Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Brennan
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
This question always stumps me because there have been so many moments that brought me to where I am and where the business is today. My background and 15-year career have encompassed multiple facets of the marketing umbrella, working for startup after startup. From launching a skincare brand to working for an influencer app company to one of the most renowned influencer marketing agencies, to an experiential marketing agency creating large-scale events, there really isn’t anything in marketing I haven’t seen or been exposed to. There’s something so addictive about startups that’s always attracted me to them. An idea can spark and suddenly it’s a major project for the company or creates a company change that impacts the way you do business. For a short time I worked a corporate job and I’m not kidding, they said it would be months before we could get approval to stop recording notes for meetings a certain way. Corporate is great for a lot of people, I’m just not one of them. I was always looking at ways to change or improve what I saw and startups really lend themselves to minds like that.
My parents were a big influence on that. As entrepreneurs starting various businesses over the years, I saw first-hand, what it was like to start a business. Sometimes it would do well and other times it wouldn’t. What they don’t really teach you is that’s kind of what it’s all about and you can’t be afraid of either. But my parents never let it deter them from trying again. My dad, on the other hand, has a 30+ year military background that instilled a lot of regimented perseverance in me because outworking your competitors will almost always get you ahead.
After months of considering leaving a job I had fallen out of love with and become resentful toward, I realized it was time for ME to start my own startup. In March 2021, I started the company and 3 weeks later I had my first client. I amassed all my marketing skills + the parts I loved the most + my social nature and Orange Island Media was born. A marketing agency focused on connection and relationships.
People love an overnight success story because they market well 😉 but mine really wasn’t. It took me almost a full year before I would book my 2nd client. It was in that time I realized I was being asked to bet on myself and get serious about my focus and my passion. I never stopped, not once. I woke up early to do anything I could to build and grow and nearly a year later I booked my 2nd client thanks to an intro from my sister. Then a 3rd, then a 4th and every 2 months thereafter for the rest of the year until I had a full roster of clients. When I felt ready (and exhausted) and left my full time job to pursue my company full time and to this day it’s one of the top 5 best decisions of my life.
I just celebrated 3 years in business this March 2024 and in December I will be celebrating 2 years as a full time business owner. I’m so thankful for how far I’ve come, how challenging it was and how rewarding it’s been becoming my own boss.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship has never known a smooth road. I don’t know anyone that will tell you otherwise. Like I said, those overnight success stories market well. It’s not as sexy or clickable of a headline to talk about how it took someone a year to find a client or 2 to find financial stability. It’s also part of the reason so many businesses fail – they begin and a month later they think “why am I not rich and successful yet?”.
It’s been one of the bumpiest rides of my life mainly because it exposes so much about who you are and that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. It can make you question what you’re doing, is my idea good enough, can I actually do this, what will people think of me, can I handle success? The mind is a complex organ and can believe anything you feed it. If you’re not practicing daily gratitude, affirmations, active in self work, self reflection, healthy habits and boundaries, how can you possibly handle the challenges that will undoubtedly come?
My biggest challenge was wanting to be 10 steps ahead of where I was. Someone once told me “you can’t expect an infant to walk and your business is that infant. Give it time to crawl, grow, breathe, walk, fall, etc” and that really hit me. When I finally accepted that, things started to shift for the better.
Some of the biggest challenges have been:
– Taking on a project I had like NO experience in (it went awesome but the intrusive thoughts were real!)
– Navigating tough conversations with clients (you never want to lose them but in the end, it’s not worth clinging to)
– Losing clients (I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason so letting them go has allowed others to come)
– Social media hacks
– Strategies not working (this is a big one but it’s how you adapt and pivot that sets you apart)
– When it gets really hard, remembering why you started
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Orange Island Media is a social-focused marketing agency making brands and audiences BFFs. We exist to help business owners that want to grow their business – but are strapped for time and resources – get in front of their customers and turn them into brand advocates.
We get your brand directly connected to your target audience with relatable, high quality, impactful content and partnerships – without the hassle of managing yet another thing. Orange Island Media helps you easily launch a marketing plan that keeps informed, alleviates the guesswork, and increases your opportunity to generate more sales.
Our niche has been hospitality with a focus in the spirits/alcohol industry. This happened organically and we’re riding the wave!
What sets us apart is who we are. Marketing is one of the fastest growing professions, specifically digital marketing and that’s awesome. But behind the marketing are the people and behind the customer clicks are also people. Our team builds campaigns around that notion and we leverage our industry relationships to bring the right people to our clients.
One thing we’re really known for is we opened the first spirit-free speakeasy in Orlando, Florida back in 2022 and placed the client in over 30 publications both nationally and internationally. There wasn’t a drop of alcohol in the space and we had a line down the block on opening night.
A mantra here is Disregard the Mountain – it doesn’t matter what the problem is in front of you, you’ve got this. It might be scary, you might fall, and it might take some time but don’t let that be the reason you don’t face it. That mantra really speaks to the ethos of who we are and what we take on for our clients.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
The biggest risk I took was starting this business! That said, it never felt like a “risk” and maybe that’s because I’m used to the startup world and the fickle nature of it.
To that end, my view on Risk Taking is that if you bet on yourself you will always win. Bet on the fact that you’re going to either grow from the risk, learn from the risk or make it from the risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.orangeislandmedia.com
- Instagram: @orangeislandmedia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orange-island-media/?viewAsMember=true
Image Credits
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