We recently connected with Shelley Iverson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shelley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

I never intended to be an entrepreneur again.
I had been one before. I’d run a business, closed it, and gone back to punching a clock like everyone else. The regular kind of job. You show up, do your shift, go home, and call it a day. I figured that chapter of my life was over.
But life had a different plan for me.
At that job, someone asked me to help with marketing. I didn’t go looking for it — it just kind of happened. Apparently, people liked the way I did it. I ended up doing more and more of it without even meaning to. That’s when I made a connection with a member of the Wild hockey team. They asked me to do some marketing work for them. I said yes. Then other people started asking.
That’s when the name Shelley’s Social Media started circulating. But even then, I didn’t really think of it as building a business. I wasn’t trying to build anything. What really got me going was something much deeper.
I remember watching this one small business owner. They were running their store, managing inventory, doing the books, juggling family, keeping the place clean, handling payroll, staying late, waking up early. And then on top of all of that, they were expected to market their business too? They looked absolutely beat. I remember thinking, how is this person supposed to survive doing all this alone?
I just wanted to help.
So I did. No plan. No price sheet. Just me, chipping in where I could.
At first, it was small stuff. Fixing directory listings. Designing a quick logo. Updating a website. Creating social posts. I even taught classes at the local community college. I wasn’t charging for most of it. I just started helping, one business at a time. It was all hands-on, no automation, no hacks, no trends. Just doing the work.
And then it grew.
Word got around. More people started asking. The work started piling up. I was still working another job.
At a marketing event, I met a volunteer from SCORE. I wasn’t even sure if I was doing things right. I thought, you know what, I wouldn’t mind a little help. So I connected with one of their coaches. That’s when I really started getting some guidance. He looked at everything and told me I had a goldmine. He said I needed to hire someone right away.
I laughed and told him I didn’t even have money to pay myself.
But I trusted him. So I got a nighttime job so I could afford to bring someone in. That’s when I brought another person to work on my team, and we started to build something together.
I kept showing up and doing the best I could, even if I was learning on the job.
I started taking courses. I got certified by Google. I earned marketing certifications. I studied websites and SEO. I wanted to know what the hell I was talking about. And if I hired someone, I wanted them to know too.
I created an internal training program. I had worked with a system similar on projects I acquired when I owned my computer repair business. It was simple. If someone wanted to take on a project, they had to complete certain learning steps first. You had to show you understood what you were doing before you were trusted with a client. I still use that system today.
We weren’t niche-specific at the time. I took on anything and everything. And I made mistakes. I lost some clients. But I never looked at it as a failure. I took it as a lesson. What went wrong? How do we fix it? I changed our process. I got better. We learned. And this idea became a popular podcast I created later; go figure :)
I remember when Facebook rolled out the ability to manage multiple locations under one page. One of our clients needed that, and we didn’t quite know how to do it yet. We fumbled it, and we lost them. After that, I went and took more social media courses. Me and the person working with me at the time sat down and got ourselves trained on everything that was hot back then.
Always learning. Always trying to stay ahead.
I had this gut feeling even back then — a sort of vision for where this could go. Shannon, who still works with me and is brilliant at graphics and content, helped me create our mission and vision. We made trifolds that laid it all out. We still use those today with minor tweaks. They’ve stood the test of time.
Our mission was to offer business professionals affordable and personalized online marketing solutions so they could have more time to focus on their bigger goals.
Our vision included staying locally accessible, being value-driven, helping small businesses grow, offering livable wages to stay-at-home individuals, and being a leadership team that motivates by example. We wanted to teach, support, and succeed alongside small businesses.
That was in 2016. We haven’t changed much since then.
