We recently connected with Jazelle Foster and have shared our conversation below.
Jazelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
You know, scaling up was nothing short of an adventure. Picture this – we started gathering a dynamic bunch from my creative circle, we were streamlining our workflows, and I was learning how to delegate. Believe me, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. We tripped up, took on too much, and realized that getting bigger means getting ready for it. And talk about strategy changes! That was like walking a tightrope, trying new things and learning when they didn’t quite pan out. All in all, our growth journey has shown us that it’s not just about boosting numbers. It’s about fostering a team that isn’t afraid to take risks, it’s about learning from where we stumbled, and it’s about never taking our eyes off what we set out to achieve.
Jazelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I stumbled into this digital marketing world through a love for acting, hustling through various creative gigs, and eventually picking up skills others found tricky. We’re a one-stop shop for creatives – offering everything from social media management, email marketing, to visual design. What sets us apart? It’s simple, we see marketing as a stage for creatives to perform, not a chore to tick off.
I’m most proud of this: we’ve turned marketing from a ‘necessary evil’ into an exciting part of the creative process. Know this to our clients and followers – we’re not just another digital marketing agency. We’re your partners, your creative comrades, and your biggest cheerleaders. At Creatives Meet Marketing, we’re all about helping you shine in the spotlight while we handle the nitty-gritty. So let’s make magic together, shall we?
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
It’s been a wild ride, starting as a theater-loving kid chasing happiness, and eventually turning my patchwork of side gigs into a full-blown career.
The journey had its fair share of plot twists. I remember posting this off-the-cuff video about my love life on TikTok. Never did I imagine it would amass 2 million views and spark an empowering community for late in life LGBTQ+ individuals! Talk about unexpected hits, right?
Another milestone has to be the creation of my YouTube channel. It started as a humble space to share tips and tricks with young actors. Today, it’s grown into a thriving community of 130k subscribers who are passionate about the craft. Seeing the impact of these educational resources is truly rewarding.
The narrative that ties all of this together? I’ve always been a happiness-chaser. Every project, every side hustle was a step towards something that gave me joy. Following my bliss led me to unexpected places and exciting opportunities, and it’s that journey of happiness that’s brought me where I am today. It’s been quite the encore to my early days as a struggling actor!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The pandemic forced a pivotal moment not just in my business, but also in my life. Prior to that, most of our work was in-person group teaching. But as the world came to a halt, we couldn’t continue with the usual way of doing things.
At first, it seemed like a crisis. The bread and butter of our business had always been the energy and connection of face-to-face instruction. But then, I saw it as an opportunity. I realized that by moving our services online, we could actually reach a larger audience, many of whom were isolated and hungry for the kind of creative interaction we provide.
So, we made the pivot. We restructured our offerings, transitioning everything online. We quickly learned the ropes of Zoom, adapted our curriculum to a virtual format, and leaned into social media to connect with our community. And it turned out to be a revelation. Not only did we reach more people, but our revenue for the year exceeded any previous year.
The pivot taught me that sometimes, challenges can be blessings in disguise. They force us to adapt, innovate, and find new paths to success. It was a life-changing lesson in resilience and creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: creativesmeetmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativesmeetmarketing/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazellefoster