It’s a HUGE year for me as I celebrate 10 years of business at Chatty Girl Media! A lot of people ask how I got into this line of work and what made me want to start this company. The truth is It kinda just fell into my lap! I was many years into running my first business I founded called Kula Klips and had huge success with the brand online through my marketing efforts. I was first approached by a local yogurt shop in Edmonton to help them with marketing their business on social media, a relatively new concept at the time. From there a realtor reached out, a restaurant group and then the time to decide if I could make this a viable business.
The first step for me was to sell Kula Klips which I loved so much to make room for this new business venture. It wouldn’t be fair to not talk about my first company a little bit more because it truly shaped me to who I am as a business person today. Not only did I start a kids accessory business, I did the designs, manufactured the product, sourced supplies, marketed them, sold them into 150+ retailers AND handled all the press. I did multiple tv appearances and got those accessories into the hands of so many celebrity offspring. Back in the day there were no influencers, if you wanted big recognition you needed to get them into the hands of celebrities. I successfully had hair clips in the hands of Matt Damon who I personally chatted with and gave him for his daughter, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Garner, Tori Spelling, Scott Bao, Jason Priestly and so many more. I can’t even begin to tell you the thrill that comes with seeing a picture of your hair clip in US Weekly and People Magazine that you made with your own fingers.
I will forever be grateful for those moments that helped me propel my company into the limelight. In the beginning days I did everything and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning making hair clips while also working a full time sales rep job. When my little Logan came along I knew I needed help and was able to employ several people over the years who wanted a work from home opportunity. Without their help I couldn’t have grown the business to the size it became and I will always appreciate their dedication and hard work. It was a sad day when I decided to sell, this business had become like a child to me as a watched it grow from the beginning. But at the same time I could not pass up the opportunity to pursue a new business venture.
Chatty Girl Media was founded in 2014 and named because of all the times my talking too much in class was addressed on my report cards. I love after all these years how many people call me Chatty Girl, it’s my official nickname thanks to my business!
Over the last 10 years I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of people and businesses through social media management, content creation and business consulting to help them navigate the world of social media. I’ve worked with some incredible people but I’ve also worked with a lot of duds too. I think it’s important to reflect on every working relationship and chalk the bad moments up to lessons that needed to be learned and boy were there lessons. It truly is a roller coaster of a ride when you own a business to navigate the highs and the lows that come with it. The truth is there are really great moments and there are really hard lessons when you own a business. From shifts in economy, to natural disasters, a pandemic, and personal issues to navigate through, I’ve always come out on top which is something I’m so proud of when it comes to business. I refuse to let people or situations in life bring me down and I’m thankful for every single thing that has come my way.
When I started Chatty Girl Media there was a handful of businesses doing such work in Edmonton where I lived at the time. There was a definite need in the industry for someone to work with small businesses who couldn’t afford those big agency rates. I have always been known as a helper and also owned a small business prior so this business was the perfect recipe to launch. I will admit at the time there was 0 training for this line of work. There was no university classes, no books to read, no webinars to learn from. Because it was all so new I learned it all on my own as I’ve navigated through the changes the digital marketing industry went through. There’s been platforms that have come and gone as well as additions to the long standing platforms like Instagram. I’ve had to learn graphic design and photography because I needed it for my job as the industry grew. I learned to create and cut videos because all of a sudden this was a must for marketing online. I’ve navigated through many changes this job has brought and as the company grew it’s clients, I was able to bring on employees to help out too.
There are a lot of things I love about the job. The fact that my team and I get to help businesses brand themselves and grow online. Watching business owners come out of their “shell” and feel more comfortable on camera. The content we get to create together and the relationships that have blossomed into friendships through the client work done. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some really great employees like Cassandra, Brittney and Zoe. They have supported me over the last year through so many challenges with my health and I couldn’t have done it without them!
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has worked with Chatty Girl Media over the last 10 years in different capacities. I’m incredibly grateful to the people who refer our business to friends and family, to those who follow online and support all those social media posts put out and especially to those who contract us to work with you! We’ve worked with many long term contracts where we are involved first hand with businesses for years on end. We’ve celebrated milestones and business wins with so many. Through workshops and consulting sessions I’ve also watched so many people grow online. I can’t tell you how proud it makes me to see the things we discussed put into fruition and watching you get more comfortable on camera. It’s a WIN for me to see you succeed by taking my advice!
As the industry continues to evolve I can’t stress enough how important it is to market your business online so you don’t get left behind. Instagram is your portfolio and often where people go first to look up a business or restaurant before deciding to visit. It’s always worth the investment to have proper photography done or to take a business consulting session to ask questions and help you improve. With the evolution of the industry you need to have your finger on the pulse to make sure your content is standing out online. When the economy makes a shift the last thing you should cut is your marketing! My favourite saying is “Do what you best and farm out the rest”. If online marketing is consuming too much of your time, it’s time to bring someone in to help you so you can focus on the aspects of your business that you are really good at. For me I am terrible with accounting so I hired an expert from the beginning to navigate that side of the business so I could focus on what I’m good at and have the time to learn new things.
At the end of the day I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my family. Denny, Logan and Quinn have been a huge part of my marketing and I am forever thankful to them for all the pictures and videos they are in for clients and influencer marketing projects. What you might not know is they’ve also been responsible for a lot of the content when I’m on the other side of the camera. Logan at 15 has become a pretty good photographer and has an eye for things now, Denny points out changing angles for lighting and Quinn will tell me when I need to fix my hair before she snaps the photo. We are a dream team!
