Social Media for Small Business Success!

Building a Strong Brand with Chelsea McKinney of DigiBridge Media

In this episode, David Praet and Scott Merritt discuss the importance of effective social media strategies for business growth with Chelsea McKinney from DigiBridge Media. The episode covers key points of building a brand, understanding your narrative, choosing the right social media platforms, and engaging with your audience. Chelsea shares her journey, insights on creating authentic content, and her experience in helping businesses overcome marketing challenges, while also offering a free social media graphic for podcast listeners.

00:00 The Frustration with Ads
01:02 Meet the Hosts: David and Scott
01:31 Introducing the Expert: Chelsea McKinney
02:08 Chelsea's Background and Journey
03:48 The Birth of DigiBridge Media
11:06 Challenges in Social Media Marketing
20:24 Building Authentic Connections
20:55 Measuring Results and Adjusting Strategies
21:45 Identifying Ideal Clients
22:24 Success Stories and Overcoming Challenges
24:08 Handling Mistakes and Reputation Management
26:00 Introduction to DigiBridge
26:14 Customization and Authenticity at DigiBridge
28:04 Working Process with New Clients
31:15 Favorite Tools and Technology

33:20 Proudest Accomplishments and Future Plans
37:03 Final Advice and Conclusion

https://www.digibridgemedia.com 

https://www.thryv.com 

https://www.canva.com

https://www.monday.com

Transcript

Chelsea Mckinney: 0:00

I have heard so many people say, I'm tired of this. I put a bunch of money into ads and it didn't pay off. And I'm like, what else have you done? They'd be like, uh, I started with the ad. I'm like, Ooh, okay. That's not, that's not the way to go. You need to build, it is, it is unfortunately, people don't like to hear this. It is a slow build. You have to build the brand. What are you actually trying to communicate? If you're just saying generic stuff that any of your competitors can say, that means you have a lack of branding. I'm David Prey. And I'm Scott Merritt. Hey, Scott, what do you know about social media? I know that I don't like it. It scares me. I think, uh, there's probably a lot of business leaders out there that feel the same way. They know it's important, but how in the heck do I find time to do it? And even if I can find the time, what platform do I need to use? How do I get my ROI right? It's a scary process. Well, I've got good news. Today, we have an expert. Everybody needs an expert. Who do you got, David? So our expert today is Chelsea McKinney from DigiBridge Media. Did I say that right? Digi. I mean, it doesn't matter. Okay. DigiBridge. DigiBridge. Welcome to the luxurious, uh, Exodus HR studio. Love it. You know, a lot of people think that we run this thing on a, on a shoestring budget out of the back bedroom, uh, at Scott's house. We actually have a nice, luxurious studio. This is great. So for all of the future guests out there, come on in and be wowed by this luxurious studio. It's legit. So Chelsea, I guess to start off, where's home? New Jersey, originally. Hopefully you can't tell. I don't have that heavy Jersey accent, but yeah, Jersey. And then I moved to Murfreesboro two years ago and then came over to Thompson Station. So I've been traveling a little bit, but here I am. What was your first W 2 job? Ooh. Okay, no, that was, let's say, I worked for my dad, but that was under the table. Don't tell anybody that. We're in an HR study. Cut that out. I was, yeah, I guess. I'm kidding. No, actual WTU was at a deli when I was in high school. Bagels are a big part of New Jersey culture, and so it's very honored to be a part of that. So working behind the counter? Behind the counter. Yeah, I mean, working the cash register, making sandwiches, cleaning, you know, all that really fun stuff. A great first job, really. It built a lot of character and great tips. It was awesome. So, cooking plain as a high schooler was good. Did you grow up close to the Sopranos neighborhood? You know, funny enough, I actually, like, just watched The Sopranos that long ago, but it's really accurate. I hate to say it. I hate to say it. But, no, I wasn't super close to that area. I'm trying to remember where exactly it takes place. I know one episode is in the Pine Barrens, and I was nowhere near the Pine Barrens, but Nah, I'm not close enough, but the culturally, pretty dang accurate. So tell us about your business and what you do. Yeah, what a transition. I work for the mafia. No, uh, so DigiBridge Media is a, uh, full service branding agency. And yeah. It is kind of A to Z, start to finish, everything that you would need for marketing. Uh, so, we start with customers or their clients with their story. Um, a lot of times they're just like, I'm going to go out and pitch myself. And they just use a lot of jargon, a lot of, um, you know, business information. And to other people it's like, that doesn't mean anything to me. I don't actually know what you do. And so we really work with them on their story. You know who they are, how, how they came to be in this, this business. And then we go from there. Logo, uh, business cards. So some graph design needs, you know, website. And