We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Bass a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sydney, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

Business owners worry so much over social media – “Am I posting enough? Will this reel go viral? Do I really have to dance?” Often we left social media dictate our business vs. allowing US -the ones with creative vision and amazing services – to run the business.

I’ve struggled with social media a lot since I started my business (I remember when Insta had just 9 filters and was chronological!) – I love the community, how fun and fast it is, and all the things that can be learned, and yet, I’ve often fallen into the social media trap: comparison, jealously, burn out, the need to feed the algorithm and consistently produce more and more that is “on trend.”

This is not to say don’t do trends – but it is to say that I now approach social media with clearer boundaries around what I do want to do (Instagram? Yes. Pinterest. Nah.) and will hire out for specific things (Pinterest? I have totally hired this out).

If I could leave any “lesson” that I’ve learned it would be this – use social media as the marketing tool it was originally designed to be. Create good content that you enjoy. Have a solid website and deliver an outstanding service. Create a team for yourself when/where you can (and if you want). And don’t obsess so much over the numbers.

Sydney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Business owners worry so much over social media – “Am I posting enough? Will this reel go viral? Do I really have to dance?” Often we left social media dictate our business vs. allowing US -the ones with creative vision and amazing services – to run the business.

I’ve struggled with social media a lot since I started my business (I remember when Insta had just 9 filters and was chronological!) – I love the community, how fun and fast it is, and all the things that can be learned, and yet, I’ve often fallen into the social media trap: comparison, jealously, burn out, the need to feed the algorithm and consistently produce more and more that is “on trend.”

This is not to say don’t do trends – but it is to say that I now approach social media with clearer boundaries around what I do want to do (Instagram? Yes. Pinterest. Nah.) and will hire out for specific things (Pinterest? I have totally hired this out).

If I could leave any “lesson” that I’ve learned it would be this – use social media as the marketing tool it was originally designed to be. Create good content that you enjoy. Have a solid website and deliver an outstanding service. Create a team for yourself when/where you can (and if you want). And don’t obsess so much over the numbers.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that drives me in my current journey is recognize myself as a creative. Because I’ve never gravitated towards painting, drawing, or making things, I never considered myself creative.

This past year has been a sort of sabbatical for me from my styling business, as I’ve been writing more, and thinking about how to infuse more creativity into not just what I do, but who I am as a person. It’s personal – a personal goal to explore, be, and exude creativity – and let that be defined however I want it to be defined.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

If I could give any business owner a Book Bundle, it would include these 5:

1. Profit First, Mike Michalowicz. This book changed the way I did the finances in my business and it truly transformed my income.
2. The E-Myth, Micheal E. Gerber. I read this most recently and honestly it pissed me off! I wish I had read it sooner – it’s so simple, yet the truths are SO good and if every small business owner could just start their business with the end in mind, it would prevent so much burn out.
3. Conscious Language, Robert Tennyson Stevens. This is a hard to find book – and worth it. It emphasizes the importance of the words we choose to use.
4. The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks. It’s a personal growth book with so many applications to business. The explanation of Upper Limits alone is worth it.
5. Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss. Learning negotiation tactics from a former FBI hostage negotiator? Yes please. Read especially the section on how using your VOICE can change the game.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chicstripes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneypagebass/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-bass-a6853a18/

Image Credits
Kaytee Dunnavant