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

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

It started the way a lot of big ideas do—somewhere between burnout and a Google Doc.

I started my business back in 2014, offering done-for-you social media services. I was deep in the client work trenches—writing captions, scheduling posts, answering DMs like my life depended on it. And while I loved helping people, I also felt like I was stuck on a hamster wheel. Always busy, rarely building anything sustainable.

In 2017, I created my first online course about Canva. That was my first glimpse of what it felt like to make something once and watch it help people over and over again. I was hooked. But still juggling client work, I realized that what business owners really needed wasn’t just another tutorial—they needed guidance, support, and strategy that didn’t require burning out to implement.

So in 2018, I launched the Savvy Social School—my first membership. It was scrappy at first. I didn’t have a big team or fancy launch. Just an idea, a simple platform, and a whole lot of figuring-it-out-as-I-went. I pre-sold the membership before everything was built (terrifying), but people said yes—and that early validation was everything.

The next few years were full of learning curves: figuring out what to teach, how to deliver it, and how to keep the community engaged. I experimented. I refined. I reworked things a dozen times. And it grew—slowly, but steadily.

Then in 2024, I rebranded to the Mindful Marketing Lab, because that’s what the membership had truly become. It wasn’t just about strategy anymore—it was about building a marketing practice that feels aligned, sustainable, and real. No more hustle-till-you-drop. Just simpler, smarter marketing for busy people.

So no, there wasn’t some grand plan from the start. It was a series of small steps, fueled by curiosity, trial and error, and a whole lot of listening to what people actually needed. And that’s still how I run things today.

Andrea, 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?

Hi, I’m Andréa Jones—and I help business owners simplify their marketing so they can grow without burning out.

I run The Mindful Marketing Lab, a community-powered membership that teaches values-driven entrepreneurs how to build sustainable, strategic marketing habits that actually feel good. No more 24/7 hustle. No more chasing algorithm ghosts. Just simpler, smarter marketing for busy people who want results and room to breathe.

I’ve been in the content game for over 20 years (yes, I had a blog in 2004 when it absolutely wasn’t cool), and I’ve seen it all: viral moments, flopped launches, algorithm whiplash, and the pressure to be “on” all the time. I’ve grown accounts to millions of views, led viral campaigns, rebuilt from scratch, burned out, bounced back, and now—I help others do it with more ease and intention than I ever had in the beginning.

At the heart of everything I do is this belief: Marketing should work with your life, not against it. Whether you join my membership, book a 1-on-1 strategy session, or binge-listen to the podcast, you’ll find practical tools, playful experimentation, and permission to do things your way. Because what works for someone else’s audience might not work for yours—and that’s not a failure. That’s an opportunity to get creative.

What sets my work apart is how deeply I care about both results and your well-being. My clients and members aren’t trying to be everywhere all the time. They’re building meaningful brands with clarity, confidence, and support behind the scenes. They’re learning to market themselves with less stress and more joy.

What I’m most proud of? Honestly, it’s the community. The Mindful Marketing Lab has become a space where people feel seen, supported, and excited to show up again. It’s full of smart, soulful entrepreneurs who are just as committed to building their businesses as they are to protecting their peace.

So if you’re tired of the one-size-fits-all formulas and ready to explore marketing that actually fits you, I’d love to connect. Because you don’t need to do more. You just need to do what matters—and I can help you figure out what that is.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One of my favorite marketing stories actually came out of a really tough moment in my business.

It was early 2022, and we had just lost a handful of clients all at once—like, boom, gone. And while normally we’re mostly referral-based and have a pretty steady flow of leads, I could feel that slow panic creeping in. Especially because I was also preparing for maternity leave. So yeah… pressure was on.

I knew we needed to bring in a few new clients fast—but not just any clients. I was determined not to repeat the mistake I’d made just a few months earlier, when I said yes to clients that weren’t a great fit (out of desperation), and it ended up creating more stress than it solved. So this time, I decided to do something bold: run a very intentional, very focused new client campaign.

We set a clear goal: sign 2–3 high-quality clients by the end of February. That gave us about a month to put everything together. The twist? I also decided to change our agreement structure—for the first time in eight years—to a six-month minimum. It was a big ask, but I wanted stability for the team during my leave, and I didn’t want any “quick wins” that would ghost us after a month.