then do we continue on with, do they need social media? More than likely, yes. Video. It's just kind of a, a choose your own adventure from there. What makes sense from them for them? Uh, so yeah, social media, video, photography, all that fun stuff. So content creation, we build that story and then continue to tell it. So, that's, in essence, what DigiBridge is all about. DigiBridge. DigiBridge. What's the story? Oh, yeah. So, it was a journey naming the business, for sure. So, I didn't want to name it after myself because I didn't feel that, I knew for a fact I didn't want it to just be me. I wanted it to be more than me. I wanted to build a team. So, that was number one. And then, Digi, we're working in the digital space. And then, Bridge. Bridge. I. But there's a lot behind that, actually. One, I've often seen myself as a connector, a bridge for people. I like to kind of just throw ideas out there and see what sticks. Hey, maybe this person will benefit you. Maybe try this. So I always like to connect people. And then, the content that connects. That's really the big thing is Using content to connect to your ideal audience. There are people, I'm a firm believer that there are people out there that need Exodus HR, right? That need David Prey, but they just don't know. And they, they need that content to go, oh wait, that's the person I'm looking to work with. So using content as a digital bridge. So that's kind of In a nutshell, how that came to be. Is this your first foray into owning your own business? Oh yeah. This was, I probably shouldn't admit this, but it was very much like, you know what? I'm sick of this whole nine to five thing. I'm just going to do my own thing. It was very much like a spur of the moment, like, let's just do it. Uh, so yeah, first business, yeah, it's definitely a learning curve. But so then I really do identify with the entrepreneurial journey, the, the small business journey of. You're figuring things out. I mean, some people do go to business school, but yeah, I mean, so I really understand that that process is like figuring it out. So obviously you had, uh, or have a background in doing digital work for other companies, right? Yeah. I think, did you also do documentaries? Yeah. So it's been an interesting path. I'll try to give you the shortened version. Uh, essentially, so I've been doing like digital content creation in some form or another for like nine years and, uh, started in journalism actually. Uh, starting as a writer, and I really loved getting to know people through the, through the power of just telling their story. You get to sit down with people. You get to go to events. You get to witness things. And I, I just felt so moved by these different things and stories that I was hearing. Problem with that, though, is, is. Unfortunately, it kind of seeing is believing. And when you're seeing something and hearing something, it's to me a little bit more of like the next level of like, whoa, this is really impactful. So I got into video journalism and that's kind of where the documentary thing started to happen of, I really just want to tell people's stories. I got really into just giving people a platform. So I got into journalism for a bit and it just was a little, it's a, it's a tough industry. And so I just wanted to make that pivot to marketing and it, cause a lot of those skills transferred, I learned. Social media, I learned how to be a one man band, writing, video, photography, all those things in journalism, and so just switched over. And, but of course, though, you're kind of missing that element of, am I really making an impact? Am I actually helping people? You're missing that connection piece. And some people in marketing are for sure, but just the, what I was doing, I was missing that piece. So, that's where the, the business came to be. And I've been creating content. So your documentaries actually, I believe they They won some awards, didn't they? They've gotten some recognition, yeah. They're not like, you know, end all be all like top documentaries, but they were just a foray into kind of trying to get out there. Trying to just, you know, just shoestring budget, kind of. Wasn't one, uh, the subject was special needs students? Yeah, so at, uh, my college, I went to the College of New Jersey. They had a program for, you know, kids with, with disabilities. And I thought that was so amazing because They were just students. Everyone kind of, you know, everyone deserves an opportunity regardless of whatever, you know, things you have going on, everyone deserves an opportunity and it was just like a really great program to highlight that a lot of people didn't know about. And, so I don't know why, it just took a really Really big interest in, in, in that program and wanted to highlight it for people. And yeah, I learned a lot from the experience. It was, it was great. Yeah, and I'm sure the, you know, if you can do a documentary, then doing a, you know, a little short business clip on, uh, on a business has got to, I mean, those skills must translate well for the business owners that hire you. Yeah. Yeah, of course. It's really just about, I, I take a journalistic