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Business Development

A Wild & Crazy Journey into Entrepreneurship

July 28, 2022
freelancer to agency owner erica vander sande

I’m Erica: agency owner, girl mom, and ultimate hype girl for female business owners.

I’m starting this podcast to teach you the actuals of how to start a marketing agency.

Learn how to start your own successful marketing agency and strategically outsource immediately – yes, that means you don’t have to do everything on your own, even as you’re just starting out!

This episode is all about me (yikes!), but I think it’s important for me to tell my story despite the discomfort I feel in recording a full episode about myself! I love learning about other people, hearing their stories, and discovering how they tackled all they’ve accomplished. So today I’m documenting my own journey into entrepreneurship; it’s one riddled with trauma and grief but also with so much joy and growth. 

If you’re interested in hearing how one agency owner got started, tune in! 

What drove me into entrepreneurship was a time when both my work and personal life came crashing down, from caring for a sick parent to a complicated pregnancy and even getting laid off, it felt like my world was ending…so I had to create a new one. 

My first step? I made a list. I made a list of local businesses that I loved and saw potential in, got vulnerable, and asked if they would consider letting me do freelance marketing for them. 

I didn’t have business cards, a website, a portfolio, anything! I started simply with what I had and gave my ALL to the clients who would take me. The most amazing thing? It worked! 

Despite the blows that life continued to throw at me (and trust me, there were a LOT!), I slowly grew my client base and, eventually, a full agency. But truthfully, the only reason that this business survived and grew in the way that it did was because of the structure I set up in those first few months. The structure is what saved me when life was too much, and THAT is what I’m aiming to teach any freelancer who dreams of owning their own agency. You deserve to have both financial and time freedom, and friend? It is truly possible; it’s not just a pipedream. 

My goal is to get you to make the leap to agency owner. If you feel scared, trust me, I get it! When I got started, all I had was a spreadsheet, a resume, and a prayer; if I can do it, you can too. 

Listen to the Podcast Episode!

Links mentioned: 

1:1 Freelancer to Agency Owner Coaching

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Most agencies need your ads running. We just need them working.

Your business doesn't operate the same way every month, your marketing shouldn't have to either. Some months you're ready to invest heavily. Some months you need to pull back, shift priorities, or pause entirely. We built our ads model around that reality.

No contracts locking you in. No minimum spend requirements. No pressure to keep campaigns running when the timing isn't right. Just flexible, strategic advertising that works around your business — and results that make every dollar count.

How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
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Most agencies need your ads running. We just need them working. Your business doesn't operate the same way every month, your marketing shouldn't have to either. Some months you're ready to invest heavily. Some months you need to pull back, shift priorities, or pause entirely. We built our ads model around that reality. No contracts locking you in. No minimum spend requirements. No pressure to keep campaigns running when the timing isn't right. Just flexible, strategic advertising that works around your business — and results that make every dollar count. How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Old Town Fort Collins just got a little more beautiful.

@lalumiereliving is fifteen luxury townhomes in the heart of Old Town. European in spirit, built for a life well-lived. Net-zero. LEED Platinum. Architecture designed with intention down to the last detail. The website had to match.

We handled everything: strategy, copy, design, and development. For a new development like this, attracting the right people to your community starts long before a showing, it starts the moment someone lands on your page.

Explore the new website at lalumiereliving.com
Old Town Fort Collins just got a little more beautiful.

@lalumiereliving is fifteen luxury townhomes in the heart of Old Town. European in spirit, built for a life well-lived. Net-zero. LEED Platinum. Architecture designed with intention down to the last detail. The website had to match.

We handled everything: strategy, copy, design, and development. For a new development like this, attracting the right people to your community starts long before a showing, it starts the moment someone lands on your page.

Explore the new website at lalumiereliving.com
Old Town Fort Collins just got a little more beautiful.

@lalumiereliving is fifteen luxury townhomes in the heart of Old Town. European in spirit, built for a life well-lived. Net-zero. LEED Platinum. Architecture designed with intention down to the last detail. The website had to match.

We handled everything: strategy, copy, design, and development. For a new development like this, attracting the right people to your community starts long before a showing, it starts the moment someone lands on your page.

Explore the new website at lalumiereliving.com
•
Follow
Old Town Fort Collins just got a little more beautiful. @lalumiereliving is fifteen luxury townhomes in the heart of Old Town. European in spirit, built for a life well-lived. Net-zero. LEED Platinum. Architecture designed with intention down to the last detail. The website had to match. We handled everything: strategy, copy, design, and development. For a new development like this, attracting the right people to your community starts long before a showing, it starts the moment someone lands on your page. Explore the new website at lalumiereliving.com
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
Meet Bre Russell of @femthrive!