We added a new client incentive (a custom funnel audit + strategy), cleaned up our messaging, and—this was the magic part—got hyper clear on who we actually wanted to work with. Like, crystal clear. I interviewed my team, reviewed testimonials, pulled insights from our favorite clients, and created a full client profile to guide our outreach and sales convos. No more “we’ll make it work” energy. If someone didn’t align, it was a no.

Then we hit publish. I created a 6-part video series on TikTok (which we repurposed everywhere), sent out weekly emails, posted on social—and instead of generic “you need social media!” content, I focused on decision-ready buyers. The folks who already knew they needed support and were just trying to figure out who to hire. I spoke directly to them, answered the questions they were actually asking, and positioned us clearly as the agency that delivers strategy, done-for-you support, and actual partnership—not just pretty posts.

The result? $72,000 in booked business. And more importantly, four new dream clients who were genuinely excited to work with us.

Now, did it all go smoothly? LOL no. We onboarded those four clients at the same time while offboarding a team member, hiring someone new, and prepping for a baby. It was chaos. I absolutely overdid it. But I’m still so proud of how we pulled it off—because we did it on our terms. Clear values, clear boundaries, and clear messaging.

That campaign taught me something I now teach all my clients: success doesn’t come from trying to convince everyone to buy. It comes from clearly communicating with the right people—and giving them a reason to say yes right now.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

Technically? I didn’t sell my entire agency—but I did sell my client list to two of my team members. And here’s the wild part: they asked me.

After I told the team I was preparing to sell, they came to me and said, “Hey… we’d like to buy the clients.” I hadn’t even put the offer on the table yet. But they’d been running the accounts behind the scenes for years and saw the opportunity. So we worked out a deal—one that gave them full ownership, gave my clients continued support, and gave me the freedom to walk away with zero guilt.

Not a flashy Silicon Valley exit. But an aligned one.

Let me back up and give you the context.

I’d been running a successful social media agency for a decade. At my peak, I had 20 clients, a 10-person team, and revenue pushing $900K—all while working 20 hours a week. I had the system. The strategy. The brand. And then… I had babies.

And everything changed.

The second pregnancy hit harder. I was sick, tired, and suddenly very aware that my “scale the agency” dreams didn’t align with the life I actually wanted. And to be honest, the market had shifted too. Budgets were shrinking, AI was rising, and clients were asking for different kinds of support.

So I made the decision to step away from services. Not in a blaze-of-glory shutdown—but in a quiet, intentional pivot. I told my team what I was planning. I gave them a heads-up about the shift.

And that’s when two team members came to me and said, “We want to buy the clients.”

They wanted to continue the work. They loved the clients. And they were ready to run things themselves. So we struck a deal that worked for all of us—and just like that, I exited the agency world.

Here’s what I learned from that experience:
1. Build like someone else will run it someday.
Because they might. I never planned to sell my client list, but my systems, documentation, and team made it possible.

2. Relationships are your real equity.
My team wasn’t just “staff”—they were partners in the process. And my clients didn’t just hire an agency—they trusted the people behind it. That made the transition seamless.

3. Exits don’t have to be big and dramatic to be successful.
I didn’t have a broker, a buyer pool, or a press release. I had two amazing team members who wanted to carry the torch. That was enough.

4. Don’t underestimate the value of your client list.
Even if you’re a small business or service provider, your book of business has value. If you’re ready to step back, that could be your most sellable asset.

5. Your personal brand is your pivot plan.
Because I’d spent years building my personal brand, I had options the moment I stepped away. I didn’t need to scramble—I had trust, visibility, and a whole new direction already in motion.

So no, I didn’t sell to a private equity firm. But I did sell the part of my business that mattered most—and I did it in a way that felt honest, empowering, and in total alignment with the life I’m building now.

And that, to me, is a win worth celebrating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://onlinedrea.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/onlinedrea
• Facebook: https://facebook.co/onlinedrea
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/onlinedrea
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/onlinedrea

Image Credits

Muir Image Photography – Megan Muir