approach to everything that I do, which I think is one of the things that makes me different is like. Really studying people, asking them questions in a certain way, keep asking those questions, maybe it elicits a different response, and that's the approach I take with my business, is really getting to know somebody very deeply, and say, hey, that's your thing, go with that. You don't see it, you don't hear it, because you think, ah, whatever, I'm not that interesting, or whatever it is, whatever your hangup is, and just, yeah, I'm able to give that outsider's perspective, so. Hopefully that answered your question. About hang ups. Yeah. When you're working with a business owner that has those, how do you, are you a plain psychologist trying to get them out of their shell a little bit? Yeah, so, I actually, so I double majored by accident in journalism and sociology, kind of just tacked that on then. I just love studying people, I, I'm a weirdo, but, yeah, it's, it's funny, you don't realize that when you're in an everyday. You're in the business every single day. You don't, you're not, you're just not able to, it's just a human thing. Unfortunately, we're just not able to pull ourselves out and look at the overall picture without being in the nitty gritty and, you know, knowing all the trials and tribulations. And so. They're like, Oh, my story's not interesting. I don't know how me being a line cook when I was 16 relates to me being a CEO now. And it's like, no, there is a through line there. We just have to, I have to be able to help you get out of that and be able to, as I say, peel back the branding onion, kind of get through the layers of who you are and what that story is for your business, so. Let's talk to the business leaders out there that are trying to figure out. Social media, the marketing that goes along with that. Mm hmm. What are some of the most common challenges you see that, that businesses are facing, mistakes that they're making, opportunities that they're missing perhaps? What, what do you see when you start working with a new client? Yeah, a lot of times it's, I don't know what I'm doing, I tried it, it didn't work out for me, um, I'm not getting all these leads, um, it's just, it's not worth it. And I would just say that you probably don't know what you're doing, which is fine, because Anyone can actually do social media, believe it or not. It's just a matter of, you have to study it. You have to put the energy and time into what's working, what's not, whether looking at other people's pages and then trying on your own. So it just takes time and people just don't have that, which is very fair. You're, you didn't go into business unless you're a social media. Manager. He didn't go into business to do social media or marketing or anything like that. So yeah, they get very frustrated and, uh, stressed out by the whole process. Do you think a lot of business leaders that start down this path with social media, I think sometimes the misconception is that it's going to be like running an ad, right? I put the ad out there, I design it, I post it, and then the business starts flooding in the doors. My phone starts ringing, my website, you know, I've got leads coming in, and would you say that maybe the approach is more of a Kind of a slow drip that takes time and you're not going to see immediate results and there's a lot of Interconnectivity that has to happen, but it happens over time. Yeah, you seem like you have all the answers. That's very accurate No, that's true. I mean, I'm from my experience. I have heard so many people say I'm tired of this. I put a bunch of money into ads and it didn't pay off. And I'd be like, what else have you done? They'd be like, uh, I started with the ad. I'm like, ooh, okay, that's not, that's not the way to go. You need to build, it is, it is, unfortunately, people don't like to hear this. It is a slow build. You have to build the brand. What are you actually trying to communicate? If you're just saying generic stuff that any of your competitors can say, that means you have a lack of branding. People. I have a hard time with the concept of branding and that's like one good example. So is that the starting point? That, I always recommend that's my starting point. You really need to know clearly what's your overall narrative. Because once we know your overall narrative, you, I have a method of just endless like content creation ideas based off that overall narrative. And people, so they'll put out generic content and they'll be like I'm gonna put a hundred bucks towards this because obviously Facebook's gonna love that I'm giving them money, which they do, but they will gladly accept it and give you nothing in return because if that's all you're doing, you're not building organically and there is a piece that you need to build organically, from my experience. Keep an eye on ads as you're scrolling next time. I've seen major, major companies doing ads on LinkedIn, Facebook. And you'll see like, a handful of likes. And you'll see, like, they're wasting money too, unfortunately. Yes, ads can be a waste of money if you don't take the time to actually build out the brand. Start to