Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Otis

Hi Rebecca, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

Hey there! I’m Becca. I’m an entrepreneur based in Madison, WI, but let’s rewind to see how my company Essence Social Media Management came to be.

​I started managing social media accounts while I was in my first two years of college at UW-Milwaukee. My major was Journalism, but my professors encouraged me and my fellow classmates to explore every kind of media we could. Long story short, I applied to be a Social Media Intern for a start up clothing brand and got it! I learned a ton and had a great experience, but I ultimately had to leave that opportunity because I decided to transfer to UW-Madison.

​Fast forward, I graduated with a BA in Journalism from UW-Madison. Great, right? Well, after applying for jobs and doing multiple interviews, I realized maybe I wasn’t as in love with Journalism as I once thought. I wanted to tell stories; I envisioned myself writing and maybe doing photojournalism for a magazine or being a columnist of some kind. The reality was that those types of jobs are hard to find and even harder to make a living off of. So, I decided to start applying for marketing jobs instead.

I landed my first Social Media Management role, partially due to that internship I mentioned previously, and I was thrilled. It started off great. I grew one of the Instagram accounts at that job from 8K to nearly 50K followers, but slowly I started to realize maybe the corporate 9-5 life wasn’t for me. The never ending and unproductive Zoom calls, the constant desire to prove myself and the fact that I didn’t get to create very often in that role drove me nuts. The fact was that I wasn’t happy anymore. So, I quit.

To be honest, I was terrified, and I had no idea what I was going to do. I took a job as a Prep Cook to pay the bills, and because I do really like cooking. Also, I thought maybe I could start a food blog to make some extra income. Anyway, as it turned out, the job was exactly what I needed. I was working through a lot, and I loved that I had found a routine that felt natural and was able to work independently.

At one point, my boss at that job asked me about my past experience managing social media accounts, and that is where the idea to start this business really began. I managed the accounts for the restaurant I worked at, and I was surprised to find that I really liked it. I made these videos of me prepping various sauces, salsas and other things for the restaurant, and people really liked them. One of the videos I made got 255K views over night, and (not to brag) that’s really when I started to realize I was pretty good at this.

I researched the steps I had to take to start an LLC, and Essence Social Media Management was born! Why the name Essence? Well, to me every business worth supporting has a soul, a set of core values and ideas, a vibe (as us millennials like to say), an essence.

Furthermore, at the time, we were smack dab in center of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and watching businesses that had been around for decades just disappearing left and right struck something in me. I grew up in a small town, where small businesses were the only type of business we had for the longest time. (For real, we didn’t get a Walmart until I was in high school.) I felt compelled to help some how, and I had seen the type of reach I could get creating and posting content on social media.

Fast forward to today. I currently work with an amazing and eclectic group of clients located mainly in Madison’s east side. I hope to continue to grow the Essence brand family and build a team here.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Of course there have been obstacles. As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly learning new things about yourself, about running a business, about how to improve what you already do well and about other people too. In order to learn, you often have to make a few mistakes first.

Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned are:

– Not every opportunity is a good one for you, and that’s okay.
– When you feel stuck or restless, it’s time to find new inspiration. Go somewhere new, or challenge yourself in a new way.
– Being an entrepreneur can feel really lonely sometimes, but you aren’t alone. Lean on your network when you need to.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I run a social media management and content creation company, but the content creation portion of my business is where my heart is. Photography, videography and writing are all things I’ve had a passion for from a young age.

I’m essentially self-taught in everything I do, aside from writing because of my BA in Journalism. I think being self-taught in any discipline sets you apart, because you have a more unique perspective on how to do something that is all your own.

Right now, I would say I specialize in food and beverage. The majority of my clients fall into this category, but I’ve done a little bit of everything. I think my varied experience and willingness to try new things is another thing that sets me apart. A lot of people are concerned with deriving a very specific niche for their brand. While that is important, I think that remaining open-minded to things outside of your comfort zone is important too.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?

There are three cities in Wisconsin that I will never get tired of: Madison, Milwaukee and Burlington (my hometown). Madison, where I currently live, suits me, because Madison is almost like a bunch of small towns smushed together. The “small town feel” was something I very much missed when I moved from Burlington (town of about 10,000 people) to Milwaukee (city of over 500,000 people). Madison is a perfect mix of city and small town; there’s always something going on, but there are plenty of places to have a peaceful morning hike too. Also, it’s definitely a place where everyone knows everyone.

There’s not much I dislike about Madison, other than the cost of living keeps rising. That’s everywhere though, and the city is becoming a more and more desirable place to live. UW-Madison is a “new Ivy” apparently, we’re getting a public market and an Amtrak station, and it is just beautiful here, especially being situated on an isthmus. Eventually, I’ll probably move further out of the city center, but for now it’s great. I love being able to walk or bike to almost anything I want or need. Lakeshore? One block away. Grocery store? Three blocks away. The neighborhood where a lot of my clients are located? Five blocks away. Downtown? Eight blocks away.

Pricing:

• Management + Content Creation: Starts at $900/month.
• Just Content: Starts at $500/month.
• Mini Content Day: $300
• Content Consultation: $300

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.essencesocialmediamgmt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essence_socialmedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essencesocialmediamanagement

Image Credits

Rebecca Otis/Essence Social Media Management