If you've ever said ""I don't have time to work on my business"" or ""we have revenue but we're never actually making money,"" Bre is who you need in your corner.

Bre's mission has always been about empowering women to be financially free through entrepreneurship. After spending a decade building and selling her last business, she knew exactly what her next chapter was. Now she works with women business owners to build businesses that actually work for them, the kind that create real time, real money, and a real life.

What makes Bre different is how she shows up. She starts every new client relationship with a completely FREE Business Health and Value Assessment:

- a 24-page personalized report on your business
- a strategic roadmap for the next 12 months 
- a complimentary 90-minute deep dive to get into it 

No pitch. Just real, high-level insight from someone who has been in the trenches herself.

If you're ready to stop running on empty and start building something that works, visit femthrive.com or DM us for an introduction.
•
Follow
Meet Bre Russell of @femthrive! If you've ever said ""I don't have time to work on my business"" or ""we have revenue but we're never actually making money,"" Bre is who you need in your corner. Bre's mission has always been about empowering women to be financially free through entrepreneurship. After spending a decade building and selling her last business, she knew exactly what her next chapter was. Now she works with women business owners to build businesses that actually work for them, the kind that create real time, real money, and a real life. What makes Bre different is how she shows up. She starts every new client relationship with a completely FREE Business Health and Value Assessment: - a 24-page personalized report on your business - a strategic roadmap for the next 12 months - a complimentary 90-minute deep dive to get into it No pitch. Just real, high-level insight from someone who has been in the trenches herself. If you're ready to stop running on empty and start building something that works, visit femthrive.com or DM us for an introduction.
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
Most agencies do lock you in. 

Minimum spends that don't fit your budget, contracts that keep running even when business slows down, and you have no idea if they're even working.

That's not how we do it. We built our ads model around the reality of running a small business, because we are one. Your budget isn't the same every month. Your busy season looks different than your slow season. Some months you're ready to go all in, and some months you just need to pause and catch your breath.

We work with all of it. No minimums, no long-term contracts, no pressure. Just a strategy built around what you actually have to work with and results that give you the room to grow.

How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
Most agencies do lock you in. 

Minimum spends that don't fit your budget, contracts that keep running even when business slows down, and you have no idea if they're even working.

That's not how we do it. We built our ads model around the reality of running a small business, because we are one. Your budget isn't the same every month. Your busy season looks different than your slow season. Some months you're ready to go all in, and some months you just need to pause and catch your breath.

We work with all of it. No minimums, no long-term contracts, no pressure. Just a strategy built around what you actually have to work with and results that give you the room to grow.

How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
Most agencies do lock you in. 

Minimum spends that don't fit your budget, contracts that keep running even when business slows down, and you have no idea if they're even working.

That's not how we do it. We built our ads model around the reality of running a small business, because we are one. Your budget isn't the same every month. Your busy season looks different than your slow season. Some months you're ready to go all in, and some months you just need to pause and catch your breath.

We work with all of it. No minimums, no long-term contracts, no pressure. Just a strategy built around what you actually have to work with and results that give you the room to grow.

How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
Most agencies do lock you in. 

Minimum spends that don't fit your budget, contracts that keep running even when business slows down, and you have no idea if they're even working.

That's not how we do it. We built our ads model around the reality of running a small business, because we are one. Your budget isn't the same every month. Your busy season looks different than your slow season. Some months you're ready to go all in, and some months you just need to pause and catch your breath.

We work with all of it. No minimums, no long-term contracts, no pressure. Just a strategy built around what you actually have to work with and results that give you the room to grow.

How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
•
Follow
Most agencies do lock you in. Minimum spends that don't fit your budget, contracts that keep running even when business slows down, and you have no idea if they're even working. That's not how we do it. We built our ads model around the reality of running a small business, because we are one. Your budget isn't the same every month. Your busy season looks different than your slow season. Some months you're ready to go all in, and some months you just need to pause and catch your breath. We work with all of it. No minimums, no long-term contracts, no pressure. Just a strategy built around what you actually have to work with and results that give you the room to grow. How can we help you? Send us a DM or visit theminacompany.com
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust.

 @rtiwealth  came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression.

We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight.

Swipe to see the work.

Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
•
Follow
A brand should do the same thing a good financial advisor does — build trust. @rtiwealth came to us ready to level up their brand identity. The foundation was already solid with decades of experience, a team built around integrity, and a genuine commitment to their clients' futures. They just needed a brand that reflected all of that from the first impression. We refined the visual identity to feel more elevated, sophisticated, and in line with the caliber of work they do. Because when you're helping people build generational wealth, your brand needs to show up with the same weight. Swipe to see the work. Ready to give you brand the lift it needs? DM us or visit theminacompany.com
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/5
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