We were lucky to catch up with Kelly McCracken recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I actually feel like I started my business at the perfect time! I was a second-grade teacher for many years and was working in a new school when Covid hit. My husband (fiance at the time) had just moved in together and the school I was working at was just too far away. I found a new job closer to home, which ended up putting me on the perfect path to start my business.

During Covid, like all educators, I was forced to learn to completely teach online. While it was difficult and no doubt less than ideal, it also opened my eyes to a new way to work that I had never experienced before. I found I was much happier not having a commute, packing my lunch, and having time to walk my dog. I was getting a nudge to start exploring what else was out there for me. The following year I continued teaching, but remotely with students who could not or did not return to the classroom. During this time I prepared and took courses to learn how to become a virtual assistant. I used the online skills I had learned to help me start my own business. At the time, we were also planning a wedding. I realized I wanted to work with wedding professionals specifically and that’s how I got started. It’s been almost 2 years now and I couldn’t be happier!

Kelly, 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?

When I finally landed on becoming a virtual assistant, I learned that it is best to start by working hourly and offering admin-type services to wedding pros. In doing this, I learn so many new skills like making timelines, writing blogs, creating questionnaires, working with Canva, and talking with clients. This wide umbrella helped me learn what I enjoyed doing most!

I learned quickly that I enjoyed spending my time writing blogs and marketing on Pinterest. I decided to focus more on offering these offers solely to my clients. I spent a lot of time educating myself on SEO and WordPress, and how to use Pinterest to market specifically as a wedding pro so I could become an expert in this area.

At the same time this was happening, I knew I wanted a client management system for my business. I spent a lot of time researching and ended up learning how to use Dubsado. I spent hours or time on their educational course and set up my own business backend here. I realized quickly though, most wedding pros don’t have time to do this for themselves! I knew I could help others by sharing my Dubsado knowledge and offering this as a service as well. I became a Certified Dubsado Specialist and offer full set ups and coaching calls now as well as DIY templates.

All of this lead to me today offering Blogging, Pinterest, and Dubsado services for wedding pros!

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I first started out, I did a lot of “trading” with other freelancers. I worked with people who were also new to the industry and we would swap services. I traded my Dubado setup with a new social media manager so I could get the practice and she could get the practice while working with me. While it of course was not perfect for either of us, it helped get things off the ground and gain confidence in my skills, plus it helped my social media a ton by being consistent and forcing me to put myself out there! Otherwise, I would have avoided that for as long as possible.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

As a former teacher, I can always find myself looking for more information, courses, or books! One book I really loved was “You Are a Badass at Making Money: Mastering the Mindset of Wealth” by Jen Sincero. I come back to this book often because it has so many mindset shifts. There is no doubt being an entrepreneur will have ups and downs with income and this book helped me see the value in my services and offers many mindset shifts!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kellymccracken.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellymccracken.co/

Image Credits
Michelle, My Tribe Photography, https://mytribephotography.com/