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

Hi Molly, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As my business has grown, I’ve focused on growing my own brand online. I spent months procrastinating getting on camera and posting the videos I wanted to share, because I was worried about being “cringey.” But I heard something that changed everything for me, “it’s only silly until you’re successful.” So I realized I needed to be ok with feeling silly and vulnerable, if I was going to be successful. Now, I still get embarrassed sometimes, but I am much less afraid of that feeling. As a result, I’ve gotten countless messages from women like me who are so grateful I’ve shared these videos that make them feel seen and heard. I’m so glad I decided to feel silly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I somewhat stumbled into social media via food blogs. I had a “right place, right time” moment where I saw an Instagram story from a Chicago food blogger I followed who was looking for a new team member. I put myself out there and applied and a few days later, I got the job. I grew in my role at this food blog to eventually become the Director of Media.

After four years there, my fiance and I made the decision to move back to Philadelphia to be closer to family. I also decided to use this as an opportunity to gamble on myself and start my own business. I now own Molly Scullion Media LLC, and I offer social media management services to a host of clients, from food blogs to dietitians to financial groups. I love working with small businesses and helping them express their unique voice and personality online.

As my business has grown, I’ve also grown my own voice. As someone getting married in November 2024, I noticed a big hole online for realistic wedding planning experiences. I decided to start sharing my journey, with all of the joy I’ve found along the way. I emphasize sharing the messy moments, and I focus on loving every imperfect moment as best you can. I’ve grown my audience on TikTok and Instagram, and I absolutely love connecting with other brides to be who are feeling similarly. My goal is to make sure people know they do not need to have everything figured out to have an incredible time.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think so many people feel pressure to be perfect on social media and that prevents them from sharing authentically. In truth, people crave the imperfection. They crave someone they can relate to and connect with on a deeper level. In order to grow on social media, you need to stop letting perfect get in the way of good.

Once I decided to stop curating so aggressively and worrying about how everything would be received by every individual person who saw it, I started growing. I shared my authentic thoughts and feelings in an imperfect way, and I started gaining traction. I had so many comments saying, “oh my gosh I thought I was alone in this!” I realized quickly that this is the kind of thing I needed to focus on. Not only did it grow my audience, but it made it SO much easier to make content too.

So if you are starting out, it’s important to share your authority on a topic, but it’s even more important to share your authenticity on the topic. Share your imperfections. People want to relate to you.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Networking has been the best source of new clients. You will see a lot of content online sharing how you should brand yourself in order to get new clients, and while that is amazing, it never appealed to me to go that route. I really wanted to find quality clients that I could build long term contracts with. I didn’t want a revolving door of clients, I wanted stability. So I connected with people I know in my network and made clear that exactly what kind of client I was looking for. I was able to find a steady roster of five significant clients that covered all my expenses and my salary. This stability gave me more time to grow my own brand and explore new revenue streams.

I highly encourage others to focus on finding quality clients over quantity. In the long run, it is much more effective. Connect with people you trust and know, and don’t be afraid to follow up and continue asking for leads.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mollyscullionmedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmollyscullion
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mollyscullion

Image Credits

Jon Plester
Philter Photography