Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Katie Brinkley, Founder of Next Step Social Communications, located in Littleton, CO, USA.

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

I own a social media marketing agency called Next Step Social Communications. We offer "Done-For-You" social media services and train the team sessions for social media strategy. Additionally, I am a professional speaker where I educate audiences around the United States on social media strategy. At Next Step Social Communications, we specialize in helping real estate agents, brokerages, business coaches, and consultants with their social media strategies.

Tell us about yourself

I have been leveraging social media to grow audiences and income for over 19 years. I started back in the days of MySpace by helping bands and musicians take their music from social media to the radio airwaves. Early on, I knew what an incredible tool social media could be when you used it the right way. As social media continues to evolve, I make an effort to learn what the best practices are on each social platform so that my clients build a strategy to attract the right followers and generate consistent inbound leads in as little as an hour a week.

I started by building corporate-level growth strategies for AT&T and DirecTV and learned so much about the different social media platforms and what worked and what didn't. I'm now able to implement these strategies for our done-for-you social media clients and my coaching clients. I've made it my mission to be at the forefront of the changes in how buyers engage on social media. The strategies I utilize for our clients and I present on are platform-agnostic, meaning you'll be able to implement these best practices for whichever social media platform is the one your company uses, and you'll be able to see bottom-line results at every stage of the sales process.

My history of being a radio journalist, mixed with my social aptitude, allows me to bring a unique insight and leverage my client stories to the forefront of their social strategy. I know that showing up on social media can sometimes feel like a full-time job these days, but what I teach my clients is that showing up on social media as a business owner and as a content creator are two very different things. How to look at the measurable data and insights to ensure that you can show up as little as three times a week and still have consistent inbound leads. My key motivation is seeing business owners not feel overwhelmed by social media and their time back so they can focus on growing their businesses, not stressing about what to post on social media that day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being a business owner! I never expected to be an entrepreneur. I started my business after my corporate job downsized, and for the first few years, I looked at it as a "side hustle." However, soon I found myself in a position to hire help and grow from side hustle to agency. In 2022, I doubled my team and started booking in-person speaking at events like Podfest, Podcast Movement, and Social Media Week. It was a validating year, knowing that all the hard work and long hours were starting to pay off.

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

Shutting down. It's embarrassing to say this, but I didn't even shut down while I was in the hospital after the birth of our second daughter. It wasn't until late 2021 that I was able to take my first laptop-free vacation since starting my business. While I have the systems and processes in place now to take vacations and time off, I was still having a hard time winding down from thinking about all the things that needed to be done. In 2022, I started meditating, and it had a huge impact on my being able to shut down at night and get my mindset right.

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

  1. Be willing to say no. Not every client is going to be a good fit for you and your business.
  2. Find help. Hiring my assistant was the best thing I did for my business. Was it stressful taking money out of my pocket to pay for someone to help? Absolutely. But by doing that, I was able to get more clients and realize where I was spending time that wasn't the most effective for growing my business.
  3. Lastly, social media can be a lot of smoke and mirrors. It can be hard not to play the comparison game. Focus on your own journey because everyone's is uniquely their own. What works for one person/business might not work for yours.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.nextstepsocialcommunications.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextstepsocialcommunications/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkatiebrinkley/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/_katiebrinkley
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley/

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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