organically build that following. So what you need to do is, understand that narrative. Start telling that narrative in creative ways. Really understand who your audience is. Be very specific in who, who those people are. And you do that through the branding process. And then, engagement. So, not only should you be posting, but you need to be engaging with that audience. You need to go out on their pages and comment, like, make sure that it's not just a one sided street. You're not expecting everybody to come to you. You need to give. And, uh, I talk about that a lot, about not being a jerk. I've heard that. I've said that to you a lot. Not that you're a jerk. I've said it a lot that it's just important to be kind, you know, if you want people to give, right, you have to, you, you have to give some. Okay. So we're going to start with the brand. Yeah. I got that. Yeah. What's next? Do I need to decide on the platforms that are going to be appropriate for my business and where my audience is and is that going to be different for every business or? I think it's pretty different for everybody. Depends on what you're looking for and that's what, you know, we'd help with is, okay, we have your brand. Who's your target audience? Generally speaking, Instagram, Instagram Reels are going to be good for everybody. TikTok can be good. Facebook, I think you should just be present there just because you're hitting an older demographic. Generally, not always, but generally. I feel seen. Scott lives on the Facebook. Fine, that's great, but I love Facebook too because you can do Facebook groups. You can do events. You can do all sorts of things on Facebook similar to LinkedIn. That Instagram can't do yet. So I think there's definitely benefits to the different, uh, platforms and some of them I feel like maybe you don't need to be on, it's just a matter of who you are, what your target demographic is, and we figure that out together, so. I've identified my brand, I've figured out where my audience is, I now have a home on those channels. So now I start creating content. So it helps to have a general strategy of, okay, this month I'm going to do X, Y, and Z videos. I'm going to comment. X amount of times, just try to get some goals for yourself and be consistent. That's the biggest thing. People think I'm going to post once or twice. I'm going to get a bunch of leads. Oh no, that didn't happen. I'm very sad. I'm giving up. Like just, you have to be consistent and then you can test, did that work? Did people like that? No. Okay. Let me, let me pivot a little bit and hopefully you go viral and then the whole thing's, you're good. Okay. So how do I know what to post? Yeah, so again, kind of being a dead horse here, but you have to go back to that branding. What is that overall narrative, right? Who are those people? And speak to their pain points. Um, that's a huge thing. People want to feel like they get, that you understand them, that you're friends, and you're like, hey, you know, I totally understand what you're going through. Here's, here are these pain points and here's how to solve it. Here are these, you know, solutions, whether you're selling a course or a product or service, whatever it is. You can't be too heavily salesy. You have to give a lot. You have to give a lot. Unfortunately, social media is a lot of giving until, you know, until it pays you back. But education, if you like to be funny and you think you're good at it and it's not awkward. The good at it is the key part, right? Some people try to do it and it can be a little cringy and, but that's another thing. The social media is a hard place cause like you can actually really lean into cringy and people love to just watch it and be like, Ooh, this is so cringy. It's, it's a wild west out there. You can just figure out what works for you and go into it. I think, I think what you said about 15 seconds ago is so key because I think. Everybody's natural inclination going into social media is I need to be salesy, right? That's what I do all the time is I talk about our products, our services, how we're different than the competition, why we're the best. And that just does not seem to resonate with customers anymore, maybe like it used to in the past. It doesn't, unfortunately. I will say as social media was, you know, up and coming and kind of building that. You could really do anything and it was like kind of fine, but now it's it. You got to be really strategic. Unfortunately, everyone's on these platforms. So you are competing a lot. I give the always give the example of realtors like, oh my gosh, there are so many realtors and unfortunately, if they're just talking about the market or they're just talking about Hey, buy this house. People are like, eh. Now some people have found really funny ways or interesting ways to do those things so I won't discount those but In general, like, you know, if you're just doing like a, Hey, like, you know, use me as your realtor. Eh, no, okay. Swipe. I'm not looking. I hate to say it. It's we're really need catchy, interesting. You're providing value. You're providing entertainment. You're giving me something. Yeah. It probably feels like