We were lucky to catch up with Casey Mozingo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Casey, 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?

A little under a year ago I took one of the biggest risks I have ever taken in my life. I left a secure, full-time job to pursue entrepreneurship without the guarantee that I would succeed.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an overnight decision and I had been taking steps well over a year in advance to mitigate as much of that risk as I could, but I was leaving a job with steady income and I had most nights and weekends off to earn extra income. The first step was saving money. In 2021 I decided to start saving all of the money I earned in my sole proprietorship with the goal of having a minimum of six months’ salary at my full-time job. I reached that goal and headed toward my secondary goal of saving enough money to pay my bills for an entire year. About two months before I gave my employer notice that I was leaving I reached that final goal. I knew that if I took away the worry of paying my bills the first year that I was in business I could concentrate on continuing to build relationships and a client base. I wanted to be ready when I decided it was time.

The second thing that I did to mitigate risk was to start an LLC, open up bank accounts, and begin to rename and rebrand my sole proprietorship which was known for just photography to include digital marketing and an array of content creation. This all takes time and I wanted to be established before taking the leap. Setting up the LLC and bank accounts seemed daunting, but it provided a level of security that was important because I had begun working with a lot of people that I was unfamiliar with.

Lastly, I made the decision to make continuing education a part of my business plan. Within my first month of being a full-time business owner, I was actively participating in LaunchGOLDSBORO and NC State Continuing and Lifelong Education’s Social Media Management and Marketing for Business Certificate Program. LaunchGOLDSBORO is part of LaunchMyCity, an eight-week program designed to provide guidance for new entrepreneurs through seminars, counseling sessions, and networking. Launch not only taught me skills to effectively run a business but also helped further expand my network. My social media certificate solidified the on-the-job training I received and expanded my existing knowledge.

I’ve never been extremely risk-averse because I’m okay with the concept of failing. I do have a problem with not trying, especially when it comes to bettering my life. The more prepared you are taking any risk the better chance you have to succeed.

Casey, 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?

With over twenty years of photography experience, the majority of my time is spent providing event coverage and branding images for my clients. Over the last few years, I have added video, graphics, website design, social media management and planning, and general marketing counseling to my list of services.

In December 2022 I rebranded my long-standing photography business and began reaching out to small businesses and organizations who needed help with marketing. Big Blue Couch Media soon grew legs because of the catchy name and the signature blue couch used for portrait sessions.

My business is constantly evolving because the needs of small business owners are so different. My clients range from people who love to create their own social media posts but want quality images and the occasional counseling session to freshen up what they are currently doing to organizations that know that their current staff doesn’t have the time to develop and implement a social media plan and update the website on a regular schedule. These clients understand that having a strong digital presence is important, but don’t have the budget to hire another full-time employee, so hiring Big Blue Couch Media makes sense.

Recently I won the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation’s annual award for Best Promotional or Marketing Effort. It was an honor to make such a big impact in such a short period of time and I hope to help one of my clients win the award next year.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

In a field where there is so much judgment, both positive and negative, you have to find your “push.” The thing that makes you want to get to the next step. Just the other day I was sharing a story from when I was in college. Just before I was to present my junior year portfolio I overheard another artist bashing my work. I was angry, to say the least because I had tried so hard. I failed my first attempt but came back stronger and it was a realization that I could do better. Way better.

That is the most rewarding aspect of being a creative, getting better. I have over twenty years of work to look back on. Sometimes I look back and see the potential that others saw in me and sometimes I see what I overheard during my junior year of college. Either way, I see where I came from and I’m proud. Even in the last six months I see growth and I know that I have a long way to go. The minute I stop learning and getting better is the minute I find something else to do.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There are two things that can help build a reputation in whatever market you are in, how you treat people and your product.

During the seven years I worked for my local newspaper I inadvertently built a network that I am able to call upon for myself and my clients. It was easy, I went places and I was nice to people. People who had different backgrounds and beliefs than me. People who were in positions of power. People who were nobody’s. It didn’t matter. As a journalist, you understand that everyone has a story and you want to tell it, to tell it you have to listen to it. I apply that to my business now. My clients have a story and goals and I make sure I listen to those and not just approach them with a checklist that I found in a blog about what they should and shouldn’t do.

With a low barrier to entry for content creation and digital media, I have a constantly growing list of competitors. I’m not providing a product that nobody else can’t so I have to make sure that it is consistently high quality. I also have to understand that with a saturated market, consumers are often “okay” with mediocre content and I have to educate potential clients that although “good enough” is ok where they are now it won’t make them stand out among their competitors.

Contact Info:

• Website: bigbluecouchmedia.com
• Instagram: @bigbluecouchmedia
• Facebook: Big Blue Couch Media
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/bigbluecouchmedia
• Twitter: @bigbluecouch_nc
• Yelp: Big Blue Couch Media
• Other: TikTok: @bigbluecouchmedia

Image Credits
Photo of me – Faulkner Fotography All other photos (8) – myself