Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelsey Hogan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kelsey , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

The topic of scaling is such a “buzz topic” in my industry of social media marketing, and so many others. The fact is, when you’re running a small business, you’re almost always going to hit that point where you’ve got a decision to make: scale, or cut-back, remain static (which, BTW, is a totally fine choice).

As a biz owner, you can’t possibly do ALL the tasks as your sales begin to grow and you have more work. You absolutely need to start offloading, even small minor things at first, in order to maintain your sanity and balance as a human.

In social media management, we often reach this crux when we are running 5 or so accounts on our own, have new biz inquiries coming in, managing the back end of our biz (from software to billing to HR to taxes) and we realize that we can’t take on another client without help.

In my business, hiring out to help me set up systems for my back-end was one of my first big moves. I had an Online Biz Manager (OBM) set me up in Honeybook (a CRM system) to organize my billing and client inquiries. Check!

I hired an actual accountant. While she couldn’t (obviously) help me with my day to day client management and content creation, she set me up to understand my financials and learn who, how, and when I could hire while still running a financially healthy agency.

This is also when I began to dip my toe into the world of working with contractors. It can be scary! As a business owner, I have very high standards for the work we do, and how we support our clients. I quickly learned that not everyone out there has this same passion for my biz, nor is their work ethic up to my standards. TL;DR: hiring and finding the right fit is tough.

I also started introducing a seasonal internship program. I love mentoring and working with students, and just as I did when I was in college, they were able to work with me and gain college credit in the process. A win-win!

My first TRUE hire was Olivia, who had been an intern for me the summer before her senior year of college. She really had time to get to know and truly help shape our business, as well as how we work best together (hint – we’re a dream team!). She’s now a junior account manager, and we’ve also scaled to add another part-time (soon to be FT) account manager as well!

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 background is in traditional PR (public relations). I was a quintessential 2000s era PR girlie running around town facilitating tv shoots for my clients (chefs and other hospitality leaders), pitching media, hosting over-the-top dinners and events with media and “influencers” (who, at the time, were just the sceney people of Chicago!) … all of it, nonstop, 24/7. Aside from the glamour (and burnout), I recognized very early on a few things about myself.

I’m a born storyteller. Taking a concept and coming up with a pitch or “spin” for the media came SO naturally to me. I see something, and I know how to make it POP. How to make it feel and sound special. How to make it newsworthy. This skill is also incredibly helpful in social media management!

I also learned that while I loved working in an agency, I was much happier managing others as well as overseeing strategy and clients than doing the day-to-day pitching, facilitating, etc. I was a leader, and I quickly grew into this role at the agencies I worked at.

At Small Batch, I started from the ground up. I did everything from creating content to managing strategy to sending invoices … all of it! But in scaling my agency, I’ve been able to step more and more into that strategic leadership, CEO role that I saw as the goal when I launched this biz in January 2020.

My 2024 vision – stepping fully out of the day to day client work and relying on my incredible team to manage our white-glove social media services while running and growing the biz, as well as exploring new revenue streams for Small Batch.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My #1 piece of advice for a brand or influencer starting off with a clean slate and building a social media presence is … ok well it’s more than one thing!

1.) Invest in getting professional branding done. Having a professional and consistent aesthetic is a game changer.
2.) Get branding photos and video taken. While we love an organic iPhone moment, there is a need for a professional and authentic presence on your page in order to sell your product or service.
3.) SHOW UP daily. On your feed, stories, and Reels.
4.) Be you — if everything you post can be Googled, it’s not going to hit. People want to know why you’re special. So them.

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

My first job out of college was in Ad Sales. I was an Ad Sales Assistant at a very corporate, boring, GREY office building in a big new city. My days involved an excessive public transit commute, sitting in said grey cubicle for 8 hours a day – broken up only by my microwaved Lean Cuisine and maybe a step outside to call my mom and cry. I was too depressed to even to to Yoga.

But this was my FIRST JOB in a COOL NEW CITY? Wasn’t I supposed to love it? I felt so much shame and guilt for not loving it, being happy, “sucking it up”, and thriving.

So I “pivoted”. I quit the job. I went back to my hometown for a little reboot with the fam. I applied for jobs! And I landed my first ever PR job at a creative, small and inspiring hospitality PR firm. I am still connected to the owner (she was in her mid-30s and I was straight out of college … the same relationship I have with my #1 account manager today!!).

Sometimes pivoting means choosing you. We didn’t use the word pivot back then (for things like this), but we do today! And I’m so proud that today’s younger generation puts their mental health more at the forefront than we did. Life isn’t about pleasing your parents or your stodgy boss at a job you hate. You can (and will) find better!

Contact Info:

• Website: smallbatchsocialco.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/smallbatchsocialco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallbatchsocialco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseyhogan111/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskels1
• Other: TikTok: @smallbatchsocialco

Image Credits
Melissa Douglas Co.