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

Gabby, appreciate you joining us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

Social media consultation is a service-based business. One thing I’ve found to be particularly difficult for myself and other entrepreneurs in the social media profession is the constant battle between the perception of access equating to ease. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn have been around for 20+ years and you would be hard pressed to find someone who has never, at one time or another, had a profile on one or more social media sites. Because of the availability and access to these platforms, there’s a sense that running a brand profile can be done well by anyone. My favorite comparison for this is that of the automotive industry. Just because I can drive a car, doesn’t mean I know how to perform essential maintenance. Just because anyone can sign up for a social media profile, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to achieve their business or brand growth goals without strategy, direction, consistency, and grit. Due to this perception, social media professionals are often met with resistance when providing project or services quotes. Feedback typically includes the sentiment that prices should be lower and the value of the work and ROI a seasoned Social Media Strategist is commonly misunderstood. I’ve seen industry peers bend and lower prices to accommodate these perceptions which greatly impacts their profitability. My recommendation is to have a clear sense of clientele, their wants and needs, and your business value prop to find aligned prospective clients ready to invest in the value of your work.

Gabby, 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?

What started as a minor, seemingly unnecessary task, of signing up my first employer after graduating college for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, has turned into a 13 year (so far) career in Social Media Management, Strategy, and Consultation. I’ve held different titles and worked on a variety of sizes of team, but my most rewarding work, no matter who my employer was at the time, was always when I was able to connect with employees and coach them on how to show up well on their social media platforms. This collaborative coaching mindset is the exact type of energy and experience I lead with when working with clients of my current small business, The Social Hive. I soft-launched my business in 2024 and have had steady growth since then, empowering me to be able to build a book of business with aligned clientele while still maintaining a balanced lifestyle. What lights me up is seeing the dots connect in real-time as I ideate and problem-solve with my clients on how they show up on their social media platforms and how that connects back to their business goals, and for small biz owners, their livelihood. I get to be a (small but important) part of their growth story and that means the world to me. My hopes are that my clients walk away from their sessions with me feeling educated, inspired, and clear on how to craft an impactful presence on social media.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

In my opinion, referrals are the highest form of compliment you can give to someone in a service-based industry and I’m proud to say my current book of business is right around 50% referrals. LinkedIn has also been a consistent source of new clients. As a social media professional, I have to ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to my own social media presence and I’ve been careful to strike a balance between my promotional content (selling services) and my nurturing content (the connective tissues between promotional posts).

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have a tendency to overfill my plate. Like Thanksgiving dinner full. And while in my 20’s, I would thrive on a fully booked schedule, in my mid-thirties, I now prefer to live a little slower. Less is more. This energy shift had happened while I still worked in corporate and created daily friction in my life. Managing the stress of my prior workload became too much and I became burnt out, operating from a mental deficit for months before turning in my notice. Now, as a business owner, I make my own hours and I limit my commitments based on my priorities at the time. Along with ad hoc social media consulting projects, I’m also writing my debut romantasy novel (hoping to finish that manuscript in the next few months), and I’m trying my hand at chickens this Spring! Removing myself from the 9-5 grind has freed up my mental space to take on these passion projects, still apply my knowledge to aligned clients, and leave mental and physical energy left over for my family at the end of the day. It was a difficult pivot and I had to overcome the narrative that I was weak or unappreciative or lazy because I wasn’t thriving in my prior environment. But I’m much happier now and the impact that has on my work quality and family dynamic far outweighs the social construrct around what traditional work should look like.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.the-social-hive.com
• Instagram: @the_fabgab
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefabgab/
• Other: Work I’m proud of: https://www.clippings.me/gabbygrahek

Image Credits

MJ Denny (https://www.instagram.com/mjdenny_/)