Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Samantha Ellis, co-founder of Roots + Ardor, located in London, UK.

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

Roots + Ardor is a boutique digital media agency. We're content creators, writers, and storytellers who work with clients across the world on developing their brand and moving the mark on their business from a place of authenticity. We're driven by our value of reciprocity, and we try to cultivate the same passion for a better future for all of our clients.

Tell us about yourself

In 2014, I was an English Literature major who swiftly realized I would need to get a paying job. It was too late for accounting or anything related to science. God bless accountants, we love you, but I loved to write. It was a natural progression of my skillset to conjure and carve concepts, voices, and visions for businesses at a time when social media platforms were just gaining relevance. That's how old I am. I was then lucky enough to meet my business partner Hannah. She is an incredibly talented videographer and was a pioneer at the time for creating videos on a lean budget with maximum impact. We combined forces, and Roots + Ardor was born. We ran on sparkle dust and adrenaline at the beginning, wearing every hat imaginable just to make ends meet and make it happen. Photographer, videographer, copywriter, strategist, barista, dog walker, therapist, whatever our clients needed, we put our hands up. I think that blind work ethic stuck with us. We come from the prairies, and I hope we never lose that particular brand of grit. But we're more interested in balance now. Calmer, on good days. Getting to a place where our clients feel seen and understood motivates me. Making meaningful work in an increasingly challenging and artificial landscape motivates me. Our team of people around me inspires me.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Hiring an incredible group of women. It's a privilege to be in the company of talented women every day. I do miss men sometimes. But then I remember what a pain in the ass they are and feel grateful all over again. Other milestones glitter for me still signing our first office lease, creating the amazing space we now work in today, taking the business internationally, launching MentHerShip and people finding value in it, and winning 30 Under 30. Mostly because that magazine cover bought me so many points with my mother and is the ultimate revenge for their ultra 90's "business school or bust" ethos. I forgive you guys!

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

I find there is a new hard thing about being a business owner every day. I don't say that to complain or terrify anyone thinking of becoming their own boss. Do it. It is hands down the only career path that made sense for me. But it's a rollercoaster, particularly in a pandemic. A fire hat is an accessory that transcends every season. Learning to say "no" to clients occasionally when the service wasn't in our core offering was a lesson that still makes me uncomfortable. This struggle permeates my personal life too, but it's a lesson that continues to deliver boundaries and dividends. I read somewhere that "boundaries" is the word of the year, and I don't like that. I enjoy boundaries, but I think we can choose a better word. Like Chalamet.

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

  1. Have a passion for what you do or what you're creating that's going to burn through the inevitable obstacles ahead of you and keep you as warm and fuzzy as possible on Monday morning.
  2. Keep your sense of humour close by.
  3. Hire a skilled bookkeeper and accountant. Nothing works if the numbers don't. To be honest, it's best for these people to also have a sense of humour.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I have had the great gift of working with a business partner who makes me better, calls me on my BS, and has my back when it gets rough. A business partnership is not for everyone, but for R+A, it makes the cake.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.rootsandardor.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam.ellis/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthapaigeellis/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.