Meet Kathryn Roberts | Social Media Marketing Content Strategist & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathryn Roberts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think of risk as the measure of if a decision is going to be worth it or not. One of the biggest risks I ever took in my life was to leave my first career, working in PR for college sports back in 2016. The rewards of leaving a job that no longer served me far outweighed the stress and burnout I felt every day while staying there, and I was even able to maintain some of the responsibilities I did enjoy, but now working as an independent contractor, on my own schedule.

That risk led to me taking my first–and last–traditional corporate job, a lesson that told me that I am never going to be a fit for the rigid constraints of that kind of career, and especially not a dream that’s not my own. Plus, when I moved from working in PR, which had a lot more flexibility, to something more traditionally corporate, I was encouraged against using things like my paid time off, and was judged for all activities I did outside of work, because that meant I was taking time away from the company I worked for, even if I wasn’t technically “on the clock”. To be in a situation where I felt so guilty any time I tried to do anything for me, from visiting my family to going to see the doctor, was just not something I was willing to stand for.

When I left that corporate office job in January of 2019, I barely had a business, wasn’t making enough money compared to my current salary (which, wasn’t much anyway), had just made a significant investment in a business-building mastermind, but at the same time, I knew that if I stayed at that job, I would not have been able to build the business I’m growing today, and would be stuck and miserable and back on the road to the burnout I felt back in 2016. Had I not taken that risk, I would have been miserable. With the experience of over two years of running my own business behind me, I know that not only were those risks I’ve taken 1000% worth it, but that any challenge day I endure as an entrepreneur is significantly easier than feeling miserable and burnt out while working for a dream that isn’t my own. I’m working for me now, for my desires and my future, and that is always going to be worth the risk.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I teach business owners how to effectively market themselves on social media. Far too often, I see business owners–and especially new business owners–fail to present themselves as leader on social media, as the go-to expert that their ideal client needs. Often, it is because these business owners feel that they are “too new”, or “not qualified enough” to present themselves as an expert, and they don’t want to feel like they’re not “relatable” to their ideal client. But the failing of falling into that “relatability trap” is that your ideal client sees you as someone who is in the same boat as you are. And they’re not going to be interested in investing in someone on their same level. They’re going to say, “Oh yeah, it’s hard, I’m struggling too.”

What your ideal client is looking for is someone who is a step above, and if you can’t position yourself as showing your ideal client even that you’re just one step ahead of where they are, then you’re going to struggle to close the sale in any medium, whether it’s in an Instagram post, a live video, a YouTube video, or a clip on TikTok.

What I love is that what I do helps business owners turn around and help even more people who need their unique expertise. To be able to make it easier to show someone online that yes, you are the right person to help me on my journey. And, of course, to help business owners make more money.

My business has evolved so much over the last two and a half years, starting out as a blog-based chronicle about how to generate passive income so you can have more financial freedom, with a focus on easily-attainable daily income goals. Through the work that I did, my own mistakes that I’ve made (my early Instagram posts make me cringe, but I leave them there as a lesson of what not to do, and how I’ve been able to evolve), I’ve been able to really see the power of social media and the things you say, how you present yourself to give yourself every opportunity to make that connection, that sale, and I am so passionate about making sure that as many people as possible are doing it in a way that not only saves you time, but allows you to make that connection and make it easy to make that connection with your ideal client.

I want people to know that building a business, marketing yourself and your services on social media, doesn’t have to be hard. Doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth. Doesn’t mean sliding into someone’s DMs with a cold pitch. It means building relationships, showing off how you know what you do best and why it’s valuable, and making that easy, natural transition to asking for the sale. For so many people, women especially, asking for the sale is this challenging effort, because there’s this idea that asking for the sale is “too salesy”, and you have to work and work and prove yourself first, before you can ask to make that money exchange.

But you don’t have to. You get to start selling from day one, and not only that, you get to sell services that allow you to make the kind of money that will change your life. All from day one.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite parts of living in Phoenix is that there is so much to do. I’d start with a walk through a historic neighborhood near where I live, to check out the cute architecture, and then lunch at the Phoenician resort. For dinner, especially on a first night, we’d go to Postino Wine Bar, which is one of my favorite restaurants in town. Depending on the time of year, you can go to sporting events for just about any pro team–basketball, football, baseball, even ice hockey, along with all the sports hosted by Arizona State in Tempe. Spring Training is definitely a tourist highlight before the MLB season kicks off. Another great thing about Phoenix is the hiking you can do, whether you’re in town or just outside it. There are hiking trails everywhere, like Camelback Mountain, Gateway Loop, and even the greenbelt in Scottsdale, which is less of a hike and more of an interconnected series of parks and golf courses that you can take from north Scottsdale all the way down to Tempe. I also love walking through historic downtown Scottsdale, which has this great western theme, and some really cute, kitschy shops–perfect to grab some unique souvenirs.

And no trip to Phoenix, especially for one of my best friends, is complete without a trip to Tucson, specifically to stop at my favorite sandwich shop of all time, Beyond Bread. It’s only a two hour drive, but it’s well worth the trip for both the sandwiches and the bakery items, including the cheesecake brownies.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My life and my business would not be where it is now without the help and support from Leah Gervais, a leading online business coach (LeahGervais.com), who I luckily stumbled upon by way of an Instagram story ad back in late 2018. She taught me not just how to build a business from a strategy perspective (those fundamental building-blocks of how to structure and market), but also from an entrepreneurial mindset perspective. Without learning about the mindset of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and leader, I would not be where I am today. The connections I’ve made since meeting and working with Leah have made not just my business better, but have improved my personal life as well.

Website: www.questfor47.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/questfor47

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-roberts-6766717a/

Facebook: facebook.com/questfor47