Today we’d like to introduce you to Kahlin Grant.
Hi Kahlin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a fourth-generation entrepreneur that’s always had dreams of starting my own business. For five years prior to starting my social media marketing agency, KAPOW! Social Branding, I sat teetering on the fence in a comfortable and secure job. Then in December 2018, I was hit by a semi-truck that ran a red light. I was 22 weeks pregnant at the time.
As good samaritans rushed to my side to help, the first call I made wasn’t to 911. It also wasn’t to my husband. I called my boss. I was fearful of getting in trouble for missing work. And when I really thought this through, as I was being whisked away in an ambulance, it was like a huge neon sign went off, pointing me towards the exit of the beautiful corporate building I worked in. I realized how emotionally exhausted I was from constantly either feeling like I was failing at work or failing as a mother. It’s a lingering guilt that I think that most women who try to manage both tend to feel at times. I can’t fault my employer at the time for this, it was my own personal struggle. In August 2019, I gave a three weeks notice to my employer and finally jumped down off that fence into the dark unknown that is entrepreneurship. The first year of business ran right into the current global pandemic, which led to a sudden departure of clients last March as budgets were tightened in anticipation of much uncertainty. It was tough.
Starting a new business right before a pandemic. Not knowing if I’d need to go back to a “real job”– but truthfully, that thought never was something I ever decided to entertain. I pushed right through and ended up exceeding all first-year revenue goals and hiring two team members to help research and built content. Now we are working on a third hire, and my team and I create almost 800 pieces of original content monthly for a diverse spread of social media clients across not only Central Florida but South Florida, New England and beyond. As I was a mom that had been feeling like I was failing at either end, a special part of growing my business has been to hire moms. All of my team members are moms who work remotely from home. These are some brilliant, creative women who empowered to create and work their own hours on their terms and don’t have to make decisions like between office meetings or a call from the school with a sick kid to pick up. As my business continues to grow, an important part of my values will be to provide opportunities for moms to work from home. This is a truly rewarding model that is really working for us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s unlikely that any road paved to success is ever smooth. I think experiencing challenges, especially at the dawn of building a business, really helps to teach you what it means and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I had a total idealized version in my mind of what starting my own business would look like and what being a business owner was. I imagined ALLLL this new free time I would be enjoying with so much less stress and worry. I will wait until you stop laughing to continue. Haha! The first year of business really showed me what I was made of. A global pandemic. A loss of clients. Not being eligible for any grants or loans or programs. Working until 3am many, many, many more nights than I care to disclose. You have to have some serious drive. Serious self-motivation. Serious PASSION. I’ve learned that consistency, drive, motivation and passion have been what have really helped me push forward for the difficult days. Well, that and having a super fantastic spouse!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
KAPOW! Social Branding provides done-for-you, done-with-you and consulting and training social media solutions. We take a project management approach, creating a social media strategy that works towards meeting the goals of each business and building content that engages around strategy. We offer organic and paid social media solutions, as well as email marketing, video and photography as well as account/profile growth services. Basically, a bunch of fancy words to say, we take social media off your plate so you can focus on your business. Have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s being handled and that your business is building brand awareness and generating leads while you focus on doing what you love. We are known for our content creation. Right now myself and my team are creating and putting out over 750 pieces of original, researched, engaging, lead-generating content monthly. Because we take great care to understand the message and vision of each client, we are able to build content that moves the needle.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am so excited to share that KAPOW! is fully booked through February and is taking new clients starting in March. To book a quick 15-minute phone call and see if KAPOW! might be a good fit for your social media marketing needs, visit https://calendly.com/kahlingrant/kapow-social-branding-discovery-call. To apply for a paid internship with KAPOW visit: https://form.typeform.com/to/veIuchrK. For all other questions, collabs, etc. email kahlin@kapowsocialbranding.com
Pricing:
- We offer monthly done-for-you social media management packages starting at $750/month
- Social Media Training and Consultation starting at $200/hr.
Contact Info:
- Email: kahlin@kapowsocialbranding.com
- Website: www.kapowsocialbranding.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kapowsocialbranding
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kapowsocialbranding
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/socialkapow
- Other: https://form.typeform.com/to/veIuchrK
Image Credits:
Sarah Rose Photography
The Locke Agency
