We recently connected with Sofia Aguilar and have shared our conversation below.

Sofia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I guess you could say I started my business by first being my own client. I had been using social media as a creative outlet since I was a teenager and even had some brand collaborations under my belt before I turned 20. But the real test of my digital marketing skills came when I started my own dance business. I used my social media accounts to showcase my skills, create buzz around my service offerings and acquire clients. I saw how social media gave me the opportunity to compete with bigger studios and how it helped me create a livelihood out of my passion. I realized if it could help me, it could help elevate thousands of other small businesses. When COVID-19 hit and digital connection became the only type of connection we could rely on, I saw the need for social media for small businesses magnified.

My idea to execution process started with me identifying my USP (unique selling point) because at times it felt like content strategists were a dime a dozen. I honed in on busy service based business owners with a special focus on female and BIPOC-led businesses because as a female Colombian dance teacher, I deeply understood their unique needs and challenges. Within this group, I created specific niche avatars to position myself as an expert for those industries. I created my service concepts with one guiding principle: be the Amazon Prime of content creation. I wanted all my service offerings to get businesses tangible results without a large time investment. I started by offering VIP Content Days – a 5 hour day spent with me that would produce a full month’s worth of powerful converting content all ideated, shot and edited by me. All the business owner had to do was show up. Clients loved how within a few hours they were able to fill their entire month’s content calendar and had someone to guide them on big picture things like capitalizing on trends to the nitty gritty of outfit choices and poses. The popularity of this service snowballed and led me to host content summits that taught busy business owners how to replicate my VIP content day system so that they could create more content in less time.

There’s only one of me and to scale I knew I couldn’t just rely on VIP content days because the number of content days I could do each year was limited. So, I decided to create digital courses and products to passively grow my business, expand my reach and serve more people.

Going from ideation to execution was no easy feat and involved a lot of different moving parts working together synergistically to create the magic the audience sees. The bulk of the work was research e.g. research to source filming studios that aligned with budgets, understanding different niches and purchasing equipment. Next, I had to move to creating systems that would take a person on a journey from person to potential client to confirmed client. This involved optimizing my website, creating sales offers, establishing onboarding processes and shifting my social media brand identity from dance and wellness influencer to confident content strategist.

It was hard work but it paid off. Taking shortcuts may seem tempting but in the end, but I truly believe that setting solid foundations and doing your homework thoroughly before starting a business is crucial for creating a successful, long term entity.

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

My name is Sofia and I’m a first-generation Colombian Canadian who immigrated to Toronto with my family when I was 6. In Colombian culture, community is everything – for example, as a child, you’re raised by more than just your parents; you’re raised by grandparents, uncles, aunts and neighbours who all actively contribute to your growth and development.

I’ve carried this value of community and connection with me at the core of everything I do. When I started posting on Instagram, I created a community of over 10,000 people connected by a passion for wellness. When I started my dance company, I created a community of people connected to music, their bodies and movement.

When I joined my church, the value of community was amplified tenfold in my life. At a time when I felt low and lost, I discovered a support system rooted in faith and selfless service. My faith and community helped me find myself and go down a path that was aligned with who I am, what motivates me and the legacy I want to leave. Through God, I realized my calling was to be a community builder.

So, I decided to leverage my content creation and marketing skills to become a social media content strategist focused on helping business owners create engaged and thriving online communities that would help them achieve their business goals. I place a special focus on working with women and BIPOC led businesses because as a female entrepreneur and woman of colour, I could relate to the struggles these business owners face and wanted to do my part to elevate these important voices, visions and ideas.

Most business owners know social media is a powerful business tool. The problem is they often don’t have the time to learn how to successfully leverage it for their business, aren’t confident enough to show up on their platforms and don’t have the financial resources to hire a full time social media manager.

Typically, when people think about social media marketing, they get overly focused on aesthetics, post timings and content ideas. What sets me apart is my focus on helping my clients develop and unleash the confidence necessary to show up authentically on their social platforms. With the powerful foundational duo of confidence and authenticity under their belt, my clients are able to get unstuck and see social media as a fun part of their business instead of a dreaded chore or burden.

