We recently connected with Hannah LaVigne and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

In September of 2019, I decided to leave my server job in pursuit of an event planning business. I picked the name, logo, services, and even did a branding shoot for it! When I started the social media account I realized that I didn’t actually want to be an event planner even though friends / family knew me to be the go to “party planner”. What I found I actually loved about starting a business was the social media component of it. I was so intrigued by the designing aspects, the marketing, the algorithms. I had dabbled in some social media marketing when I worked briefly for a MLM company and had to post on social media a lot to gain clients. When I realized I didn’t want to do event planning, I changed my Instagram account, and started posting about .. well, posting for your business! I started sharing tips and tricks I had picked up along the way over the years prior when Instagram was just getting started. I began sharing about hashtags, types of content, and how to use the features Instagram had at the time. I also posted a lot about local businesses and small businesses which were my main audience. I had a woman reach out to me who saw a post about marketing for the holidays and wanted to hire me to help her craft a holiday marketing campaign on social media! I was elated!!!! I didn’t have a real business name, I didn’t have a website, or a list of services, so I completely winged it & guess what? She booked with me! That was the moment I realized I could make some real money, and help so many people doing something that I loved and was so passionate about! The ball started rolling after that first review & client relationship! Since then I’ve been in business for over 4 years and have helped over 50 small business owners s.

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?

My name is Hannah LaVigne (formerly costello as I recently got married on October 20th to my partner of 5 Years, Aaron) I am a mom to a 2 year old toddler boy named Ezra! I also have two rescue pitbulls. We live in upstate NY in Rochester! I got started in the social media / marketing industry in early 2015 when I was working part time for a multi level marketing company that required us to be active on social media to gain clients. That’s where my love for designing / creating / writing really came out- although I’ve always loved creative writing ever since the 9th grade! When I realized I had a knack for it, I always found ways throughout my job history to utilize that creativity! In 2019, I left a server job to start my own event planning business, only to scrap that business plan and instead, start a social media account about… social media! I started posting tips and tricks I had been learning in hopes of just getting the word out there to help others! I then started to get people following me, liking my content and asking if they could hire me to help! I booked my first client in November / Dec of 2019, and then Covid hit & my business took off! So many small business owners realized the importance of prioritizing their online presence and they needed someone to help them who had the knowledge and willingness to dive in! (And at that point, I was completely self taught) and from there, I expanded outside of social media to marketing consulting, website design, content creation, designing branding materials and also brand strategy! Today I get to help small business owners locally (& some out of state) to craft bespoke brands using intentional storytelling and strategy to create an online presence that showcases their passion, professionalism and unique voice!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part for me is when a client receives their deliverables or looks at the final product (for example: a website launch) and tells me how grateful they are that I was able to authentically capture who they are, what they do, and their passion for their work! It’s the best feeling in the world to know that I was a part in bringing their vision and voice to life in a way that feels so true to them! It is an honor to be able to use my creativity in a way that helps others, specifically small business owners, to build a brand they are proud of, that they feel confident in & truly resonates with their brand mission, vision, and values.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that everything needed to be perfect before I could start my business. I had to unlearn that I needed 5 degrees and a huge portfolio before I could start making money doing what I loved. I had to unlearn the idea that I had to say yes to every single person in order to grow my business. When I first started out, I constantly second guessed myself and felt like an imposter because I didn’t have a huge following or an impressive background in my niche. Realizing that I could become an authority in my field by simply sharing my story, providing value and connecting with my audience is what truly helped me to overcome these mental roadblocks and societal expectations I placed on myself. I have had to remind myself daily to “just get started” and that “done is better than perfect” or else I would have never launched my business when I did or be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sociallycreativemarketing.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sociallycreative.marketing
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/sociallycreativeroc

Image Credits
NSP studio – https://www.nspstudio.com/