We recently connected with Zachary Bell and Kyra Denlinger and have shared our conversation below.

Zachary Bell and Kyra Denlinger, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

As business owners who specialize in social media, we know that at some point we would need to learn all the platforms. Including…. TikTok.

At the age of 35, we knew so little about TikTok it was laughable. In 2021, when we launched our channel, we had heard the stories (and the legends), we had scoffed at it, and we had marveled at its evolution and revolution. We weren’t, however, excited about it. After all, TikTok was about teenagers dancing in their bedrooms, right?

But as good social media agency owners, we knew we had to tackle the platform. We both made a few videos under a few different usernames to explore the tools. We didn’t realize how fun it would actually be – we had a blast laughing over filters and browsing music. After a few tries, Zach had the inspiration of trying out a massage therapy-based channel. It was the height of the COVID pandemic, and as a former massage therapist, Zach figured that people would probably be having a hard time visiting their LMT and committing to their self-care. We decided to call the channel “At Home Massage” – nice, straightforward, and simple.

We put up 2 videos – and we got a handful of followers, and we were elated. We put out a third video – our first true “tutorial” – rich with audio, voiceover, multiple clips, demonstrations, in-app editing – the works.

And we went viral. Overnight, we gained 50K followers and our video racked up over 1M views in 24 hours. We didn’t even have a profile picture at the time.

Neither of us slept much all night, our restless slumber plagued by a combination of questions, fear, and excitement.

“What’s considered a viral video?”
“What happens when you go viral?”
“How do you monetize TikTok?”
“What makes you TikTok famous?”

The experience of going viral was wild and all-consuming. We quickly started producing more content and our followership grew, easily surpassing 100K in a few weeks – all while building and nurturing our fledging marketing agency, which wasn’t without its growing pains!

We both learned a lot from our experience. We learned what we set out to do: how to edit videos, how to choose sounds, how to build followers, how to manage a community, etc. But we learned a lot of unexpected lessons, too: How to deal with negativity, for example; and how to stay true to yourself when you’re content isn’t performing well.

Our TikTok experience also led to some unexpected opportunities. We now consult in the TikTok space, and have spoken at several local chambers of commerce/business associations about how businesses can leverage TikTok to expand their brand. We’ve also built relationships with health and wellness companies and are becoming much savvier in the influencer marketing space. Today, our TikTok has approximately 225K followers and our Instagram sits at almost 30K followers.

All because we took a chance and weren’t afraid to explore. We hope this story inspires a few readers and listeners to do the same!

Zachary Bell and Kyra Denlinger, 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?

Prior to opening Bell Media Group, we first built a little side business doing white-glove resumes and cover letters. As we worked with more and more individuals, we were always touched and fascinated by their journeys – every client had a story to tell. These clients started asking us if we provided additional services. Zach, having worked in a variety of sales and development roles, and Kyra, with a strong background in marketing and communications, were a great duo to launch a creative agency.

Today, Bell Media Group is proud to serve a full load of local, national, and international clients from solopreneurs to universities to large media agencies. Rooted in a storytelling philosophy that we never abandoned, we create strong content and smart visuals that help you reveal the heart of your company. Many of our clients, prior to working with us, felt like they were doing amazing things… but no one knew about it. We shine the light on the best and brightest parts of your business, helping you solidify connections with your existing audience and expose you to new markets.

At the end of the day, we believe that effective marketing and social media starts with you: your mission, your voice, your story. We’d love to help you tell yours!

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

We attended the same high school, but we were never high school sweethearts! Zach was heavily involved in sports, whereas Kyra was highly involved in art and theater. We reconnected during college and a relationship sparked between us.

For years, Zach had proposed ideas for how the two could work together – either at the same place of employment or through entrepreneurial activities. Kyra was always hesitant and wary about intertwining business and home life and refused to entertain the idea for quite some time. We each pursued our professional careers throughout our 20s, but ended up coming together on our first entrepreneurship venture in 2016 – a technology company spearheaded by one of Zach’s former college professors.

Although that business never really took off, we were able to experience working side-by-side. We discovered real joy in supporting each another and helping each other maximize our strengths. We began working on our own side hustle in 2019 – a small freelancing business that eventually evolved into Bell Media Group.

We’ve heard of many, many couples who want to start a business together – but they always position it as a pipe dream; something for “later.” We recommend that you start as soon as possible; you won’t regret it!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

When we decided to launch our business, we both had 9-5 jobs and a few thousand dollars in our savings account. With each of us bringing home a regular paycheck from a corporate career, we were comfortable. Neither of us, however, came from money, and we started our business purely from “sweat equity” – we never took a business loan or sought an investment partner. Only recently did we even open a line of credit – mostly for safety and security.

The first year was really difficult. We gave out a lot of “free consulting,” and our first client was purely a partnership – we would only get paid if they made a sale (which never materialized). However, by connecting with local business associations, attending networking events, and sharing on our personal social media accounts, we were able to secure our first paying client within 2-3 months, and the referrals and connections continued to flow from that point.

During this period, we worked our 9-5 jobs and scheduled calls, meetings, and consults on nights and weekends. Zach first left his job in the summer of 2020, Kyra left hers at the end of the same year. We’re proud to share that we funded ourselves – and we truly believe that others can do the same!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bellmediagrp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellmediagrp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellmediagrp
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bell-media-grp/

Image Credits
None needed, all photos were taken by our team with permission from all parties involved.