rather than hitting them over the head with a hammer, your sales hammer. Yeah. It's almost like you're trying to attract them over time. You're trying to build some type of a relationship. Yeah. With them. Yes. So you're almost like laying out these breadcrumbs that you're hoping that they're going to follow and go on this journey with you. Yeah. So that they, they feel comfortable with you. You've provided value with giving them information. Yeah. And at some point there's a, there's a tipping point where they say, I like Chelsea. She seems to really know what she's talking about and I need help. So I'm going to. Take that next step and hire Chelsea. Yeah, it's funny because I remember the first time I was influenced. I felt very bamboozled. Uh, it was years ago, before I really like understood influencing. It sounds silly to say now because it's like it's everywhere. But I really felt like I knew this person, which is so crazy. It was during COVID, so like, you know, cut me some slack here. I was like, wow, I'm making a connection with this person. I feel like I know them. We're friends. Why would she steer me wrong? And I bought the product. It was not good. But You know, we try not to go to that angle of, we try to really be, that's another thing that makes it different, authentically putting out truthful things, you know, really believing in the product. So I felt a little bamboozled in that moment, but it really is a, it's weird, but it's really about making that connection. Just as you go out and network and you really feel like you're building those relationships, it's the same thing. It's just a, a larger audience, so. So it sounds like the, maybe the last step in the process is measuring results. Mm hmm. And at that point, I, I suppose once you get those results, then you're just adjusting. Yes. Yeah. And you're, you're pouring gasoline on the things that work. Yes. You're moving away from the things that don't work. Mm hmm. No, that's accurate. Yep. I feel like you don't even need me here. You got it. No, that's, that's very, very accurate. You just have to keep track of what works and what doesn't. You know, I wish there was a quick fix. Like I said, Hey, maybe you go viral and then you're, you're good. But no, I, that's, that's always a hard, uh, It's a hard thing to kind of try to obtain, but yeah, you just measure what works. There's analytics out there. You can go on every video and you can see, you know, okay, this got a lot of likes and you'll see it grow over time. As long as you're kind of just make tweaking, you're trying a little harder, you'll see it grow over time. What makes an ideal client? Ooh, okay. People that, that care. I don't, I work with people all the time. They don't understand technology. They don't understand social media. They're maybe they're like, I don't really like it. And a lot of times. As long as they're just open, maybe they have a lot of ideas and they don't want to do it then, as long as they're just enthusiastic and they want to try, that's all I care about. That's all I need to work with. If you are just excited to work on your branding, to get onto social media, you're over of talk, you're over talking about it, you just want to create action, those are the people that The most successful that I've seen. They, they, as long as you care and you try. What's an example of a success, success story that you've had with a client? Yeah, so, a good one that I always think about, that always warms my heart is I have a coach, a swim coach, and she came to me and was very stressed out back to, about technology. And she, but she had big plans. And I was like, all right, we got to get over like these, some of these hurdles of, you know, maybe not knowing how to do your platforms that you want to run your web, you know, it's like website steps, all this technical stuff. And I was like, all right, I'm not an IT person by any means. But I was like, let's work through all these obstacles. If I can't help you, I'll find someone that can. And we just bit by bit, I helped her overhaul our website. You know, she had all these grand ideas about, you know, as the more that we were working through her just building a brand, I did her branding, I could see it, she started to become less like stressed out and more like, Ooh, what about this? What about that? And now I want to build a whole brand. I want to build an app. I want to do this. I want to do that. And she had like, it was like, Oh my gosh, I'm so stressed too. I want to, I want to go like international. I was like, All right, let's do it. I love that. A lot of times people come to me and they're kind of resistant. But I can tell the difference between people that don't care and people that are just intimidated. And so I think if you can get past that point, you're willing to try. Those are the people that are going to succeed. And now she's like, I'm getting people off of Google. People are calling me. I have to hire instructors. I need multiple pools. She's like, you can see the growth and it's, it's really, really amazing. It's just so amazing to be a part of. And she's like, I want you there with me to help. And I'm like, like, It's so