We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sheena Kalso a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sheena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Behind Your Scenes is a result of continuing to niche down as I learned who I really wanted to serve and the problem I was solving for them. Like all creative professionals, we have big dreams and cast wide nets. It’s always been hard for me to accept the idea of serving a very small sliver of people because of the belief that I can “do it all!”

My original business name was Sheena Kalso Creates. It was a big umbrella where all my creative off-shoots could exist and trust me when I say I never was able to get my elevator pitch down to 20 seconds because even I had a hard time trying to explain all the things I could do as Sheena Kalso Creates. The name was vague and the explanation was like a never ending CVS receipt. People had a hard time understanding what exactly it was I did.

Over the course of 2023-2024 I learned the success that follows when you’re willing to let go of ego, pay attention to the problem your dream clients keep telling you they have, and be willing to hyper focus on that one specific need.

Behind Your Scenes became the obvious name for a very clear service: I am behind the scenes of soloproneurs who want social media footage of them doing their craft, but can’t get it (or get quality footage) because they’re a small operation.

Behind Your Scenes doesn’t solve people’s comprehensive social media woes, but it does solve an important need for a specific group of people who can’t find this help anywhere else.

I’m still always fighting the urge to say “Oh, I can do that!” as I stay on this quest to remain niche, but the benefits of deciding to be really good at one specific thing makes you a very in demand person and my business name is the north star.

Sheena, 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’ve been in the the event industry since 2003, and launched my first event planning, staffing and bartending business in 2006. My business was wedding industry heavy, so I was exposed to editorial photo shoots, styled events, heightened guest experiences, marketing through visuals and hospitality. I closed up shop in January of 2020 after a very successful 14 year run and due to the pandemic, I found myself at home with two kids and a lot of time to soul search.

My work in events and marketing lead me to styling and reselling thrift and vintage on Instagram. This work attracted the attention of small businesses trying to stay open during lock downs and by 2023 I was managing 8 small business social media accounts with a growing waitlist. From content ideation to creation, then copy and posting, I did it all.

What set me apart is a combination of my first hand experience as a business owner and understanding all the hats you wear in that role, combined with my sense of play and fun on social media and, frankly, my age. As an elder millennial, Gen X and Boomers are comfortable with me. I am seen as a peer, not someone that makes them think of their college aged niece. Because of this, they trust my advice and also don’t feel talked down to our out of touch. I think that’s the insecurity many business owners feel when they think they need to hire a Gen Z content creator.

However, my career journey didn’t end at social media management. I soon discovered the same problem every single client had, no matter their occupation: They couldn’t capture original content on their own for the life of the. Either because of skill, confidence, or a matter of remembering to do it. For my Gen X and Boomers, the insecurity of being relevant, or the embarrassment of trying too hard, was the number one obstacle.

I decided to try and solve the first problem of social media for small businesses: capturing the content. Afterall, you can’t create anything without first having content to use. It’s like having all the tools and books for baking a cake, but not having any ingredients to work with.

Now I capture content for solopreneurs, giving them the gift of having them in their own content. I also teach simple skills that elevate their content in ways that are attainable and realistic.

I’m proud that my work empowers and uplifts small business owners, instead of making them feel like social media world is moving too fast for them to keep up.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have been an entrepreneur long enough to know working with the wrong fit is a special form of torture. For Behind Your Scenes, I only want to give my energy to ideal clients, so I have been texting people – and it’s a very very short list – that I believe would be a dream client, and ask them “knowing what I do, and if money were no object, what problem could I solve for you immediately?”

I take their response, and craft a package just for them. This has lead to booking these unique gigs which then lead to word of mouth to like minded individuals. I would rather customize my services for three specific people, then have inflexible packages and maybe attract mediocre clients. Seeking out specific dream clients creates faster “fans” and word spreads so quickly because you’re dazzling the right people.

I am tired of trying to be everything for everyone, and fortunately, with this strategy, I don’t have to be!

How did you build your audience on social media?

People come to social media for escape. Think about what you are looking for, resharing, and saving. It’s typically something that makes you laugh or something you don’t want to forget, like a tutorial or guide.

Bearing this in mind, of the various accounts I manage, the most successful ones post the following:

50% Entertaining: A funny reel that has no salesy pitch or CTA. It’s just enertainment. (people share these)
30% Educating: A how to or behind the scenes documentation of a process. Maybe an announcement of some kind (people save these)
20% Feeling: Aka Vibes. We’re evoking a feeling or lifestyle that strikes a cord with the follower.

I recommend posting 4-5x a week. Reels are gold, Carousels have gotten a massive upgrade. Single posts are death. Don’t even bother unless you’re just desperate to post something.

My best performing content involves a human in them. Especially if it’s YOU. People want to see and know the person behind the brand/business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behindyourscenes.co
• Instagram: @behindyourscenes.co

Image Credits

@BarbieHullPhotography
@lightlyPhoto