Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emma Tessler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emma, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

The social media marketing space is ever changing. “Trend” is a word that is frequently in our vocabulary to describe everything from a micro trending audio taking over TikTok, to a macro trend such as video coming to the forefront of content marketing.

In 2023, there are two major trends we are seeing this space.

The first is more candid content. Consumers are tired of seeing overly curated feeds with filtered images of the product you’re selling or face of the brand they will be working with. We are all looking for raw, authentic content that allows us to connect with the person on the other side of the screen. You can jump on this trend by going live while you apply your makeup or as you assemble/create a product you’re selling. Answer questions while you do this thing that showcases a transformation in front of your audience’s eyes. Allow them to see the before/after to understand the value in you and your offer.

The second major trend in the social media marketing space this year is UGC Content Creators. Creators have essentially built an entirely new industry to serve brands who are in (desperate) need for more content. Because as content demands only continue to grow, Creators are able to deliver content that allows brands to increase their reach, community, and connection with their audience. It’s important to understand the difference between UGC Content Creators and Influencers as they are not the same – and their differences are what makes these Creators so valuable to brands in every single industry.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Emma Tessler, ex-Interior Designer turned Marketing Agency founder. This definitely wasn’t the path I thought I would be taking when I went to school for Design, but after finding digital marketing in 2015 and realizing that this was the future of building a business, I was hooked. I side hustled my way to building a brand that allowed me to quit my job mid-pandemic in 2020 (best/scariest decision I have ever made!) and lead our company full time.

Today, Ninety Five Media offers done-for-you services that allow brands to build their online presence and monetize their audience. We serve brands with Social Media Management, Email Marketing, and Podcast Production. Our clients usually come to us struggling to see results from their digital marketing efforts, and walk away feeling confident in the strategy we’ve implemented and results we’ve generated with them.

What sets us apart from the other businesses in our (very saturated!) space is our white glove service and dedication to results for our clients. We approach everything we do with a service and solution-oriented mindset to ensure that our clients are seeing the fastest and most rewarding ROI from their work with us.

Over the years, I’m most proud of our team supporting clients in seeing incredible results. Numbers such as doubling Pinterest Monthly views from 2 Million to 4 Million in just 90 days, or a +1171% growth in Accounts Reached on Instagram in 6 months. Stats like this can, and do, change the trajectory of a brands entire growth. We are honored to be a part of our client’s journey!

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

One lesson I believe every business owner has to unlearn and work through is trusting your team enough to delegate. This is a lesson we work with nearly all of our clients on as well, as we are often one of their first contractor hires. Experiencing this lesson from both ends of the stick has been incredibly eye opening and given me a unique take on the journey our clients go through when working with a team like ours.

Personally, I hired my first team member at just 20 years old and knew nothing about managing a team or how to be an effective leader. I found it difficult to trust this person and actually delegate the work I didn’t have time to complete on my own, which was the entire reason I had hired her!

Since then, I’ve focused on developing my own skills as a leader, leading with accountability, and understanding what I personally need in order to build trust with our team. Through this lesson, we are now able to easily support our clients in this process as well through open communication, collaboration, and consistent check ins.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

For 5 years, I was the side hustle QUEEN! I was obsessed with working outside of school and my full time job, knowing that I was creating extra income while service more businesses. It was incredibly rewarding and I wouldn’t change anything about that journey.

But at the same time, even as I was going through this process, I always knew that the pace of work I was doing at the time was not sustainable. By the time I was 23, I was working 90+ hour weeks between my full time job in NYC and side hustling late into the evening and every weekend. It was rewarding, but so exhausting.

I knew I wanted to leave my job for several years but I wasn’t at a place financially where I felt comfortable with doing so. It wasn’t until 2020 and the pandemic hit that I finally knew I needed to take the leap and just do it. If I didn’t do it that year, I knew I never would and I would just stay comfortable at my job.

So, I set a monthly revenue goal I wanted to be at in order to feel comfortable and confident in pursing entrepreneurship full time. This revenue goal was 4x what I was making at my job and I knew that this income covered paying my team and monthly expenses, and I could use the little that was left over to start paying myself as well. Before this point all of our funds were reinvested into the business’ growth!

After taking that plunge, we have scaled beyond my wildest dreams. Our team has 3x’d in size and we have served over 100 clients with our services. While taking the leap to quit my “secure” job (nothing is secure, as we’ve all realized over the past few years) and pursue my passion full time was the absolute scariest thing I had ever done, it was also the best decision I’ve ever made.

My advice to other side hustlers reading this is to set a goal (doesn’t need to be financial) and a date to work towards. Once you hit these milestones, allow your self to take the leap. You’ll never succeed OR fail if you don’t follow your desire.

Contact Info:

• Website: ninetyfivemedia.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninety.five.media/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NinetyFiveMediaCo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmatessler/
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-scrolling-start-scaling-podcast/id1635151196