We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bryson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bryson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

Our current education system unintentionally trains students to fear failure. From an early age, we’re taught to avoid mistakes at all costs — every red mark, every incorrect answer, every dropped grade sends the message that perfection is the goal. Anything less feels like falling short. But in startups and entrepreneurship, that mindset is completely backward. Failure is how you learn. Trial and error is the entire game.

The problem is, if you grow up being afraid to be wrong, you hesitate to take action. You second-guess ideas, avoid risk, and wait for the “perfect” moment — which doesn’t exist. If we want to actually prepare students for a fulfilling life, especially in the startup world, we need to teach them how to experiment, iterate, and move fast. Success doesn’t come from avoiding mistakes — it comes from learning how to navigate them.

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?

I’m Bryson Bernarde, founder of United Social Media Marketing. My entrepreneurial journey started way back in elementary school, where I hustled by selling duct tape wallets and candy bars, and eventually moved into reselling Yeezy shoes in high school. That experience taught me about supply and demand, online marketplaces, and their respective algorithms. Over time, I found my first real niche: Instagram influencing. It was the first business idea I tried that really stuck. I began growing different themed pages on the platform — a luxury page, a car page, and a motivational page to start — all of which quickly gained tens of thousands of followers. These pages allowed me to work with brands and run sponsored content, giving me the hands-on experience in digital marketing that would shape the future of my business.

As I watched social media algorithms change, I realized that being an influencer wasn’t the long-term path I wanted to take. At around 17, I recognized that in order to grow, I needed to shift my focus from being the influencer to helping others become the influencers of their own brands. That’s when United Social Media Marketing pivoted. What started as a solo venture eventually grew into a full-fledged agency. United specializes in Facebook lead generation, social media brand building, and Squarespace website design — three areas where we’ve honed our skills to deliver the most consistent results. Today, our team helps businesses grow their online presence, generate leads, and create memorability.

What I’m most proud of is how we’ve built out a team that can accomplish so much more than I could ever do on my own. It’s one thing to scale a business, but it’s another to create a team that truly thrives and brings their expertise to the table. Today, our team works collaboratively (and currently completely virtually!) to create something larger than all of us.

At the end of the day, my mission with United Social Media Marketing is simple: to challenge the norm and serve businesses to unlock their full growth potential. We make digital marketing accessible and effective, focusing on what truly works and driving measurable results. It’s about building lasting relationships and helping our clients achieve success — because when they win, we win.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

One of the most defining near-death moments for the business came during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a week, I lost 90% of our clients. Businesses were shutting their doors, budgets were frozen, and social media marketing was suddenly the last thing on anyone’s mind. It felt like everything I’d spent years building was about to collapse in front of me.

That week was gut-wrenching. I remember staring at my client list as the cancellations rolled in one by one, trying to figure out if this was the end or just another test. But in the middle of that chaos, I realized something: even though marketing had stalled, many businesses finally had the time to work on things they’d long put off — and that included their websites.

So we pivoted. Fast. We shifted our focus entirely to website design, specifically on Squarespace, helping businesses revamp their online presence during the downtime. That pivot is what kept us alive. It bought us time, built goodwill, and most importantly, it gave us proof that we could adapt and evolve under pressure.

That moment taught me two things I carry to this day: first, that resilience is more important than any marketing tactic, and second, that you have to build a business that can bend without breaking. That near-death experience didn’t kill us — it made us stronger and more focused than ever.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of my favorite sales stories wasn’t a flashy campaign or a big-budget win — it was an old-school, in-person conversation that reminded me how powerful real connection can be.

A good friend referred me to a local clothing shop owner, so I dropped by the store to introduce myself. The owner wasn’t there, but one of her team members gave me her number. I figured it was a warm referral — someone my friend had already prepped — so I called her up and got a meeting scheduled.

But when we finally sat down, I realized something was off. She was cold, defensive, and had this energy that said, “Why are you even here?” I was thrown off — I thought she was the one who wanted to discuss social media.

Turns out, the “referral” wasn’t what I thought it was. She barely even knew the person who’d passed along my name. That moment of realization could’ve tanked the whole meeting, but instead, I decided to drop the pitch and just be real with her. I told her the truth — that I had misunderstood, and I was just here to learn more about her business and see if I could help.

Little by little, her guard came down. We talked for over an hour — not about content creation or store traffic, but about her store, her passion, the challenges she faced as a small business owner. By the end of the meeting, she called me a “darling” and we shook hands on the spot.

That individual ended up becoming one of my most loyal clients and one of the people I enjoy working with the most to this day. It’s a reminder that sales isn’t about pressure or perfect scripts — it’s about being human, showing up with good intent, and building trust from the ground up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unitedsmm.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/unitedsmm
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/unitedsocialmediamarketing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brysonb/