Self-Employed and Social Media Savvy: How Olivia Howell Is Learning to Balance Business and Family

Olivia Howell worked as a middle school Latin teacher before she decided to turn her flair for blogging and social media into a full-time career. She opened her own boutique social media management agency out of her Long Island home so that she could better care for her young son. Now she juggles her clients' blogs and social media accounts in tandem with her toddler’s nap schedule.

Here she opens up about her approach to client outreach, the art of the business-to-nap workday ratio and her personal pricing philosophy.

Name: Olivia Howell

Business: Howell Social Media

Started: 2014

Tell us a bit about your background. How did you come to create your business?

My background is actually in classical languages and education. I was a Latin teacher for seven years before having my son. During that time, I also wrote and managed a blog with my sister and I learned so much about blogging! 

After my son was born, I realized I hated working outside the house. I have always loved networking and social media, so I decided to give it a go and launch my own social media management company, Howell Social Media.

Who was your very first customer and how did you find them?

My very first customer was the owner of a local gluten-free grocery store — I knew her well from shopping there a lot — and I gave her a free social media analysis. She was impressed with my ideas for the store and hired me on the spot! 

That weekend I ended up also getting my second client: a local author. I didn't even have a real company at that point.

When did you know your business was going to work out?

Let's be honest, with any small company there's always fluctuation! When I started getting a name for myself locally as *the* social media manager to go to, I definitely felt great. I also started having people ask me to run seminars and courses, which made me feel legit.

What has been the biggest surprise so far after starting your own business?

That I could actually run my business successfully myself and raise my son at home. 

I never thought I could make enough money to pay bills, put food on the table and provide for my family at the same time. Granted, I work non-stop when he's sleeping — from 5am until whenever he gets up and as soon as he's napping or down for the night! 

At the end of the day, it's pretty amazing to me that people come to me for help. I adore helping small companies and networking for people.

What has been your biggest lesson learned in pricing?

I've always been very flexible in how I charge people. With social media, it all depends on what a client needs and where they're at with their online presence. Not one of my clients has the same situation as another! 

I'm proud that I offer flexibility in my pricing, because I really love working with my clients. I will say that when it comes to pricing I have learned that I need to respect myself and charge what I'm really worth, otherwise I won't have time to do everything I need to.

What does a typical day look like for you from morning until evening?

My typical day begins with waking up when my husband does, around 5:30am. I work and drink coffee in my home office until my son wakes up. 

We have breakfast, play, watch PBS Kids, hang out, and I usually go out and run errands and come home for lunch (or go to grandma's!). During this time I'm constantly checking Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for my clients, as well as responding to emails. 

I try to put my phone down while I'm playing with my son, but if I'm cooking or cleaning up or he's happily wrapped up in a game, book or moment on TV, I will check my phone and respond to things. He's pretty used to this lifestyle by now and tells people, "Mommy does social media!" 

He usually naps in the afternoon, which is when I work on blog posts or graphics for clients, or occasionally make phone calls. When he gets up, we clean up and I start to prep dinner. 

My husband comes home around 6pm and we eat dinner. Then, one of us cleans up while the other plays with my son and after that I get him ready for bed. If it's a weeknight, after he's asleep I will work from about 9pm until midnight, but on Saturday and Sundays I give myself the night off from work.

If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you would do differently when you were starting your business?

I think I would be more organized from the start. I've now been in business almost three years and in just the last year I feel like I really buckled down with organization and client management. I had never started a business like this before, so I really didn't know what to expect.

What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?

I would love to learn more about the business side of business. 

I still have a lot to learn about the legal side of owning your own business, including taxes, accounting, contracts, etc. There are so many aspects of business ownership and so many hats one has to wear!

Let's all help Olivia out!

What tips do *you* have about running the "back end" of a business that you can share with Olivia? 

Do you have experience dealing with the legal side of owning a business, or can you share your best tips for tax season?

Share your own story with us in the comments below! :-)