We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberli Davino-Wilson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberli , thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I never in a million years thought I would be sitting here today, running my own business. The younger me, always wanted to be a teacher, Kindergarten teacher to be exact. That was what I went to school for and that was what I was determined to do. But for some reason, God had other plans for me which led me to become an Applied Behavior Analysis/Behavior Therapist. And I loved it. It was rewarding, it was exhausting, it was exciting, it was stressful, it warmed my heart, broke my heart; and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I truly believed that it was what I was called to do. And to this day, I still believe that. My clients and their families, became my family and I grew to love every single one of them. But in 2017, I was diagnosed with endometriosis; an inflammatory disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows outside of the endometrium. This tissue causes pain, inflammation, formation of scar tissue and organ dysfunction.

Unfortunately for me, I had become pretty sick dealing with pain, nausea, fatigue and a plethora of other symptoms, that it started to interfere with my work as a Behavior Therapist. Mentally, physically and emotionally, I couldn’t do that type of work anymore. It required me to be my best self daily, to be able to use my strength when my clients would run, hit, bite, or have a serious outburst. And these were all things I just could not handle anymore. It wasn’t a safe or fair environment for myself or my clients.

So I decided to leave. the profession. With no plan or back up on what I was going to do for money or a job.

Thankfully my husband was supportive and promised me we would figure it out. I would figure it out. But it was a risk. We had to rely on my husbands income and my husbands income only. He had to pay all the bills, the groceries, medical bills, whatever it was- it all landed on him. And when the weight of that started hanging on my shoulders, I knew I had to find something, anything. And that was when the thought of being able to work from home, struck me. If I could find something to do from home, it wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t feeling well that day or having a bad endometriosis day. I would be in the comfort of my own home.

So I decided to get into Network Marketing. I joined a bunch of companies- none that really lit that fire for me. I wanted something that was more so, mine. That I was growing for me. Not for someone else. So I decided to thrift clothes and sell them. But again, it wasn’t lighting that fire and honestly, I was spending more time taking pictures and uploading pictures of the clothing than I was even getting paid for. So my next thought, I always love to be creative, why not open an Etsy shop? I started making bracelets, earrings, rings and even wood coaster sets. I enjoyed it, but by the time Etsy took out all the fees, I wasn’t making much and it became more of a hobby than a long term job.

So I was back to square one. Nothing in mind. But I was thankful I did have a part time gig writing articles for an amazing site for Endometriosis! And then out of the blue, a tea company reached out to be asking if I would want to be an ambassador to help them share and promote their teas. I figured, why not? I love tea and it didn’t hurt to give something else a try. I ended up becoming such great friends with them that when I realized they were in need of a Social Media Manager, I jumped on the offer! I figured, I am always on social media, I love taking pictures, I love connecting with people and I love to write- so I should be able to do it!

It was in that moment of working on their account as a Social Media Manager where I realized, YEP this is the business I want to do. And three years later, here I am. My business model and what I offer has changed drastically since first starting, but it has become my baby. If I didn’t take that risk of leaving my Behavior Therapy job to work on my health, let myself try out all the network marketing companies and other crazy ideas I had, or take a risk asking the tea company to let me handle their social accounts, I most likely would not be here today with my own business.

It wasn’t easy getting here. But I am so thankful for taking the risks I took and for what I have grown on my own!

Kimberli , 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 am just a Northern girl living in a Southern world with my husband and fur babies. I moved from my home in Connecticut all the way to Georgia in 2010 when I graduated from The University of Connecticut. The big move was because of my dad and his new job and being a broke college graduate, I couldn’t afford to stay in Connecticut, so I moved to the peach state. I had no intentions of staying here – but love had other plans. I met my now husband and I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

As a child, I knew I always wanted to be a teacher. Weekend trips to the “teacher store” were always my favorite. Pointers, hall passes, grade books, stickers, notebooks, chalk holders, were just a few of the many supplies my mom had spent money on there for me and my pretend classroom down in the basement! I wanted to teach Kindergarten. And those were my plans when I graduated college. I always loved helping others and teaching/sharing my knowledge, so I assumed it was my calling. Not to mention, it was a socially acceptable job and one society would be “proud of me” for. But as always, God had other plans for me that led me down a new path. I became a Behavior Therapist instead. I spent a few years working in this profession. Truly believing this was it for me. I loved it, no matter how exhausting it was. It filled my heart at the end of the day. I had felt I found my place where I could truly, ‘help others’.

But God again decided to have other plans for me- this time, health plans. In 2017 I was diagnosed with endometriosis. And my whole life changed, just from that one diagnosis. My health started interfering with my job. I didn’t have the strength I needed, the desire I used to have and certainly was not giving my clients my best self. Mentally, physically and emotionally, I had enough. It wasn’t fair to my clients or myself. So I left.

I didn’t know what I was going to do next, but knew I wanted to work from home. I tried many different network marketing companies, none that sparked a light in me. I wanted something that was my own. But I kept at it, finding all these side jobs just to make some sort of money to help with my medical bills- because when I left my job, everything fell on my husband. I was thankful for my role as an article contributor for endometriosis.net, a site for those dealing with endometriosis. In fact, I have been with them since 2018! But I knew I still wanted something that was MINE!

I decided to start substitute teaching until I could figure it out. I fell in love with one of the schools in our town, made amazing friends with the teachers and became so attached to the kiddos. But deep in my heart, I still knew the school setting wasn’t where I would be happy. I wanted to be home. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, so badly. So I opened up an Etsy shop where I sold bracelets, earrings, rings and even wood coasters my husband and I made. But it didn’t feel like a business. It felt like a hobby that just took up a lot of time.