One thing that set us apart early on was how we worked. Everyone worked remotely. Back then, people didn’t get it. I remember being asked all the time, “Where’s your office?” I had a couple brick-and-mortar spots just because people expected it. But our whole team was online. I didn’t see the point in paying rent when people could do amazing work from home and still be with their families.
From about 2016 to 2018, we focused mainly on social media, websites, business directories, and ads. Then we added SEO. I had already been doing it, but I wanted to do it better. I got certified. And as the requests came in, we kept growing. By 2019, we were deep into digital marketing — running PPC, managing content, and offering more advanced strategy.
Then in 2020, right before COVID hit, I had an idea. I wanted to sit down with business owners and hear their stories. I wanted to ask about their struggles and what they’d learned. That’s how The Shelley Show podcast was born. We did one in-person episode. Then the world shut down.
Luckily, we were already digital. We didn’t need to scramble. Our team was ready. Our clients leaned on us to help them pivot their brick-and-mortar businesses online. And we delivered.
That year, my business doubled.
The Shelley Show moved online and kept going. Now it has over 10,000 followers. We coined the phrase #failingforward because that’s exactly what we were doing — failing forward to success.
As our reputation grew, we picked up more clients, not just locally, but across the country. We became national. We opened virtual offices in other cities. And we shut down the physical ones for good.
Then came 2022.
I lost my son.
I don’t talk about it publicly. It’s too personal. But I’ll say this — when something like that happens, it affects every part of your life. I couldn’t function. I don’t remember much about that time. It’s a blur.
But my team? They kept the business going.
They showed up when I couldn’t. They carried the weight. I will never forget that. And I’ll never stop being grateful.
In the last year — maybe six months, maybe more, I’m not even sure — timelines blur for me. But what I do know is this: I’ve started to rise from the fog. From the fire. From the kind of pain that cracks your whole world open. I don’t even know what to call it exactly, but I’ve been coming up out of something dark. Slowly, yes. But surely. And with every step forward, I can feel my vision sharpening again. The fire is different now. But it’s still burning.
And I’ve started noticing things again. New shifts. New changes. I believe we’re heading into a time when people want real connection again. Businesses are tired of digital noise. People don’t trust the internet like they used to. Search is changing. Algorithms are changing. And people want something real.
And that’s how Shelley Shows Up was born. It wasn’t a big launch or some polished rollout. It was a gut feeling- a knowing. That real connection was needed again. That physically being there, standing in someone’s shop, looking them in the eye, hearing their story, mattered. So, I followed that pull. I started showing up. And I brought my camera with me.
I show up to local businesses in person. I try their products. I talk with the owners. We shoot short videos together. We connect face to face. It’s good for them. It’s good for me. And it’s good for the internet — because we’re bringing humanity back to digital marketing.
And what we offer — we offer that to everybody that works with us. And if they don’t take advantage of that, that’s up to them. But we aren’t going to take responsibility for someone else’s wrongdoings. We’re not going to be that sugary sweet customer service agent or company. We’re going to tell it how it is. Otherwise, it’s just not fair to us. It’s not fair to me. It’s not fair to my team. Because we know what we’re doing. We do this day in and day out. And when someone hires us, they hire us with respect and honor that we know what we’re doing. And they’re going to hear it from me if they want to blame us for not doing our jobs. And on the other end — also — if something is our responsibility, we will take acknowledgement for it. Because that’s what real is all about.
Where it used to be just me, now it’s me and 45 others. We offer coaching. Monthly strategy calls. Education. SEO. Social. Ads. Content. And above all, we give a shit. We still care about the local guy, the startup, the family-run place trying to make ends meet.
And everyone who works with me — contractor or employee — has to care too. Passion is a requirement.
We’ve won awards. We’ve built a strong reputation. And recently, someone told me they asked ChatGPT who the best social media company is.
It said Shelley’s Social Media.
That’s pretty fucking awesome.
So no, it wasn’t an overnight success. It wasn’t a perfect plan. It was grit, heart, sleepless nights, second jobs, team loyalty, a vision that wouldn’t quit, and a whole lot of showing up when it would’ve been easier not to.
This is who we are. This is what we do.
We help people. We tell the truth. And we show up.
Because that’s what Shelley does.

