We were lucky to catch up with Samantha Barnes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss? What did you learn from them? Maybe you can share a story that illustrates the kind of boss they were or maybe you can share your thoughts on what you think made them an awesome person to work for?

YES! I had the same boss/mentor from age 16 and up, with a few other bosses from internships sprinkled throughout. Her name is April and she owns a women’s clothing boutique and a wedding flower business. Working alongside April for so many years taught me so much about so many things, but mainly it taught me that at the end of the day if you have nothing else, you at least have your integrity and work ethic. She always treated everyone that worked for her and everyone that hired her with kindness, respect, and above and beyond work ethic. She continues to build her table longer so that she can continue to grow with more people alongside her. I have tried to carry myself and my business in the same manner and feel that my clients are attracted the authenticity and values I place in the forefront of the J Creative experience.

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.

J Creative acts as a creative resource for small businesses. I’m able to help small businesses with their social media, creative projects, and events…Because small business doesn’t have to mean small ideas. There is no one way that led me to J Creative, it was a series of experiences and recognizing a need in the community.

The community, is what I am most proud of. Many clients have been with me for a longtime and I’ve been able to connect people along the way and see their collaborations come to fruition. Being able to work for yourself, with people you genuinely like and respect, is really a great feeling.

The biggest thing I’d like people to know about J Creative is probably that I value integrity and authenticity above anything else. The social media industry can sometimes be swarming with egos and shallow people, J Creative strives to bring a little authenticity and storytelling back to the digital world.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I see a lot of headlines and posts about hacks to business and growing, which is all great, but I think people forget to keep it simple. Be kind, do what you say you’re going to do, don’t be consistently late, and cheer loudly for others.

It took me awhile to realize that not everyone does those simple things, so when people realized that I was someone of my word, and a positive energy to have on their team, my reputation for the things that truly mattered grew.

I think it is almost better to be known for all the above things when brought up in conversation, before anyone even begins to bring up any statistics or analytics from working with me with their socials.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Client referrals! Almost ALL of my business comes from referrals from current or past clients. It’s also easier to keep current clients than seek new ones, so I always try to maintain a great relationship with clients, which in turns leads to new clients.

I like to call J Creative an extension of client’s brands. Although I am a third party they hire, I become a valuable asset to their team. I like to say that my clients hire me for social media but keep me for everything else. Meaning, they find value in having me on their team in more ways than just my knowledge and execution of social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jcreative.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcreative____/

Image Credits

Wildly Gi Photography