We recently connected with Arielle Burnette and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Arielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk 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.

The Fall of 2014 I decided to look for freelance work while still working a full-time job. I remember going on a site similar to UpWork to post about my social media and public relations skills. Within a few days, I received a call and had a conversation around what I might be able to offer. To be honest, I had no real model for how much I would charge or even a real plan on how I was going to get clients. I just had a website, which I built on my own, a business name, and the support of my husband and family. I didn’t quit my job. I didn’t make a huge splash. I didn’t yell about The Burnette Agency from the rooftops. But I took a small step to get started. A small risk with the potential for larger rewards. And I am so glad I did!

Arielle , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Arielle Haynes Burnette and I am the business owner of The Burnette Agency, a social media, public relations, and creative services company. I graduated from Florida State University in 2010 with a degree in Public Relations. While in school, I knew I wanted to have my own business. It was always a dream of mine but with little to no real experience in the business world, I knew I needed to have a little understanding of how things worked. When I was at Florida State, I worked hard. I held my first press conference as the student booster program partnered with Nike and was able to dip my toe into athletic communications. It was fun and exciting and provided so much knowledge I was able to take with me to my first job working for an agency in New York City. My core background upon graduation was in public relations. But, in 2010, social media was taking off. With Facebook and Twitter at the core, businesses were looking to public relations agencies to handle their social media presence. It was this boom that allowed me to hone my skills. After five years of working for communications agencies and non-profits, I decided to start my own agency. I wanted there to be a place small businesses could find affordable options for their social media efforts but still receive quality and knowledgeable service. We have been able to successfully help businesses not only create communications plans which encompass both public relations and social media, but we’ve been able to create strong brand presences through creative design. This was a part of the business I did not even think about offering. But it has been exciting to create a space where clients can come for a large part of their communications needs.

I am most proud of surviving the pandemic. The Burnette Agency is a small team and small businesses took a big hit during this time. Even more so than surviving the pandemic, it’s been great to see the resiliency of the team and relish the opportunity to find new ways to be useful for our clients.

I know some people say that quitting is easy. I have to disagree. I don’t think quitting is easy. And we all certainly know, that keeping going isn’t easy. When you own a business, none of it is easy. But to be resilient, to survive, to say we will persevere, that is what I am most proud of.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Communications has never been a side hustle because it was my full-time day job at a non-profit. When I decided to start gathering clients on my own, I knew one day I wanted to have my own business but taking the leap is always the hardest part. When you are working a full-time job and have a side hustle, it can become overwhelming. But, the security of your 9-5 paycheck makes it hard to leave. Even when the money from the business is coming through. My side hustle turned into a main hustle when I got pushed out of my job. It was right before the holidays and not ideal. My husband and I talked about me leaving after the new year, but if I am being honest, I agreed to it but I didn’t really know if I could do it. Lucky for me, the decision was made for me. At the start of the new year, I got an office and started working to get clients every day. It was not easy at all. I would reach out to five potential clients a day minimum in hopes of getting at least one response. Even if it was a no, I needed to know I was making touch points and getting my name out there. After about two months of outreach, I started to make some headway and land clients, That spring, I hired my first interns and from there it was about scaling up as necessary with a strong core team.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Without clients, no business would survive. But I have learned that when a client says they don’t want to share you with anyone else because you are so good, to run. And run fast! I used to think this was endearing. At The Burnette Agency, we ALWAYS want to make clients feel like they are our only clients. But this turned into a problem when we had a client who said to us, wow you are so good, you are like our best-kept secret. I’m afraid to share you with anyone because then you won’t have time for me. I told myself then, that I have to make sure the relationship with the client is a partnership. One where you are sharing them with others and they are sharing you too! Being in business, especially a client-facing business is not a one-way street.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theburnetteagency.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theburnetteagency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBurnetteAgency/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9307904/admin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BurnetteAgency
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjNJnGG1lEMB7dQVU81GVdQ