We were lucky to catch up with Erica Murphy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

thought it would be a struggle to regain clientele and market my product in a new city, but the pandemic was a wake-up call for most entrepreneurs. I struggled with grasping the concept that the social media platform has transcended to the main source of marketing. With the inability to be physically social, I rebranded my business and became more social online to bring in new clientele. My struggle as an entrepreneur is never-ending, the way in which I pivot with constant change such as economics, social media, and algorithms has made me stronger. As I continue to grow and develop my business throughout the twenty-first century, I plan to maintain a growth mindset and remain open to new ideas and change. Remaining stagnant with a fixed mindset and not accepting change is not an option for me as I continue to power forward with SIA Life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

SIA Life, pronounced (see-ya), is a home bakery
that specializes in gourmet treats for any occasion. SIA has provided personalized gourmet treats for weddings, and large company functions.
SIA started as a brand that hosted events such as fashion shows and private business forums. SIA provided gourmet treats for these events as well as creative décor’. SIA listened to consumers and produced new and improved products to their liking.
During the rebranding phase, I realized that SIA “is a lifestyle” and wanted to provide and share the SIA lifestyle with consumers.
In the relaunching of SIA, we started with phase one which is SIA gourmet treats, which is available at SIALife.CO. SIA is currently working on phase two which will encompass SIA candles and essentials. Phase three, we will relaunch our private event hosting bringing SIA Life in full circle while allowing our customers to truly experience a SIA Lifestyle!!!
My goal is to continue to grow the SIA brand. Five years from now, I can see SIA products on store shelves. I can also see an overflow of clientele supporting SIA.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Running a small business and having a full-time career is not easy. It is here that persistence comes into play. I took everything I learned from business school and applied my educational studies to my business. Thanks to the knowledge and expertise I have acquired, I have been able to earn the trust of my clients and gain more each year. I’ve learned to feel confident about taking risks. I completely changed my brand during the pandemic. I took SIALife (see YA) to the next level. I’ve redesigned the logo, colors, and menu to target a premium audience. Something I will continue to provide to my clients is a sample of my treats! Iv learned that samples keep your customers coming back for more, especially if you are supplying an amazing product.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Persistence is key! We have all heard the saying “success does not occur in one night”. The key to persistence is to set goals and tirelessly pursue every goal, even when things become difficult. Persistence ensures results regardless of the time it takes. During this period, we learn to strategically analyze the results and make changes based on what doesn’t work. You must be persistent when it comes to posting content on social media, reaching out to customers, and understanding peak periods to market your product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sialife.co
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sialife.co?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SIALife.co?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Jennifer Missouri