It’s hard to believe that this month marks three years of running my own business. Strangely enough, this is the third business anniversary I’ve celebrated during the COVID pandemic. My first business anniversary was a few months after the pandemic started, in May 2020, and the second was in May 2021, just as we were all starting to get vaccinated. It’s certainly been a challenging time to start and sustain a business! I’m grateful to all the amazing clients I’ve worked with along the way who have made it possible for me to continue on this fulfilling journey of self-employment.

Without further ado, I’ll share with you some of my favorite projects from the past year, lessons learned along the way, and what I’m looking forward to in the future.

Favorite Projects

I work with so many fantastic clients that it’s hard to select just a handful of favorite projects to highlight! Here’s a snapshot of some of the projects I loved working on this year.

Community Management for a Children’s Show

Last May, I started working as a social media community manager for a popular children’s TV show. My contract prevents me from publicizing the exact show I work for, but I will say that it’s been a fantastic experience so far! I love the show and have so much fun engaging with the fans on our social channels every day. At times there are bouts of negativity that can be tough to deal with, but for the most part, the fans are enthusiastic, positive, and kind. I’ve also learned a lot by working on such a large brand with a robust team and many resources behind it.

“Emily reinvigorated my excitement around social media by making it easy to understand her analysis and providing simple, bite-size steps to make our various platforms more engaging.”

— Kayleigh Stampfler, Owner & CEO, Stamp Paints

Stamp Paints Audit

I love working with small businesses and helping them figure out ways to stretch their resources so they get the most out of their social media efforts. I’ve known Stamp Paints co-owners Kayleigh and Josh Stampfler for awhile now, and it was a joy working with them on outlining their goals, target audience, and key messages, assessing their social media presence, and providing thoughtful recommendations for improvement. Check them out for any of your painting needs!

“Our team learned so much from Serve Me the Sky. We easily implemented some new things that have made a big difference already!”

— Lyla Grills, Director, Mendon Public Library

Pro-Bono Mini Audits for Libraries

As a trustee of the Monroe County Library System, I decided to offer local libraries pro bono mini social media audits. This was a scaled back version of my usual social media audit offering, and all seven libraries who participated reported back that it was very helpful! It was fun to review each library’s social media presence and offer tailored recommendations for how they could take things to the next level.

Lessons Learned

The Impact of ADHD

Last summer, I did a three-month stint as Interim Executive Director at a nonprofit in addition to running my business. I thought it would be rewarding and exciting, but I found it extremely stressful and draining. It made me think: damn, I can never go back to a regular 9-5 job in an office. I now realize that part of that sentiment may have come from my ADHD, which I was diagnosed with in October. In that work environment, I found myself irritated with interruptions (a buzzer for the front door ringing frequently and staff coming in to chat), having difficulty prioritizing the many tasks on my plate, and struggling with decision making–all of which are ways that my ADHD manifests.

Having a diagnosis and medication helps, but it’s also revealing as to why self-employment works so well for me. I can focus on whichever project is calling my name at a particular moment. I can cultivate my home office environment so it’s optimized for focus (and reward myself with snacks, petting dogs, and walks). I can utilize my creativity across a diverse array of work. It’s such a great fit for me–I wish I had known sooner that I had ADHD and that self-employment would be so well-suited to it!

“Grow, Grow, Grow” is Not the Only Way to Go

So many people expect a business like mine to grow by turning into an agency, where I’d be at the helm and managing several employees who do the day-to-day social media marketing work. That doesn’t interest me. I’m content with where my business is right now and I enjoy the work I do every day. It’s okay to not grow the way people expect you to grow! If you’re feeling this way too, I recommend picking up the book Company of One by Paul Jarvis.

It’s Okay to End a Client Relationship

Kindness and good intentions aren’t enough to sustain a client relationship. I had the unfortunate experience of working with a client that never paid me on time, and when they did, their checks often bounced. I ended our working relationship and felt nothing but relief.

This Blog is Working

Sometimes working on this blog feels like writing into a void. Some newer posts don’t get many clicks, and older ones continue to rack up views. And yet–it’s working! When I landed a major client last year and asked how they heard about me, the answer was through a Google search for a U.S.-based social media freelancer. This blog is doing its job! With my consistent content creation and strong SEO, people are organically finding my site.

Raise Your Rates

While I’ve raised my rates when pitching new clients, before this year, I had never raised my rates for existing clients. It’s nervewracking! As a freelancer, no one is going to give you a cost of living raise, so you need to increase your rates. Inflation over the past year was more than 8%! I raised my rates for all three of my retainer clients and they were very understanding.

Ithaca trip with puggles

Lilac Mag launch event

Your Job Isn’t Everything

This one is an ongoing process! It’s easy to define ourselves by our work and our productivity. But there’s so much more to life than work! I try not to tie up my own identity in the brands I work with, as much as I enjoy and appreciate them. Instead, I walk away from my desk. I take my dogs for walks. I read, I write, I make TikToks. It’s all about balance.

Looking Ahead

Social Media Audits

While I enjoy working on big-picture social media strategy projects, I hope to do more audits in the next year. The audit process moves a little faster and is priced a bit more affordably, so I can help more small businesses and nonprofits get impactful recommendations efficiently.

Blog Writing

I’d love to do more blog writing in the future! I recently started working with Campspot and it’s been so much fun writing for their blog. It’s nice to take a break from the chaos of social media, buckle down, and write engaging, educational content.

Thank you for reading and supporting me along the way! I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had over the past three years running Serve Me the Sky Digital. For more freelancing insights, check out my unboring email newsletter!

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