Out of the blue, a tea company reached out to me asking if I would be interested in sharing their teas for them. Of course I said yes, I love tea and it was just another opportunity to see where it would lead me. And it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. A few months in, I became their Social Media Manager. I have always loved taking pictures, writing, connecting with others- so it seemed like a perfect idea.

And then it hit me. This is it. This is what I want to be my business. This is what I am going to build. And three years later, here I am. My business has changed a lot since then. My services, who I work with, it has all grown and changed with me. But it is my baby and it is absolutely what I love to do. The funny thing, at the end of the day, I am still doing what I love to do, helping others. But instead of in a classroom or as a therapist, I am helping others grow their business!

My title as Social Media Manager shifted about a year ago when I realized, I didn’t want to focus on ALL the nitty gritty things of social media. There was one thing in particular I really enjoyed, connecting with others. And to my surprise, it was one thing a lot of businesses struggled doing. So I learned all about Lead Generation and now, that is the service I provide for my clients.

Many businesses on social media believe that they need thousands of followers in order to be successful. That they need to spend hours a day connecting with others, scrolling, liking, posting tons of content. And I am here to tell you, that is just not true. My job as a Lead Gen Specialist is to help online businesses build a community, that is organic, genuine and filled with clients or customers they truly love. I take the task of engaging off their shoulders so they can focus on other aspects of their business while I warm up their audience so that when they are ready to sell something, whether a service or a product, their audience is in there waiting! It is so important as a business owner, to build these relationships with your audience. This is where they get to know you, you get to know them and trust is formed. And that is exactly what I help my clients achieve.

I think what sets me apart is that I am up front, honest and tell it how it is. In order to grow a business, it takes work. And although having a Lead Gen could really help you see growth, YOU still have to do your part! It’s a partnership when we work together. We both have to put in the work together, to see the results. I also don’t promise quick growth. True relationships take time to form. Maybe someone will be ready in a week to buy from you while maybe someone else could take 3 months. But those three months of nurturing and communicating with that person are so crucial!

What I hope my clients know when they work with me, they aren’t just getting a Lead Gen. They are getting a friend, business bestie, hype girl and someone who will love their business as if it were my own. That I am there to provide answers the best I can to their questions, to listen to their concerns, make changes where they feel, offer my advice on changes that I think would be better. And that I am always researching and learning to better myself for them.

I am truly so proud of the business I have created, of the person I have become and of all the amazing clients I have already been able to help along the way. Each one shapes me into a better person and I learn so much from them, even if they are the ones hiring me as the expert!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I think one of the main things to growing my business and clients is, just being myself. You see so many on social media trying to be just like everyone else. They feel their business has to look exactly like someone else’s in order to be successful. And sometimes, they lose themselves with that mindset. If I am being honest, that was me when I first started. I was trying to be someone I wasn’t. It felt forced, uncomfortable and I could tell my audience felt it too. But when I started to show up as ME and not anyone else, I noticed I had a lot more connections going on with accounts I really wanted to connect with and work with.

So if you are struggling with your business because you feel like you have to be just like everyone else you see, take a step back and look at what you are doing in your business that isn’t really ‘you’. Think about how YOU would really do it. Start allowing yourself to show up daily as YOU, whatever that looks like. Get comfortable with letting your clients and your audience see the real you. I promise, that’s what they want to see. And if they don’t, they are not meant to be clientele to grow with you!

Another strategy I find helpful, being consistent. This doesn’t mean posting on social media every single day of every single hour. But it does mean showing up for your clientele. If you aren’t showing up and sharing what you do, how will they find you? How will they know what you can do for them? Find a schedule that works for you when it comes to showing up. Want to post three times a week, do that and stick with it. Does one time a week work best? Do that. Whatever it is, stay consistent with it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

What I do for my clients, is exactly what I do for myself; Lead Generation. Building genuine connections and engaging only with an audience I truly align with. But when I first started, that was a different story. I felt I had to grow fast. I thought my follower count had to be at 20K and that I needed everyone and anyone in my audience. So I joined follow loops and engagement pods – all which are big social media NO NO’s! Want to know what ended up happening? I was left with a lot of unfollowers, because they weren’t ideal to begin with and accounts that were way off brand or not aligned with who my ideal client was/who I served. So I started over. Not in the sense of creating a new account but, I removed myself from all follow loops and pods and never joined them again. And I started cleaning out my followers and following list, removing anyone and everyone that didn’t align. I didn’t care about my numbers! Once I did this, I started to see growth, not quickly, but growth. Organic, genuine growth and connections were forming. I started to also change up my content, making sure I was gearing it towards who my ideal audience was. The more I made these small changes, the more connections I was making and the more my business was growing.

If you are just starting out on social media, or even if you have been at it for a while, I want you to remember this one thing, growth, real genuine amazing growth, takes time. You have to learn patience and have trust and belief in yourself and what you offer. It isn’t about the numbers. You don’t need 20K followers to be a six figure entrepreneur. In fact, I know plenty with that many followers who are not making money. And plenty who have 300 followers and are bypassing six figures! So, don’t let other accounts and their following fool you. Grow at your own pace. Nurture and love your audience. Provide them with content they can relate to and walk away feeling like, wow I just learned something or wow, I need what he/she has.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lifewithkimberli.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/life.with.kimberli
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithkimberli
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifewithkimberli/

Image Credits
n/a – all photos are my own.