We were lucky to catch up with Brandi Holder recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brandi, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I often call myself a reluctant solopreneur. That’s because up until my mid-thirties, I couldn’t see a pathway to success other than working in corporate America.
I had been working in multifamily property management for about ten years when I met my late husband. The hours were long, and the demands were many. One evening, he told me he didn’t understand why I was investing so much in someone’s business when I could put that energy into my own business.
At that time, I couldn’t imagine working for myself. But I knew I wanted something different. I left the security of my 9-5 and went back to school for my master’s degree, armed with a plan to learn new business skills.
The town I live in is small, and the education is extremely affordable. I felt like this was a golden opportunity to learn as much as possible, so I dabbled in many different things. I worked as a freelance journalist, a media assistant, and in health care software sales. I convinced one of the SBA’s local Small Business Development Centers to let me come on as a volunteer so that I could learn business skills and coaching. I did my internship with an intragovernmental economic development program that brought together leaders and citizens across the region to solve tough public challenges.
By the time I finished that program, I was hooked on the public sector. When I graduated, I tried to get into federal service. However, when Trump entered office, he closed the hiring pathways, and it kicked out my applications. With no jobs in my small town for a person with a management background and a super fancy master’s degree, I decided to try my hand at self-employment.
Leaving corporate America was one of the biggest risks I had ever taken. I had no idea what I wanted to do, nor did my path take me where I thought it would. And I have made a lot of mistakes along the way! Among them is not building equity in my brand by telling my authentic story. I’ve also worn the term “introvert” to avoid building a network, waited too long to grow or invest, and held back my ideas for fear of alienating someone.
All these things held my business back. As I started to address each of these challenges, everything changed. Opportunities got bigger, and life-changing money began to flow in. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the past eight years, but now I can’t see any other way!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started out as a writer because that’s what I knew how to do. During the early days of my business, I did a little bit of everything—press kits, marketing plans, copywriting, content development, etc. That eventually evolved to where I am today, with a tighter focus on brand voice and brand awareness through content marketing and accountability coaching for emerging leaders.
For the last seven years, I have worked alongside visionary leaders, government officials, and think tank researchers to develop, launch, and grow brands and initiatives. In my work, I get to help people that are building incredible tools for affordable housing, workforce development, public health campaigns, economic development, and public safety, reach more people. I show them areas in their messaging or sales language with gaps or vanilla messages where we can turn up the heat! I also ensure they are reaching all the audiences involved in adopting solutions. In government, this can be many people, from procurement to IT, to elected officials and taxpayers. Standing out in this environment is challenging but so rewarding.
My ability to truly hear and see the people I am working with sets me apart from the crowd. I love the reaction I get when people see their new copy—whether it’s for a website, a bio, or a publication. The CEOs and founders tell me that I see them. That I get the vision. It brings me so much joy to help people that have put so much time and energy into building something that solves a public problem or makes life easier.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think it’s the thing I touched on in the previous question… it’s so rewarding to be the person that helps someone see things differently. I find that many of my clients don’t know how to share their stories or don’t feel that what they’ve done is important.
After I do a deep dive interview and show them how exceptional their work is or how an audience receives their work, you can see pride and excitement for what we have uncovered! Sometimes people cry tears of joy; sometimes, it sets off a whirlwind of activity because they feel inspired by what they’ve learned. I just love being a part of that.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Yes, so in 2018 I got married, and forty-four days in as newlyweds, we found out my husband had liver cancer. All at once, I had to figure out how to take care of us on my income while being the support system in my husband’s fight for more days.
At the time, I had just begun freelance writing for tech founders and CEOs. These people had bet their time, talent, and savings on an idea that may or may not work. So, I thought, no better set of people to take my cues from for actions to solve my problems. I started listening to how they overcame setbacks. It is always the same formula, recognize the problem, stop, seek guidance, and try something new.
I knew I had to figure out how to create steady revenue, and the “something for everyone model” would not cut it. Having my back up against a wall helped me get crystal clear on what matters and how to let the unimportant fall away. The tighter focus on my offerings helped me market myself more clearly and turn my freelance writing shop into the brand strategy machine it is today.
Building this business has given me an inside view of what it takes to navigate growth despite the many challenges, and a profound respect for the courage required to run a company.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandiholder.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bh_explains_it_all/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bholder1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandi_holder
- Other: https://medium.com/@reluctantsolopreneur