Shelley, 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’m Shelley, and I’m the founder of Shelley’s Social Media. We’re a real-deal, relationship-first, no-fluff marketing company that helps small businesses get seen, heard, and supported in ways that actually work.

I didn’t get into this industry because I had a plan. I got into it because I cared. I was working a regular job when someone asked me to help with marketing, and that lit a spark. I had a background in business and tech. I used to run a computer repair company. So I already knew how to figure things out. But what drew me in and kept me here was watching small business owners do it all and still be expected to market themselves on top of it.

I saw the exhaustion. I saw the hustle. And I knew I could help.

So I started helping. One directory listing. One social post. One conversation at a time. Eventually, I made the name official. Shelley’s Social Media. And built it into something real. What started as just me turned into a team of over 45 passionate, skilled humans who care as much as I do.

Today, we offer personalized digital marketing services for small and mid-sized businesses. Social media strategy and content. SEO and website support. Ads and PPC. Local and national visibility. And most importantly, real coaching and guidance. We sit down with our clients every month to show them what’s working, what isn’t, and how we’re helping them grow.

We aren’t chasing trends. We’re building what works. And we tell our clients the truth, even when it’s not what they expected to hear.

We’re known for being human-centered, strategy-driven, and fiercely committed to our people. We work with businesses all over the country, but our heart is in supporting the kind of business that makes a community feel like home. The shop owner. The wellness pro. The restaurant down the road. The startup with the big dream.

What sets us apart? A few things.

We’re not a hands-off agency. We’re in your accounts. We’re having real conversations. We’re showing up in person, on video, and behind the scenes. We aren’t just marketing your business. We’re in it with you.

We’re also proud of our internal culture. Our team is remote and built with intention. We offer livable wages to stay-at-home professionals. We train from the inside out. Everyone who works here goes through internal learning before they ever touch a client project.

What I’m most proud of is that we built this company with heart. Through hard times, personal tragedy, and massive change, we kept going. And our clients did too. That says everything about the kind of people we serve and the kind of people who work here.

If you’re a potential client or follower, here’s what I want you to know:

We give a shit. For real. We’re going to care about your business like it’s our own. We’re going to be honest. We’re going to help you grow the right way. We’re going to show up, tell the truth, and build something that lasts.

We’re Shelley’s Social Media. And when we’re in, we’re all in.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot more than once, but the biggest one happened in 2020 — right as the world was shutting down.

At the time, we had just launched The Shelley Show, a podcast where I interviewed business owners about their stories and struggles. We recorded one in-person episode, and then everything changed. COVID hit, and the in-person model we had planned was no longer possible.

But we didn’t panic. We were already a fully remote team. We were already digital. So instead of shutting things down or waiting it out, we pivoted. We moved the podcast online. We leaned into digital communication. And most importantly, we showed up for our clients who suddenly needed help more than ever.

A lot of our clients were brick-and-mortar businesses. They didn’t know how to pivot online. They were scared. So we stepped in. We helped them update their websites, restructure their social media, shift their messaging, and start selling online. Our business doubled that year. Not because we were trying to grow, but because we were already ready to serve. And we cared deeply.

But another pivot came in 2022 — a personal one. I lost my son.

Everything stopped. I couldn’t function. I don’t remember much from that time. It’s still hard to talk about. But the one thing I do remember is that my team showed up for me the way we show up for our clients. They carried the business while I was in the dark. And I’ll never forget that.

Coming back from that loss has been the biggest pivot of my life. I’ve had to rebuild not just my business, but my spirit. In the past year, I’ve started to rise again. I’ve found a new kind of fire. I’ve launched Shelley Shows Up — a project where I visit businesses in person and connect human-to-human, because now more than ever, real connection matters.

So yes, I’ve pivoted. In business. In life. In loss. And every time, I come back stronger, more grounded, and more committed to doing meaningful work with people who truly care.

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

I showed up. Plain and simple.

I didn’t buy followers. I didn’t chase trends. I didn’t throw around buzzwords and hope people would think I knew what I was doing. I actually did the work, and I cared while doing it.

From day one, I treated every business I worked with like it mattered. Because it did. Whether it was a single listing or a full-blown strategy, I showed up fully. I listened. I looked for the stuff others ignored. And I gave people what they actually needed, not what was easy to sell.

I think what built my reputation more than anything was consistency and honesty. I didn’t overpromise. I didn’t ghost when things got hard. I told the truth, even when it wasn’t what someone wanted to hear. That built trust.

Over time, word spread. Business owners started referring me. They knew I’d show up, do the work, and treat their business like my own. They knew I wasn’t going to sugarcoat things. They also knew I gave a shit. For real.

I think the other big piece of it is that I didn’t make it about me. My company was never built to be flashy. It was built to be useful. Helpful. Honest. We stayed small on purpose. We trained our team from the inside out. We built systems that actually worked for small business owners, not just big marketing budgets.

People know what they’re getting with me. They know I’ll answer the phone. They know I’ll tell them the truth. They know we’ll have their back. And that kind of realness stands out in a world full of fluff.

That’s how we built our reputation. One relationship at a time. One result at a time. By showing up. Again and again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shelleyssocialmedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelleyssocialmedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelleyssocialmedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-iverson-social-media/
• Twitter: https://x.com/ShelleysSM
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUMNMJ18b4q1dQm05VzDGg

Image Credits

These images are mine