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

Angelina M. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

In life, risk is inherent. Stepping outside your home carries risk and so does staying in. This difference isn’t whether risk exists, it’s the level of risk you’ve grown comfortable living in.

Most of us are experienced in the risk of quitting a job, starting a new one, or trying for a new position. The risks carry some weight; what if the next job is worse than my last job? What if I don’t like the people at my new job? What if I fail in my new position or don’t get the position? These are very valid and relevant anxieties but they are known. We have all at one point or another experienced them. True risk is in the unknown.

When I decided to start CoConnection, I wasn’t stepping from one known into another. I was stepping into something I couldn’t fully map. As a new mother I had heavy decisions to make. I had returned to warehouse work, which I enjoyed the physical challenge prior to mother hood- to an extent. However, it was far from the customer service, analysis, and mental challenges that my previous positions offered. I couldn’t see an option as an employee that gave me the presence of parenthood that I imagined.

By taking the risk of starting a business I face the harsh reality that at any time I could fail. There is so much on the line. So much to lose yet, at the same time so much to gain. Being a business owner allows for many freedoms I couldn’t fathom as an employee. Furthermore, it means that someone else is not dictating how far I can go, someone else is not dictating my hours, someone else is not dictating my presence.

When taking a risk people tend to zoom out. I admit there were times I sat in my car in the morning before going into work. The steps were clear, get out of the car, walk into the building, put my things away, clock in, do what I had been trained to do. Predictable.

But starting a business? It’s quite the opposite. Unclear pathways and endless paths. Licenses, permits, taxes, structuring, marketing? The more I zoomed out the easier it was to talk myself out of it. Zooming out too much is what shuts people down. I could see the full experience, including the failure of my business before even taking the first step.

That’s what stops people from taking risk. Not the risk itself but trying to hold all of the unknowns at once.

About 20% of business fail within the first year. I was hyper aware of this information when taking the risk to start a business. Yet, there was a phrase that kept tugging at the back of my mind- “those who never try, never succeed”.

I stopped zooming out. That’s where the risk becomes acceptable because, you are experiencing the unknown in bite sizes. My experience in fraud triage gave me a foundation for analytics and pattern recognition. I knew how to work with people from my time in customer service. My creative streak from acrylic painting and poetry gave me vision as well as strengthened my adaptability. Most importantly I accepted that anything I did not yet know, I am fully capable of learning.

Risk doesn’t disappear when you start a business, or when you venture into any unknown. When I push past risk aversion my focus became less fear of “what could go wrong” to curiosity about the life I actually want to live?

Angelina M. , 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?

I’m the founder of CoConnection, where I help business owners Simplify Social Success by making social media more clear, consistent, and effective for connecting with clients and communities.

I help business owners simplify their content strategy so posting feels clear and manageable. I support building stronger connections with potential clients & communities through intentional engagement. I also create structure around how and when to show up online, so social media becomes sustainable instead of stressful.

This allows business owners to focus their energy on what they do best.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am uniquely qualified to answer this question. I love it. As a social media manager my efforts tend to be executed on client profiles rather than my own. The overwhelm I see in most cases is trying to do too much at once and in too many places at once. The first thing I did was simple. Choose 1-2 platforms that are fitting and start, don’t delay.

Create a simple structure. In the beginning there is no need to complicate this. Especially, if you are teaching yourself and operating a “one man show”. Your structure should include a couple topics and styles of content. Stick to it and be consistent. Batch your content and adjust your course over time. Build a strong organic foundation and your ad spend will go further when you are ready. Don’t forget to include things about yourself as a business owner. People don’t just buy brand, they invest in character.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

When it comes to resources, I think we live in a time where there is an overwhelming amount of information and influence available, and it can be difficult to know who to follow or when to lead your own direction. Because of that, I tend to draw from a variety of perspectives and extract what resonates with me personally.

In the social media space, Rachel Pedersen otherwise known as the “Queen of Social Media”, has been both an educational and practical influence on my approach. In the broader mindset and entrepreneurship space, Tony Robbins and Bob Proctor have also been longstanding sources of inspiration and guidance in how I think about growth, discipline, mindset, and success.

Outside of traditional resources, I am also very fortunate to have a few family members, that help keep me grounded, offer perspective, and support on my journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coconnection.social
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelinamfarris/

Image Credits

Graphics are designed by me.