We were lucky to catch up with Josi Garfield recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Josi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

On paper, I’m a big risk taker. I grew up in a small town in Utah and moved 2,000 miles away from home to attend college at George Mason University in northern Virginia. A lot of people told me how brave I was to do that all by myself and go so far away. Courage, bravery, nervousness or doubt were never emotions I felt when making the decision or making the move. I was sure of what I wanted to do and the only emotion I felt was excitement! I was confident in my dreams and couldn’t wait to make them come true. School on the east coast was such a great experience, and if it weren’t for COVID-19, I’d probably still be there. It didn’t feel like a risk at all, just an adventure I wanted to have that offered unparalleled opportunities and experiences for me.

As much as I loved my college experience, all the plans and dreams I had crashed-kind of. I started my social media management business in 2021. Another time people told me I was brave for taking such a risk. Once again, it didn’t feel like a risk at all, just the perfect next step for me. All I felt was confidence and excitement. Turns out, everything I wanted while in college, a bustling corporate job, fun office environment, wearing blazers every day-I didn’t like it. I finally reached the career I’d dreamed of and I didn’t enjoy it. I always said, “I never want to own my own business.” “I could never work from home.” Now I can’t stomach the thought of working for someone else and going back to an office. Taking a risk isn’t a risk at all if you believe in your dreams and you’re willing to go after them.

Josi, 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?

I’m Josi! A social media manager for impact organizations. When I say “impact organizations” think nonprofits, associations, social enterprises, even healthcare organizations. People, business or other organizations whose primary goal is to create change, not sell products. I specialize in organic content creation-copywriting, creating images, video, etc. and strong social media strategy-brand voice, target audience, content pillars, tactics, etc. I offer full-service social media management where I do everything from drafting social media strategy to scheduling content. I also offer a social strategy toolkit that gives organizations a strong foundation that they can build off of.

I earned a degree in Public Relations then landed my first job at a boutique PR agency in Washington, DC. Wanting to learn all the aspects of PR and work with clients in multiple disciplines, I knew agency life was the best place to start my career. The agency I worked for had clients primarily in the nonprofit and healthcare industries and that is where I gained my first professional experience with those types of organizations. The agency’s clients were national organizations with truly thrilling work to be a part of. After almost two years at the agency, participating in many PR tasks, I realized social media tasks were my favorite and this was the niche I wanted to pursue. I had also come to learn that the demands of agency life weren’t for me and that to achieve the level of freedom and well-being I needed, I had to make a change. I saw a bunch of women online quitting their jobs and staring social media management businesses-making more money in less time and I thought, “If they can do it, then I can for sure do it.” I bought a Bucketlist Bombshell course that teaches women to become online social media managers and got going.

My passion for social media is almost comical because it wasn’t always that way. I was one of the last of my peers to get social media accounts as they came out when I was in high school. I didn’t post much and just wasn’t into it. In college I realized social media would be a big part of my job in PR and that I better learn more about it if I wanted to be successful. So I took the class, “Social Media in PR” and really enjoyed it. In that class, my team created a real social media campaign against unfair policies with the parking department at our college. It was so successful the parking director reached out to our professor to deal with all the “noise” we had created to create change. From there, my professor recommended me for a job at the arena on campus-my first job in social media. I was a social media correspondent and was tasked with posting live from all the arena events. I spent weekends attending concerts of all musical genres, Paw Patrol Live, WWE and more. It was a thrilling experience to be backstage and live tweet and post stories from such varied events.

Empowering others and creating a positive impact have always been core values to me. When I first started my business I was open to taking on clients in just about any industry, but I’ve since gained more clarity around myself, my business and who I can serve the best. Looking back on my life, I’m not surprised that impact organizations are my chosen niche, because I have participated in work with those organizations. I ran clothing drives to help end poverty, my first internship was for a national arts nonprofit and my favorite clients at the agency I worked at were the nonprofits.

With small teams and tight budgets, I help impact organizations spread their mission and increase donations, memberships, volunteers, sales and clients. My work is thorough, honest and straightforward.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I was 17 I went on a school trip to Washington DC that changed my life. I loved that trip, I loved the ambiance of DC, a city full of movers and shakers, everyone doing something important. It was then that I found my love for the east coast and my desire to attend school there. I loved my college experience and planned to stay in Virginia for at least the next 5-10 years as there was still so much I wanted to do there and I wanted to get a job in the DC atmosphere I fell in love with years before.

I graduated in the winter of 2019 and worked at my new job for about two months before the world shut down for COVID-19. The day my office went remote I packed a bag and went home to Utah for “two weeks” while we were remote. Me and that bag of two-weeks worth of clothing never moved back to Virginia. My office remained remote for almost two years, my lease ran out so I sold my car, packed up all my things and moved home to save money and to spend lock down in the countryside rather than my little apartment in the city.

This was a huge pivot for me that I wasn’t planning on making and that I did not want to make. I was so excited for my new life in Virginia as a contributing member of society, not just a student. I didn’t want to move home yet, my plans were forcefully cut short. On top of all these emotions, I couldn’t plan anything. No one knew when the pandemic would end, no one knew when we’d go back to the office, if the office would continue with remote employees, etc. I am a serial planner and I couldn’t plan anything and I could barely cope.

Looking back, my realization of my well-being needs, the ability to start my business and meeting the man who is now my husband wouldn’t have been possible if COVID hadn’t disrupted my plans. This forced pivot to return to my roots has altered my entire life, in the best way I didn’t know I needed.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My very first client was my former employer. Yep! I quit my job, but kept my job. Before making the decision to start freelancing, I had many meetings with my boss and CEO of the agency I was at. I shared the things I was struggling with, the demanding schedule, my desire for flexibility and a focus on social media. We tried cutting back my hours, changing my position, literally all we could to make it work, but in the end freelancing was my best option. On the call where I shared my decision with my boss I was going to ask if I could continue doing the social media work for the agency that I loved, but before I could even bring it up, my boss asked if the agency could be my first client. I switched to a contracting role and almost two years later have continued that work. Relationships are important and if you maintain them well, transitions like this can be beneficial for both parties. If a traditional job is what you want, make sure you find an organization with support peers and leaders that root for your success, whether it’s with them or not.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.branchout-social.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branchout_social/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josigarfield/

Image Credits
Photography was done by Grace King Photography.