Social Media Manager @ LG:SM with Lauren Galeana
Lauren and Blair discuss the origin story for her consulting business, why she focused on this niche of professional speakers, battling Imposter Syndrome, and things she’s learned along the way.
About Lauren Galeana
Lauren runs Lauren Galeana Social Media (LG:SM), where she helps professional keynote speakers with their social media strategy to build a targeted online community. She went out on her own after working over six years at The Spotlight Agency, Canada’s largest speaker bureau. Lauren was downsized from the organization, which sparked her to shift her career path. It was one conversation with her mom that gave her the leap of faith to start her own business as a social media manager. Lauren has had ups and downs along the way. She’s learned so much about business, social media, defining her niche, the types of clients she wants to work with, and battling Imposter Syndrome.
The Highlights and Hottest Takes 🔥
How Lauren Got the First Client
The word was out when Lauren told a friend (who also has her own business working in similar industry) that she was going to offer social media management services to professional speakers. Through the power of word-of-mouth, within a few weeks Lauren landed her first professional speaker client. Then a few weeks later she signed another client, and a few weeks later another one...
Mistake Made
Undervaluing yourself. Don’t think you need to lower your prices to get a client. You’ll get crap clients if you do this. Money is the hardest thing to talk about though, so you need to be prepared to have the conversation with a client.
Lesson Learned
Niche down. Figure who your target client is and/or the target industry is. Choosing a narrower focus improves your planning and execution easier and it makes running your small business more manageable.
Pro Tip
Do your research on pricing. Talk with others in the industry and search online. Then do some math to see what different scenarios look like.
"I don’t charge hourly; I work with clients on a monthly fixed price based on a clearly outlined monthly plan."
Segments
Lauren's Year 1ne @ LG:SM
1:12 | Introduction and overview of a typical week
5:30 | Helping a keynote speaker overcome their nerves with social media
9:30 | Essential human skills needed for this job
12:30 | Building trust with clients
18:30 | Defining the why for your business
21:30 | Getting paid💰
29:00 | The battle with Imposter Syndrome
39:50 | "I'm not everybody's cup of tea!"
The Year 1ne of Starting a Business
40:45 | "Niching down" to focus on professional keynote speakers
45:00 | Creating content to solve a "pain point"
47:00 | You don't need a lot of clients
50:00 | The end goal for an entrepreneur
Things I've Learned in Year 1ne
53:10 | Rookie mistake
53:50 | Lesson learned
54:20 | Pro-tip
58:40 | Wrap-up
Re(Sources)
- Connect with our guest Lauren Galeana: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
- Brands/organizations: The Spotlight Agency | Fiverr |
- Connect with The Year 1ne’s host Blair Smith: LinkedIn
Credits
- Created and Produced by Blair Smith
- Hosted by Blair Smith
- Mixed and Mastered by Ray Harripaul
Sponsor(s)
N/A for this episode...Interested in being a sponsor of The Year 1ne's Show? Drop us a line via email 😀
Lauren Galeana
Business Owner & Social Media Manager
Spent 6 and half years working for Canada's largest speaker bureau and due to COVID they were letting employees go and I was one of them. It came at a time when I was ready to leave and pursue a new career. I went back to school at 34 years old to study Digital Marketing and Media at GBC. During my coop, I was so torn in which direction to head once the program was over. Work for an agency? Work in-house for a marketing team? But it was one conversation with my mom that gave me the leap of faith to start my own business as a social media manager. The moment I said to one friend; who has her own business working with Keynote Speakers, I was going to offer social media management services, that the word was out, and within a few weeks, I landed my first client who was a professional speaker. Then a few weeks later I signed another client, and a few weeks later another one... it was exciting yet scary. I have had ups and downs along the way. I have learned so much about business, social media, defining my niche, the types of clients I want to work with, and battling Imposter Syndrome. I am in my second year of business and signed a one-year contract with a client who is a Keynote Speaker and Business Consultant which has given me such a boost of confidence. I am excited for this year as I signed up for a small course to help me stay knowledgeable on social media, I have an exciting networking event that can help me meet new people and clients and I am in the midst of defining my Why to better help my clients achieve their goals on social media.
