We recently connected with Polina Raykov and have shared our conversation below.
Polina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken is quitting my corporate job with no plan. I got my degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications, before I graduated I had locked in my roll as a marketing coordinator for a national fitness studio and their headquarters and within three months I was promoted to marketing manager. I thought, this is it. This is my dream job and I’ve already made it here. I was thrilled! Fast forward about two years and I was no longer feeling that way. The company was growing fast, too fast for them to handle, the role of my job changed, and I was no longer feeling motivated because I was never learning anything new. I reached a point where my mental health was deteriorating and I knew I had to change something. So I quit. No plan, no other job lined up, no experience on my own. I was only 23 years old and life got flipped upside down but I knew I had to take this risk.
This one big, scary, decision changed the reset of my life. Had I not quit then I might have still been struggling mentally but going back into the office to get that paycheck instead of challenging myself to grow in my career. That risk allowed me to do freelance marketing, meet industry leaders, and finally open up my own marketing agency six months later.
Polina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ve always been interested in the creative side of everything I do. Growing up I was into modeling and acting. I went to a tech high school where my focus was business but I was always the one coming up with the creative ideas and excelled in English because of my creative writing. I attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I earned my degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications but more important than the degree were the experiences. I was the social media manager for the university newspaper, I was in public relations for student government, I supported with all events for my sorority, and was in the panhellenic council for recruitment. Every experience I’ve had has somehow connected to marketing. It’s always been about people, understanding people, knowing how to speak to them, learning the psychology and then figuring out how to create marketing campaigns, ads, run social accounts, and more to build momentum.
When I quit my corporate job I started meeting new people, said yes to everything… I was running full social media accounts for $400, can you imagine that now? I worked with clients in multiple industries from upcycled luxury bags, to cannabis, spiritual coaches and restaurants. I knew I wanted to learn as much as I could then decide where to go. A few months out of my corporate job I attended a womens entrepreneurial conference in San Diego where I met Jordan Lee Dooley, author of two best selling books Own Your Everyday and Embrace Your Almost, and she hired me to be a part of her team and run the marketing for one of her business branches, Own It Academy. When this happened I knew I would be able to help others grow their businesses using through strong marketing strategy and everything I had learned up until this point.
Fast forward two years and we’ve pivoted to focus on product based businesses. We provide them with true marketing strategy to grow their business, gain a bigger audience, and ultimately, increase sales. I started The Marketing Model because I realized that no business fits in one box when it comes to what their marketing needs are, so nearly every plan we create is fully customized for optimal growth opportunity for that business. A lot of agencies try to fit clients into boxes but that’s just not the world we live in. Digital marketing is constantly changing and so are we.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My biggest pivot was when I got pregnant with my daughter! I knew that I wanted to be able to slow down (but not stop, let’s be honest I love working) so I had to figure out how to set up my business for success while I was home with my little one. This is when I actually pivoted the agency to only take on product business clients. I knew that with products you can plan even further ahead, schedule more in advance, and I actually realized I had more passion for these businesses. This year we expanded and we now offer product photography and videography as well.
Having a newborn forced me to really slow down which definitely set some goals back but I’ve realized that’s the way it goes with businesses sometimes and the ones that make it through, are the ones who are in it for the long run.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Multiple things. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some very influential people in the online space and we supported each other through our growth meaning that when a client trusted them, they trust me too, and vice versa. Alongside that, I showed up very strong on social media and provided a ton of free education on Instagram stories primarily. I also share results for my clients and have always been focused on one thing at a time making sure that clients always feel seen and held.
Contact Info:
- Website: themarketingmodel.com
- Instagram: themarketingmodel