What drives me and makes me the proudest is seeing my clients use social media to create a beautiful life for themselves doing what they love. Thanks to that client that found them through an Instagram reel, they can send their daughter to that science camp she’s been dreaming of going to. Because of TikTok, a hardworking single mom can quit her toxic job and turn her eyelash extension side hustle into her full time business. Social media has the power to change lives. I’ve seen firsthand how it’s helped small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic, sustain families’ livelihood and help deserving entrepreneurs thrive.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Extreme hustle culture is so prominent in the world of entrepreneurship where a lack of sleep is proudly worn as a badge of honour and it’s looked down upon to take a day off or unwind with a 22 minute sitcom. For a long time, I subscribed to this mindset and lifestyle. I worked constantly, missed holidays with family and made myself available to clients 24/7. I felt guilty if I took a break and if I didn’t pour every ounce of my energy into my business. I ignored the exhaustion, the mental strain and my deteriorating health. I thought this is what being an entrepreneur was and had to be, until I realized it’s not. Working in turbo mode had me burnt out in every way until I decided to flip the switch and use this as an opportunity to reimagine my business and myself as an entrepreneur. Through this process, I learned that I can’t best serve my clients until I serve myself with self-care, rest and balance. By pouring into my cup, I can pour into my business, clients and mission better and more sustainably. So, I slowly started building a team to support my business operations, prioritized self-care and set boundaries. It was incredible to see that it is in fact possible to run a successful business without working myself to the ground and, how, ironically, things like rest allow you to operate at an even higher level!

How did you build your audience on social media?

People tend to see me as some sort of overnight social media success, but that’s far from the truth. I fell in love with content creation when I was in high school and have been posting consistently on social media for over 10 years. It started with me sharing my passion for wellness and dance and evolved to me sharing my entrepreneurial journey and helping others use social media as a vehicle for business success. Before anyone paid me a single cent for a social media service, I was showing up everyday on my socials, creating content as if it was my day job. I adopted the mindset of a full time content creator and put in the work until it became my reality. On a feed full of generic posts, illusive perfection and copycats, what made me stand out was my authenticity. People think that to “make it” on social media, you have to exclusively post beautiful, posed pictures where everything looks flawless. But humans aren’t perfect. Our journeys are full of obstacles, flaws and imperfect moments. Think about your favourite movie or book – chances are it involves some type of conflict that the main character has to overcome. We’re attracted to these stories because we can resonate with them. Life is messy and nonlinear. And yet, on social media we tend to paint a false picture of perfection. One of the biggest things that helped me build my audience is the fact that my content is raw and authentic. I don’t sugarcoat my business journey or my life – I show my audience the ups AND the downs. The good days and the bad days. The triumphs and the failures. Of course I love sharing my success and posting aesthetic pictures, but I also don’t shy away from showing the not-so-pretty side of being a business owner. Oftentimes, it’s exactly what another entrepreneur needs to see to remind themselves to persevere and that bad days are a normal part of life. Finally, the last key ingredient in my secret sauce of social media success is an emphasis on community. It’s important to remember the “social” aspect of social media. I always try to look at my digital platforms less like a megaphone and more like a telephone where both sides contribute to the conversation. Since my early days of content creation, when I had less than 100 followers, I interacted with my community and always tried to find ways to make each follower feel important and engaged. Even now, with over 16,000+ followers, my goal is always to unite my community, make them feel heard and involved in my journey. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and caught up with thinking that social media success boils down to hopping on trends, getting that TikTok dance right or posting at the right time – but I truly believe that the core tenets that will create solid, sustainable success for your brand lie in a focus on consistency, authenticity and community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sofiaaguilar.ca
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/saguilar_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/contentqueen
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sofia.aguilar

Image Credits
@coopzx @erika.alvarenga.photography