Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Fondren and Emily Fondren-Lach.
Emily, Lindsay, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Lindsay: Emily and I met in 2014 when I started dating her ex-husband, and we were meeting up at the airport for a custody exchange of her son/my now stepson, Zachary (2 years old at the time).
We ended up being fast friends and have stayed close over the years. I got my MBA in 2020, then started a photography and videography business last year and realized I really enjoyed the business side of things, mostly the back end. I’d wanted to start a business for a while, and Emily wanted to get out of the corporate Social Media manager work and focus on businesses she loves but wasn’t sure where to begin. It just kind of all came together, and we felt we’d work great together. We started last year organizing our ideas and going back and forth through slack until we had our brand, purpose, mission, and everything in place. Then we started implementing it and are loving how it’s come together.
https://quirksocialhq.com/2022/12/21/how-did-we-get-here/
^Here is a bit more detail.
Emily: Honestly– it’s a bit of an adventure, so I hope that you’re ready! I’ve always had a soft spot for connecting with people… social media is not only one of my absolute favorite tools to use when networking, but also in day-to-day life. I’ve discovered and completely fallen in love with COUNTLESS small businesses that I have found over the years, all thanks to social media. Whenever I travel, I’m constantly browsing through Instagram to check out what the locals are doing, where they are eating, and where they are shopping. As someone who grew up in a small farm town in north Alabama, not to mention the daughter of entrepreneurs– I have a true passion for the local gems: the family-run business, farm, and restaurant. It’s what I grew up on and for the longest time, was what I missed the most about home.
Social media helped me find the magic all around me in central Florida… and I’m not talking about the industrial, mass-produced kind. The REAL magic– the unique cuisine, the quirky arts and entertainment, and the one-of-a-kind shopping experiences. Slowly but surely, I learned how to find that feeling of ‘home’ regardless of where my travels took me. It brings me a lot of joy to showcase how truly special these small businesses are and giving them the attention and recognition that they deserve.
After having the opportunity to work in the world of corporate social media management for a few years, I gathered everything that I learned and took a leap of faith with the most incredible, knowledgeable, business-minded person that I looked up to– and together, Lindsay and I created Quirk Social HQ. I’ve known Lindsay personally for years; she is an incredibly brilliant and skilled woman. She is currently serving in the Navy and has for the last 17 years. In addition to this, Lindsay also is a very in-demand family photographer and videographer. Have you ever seen someone who can absolutely master anything seemingly overnight? That’s Lindsay. I’m telling you all of this because she’s very humble– and I’m not afraid to brag on my business partner. Together, we partnered her knowledge and experience in business-building and mine in social media marketing management and launched a social media agency as quirky and unique as we are. Oh, and did I mention that she is my son’s stepmother?
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Emily: Honestly, it’s been pretty smooth sailing for us– while we are still relatively new in this journey, it’s reassuring to know how seamless everything has been for us this far. When starting a business with someone, it’s vital that you are able to work together. In a way, it’s kind of like co-parenting. You both have this little metaphorical ‘baby’ that requires not only time, energy, and effort, but also cooperation, teamwork and so much more. What’s the best part of that, you may ask? Our actual children watching their moms build a legacy for them.
Lindsay: As Emily said, we’re pretty new on this journey, but our skills complement each other so well, and we really believe that we can figure out anything.
It is really important for us to be able to help small businesses without burning ourselves out, so coming up with some ideas where we could provide affordable value to small businesses in a sustainable way for us took some extra brainstorming. We’ll continue to evolve, but I’m really proud of what we’ve come up with.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Emily: Quirk Social HQ is all about bringing the magic of unique, small businesses to the online world and showcasing everything that they have to offer! Business owners already have so much to worry about today and too many, maintaining an online presence can feel like a chore. This is where Quirk Social HQ comes in: we handle everything from content creation, copywriting and hashtag research to SEO auditing and numerous website services. This means that instead of trying to figure out what and how to post on their websites or on Facebook, our clients can focus on what they truly need to and leave the social media and website management to us.
Many small business owners want to know how they can get more traffic to their websites from Google– we can help with that. In addition to our SEO services, we are also pleased to offer website optimization. Is it time to upgrade to a cleaner, smoother-running website? Let us custom-build one for you!
For those who have been dreaming of starting their own business but don’t know where to start: we’ve got you covered. Our one-on-one coaching can help you get started with everything you need– and just like all of our other services, affordably.
Lindsay: Emily does full-service marketing and social media management and I’m more of the backend business processes side of things, website building, etc. We’ve been learning a lot from each other, too, though.
All in all, as Emily said, we really want small businesses to be able to focus more on what they love. It doesn’t take long for those with a dream to start a small business to discover that there is so much more to it than doing what they love. We want a small business revolution and believe freedom in doing what you love and building a life of your dreams is possible.
I am most proud that we won’t just take money, but we spend time to really get to know our clients and find ways that would best serve them (even if it’s not with us). For example, we had a client that just wanted to hire us for social media management, but after reviewing their business and website details, we gave them our honest opinion about what should be fixed before social media management would be fully effective. They were under no obligation to hire us to make those fixes, but it was important for us to be honest and build that integrity.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Emily: Be open and most importantly, DON’T STOP LEARNING. The world is constantly evolving around us. It’s vital to stay informed on what’s ‘trending’ so we know how we can market ourselves to continue to grow. Take every opportunity to learn something… especially in the event when you make a mistake. A mistake isn’t a total waste of time if you learn something from it, right?
Lindsay: I completely agree with Emily here. I also believe that your job doesn’t have to be miserable, it can be energizing and tap into creativity and connection. That’s what we want for our clients and for ourselves.
Pricing:
- 15-minute consultation => Free
- Quirk Social Lounge Membership – fb and slack group => $7/month
- Quirk Social Membership + Scheduler => $35/month (We have our own scheduler that can schedule to any platform. We do training, it includes a membership, and if you want to take a month off, we can cover, as well)
- 1-on-1 Coaching => $50/hour (includes questionnaire so we can get right into business on the call)
- Everything else is dependent on what level of services are needed, but we do: Website building SEO services Social Media Management (including copywriting, content creation, and hashtag research) Email marketing set up CRM setup Facebook and Instagram Ads
Contact Info:
- Website: https://quirksocialhq.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quirksocialhq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quirksocialhq
Image Credits
Lindsay