fun and it's so amazing and it makes, makes me happy, so. That's a great story. I've, I've got the opposite question. Oh, okay. What happens when somebody screws up? I feel like in the, in the world of the internet, you know, people talk about 15 minutes of fame. I think that in the internet, that stuff comes back to haunt you. So how do you recover from a fatal error? Well, it depends on what the error is. I had somebody that had, like, a really terrible Google review, and then we started to look into it more, and I was like, okay, actually, this isn't really a review about you as a business, so let's try to get this taken down, because this is not a, this is not a worthwhile, so we did, we worked towards getting that removed, because it was not a review about her as a professional, so I was like, alright, let's, let's get that taken down. If they were to post something that wasn't appropriate, luckily I haven't really encountered too much of this, so I'm very fortunate. But if, say, they posted something that was bad, it was inappropriate or something, it offended somebody, that would then have to be, you know, uh, unfortunately we see a lot of these, like, celebrities, right, like, coming out and doing, like, oh, I'm so sorry. But that'd kind of be the approach you have to take. You have to just own up to what you did. If you really did genuinely make a mistake, and, you know, I'm sorry, let's move past this and just try. I feel like a lot of people are given second chance, I mean, depending on how crazy what they did. If it's just a small issue, sometimes we can get past it. And I think you have to try to beg for forgiveness. Try not to make those mistakes, right? We're all human though. And then if, you know, you can always utilize, I'll do a plug for Thrive. Thrive is one of those reputation managers that they will help you work, scour the internet for bad reviews and all that and try to help your online reputation. So there are programs out there that we can connect you with to try to get rid of some of the bad juju, but yeah. I think you just try to have to own up to what you did and try to apologize and move on. But if it's something not. I think there are ways to try to remove those and get rid of that, so. Let's talk about DigiBridge. I love seeing that. There we go. DigiBridge. It does kind of tickle the tongue when you say it. I like fun, so that's also why I needed that. So, what makes you all different? Yeah, so, a big thing is customization. So, it's not a cookie cutter approach. It's not cookie cutter content. Everything is customized. You know, I know people are like, would roll their eyes at that, but it's true. I have so many people in similar, in the same industry and nobody's doing the same thing. I really, that's why the branding is so important. I really hone in on who you are and what do you actually need. I'm not gonna just toss out things and I'm like, eh, sure, you should spend money on that too. It's not my approach. I don't. I'm not going to waste your time, you know, it's just not necessary. So I'm always going to be authentic, honest, that's really important to me. And really tailor it to that individual and that business. And authenticity, so kind of going off of that, being authentic, I'm going to be always honest and authentic with, with my business, but then making sure that what you're putting out there is really true to who you are. It's not, You know, even if you're going the influencer route, we're not going to be tricking people. We're not going to be saying, oh, I have this, you know, glamorous life and a completely different now. We're going to be true to who you are. And that's what we're really going to lean into. Be real. And that's what people are going to resonate with. And I hate to say it, but just creativity. Uh, I have a weird brain and, and I like to think the people that I work with, they, my team, they've got, they got interesting brains as well. And we just always bring a new perspective that. I don't hear of anyone else doing. I really try to think outside the box and give them a strategic approach. That's just a little bit. Yeah, I think it's always helpful, too, to have a fresh set of eyes looking at your business. The old forest and the trees analogy, right? You probably come in and see things that I don't see in my business. Oh yeah, for sure. That happens to me every single time. I'm like, like I said before, I don't have an interesting story. I'm like, actually you do. That's very fascinating and not normal in a good way. You know, so people just don't see it and they just need that weird outside perspective to kind of shake it up for them. Can you walk us through your typical working process with a new client? Yeah, sure. So like, full process is we have that consultation, we talk, you, you air all your grievances to me. Um, you know, I, I tell you what, you know, all right, sounds good. I come back with a plan. I give you a branding strategy, a proposal that says, Hey, here's everything that I heard and here's all the steps that we can take to alleviate those problems. You take it at your own pace. This is not like it needs to be done today. Honestly, it's