This month marks a huge milestone for Serve Me the Sky Digital: we’ve officially been in business for five whole years! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years. I’m so grateful to be among the 50% that are still standing, especially after social and economic turmoil and personal life changes too.

In the past five years of growing my business, I’ve met some amazing people, taught engaging workshops, worked on massive global brands and tiny startups, and learned a lot about what it takes to run your own business. I’m thankful for all the opportunities that have come my way, often via my awesome network of supporters and wonderful clients.

Five years ago, it was hard to picture what the future of Serve Me the Sky Digital would look like. I only had a couple of clients, at rather low rates, and didn’t know what to expect. I took a bet on myself and made the leap. I’m so glad I did. I hope to have many more happy years of self-employment ahead, full of great projects with people and organizations I love working with!

Without further ado, let’s dive into some projects and opportunities I’ve enjoyed this year, lessons learned, and a look to the future.

Favorite Projects & Experiences

I have a core group of clients I work with on a monthly retainer basis; I appreciate our long-term partnerships and so enjoy the work we do together. In addition, here are some of the other projects and experiences I’ve loved in the past year.

Becoming an Adjunct Professor at Nazareth University

Around this time last year, I never would have guessed that ‘professor’ would be a new title I’d add to my resume, but here I am with two semesters of teaching under my belt! Last fall, I started as an adjunct professor at Nazareth University as part of the English and Communication Department. I taught a social media course that I designed myself, which was an amazing opportunity to encapsulate all my social media knowledge (and hot takes!) into a semester-long class. This spring, I taught a crisis communication course that I also developed on my own.

Teaching has been a fantastic experience so far, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the people and environment at Nazareth. Getting out of the house twice a week to work with Gen Z students is so much fun! I’m always interested in hearing their perspectives and have learned a lot from them. I’ve found the students, faculty, and staff at Nazareth to be thoughtful, kind, and helpful. I’d be happy to write a separate blog post about my first year as an adjunct professor if folks are interested!

Alumni Feature for Palo Alto University

Last year, I enjoyed working with Palo Alto University on a few different projects. One of my favorites was interviewing a fascinating alumna about her unique career path and the gift she made to the University. I’d love to write more alumni features like this in the future! Interviewing folks for I Heart ROC was such a huge part of my life for years; interviewing people comes naturally to me and I enjoy turning conversations into engaging online content for clients.

Social Media Workshop for Charcoalblue

This spring, I developed a custom social media workshop for Charcoalblue, a consultancy focused on designing amazing theatres/venues, acoustics, and experiences. The audience included a diverse assortment of roles, from marketing and business development team members to acoustics consultants who are in the field every day. I enjoyed the challenge of catering content to both groups, with high-level background and strategies, compelling examples to jumpstart their own content creation, and tactics individual team members could use to start building their personal brands. I got some great questions from the group and enjoyed the conversations we had!

1:1 Social Media Consultations

As a social media professional with over a decade of experience in the industry, I sometimes forget how overwhelming the platforms can be when you’re just getting started. Some of the consultations I enjoyed the most this year were simply helping people figure out how to navigate the big wide world of social media. Where should they start? What types of content would be the most manageable lift? Which platforms would they actually have fun with? Where does their audience hang out online? How do you make a Reel?! It’s fun to watch someone start to feel less intimidated and more inspired when it comes to creating social content!

Lessons Learned

It’s Okay to Walk Away

I’ve had to learn this lesson a few different ways. Previously, I’ve written about how sometimes it’s necessary to end a client relationship (like when they never pay you on time or their checks bounce) and how you should trust your gut when vetting if a client is a good fit (when the introductory Zoom call leaves you gritting your teeth and wanting to text a friend to vent, it’s probably not a fit).

Even so, sometimes I still succumb to financial pressures (real or imagined!) and take on work that seems ‘good enough’ even when the subject matter or our working styles aren’t aligned. After dealing with relentless rudeness, long periods of ghosting, and aggressive expectations about turnaround times, I walked away from a client relationship this year. And I felt great about it. If you end up in a similar situation, it’s okay to walk away. And don’t kick yourself for not doing it sooner. Just move on and relish the time and sanity you’ve saved.

Don’t Underestimate Yourself

I have 10+ years of experience in social media marketing and still sometimes forget that most people don’t know as much as I do about all things social! Social media is chronically undervalued, unfortunately, with everyone from high level executives to random people on the internet assuming the work is done by a college-aged intern. Creating great social media content requires creativity, knowledge of the platforms, an understanding of digital marketing, copywriting skills, a dash of photo and video editing, and sometimes even a sprinkle of graphic design. It’s anything but easy!

Teaching at Nazareth and leading custom workshops this past year has been an excellent reminder of how much I know and how I shouldn’t underestimate myself and my knowledge! I often get a look resembling the ‘mind blown’ emoji when I share insights about how the platforms work or ideas for content that might seem a bit basic to me. I have to remind myself that I bring a ton of expertise to the table. My varied social media experiences with brands large and small have given me a unique and thoughtful perspective that’s worth sharing.

It Doesn’t Have to be All Hustle, All the Time

In five years of running a business, it can be easy to feel the pull to constantly chase growth. More clients, more work, more money. But I’ve had a lot on my plate personally in the past year, with new and exciting adventures to come! It’s okay to not hustle so hard all the time.

I’ve taken time for myself and appreciated the flexibility that comes with self-employment. I can make it to appointments, go grocery shopping, or walk my dogs in the middle of the day without worrying about a boss scolding me for being away from my desk for too long. I can celebrate that I’m earning enough and enjoying my work without desperately hustling to do even more. I hope to continue integrating work with my life in ways that feel balanced and meaningful. I hope I can keep the concept of “enough” top of mind instead of chasing nonstop growth.

Looking Ahead

Content Writing

Whether it’s long-form interviews, blog posts, or other online content, I always enjoy sitting down to write a piece for a client. The relentless pace of social media content creation can be exhausting, so writing web content is a great change of pace. As I’ve seen firsthand with this blog, writing blog and other digital content has serious value for your website’s SEO and is always worth the time and effort invested!

Launching a Podcast

I’m throwing this one out into the universe solely because I’ve always thought it would be fun: maybe this is the year I’ll finally launch a podcast! My husband Tim, a talented muralist and designer, and I have brainstormed all kinds of entertaining podcasts we could make together. Would you listen if we started one?!

I’ve been on the radio & others’ podcasts several times… why not start my own podcast?!

Whatever Surprises Come My Way

As a small business owner, it’s important to keep an open mind. The market and economy are constantly changing, and new technologies like AI are certain to shake up the landscape as well. I’m so grateful I kept an open mind and said yes to being an adjunct professor. It’s been a wonderful way to share my knowledge with others and learn from the next generation, too. I’m always eager to explore new ways I can use my creativity and expertise!

I appreciate you being here to celebrate and reflect with me! If you’re curious, you can peruse past reflections here: Celebrating 1 Year / Celebrating 2 Years / Celebrating 3 Years / Celebrating 4 Years.

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