Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla MacVean-Salaun.
Hi Kayla, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The short version? I failed Chemistry and Biology and never stop talking, so I chose a career in Marketing. The long version? After 6 years of #agencylife, I took the leap of faith and started my own marketing agency, with a focus on social media. I started out as we all do–working with friends and family and saying yes to every opportunity to build experience and dip my toes into all the areas possible. After about a year, I transitioned to working with established companies, finding my groove in the services and packages that performed best, and applying all the project management and operational experience I accumulated before. Now, 2.5 years later, I’m working with and building my network locally, hired a part-time employee, and have established workflows that keep us organized across the board.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
*laughs* absolutely not. I don’t think anything that’s worthwhile, that you’re building yourself, is ever a smooth road. My two biggest struggles (there’s a long list) have been enforcing boundaries and working on my mindset.
At the start, I was eager to work with anyone that crossed my path, at whatever price they would sign, and would be available at all hours of the day. This got me overworked and overstimulated, drained my creativity, and ultimately affected the quality of my work. While setting boundaries can be easy, enforcing them is very hard for me–but I’ve found it’s the only way for me to a) remain sane, b) do quality work, and c) scale. I now have working hours in my contracts, don’t share my personal number in professional settings, and have a roster of happy, growing clients.
My mindset, especially as it relates to sales, has also been one of the biggest challenges, and I’m sure every entrepreneur can relate. One day, I feel like I’m on top of the world and I’m killing it, and the next day I’m spiraling because I’m not where I thought I’d be 6 months ago. Calming both extremes and finding a way to operate in a middle ground has been and continues to be challenging, but I work at focusing on the direction rather than the final destination every day (with the help of my incredible support system comprised of faith, family, friends, and professionals).
We’ve been impressed with Clearly Creative Co., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
CCco. is a boutique agency that specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses grow through social media, email marketing, and other marekting initiatives. Our bread in butter is social media and email marekting, which when paired together, delivers awesome results for our clients.
What I’m most proud of brand-wise is what I think sets us apart: we’re human. We humanize the brands we work with, and run away from stuffy, salesy, inauthentic content. It’s how we also operate with our clients–we care for them as humans, and not just a business that pays us a retainer. The best part, though, is seeing the results reflect this: as soon as we prioritize connection (through the brand and with the client), the analytics improve.
On average, within the first year (with a full-service package), my clients see the following metrics:
+ Increase of business by 213%
+ 100% of clients see improvement in client retention, repeat customers, and engagement through social media
+ Average email open rate increased by 147%
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My biggest piece of advice for finding a mentor is to find anyone that you’ve worked with in the past, who knows how you work, knows your strengths, etc. I’ve found that the people who have provided me the best advice are people that have known me on a professional level for years, as opposed to someone that I meet at a conference that inspires me (which can also give great pointers, don’t get me wrong). I was blessed with great bosses and managers at the start of my career that I still stay in touch with, and I love picking their brain.
As someone who can talk to the wall and makes a new friend every week, it’s very easy for me to form personal connections, but it’s been a bit harder to form fruitful business ones. I didn’t grow up in Miami, I moved here in 2016, so building my professional network from scratch has taken some time. What really helped me is joining a weekly networking group filled with other like-minded entrepreneurs. Aside from the referrals, I love being surrounded by people walking on a similar path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clearlycreativeco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearlycreative.co/
Image Credits
@nicolelebriscreative