actually better to not do it all at once because you really need to let it all sink in over time. Okay. What's my branding? You know, all that stuff. And then we just go step by step. We go, alright, we go with the branding. Or maybe you got really good story, you just don't know how to carry it out. Okay, we're gonna get you a logo. Alright, we're gonna do, start you on a social media plan. We'll clean up your social media accounts. We'll design this flyer you've been talking about for six months. Like, let's knock out some of these things just step by step. It's very like, no stress. Like, we'll do it at your pace. And then, all right, now we got those things knocked out. What do we continue to do? What are our ongoing just ways of telling your story? SEO, social media, video, whatever it is. So it's really a choose your own adventure with my guidance of what makes sense to you, what resonates at that time as you grow your business. So. When you start working with a new client and you've set expectations, what can they expect from you? Good communication. I know a lot of people say like, Oh yeah, I started working in this marketing company and either they didn't deliver on what they said they're going to do or they stopped responding to me. I think that's the most common thing that we've heard is, you know, I invested this money and I didn't see results. Yeah, it was anxiety for that. I cannot just be like, I'm gonna take your money. Goodbye. I will not do that. Solely based on, I, I don't want to have that on my conscious of that I did that. That's why I will tell people like, I don't think that's a good approach. I really don't think you should go that route because I think you're gonna lose money and I've told that to people and they get upset at me. I'm like, okay, we'll do it anyway. And then I'm like, I'm not gonna tell you I told you so, but I told you so. So, that's a big thing, communication, setting expectations, making sure we're on the same page. That's a huge thing for me. No surprises. And, you know, I'm gonna say what I set out to, I'm gonna do what I set out to do. If I tell you I'm gonna deliver something, I'm gonna do it. I am very much a like, we're gonna get this done kind of person. I will never just be like, mmm. I had a client I was just with before this that, She couldn't download the videos we did for her on her phone, and I get that. It was, it was, for some reason it was a complex, I, I was watching it happen, I was like, this is very complicated, it's not working. And I was like, I gotta get here though. And I just sat with her and I was like, you know what? I'll be there, I'm gonna be on time, it's no big deal, let's sit down, I'm gonna watch you, make sure that you do this. So you can get this and post this on Instagram. I don't want to leave you. And I don't know of anyone else who will do that. An owner of a company who's going to sit down and be like, let's make sure you get this Instagram reel on your Instagram. So I, I really will make sure that we follow through. We get you what you need. You feel good because if I'm leaving you stressed out, I didn't do my job right. Let's talk a little bit about technology. There's a lot of tools that you use in your business. What's your favorite tool that you use that you can't do without? Ooh, that's so tough. Cause I love them all. Uh, I don't know that, well I use a lot, but actually my favorite right now is actually a project management system. I think a lot of people that come to me, which is probably not the answer you want, but a lot of people come to me and they're so disorganized. I can just tell by the way they're like, blah, blah, blah, blah, and I'm like, okay, I think you just need like a system in place. And I was that way until I found monday. com. Not sponsored. Uh. Not yet. Not yet. But boy, do I love it. I, I could not find a project management system that worked for me and I finally was like, okay, I think this is working. Like, I just had all my tasks in place. People were like, you know, Hey, I need this. I'm inputting in there. I'm going to have like, Oh, it's a game changer for my business. I love it. I communicate with my contractors. I can communicate with my team and I can. I can even use, uh, it as a way to communicate with my clients. If they have a request, it can come in, I input it. I'm just, the efficiency is great. The communication, it's all awesome. I love it. And, but an actual like content creation. I mean, anyone can't go wrong with Canva if you're just trying to start out. I mean, that's a great place to go to just, to just get, it makes design accessible. So that's always a good, a good one for people. I just discovered you can. Upload a photograph and put it into your Canva project and Canva will automatically remove the background. Yeah, ooh. Well, big deal. Yeah. Yeah. I love that tool. If I need to do something like just like real quick and quick and dirty, I just bet I'm like, perfect. It's, it's a great tool. If you don't have access to Adobe suite, you know, illustrator and all that, that's not really super accessible for the average Joe, you know, business owner. So Canvas, it's a great tool. I think if you