind of breaking down those walls. I think with just the entrepreneurs and being able to start your businesses and doing it online. Doing it virtually or whatever, like being able to show up how you need to to be able to do your job, whatever that looks like, if that makes sense.

Speaker3: [00:40:42] It does.

Sharon Cline: [00:40:43] I like the idea of that connection, and I understand it in terms of efficacy of marketing, but I also like it. Um, obviously connecting is very important, but I, I like the idea of the relatability, like, oh, they’re just like me. It’s not like I have to be super special in order to have this product or whatever. It’s like a backwards way, almost of being interested in a product, which is so fascinating to me. All of it is really interesting. It’s like a whole different frontier. And I’m so glad you’re like on the front lines of it.

Speaker3: [00:41:18] It’s definitely it’s a.

Libby: [00:41:20] Different way of thinking. It’s kind of backwards. Yeah, it’s kind of backwards for sure. Like you’re kind of meeting people where their problem is and not asking if they have it. You’re just, yeah, I’m down here with you. Yeah. And this is what I’ve done or this is what I have that helped. And just that in itself, just that little post or conversation can do a lot.

Speaker3: [00:41:37] Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:41:37] Do you think you have a fearless formula? Do you think you have a way that you, a part of you can have that bravery to start your business like you did and and to continue on without even having it’s not like you had you went to school and made this big effort to have this degree, like you were just throwing yourself in and learning as you go.

Libby: [00:42:00] Um, I think I’ve thought about this a lot, actually, recently. Uh, I think a lot of it is just, well, one building trust with myself, but also trusting myself, you know, understanding that, you know, if it did all fall down, like, I, I could build something else, or I could make the sacrifice and go get something while I build something else. Like it’s not an end all be all. Um, but being able to trust my capabilities and my. Trust that I can show up and do it and know that if it’s something I don’t know, I can learn. If it’s something I don’t want to learn, like I have the confidence to say that and, you know, point them in the right direction. But, um, I guess it’s just trusting, trusting myself and, and faith, I guess a little bit like it’ll all kind of come how it’s supposed to. Um, but I’ve definitely so much has changed in the last two years compared to the five years where I was working somewhere I just kind of fell into, even though I liked it. Um, so that’s just shown. It’s just shown a lot.

Speaker3: [00:43:00] Honestly, I love that.

Sharon Cline: [00:43:02] Because I have anxiety issues. And so.

Speaker3: [00:43:06] Um.

Sharon Cline: [00:43:07] It didn’t sound like it just now. You did a good job. What I’m thinking is how much I worry. Well, if this doesn’t work, then what am I going to do? But having that belief that, well, I figured out how to do this part. You know, I do have a brain and I have resources, and I have people that would want to help me just having the faith that I will figure it out. Like, that’s the bottom line. I like that, and because it gives me peace, I don’t have to stress so much about something like, that’s an energy too. And I want to have more of like a peaceful, like it’s all going to be fine. And if this doesn’t work, I’ll figure it out. You know, I don’t always have days like that, but.

Speaker3: [00:43:42] No, I’m definitely.

Libby: [00:43:43] A planner. Like, don’t I definitely have lists upon lists and like four different planners and a bunch of different calendars. Like, I do like to have a plan of what am I going to do if this doesn’t work? But at the end of the day, you know, even on the way here, I was talking to my husband. He was like, what is she going to ask you? I was like, I really don’t know. I’m not prepared at all.

Speaker3: [00:44:03] You know, I didn’t give you my standard list.

Sharon Cline: [00:44:05] Of questions.

Speaker3: [00:44:06] Which is fine.

Libby: [00:44:07] Um, he was just like, are you like, are you okay? Like you didn’t you’re not prepared. And I was like, I mean, I’m going to figure it out, you know, like I’m going to be there. And I know like the the goal and the message and the audience. So like all that’s lined up. So it’ll it’ll be fine how it is. But I’m, I definitely enjoy having like, a contingency plan. Um, but a lot of times it’s not needed. And like, you get into those meetings and you kind of realize, oh, like, I understood this and I know more than I thought I did, even though I wanted to sit here and write up a whole a whole list and a whole audit, like I can just look at it and do it, you know, like being able to get yourself in those situations where you prove that to yourself and just building on that. It’s a huge thing.

Sharon Cline: [00:44:49] I love that. I love it because it reminds me too. These are always very important messages for me, because I get into my own head and forget the good.

Speaker3: [00:44:56] Who doesn’t?

Sharon Cline: [00:44:57] Yeah, but I really appreciate you kind of reminding me of some of the resources that I have just in my own self. Oh yeah. So I really just loved having you on the show. So exciting.

Speaker3: [00:45:07] I’m happy to be here.

Libby: [00:45:08] I had I’ve enjoyed talking with you.

Speaker3: [00:45:10] It’s been a good conversation.

Sharon Cline: [00:45:12] Thanks. Yeah I agree. Well, Libby, who who how can anyone get in touch with you? What’s the best way? I know you’re obviously a social media person, so.

Speaker3: [00:45:20] Yeah. So the best way.

Libby: [00:45:22] Is probably Instagram. Um, at the crucial social. Um, you can also message me on Facebook. Um, the crucial social, the crucial social all the way around. It’s the same everywhere. Um, but Instagram is usually what I’m on, what I’m looking at most. Um, send me a DM and, uh, slide slide into my DMs. Let’s have a.

Speaker3: [00:45:41] Chat.

Sharon Cline: [00:45:42] That’s how I found you.

Speaker3: [00:45:44] Yep.

Sharon Cline: [00:45:45] Well, thank you so much for coming on the show today, and I would love to have you back at some point and see, you know, what are some of the other changes that have happened in like, the next year or something? So, um, we’ll have to touch base again and, um, and see some of the other lessons that you’ve learned. And I really appreciate your being so candid with your journey. Um. Oh, I’m.

Libby: [00:46:06] Candid, I am.

Speaker3: [00:46:07] It’s the best. I’m a straight.

Libby: [00:46:08] Talker. My husband’s like, you’re too direct sometimes. Like, well.

Speaker3: [00:46:11] I don’t know. I think that’s going.

Libby: [00:46:12] To tell you how it.

Speaker3: [00:46:13] Is. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:46:13] To me, that’s like the I want everyone to kind of have get the message, you know, and not have it danced around. But this is what it was like, you know, so that it makes it real for somebody else to follow their dreams.

Speaker3: [00:46:23] Yeah.

Libby: [00:46:23] Just start. That’s why I tell people when they ask, like, just start. Trust me, it’ll all work out. But like, just start and be 100% awesome.

Sharon Cline: [00:46:32] Well, thank you so much.

Speaker3: [00:46:34] Thanks for having me.

Sharon Cline: [00:46:35] Sure. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Klein reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a good day.