It all starts with a girl who’s internship was cancelled due to the shutdown for COVID-19 and graduation in midst of a global pandemic.
The girl is me. And I truly didn’t see myself being where I am today.
As I prepared for the ‘real’ world by landing an internship, I then got the news that they could not bring on any more employees because of the hardships the pandemic brought on. It was hard to be upset when losing an internship isn’t the hardest thing that other people and businesses were going through.
I decided to take a different part-time internship and nanny for the summer. And even though it wasn’t my original plan- I LOVED it!
My nanny family was a dream- the child was the sweetest little 3 year old that was inquisitive, energetic and always made me laugh! Our days were filled with “adventures” which were just long walks, and “pool days” which were him playing in a kiddie pool, and don’t forget the best game: jumping on the bed while I sing “five little monkey’s jumping on the bed”.
The internship? Wowza- it helped me realize what I wanted to do after graduation. I was a Social Media Marketing Specialist (big, fancy title that I pride myself on and is bolded on my resume). I helped out with social media, creating images for advertisements and solidified an online marketing strategy!
In addition to my two summer jobs, I was also working with my boyfriend’s mom, Kathy, on creating home decor to sell on etsy. We named our little business “Honey Parker”.
Long story short- With being a small business owner with Kathy and having my internship, I realized the importance of social media marketing! I was slowly implementing what I was learning with my internship to Honey Parker.
Unfortunately, running a business wasn’t as easy as I thought. Creating the items, managing the social media, planning pop-up shops, etc. started to feel overwhelming.
I continued to think about all the other small businesses, right now in the pandemic, who are struggling. I thought about how social media isn’t everyone’s niche. I thought about my mom- who doesn’t understand social media marketing at all and would try to zoom in on photos on instagram before that was a feature- kidding, but it made me think of how many people actually understand the logistics of social media platforms and how to use them to grow your business.
I knew two things: I am passionate about small businesses. I created one with Kathy and I love it! Second, business owners should be able to delegate the things that are timely to them so they can focus on what they LOVE to do with their time.
And ta-da! Social Honey was born! It was simply an idea with a passion fueling it.
I decided to not take on corporate America straight out of college and decided to dedicate my time to planning out my new business. Through this I realized I had a knack for social media and a love for marketing.
I took to Instagram to introduce myself and Social Honey and guess what? I was BLOWN AWAY! The social media management/marketing community welcomed me with open arms and flooded me with support. It wasn’t competition between all of our businesses, but a chance to connect and learn from each other!
Potential clients started to reach out and set up meetings with me. Small businesses were asking for my advice and wanting to create a partnership!
My jaw is still dropped- I am still happily overwhelmed with the response and need for a business like mine!
My passion is still firing me to continue improving my business and making it more accessible to individuals and businesses who want to grow. As our world turns to a digital age, being able to showcase your offerings online is a foot in the door to success!
Although my journey wasn’t a straight road, know this: I’m glad it happened. I learned. I grew. I became inspired.
Social Honey is my honey. I have put everything I learned in college, from Honey Parker and my internship, and added a little bit of me into it to help small businesses thrive in this everchanging economical climate!
Thank you for reading this and being here! I am excited to continue to grow and take on whatever comes my way!
