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

Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

It was just me for the first year, mostly because the pandemic hit very shortly after I started the business. I spent the majority of 2020 learning and educating myself while building on ideas I hoped I could implement when business could resume. My first large project came late in 2020, where it became clear I would need an additional person working with me to cover the scope of the project. At first, I wasn’t really sure where to start, so I reached out to my network to see if anyone knew of someone who could take on some project management work. At the time, my budgets were very tight, and I had almost no cashflow since I hadn’t had much business in several months, so the timing was really important, and I definitely didn’t take care to consider many other options. I ended up contracting the services of a former colleague, relieved that I didn’t have to search through applicants and take a chance on a stranger. Very shortly into the project, they accepted a more competitive contract with a competing brand. This ended up being an important key learning for me. Looking back, I was not as critical or thorough with the process likely due to our previous relationship. The interview process was very informal, and instead of identifying exactly what I needed, I was just excited to have anyone helping with this project. I was also very new to drawing up contracts and definitely felt pressure to make the person happy, so I didn’t protect the business the way I should have. I realize now that perhaps especially when you have a prior relationship with someone, it is incredibly important to establish clear and honest communication from the very beginning. I have also realized as a business owner, that the relationship with anyone working for you or representing your business is incredibly crucial, and trust above all else, even skill, can make or break a big project.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My professional background has always been in the hospitality industry, later focusing on bars and events, and eventually branching into brand marketing for alcoholic spirits brands. I have always had a passion for the environment, and growing up in Colorado instilled my value of our natural world.

When I started The LBB Agency (little bit better), I wanted to change the industry I had worked in my whole career for the better. I wanted to combine my passion for the environment with the skills and creativity I had gained in marketing to help powerful and influential brands redirect traditional marketing funds to programs that have real world impact and help create lasting change.

The LBB Agency provides brands the ability to turn their goals and values into awareness, action, and change. We are the only sustainable marketing consultants specializing in the spirits industry, Our approach goes beyond communicating the values of the brands we work with, we build programs and campaigns that allow their values and goals to be experienced, creating lasting and loyal relationships with their brand.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest thing I had to unlearn was the notion that I needed expertise in every aspect of starting and running a business. I had unknowingly adopted a traditional mindset regarding my career path, believing that before venturing into entrepreneurship, I had to excel in all areas of the industry or specialization. This misconception led me to spend considerable time convincing myself not to start because I lacked certain skills or qualifications like accounting, social media marketing, or a marketing degree. It was challenging for me to perceive how my experience and education, even in seemingly unrelated fields, could be relevant to my desired business. Moreover, I feared that my business wouldn’t be taken seriously unless I had dedicated my entire career to it.

However, as I interacted with and researched more small business owners, I discovered that many of them learn and adapt as they go. While there are fields where this approach might not be applicable, such as professional services like legal, tax, compliance, or highly specialized skills, numerous services exist for small businesses to outsource the expertise they lack. Starting my own business in 2020 provided me with the opportunity and time to acquire additional skills and bridge the gaps in my knowledge. I always advocate for continuously learning new skills, especially during downtimes.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

By far, the most effective strategy has been by word of mouth. I network with other business owners who put me in touch with clients they think may benefit from my services, and I take up the conversations from there. I also use friends and past colleagues to refer me, as I am still very small and while this took some time, I now have no problem asking for favors, it’s just business. I have also had to get much better at communicating my services in quick personal interactions, an elevator pitch of sorts. LBB provides a very unique and tailored service to our clients, which is best explained and understood in person, which can be as short as a 30 second interaction. As we gain more clientele, I look forward to adding more case studies and revamping our website and social media (another skill I am constantly trying to improve).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lbbagency.com/
• Instagram: @LBB_Agency