We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lesa Rossick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lesa below.

Lesa, appreciate you joining us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

The older I get, the more it is clear…this story is not about me. The more I make it about others, it becomes a selfless and more powerful journey.

I love the idea of loving your neighbor as yourself, and donating a percentage of sales is a wonderful way to see it come to fruition. My husband and I make a conscious effort to set aside 10% of all of our profits to give away to charity, and sometimes more. We honestly realize that the joy of giving to others in need, brings more than any material possession can give us!

Sometimes I can get caught up in the “woes” of life and a certain trial or tribulation, but when I take my eyes off myself and my ego, I get a pep in my step. There are so many people who have huge trials beyond anything I can comprehend. When we give to those in need, it puts things in perspective.

I am blessed to be married to a teammate who believes the same way!

Lesa, 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 retired from a Medical Device career of 25 years, and decided to take up a fun hobby of blogging about local Austin restaurants. I was born and raised in Iowa, so eating local and knowing about the farms and farmers behind the food was integrated into my life.

So, when I started the foodie blog, Keep Austin Eatin’ to life, I dedicated it to honoring our local restaurants, farmers, chefs and their teams. Today, this small little hobby has turned into a team of amazing women, 77,000+ followers and this past year, was able to collaborate with 130 restaurants and Baylor, Scott & White to feed thousands of healthcare workers.

Within months of learning the power of social media, I wanted to share the knowledge and empower fellow entrepreneurs and companies and launched a Digital Marketing Company. We help build brands, develop websites and teach others how to navigate the social media platforms.

I truly have loved this new chapter, and feel like I have one of the most amazing chapters in my 50s!

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

Social Media is like showing up for a party, yet it’s with millions of people. But just like a party, you want to show up in your best self. Authentic, gorgeous and magnetic. How does this translate into social media?

1. Authentic: There is only 1 you. When you go to a party, and you try to be someone else, you will ultimately get exhausted of trying to be someone else. We would look silly if we all turned up to a party and wore the same exact dresses and tuxes. Well…unless that is the theme of the party, ha!

When you post, it is okay if it is different than everyone else. Be a Zebra and stand out. You don’t have to copy what everyone else is doing. You be you.

2. Gorgeous: You certainly wouldn’t show up to a gala in your pajamas and your hair undone. Although, that sounds amazing! ha. You want to look your best. You will spend time looking for the best outfit. You will make sure your hair and make up is top notch. Sometimes, we can spend hours getting ready.

It is the same with your posts. Make sure it is something beautiful (not perfect!). Aesthetics will grab someones attention and ultimately make them want to learn more. But, just like real life, if they don’t like what they see, they will move on…and that is perfectly fine!

3. Magnetic: I love making the metaphor of showing up at a party, and looking amazing, but just standing there and saying nothing. You may have 1 or 2 people approach you, but if your arms crossed and stand in the corner, you probably will not meet as many people. Yet, if you get out there and enjoy yourself and engage in a ton of conversations, you will end up having a great time and people want to spend with you!

Same as on social media. You cannot just post a beautiful shot, and then exit right. You need to engage with as many people as you can, with similar likes and interests. The more people who engage with, the better chance you will have followers, likes and comments. In time, you will develop a community!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

I am most certain this question is answered by many people with the word COVID. There is no doubt, this changed my company dramatically. I had a steady stream of income with monthly clients, and I lost almost all clients during COVID. I primarily work with small businesses and entrepreneurs, and marketing will be one of the first things to go when business is hurting.

I stayed “business as usual” for about 6 months, then transitioned to having independent contracts and interns who helped me with projects. And I ended up loving the mentorship side of helping interns, plus learning all of the new technologies they would teach me.

Now, I feel more flexible and fluid in my company! It is more project to project based, which is a lot of fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://keepaustineatin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesarossick/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesarossick
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesarossick
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lesarossick