can just put your creative spin on it, don't just, don't just use a template, you know, start off that way, but if you can put your creative spin on it. I think it's a great tool for everybody to use. So you've been doing this for a few years now. What's your proudest accomplishment? It's a good one. The fact that you're still in business? Well, yeah, that's a good one. I love that. Uh, so, I have started to build out a team. So that's a huge accomplishment. I think having a great, solid people I can go to. My graphic designers are awesome. I use them, like, the most. And they are just, they are on it. And the fact that like, you know, we're just, they get my vision and it's just awesome. So yeah, I would say the people, they're just the, it's real great to build out a team that gets it, that gets the vision that it's going for. So, and we're just going to keep on growing. Where are you going to be in five years? This big team of yours. The hard hitting questions. I think I'm just going to keep growing, uh, really just growing out that team. Yeah, it's, it's so hard because I have this vision. It's hard to articulate. But yeah, it's really just more of what I'm doing. It's just the building the team stronger, getting them consistent, solid work, building up more brands, building up more company, helping them being a part of maybe larger companies as well as small business owners. So I think there's just a lot of that already in the works that it's like, okay, just more of that, more of what I'm already doing. So, so I'm excited. I do, I do see grander, grander visions, maybe a podcast. Hey! How do you guys on my podcast? Let's do it. We can rent out the luxurious Exodus HR studio. It's very good. I have all these things in my head. Maybe. I do want to, when I feel like I've kind of really got my footing, I really do want to help other entrepreneurs. I really want to be, I mean, I already am through my business sense, but maybe, you know, help others through the, you know, the trials and tribulations of just being a business owner and, you know, providing that safe space or whatever it is. Be like, you know what, I am struggling with this. Let's talk about it. Cause I think a lot of times we don't and we're all just kind of silently struggling and it's tough. Everybody thinks that everybody else has the answers and they feel. Less than. Yes. Because they don't have the answer. Yeah. I will say in a similar vein, I know I've been, I've been talking a lot, but just finding right, the right people. I think that's the best thing you could do. I mean, obviously DigiBridge is here as a, as a resource and as a point person for you to air out all your marketing woes too, but I think if you just find the right people as you're networking, on your social media, wherever it is. That uplift you and make you feel good and are not jerks, right? They make you feel good about what you're doing and keep encouraging you. I think that's the best thing I could say to a business owner. Find those people, help them, and so they in turn hopefully help you as well. How can our listeners learn more about your services or get in touch? Yeah, my website, so digibridgemedia. com is the best way. You can learn more about services, you can connect, um, set up a consultation. Meet the team, you can see them on there as well. Uh, so, yeah, that's the best way. I always give people the option, if they want, to provide some kind of a value, add, offer, special offer. I don't know if that fits in your world or if you have anything top of mind that you want to throw out as a special offer. Yeah, if you are listening to this podcast, I will give you one free social media graphic. There you go. Wow. Sounds valuable. It is. I don't know what it is, but. What's the normal value of that? Uh, just a singular one off is like 40, so. Okay. Decent value. Yeah. And then I could, I could help shape how you design future graphics, so why not? Yeah, so obviously the 40 charge is worth far more than that because of the future value of that. It really gets you started in the right direction. I love it. What final advice would you like to share? You don't have to go it alone. Again, that's in the same vein of, of, you know, find your good people, but you really don't have to go it alone. Even if you have grand ideas and it stresses you out and you feel disorganized, there is someone out there that can help you. We don't talk about it enough, about it being hard to be a business owner. And so Reach out. We can help. Air, ease your stress, whether it's just provide some guidance. We do a free, uh, branding strategy. So, you know, if you just come to me and you're like, I just need, I don't, I don't know what, I can't make heads or tails. Yeah. I mean, you don't have to suffer. Thank you so much for being here. Congratulations on your success. Can't wait to see where you go the next five years. All right, Scott. Great show today. It was good. You did a good job, David, as always. And thank you again, Chelsea. All right. So all you business leaders out there, keep grinding, keep selling, keep decreasing your expenses. And above all, keep minding your business. See you next week.