Meet Melissa Adkins | Content creator & senior dog rescuer

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

Hi Melissa, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
I’m a single mom so finding a way to stay home and have flexible hours was a huge part of deciding to become a business owner. Besides always being available for my son, I think the most important thing I’ve done is teach him there is more than one way to create livable wages. School > college > employee is not the only option. And while I would love for him to go to college for the life experiences, he knows he isn’t pressured to take that avenue as long as he has a plan for himself that makes sense.

What should our readers know about your business?
Social Media Badass, LLC takes the daunting task of creating consistent digital content and maintaining online engagements off of our clients’ to-do lists so they can focus on more important things like growing their business. We strive to keep our pricing competitive so we can service any sized business from solopreneur to global corporations. We are also industry agnostic which means we can write for any industry!

When I first started my company I didn’t know if it would work. I had just cycled through my 3rd corporate job in 15 years. Coming from the technology and life sciences industry, jobs are consistently on the line. Each time layoffs were looming I prayed it wouldn’t be me, but then finally it was my time and I had nothing ready to fall back on. I got angry at first, “how dare this global company discount my skills and value as an employee.” I then used that energy to build something of my own that could never be taken away by someone else.

It isn’t easy to run a business and it is a constant learning process. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that imposter syndrome is REAL! I still have days when I doubt myself and wonder how long this will really last even though I’ve been successful for 5 years already. I think that is normal so it is important for any owner to have a great community they can turn to for support. I belong to my local Chamber of Commerce and an online support community. I also have a few fellow business friends who let me brainstorm or vent.

I’m often asked why I gave my company such a risque name. At the time I was creating it I felt like a badass for going against the norm and I wanted to create a name that would attract fellow out-of-the-box thinkers I would enjoy working with and so far it has worked! My favorite compliment to date has been, “I love writing your company name on our checks.” I enjoy helping others feel like a badass too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in the suburbs of northern New Jersey. While it seems like a sleepy town without much to do, I enjoy surprising guests with beautiful hiking trails and local breweries. We have an active music scene and we are in the middle of 2 minor league baseball parks that host community events during the off-season.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shout to Lori Ramas, owner of Ask Relezant. She is a strong business owner with a genuine passion for helping other entrepreneurs. She helped me get started on my journey and provided me with tools to get my systems and processes set up in a way that helps me run my operations as efficiently as possible.

Website: http://www.socialmediabadass.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaadkins/