Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lucy Redoglia, a Social Media Consultant based in South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I offer digital marketing and social media consulting to arts and culture clients like museums, art galleries, artist foundations, art fairs, performance venues, and more.

Tell us about yourself

I worked in-house at two of the most prestigious museums in the United States—The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. After leaving LACMA for an offer that didn't fit my lifestyle goals, I ended up working on a big freelance project funded by the J. Paul Getty Foundation and began acquiring other consulting clients. Almost by accident, I soon had full-time work with several clients in the art world, and I've enjoyed the freedom of consulting and working remotely for more than six years now. What wasn't by accident was the large network I had built and cultivated in my seven-year career as an internal museum employee. I love connecting with like-minded colleagues and solving problems and challenges in my work, so when it came to building my business, I was able to start with a few referrals from contacts I had made in the past, and I continue to get new clients through word-of-mouth to this day from those past contacts and coworkers, former clients, and people I've met after forming my business. I'm motivated to share art and art history with the world using digital platforms so that my clients can reach the widest possible audience—reaching much further than their walls could possibly contain.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been figuring out all the nuts and bolts of running a business aside from the skills I bring to services for my clients. I have really learned a lot about budgeting, setting prices, invoicing, paying subcontractors, business insurance, and more through this process. I'm proud to have stayed afloat (especially through the pandemic) and feel a huge sense of accomplishment as my business has grown year after year.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I thought it would be motivation and holding myself accountable, but it turns out that those are built into the obligations I have to my clients. So what I've discovered is one of the hardest things is really having faith that I will continue to get more work. As projects end and things ebb and flow, I've learned to lean into the less busy times and try not to stress about the next thing. As soon as I'd start to panic about having nothing lined up, all of a sudden, I'd be drowning in prospects and working more than before, so I tried to enjoy the slower time in between instead of spending it worrying and freaking out.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

You don't have to know everything to start. Invest in yourself and get educated on what you need to begin, and then learn as you go, make mistakes, and grow as you become more and more established.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.lucyredoglia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucyRedogliaLLC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luuucyimhome/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LuuucyImHome
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyredoglia/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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