Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sunny Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sunny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

As an entrepreneur, I understand how challenging it can be to enter into something unfamiliar. Many entrepreneurs expect their families to understand their vision and purchase their products and/or services. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that our families aren’t required to purchase from us or promote our businesses. The tough pill to swallow is that a majority of your family and friends may not fall in your target audience anyway. It’s much better to market your business to your true community and audience. When we master marketing we’re able to continue to make sales instead of getting one sale here and there from people who are just “supporting”. I always teach my clients to move past the expectation that our family and friends are going to be our customers.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started Pretty Face Mean Hustle because I saw so many talented people that just lacked business knowledge. There areas many people that aren’t sure how to register a business, when to get a business bank account, when to invest in a logo or website, and more. The mission behind my brand is to help those that aren’t typically involved in business with their structure and branding. It can be intimidating to start a business, but it doesn’t have to be.

My business has evolved a bit over the years, but I currently offer services like LLC registration, logo creation, creative directing, and web design. My clients appreciate the fact that they can focus on what they do best and I can work on their business structure or branding. In some cases I’ve created my clients’ entire brand and all they had to do was show up to their photoshoot. This brings a sense of peace to many who wreck their brains trying to fill so many roles that a business needs.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I quit my job in October 2019 to pursue full-time entrepreneurship. Only a few short months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Many of my plans had to be changed in regards to my business. I had to think quickly and come up with a plan to continue to produce revenue in unchartered territory. I initially believed that quarantine and the pandemic wouldn’t last long, but I quickly realized I was wrong.

I made more of an effort to be present infront of my audience on social media and show my personality. I also studied COVID-19 relief programs and provided information in more easily-consumed ways to support fellow business owners. This allowed me to continue to grow my business and my audience even though it was through a different method than I had expected.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One of my greatest marketing lessons was when I hired a team to assist me with my Facebook ads. I had registered with a company who taught marketing to people all over the world. Those students needed businesses to test out what they’d learned about marketing and ads.

The marketers I was paired with generally worked with businesses who made way more money than me but they were desperate for a case study/success story. They agreed to work with me at a reduced rate and I was so grateful. Both members of the marketing firm were from Europe, but we held Zoom calls to regroup, talk about strategies, and talk about results.

They would give me homework assignments on content that they needed to create a sales funnel for me. We used videos, ad copy, PDF freebies, and emails to bring potential clients on a journey to get to know my brand. When I saw how everything was put together I realized that there was a true science behind marketing and that most success relied on probabilities and targeting.

They asked me to up my budget for my Facebook ads and I was super scared. We were still in the middle of the pandemic and I wasn’t sure that I would see a return on my investment due to natural variables, but I tried it! With $500 in ad spend I actually made double what I usually did in my business and gained over 2,000 new email subscribers. Marketing truly works once you understand the science and steps behind it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamsunnysmith.com
• Instagram: @iamsunnysmith
• Twitter: @PFMH_Sunny