We were lucky to catch up with Abby Herman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Abby, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
My biggest risk has been starting my own business. And maybe not even starting it, but leaving a very secure (though low-paying) teaching career to grow it full time.
In 2007, I was having trouble making ends meet as an elementary school teacher and single mom. I started doing some freelance writing work from home in the evenings and on the weekends to bring in extra money. I did this for years and learned so much about online business in the process. Meanwhile I was working 60+ hours a week between both jobs.
In 2013, I decided enough was enough and made the leap to leave teaching and grow my business. At the same time, I had $50k in student loan debt, no savings, and not enough clients to replace my full time income. It was pretty scary!
Thankfully, I figured out how to make it work (through a lot of blood, sweat, and tears!) and I’m still running my own business today! It’s grown, contracted, shifted, and thrived along the way. I’m so glad I took the risk for the sake of my mental health and financial freedom!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Early in my business, I was doing a lot of “content on demand,” meaning a client would request a specific blog post or email sequence, and I’d write it. But often what I created would never be published, or deep down I knew that the content wasn’t the right fit for the client’s goals.
I transitioned into working with clients who also wanted a content strategy to go with the content we were creating, so I could really help them create the impact they wanted.
As time went on, I began to notice that clients were leaning heavily on content to drive traffic to their websites and offerings. This may have worked at one time, but it no longer works in the online space. So in 2023, I started offering fractional marketing officer services to help support most aspects of clients’ marketing needs. In addition, I also offer podcast management.
What sets me apart is providing a big-picture solution to a client’s content and marketing. My team and I do everything from ideation to creation to implementation, so all a client needs to do is show up with their own take on something and we do the rest. And then the client gets to focus on what they do best.
In addition, because I came from a place where I couldn’t afford to hire help early on in my business, I feel very strongly about having offerings for those early in their business journey. So I recently opened an online shop full of resources and tools that walk people through marketing and content creation. I’m incredibly proud of this shop and plan to add new resources to it throughout the year.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I think it’s important to note that it IS possible to bootstrap a profitable business. I didn’t receive any outside funding for my business and I don’t even have a business credit card. I started by doing 100% of the work myself and limiting my expenses. Even today, I still keep a close eye on my expenses to ensure that we continue to be profitable. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to start a business, and you CAN do it as the only income in your household (which my business continues to be).
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I have been most successful in growing my client base by connecting with other business owners. Connection is key! And in 2024, I’m making a concerted effort to do that more.
But the trick behind it is to approach connection with an interest in getting to know someone better or to help someone. It’s not about making a sale; it’s about creating a true human connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thecontentexperiment.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecontentexperiment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbbyMHerman1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbymherman/