When I started my social media journey I had no plans. All I had were 3 goats, a baby boy, a farmer husband, and what I thought were some fun stories to tell… but I had no idea how to reach the audience I was searching for. After 5 months of spinning my wheels and getting nowhere, I decided it was time to learn from someone who had experience and was successful in the social media space.
The beginning
The very first social media course I ever invested in was $500. It had been 8 months since I quit my job, 8 months since I brought in any real income, and it felt really difficult to be taking $500 from our savings for something I wasn’t sure I’d make anything of it. It was an online course in the middle of harvest. Hank was only one and I was about to launch my new cheese business.
My biggest supporter was Josh. He believes in me when I don’t always believe in myself. And I wasn’t really ready to tell anyone else I was about to drop $500 for an online course about Instagram… Mostly because I didn’t want anyone to talk me out of it or know how much I was spending on it.
The course I took was put on by Suzy Holman. It was her very first beta-tested online course. I don’t remember how many people were in the course, but I was starving for the information she was putting out there, and I dove in headfirst.
One important thing to remember with any course you invest in is none of it matters if you don’t put the work in for yourself. You can get all the best information, the best advice, the best hype girls, but if you aren’t willing to buckle down and work even on the days you don’t want to, success will be hard to achieve.
My growth and development on social media really started after my first course. I was able to hone in on my message and what I truly wanted to share so I could find the community who wanted to be there for it. The first 2 months after the course I was able to triple my following while keeping a high engagement on my content. The goal is never to have the most people along for your journey, but rather to have folks who are there to support you and truly invested in what you’re sharing.
Next Steps...
Since my first online course, I’ve been blessed to be part of two communities of rural women who help build each other up. The Rural Rooted community is a sisterhood of entrepreneurs built by my friend Natalie Kovarik. I’ve been able to be a coach at these retreats, which has been an incredible experience for me. Read more by clicking the Rural Rooted button below!
The M5 community is another entrepreneurial community I’ve been part of this year that has brought a ton of value to my small business. Read more by clicking the M5 button below!
Rural Rooted Retreats M5 Entrepreneurs