Today we’d like to introduce you to Laine Belcastro.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in a family filled with entrepreneurs, so I always knew to start my own business was in the cards for me, it was just a matter of when. In my field, I felt I needed more experience before starting right out of college. I moved to NYC after college to build up my work and real-life experience, but mainly to challenge myself to see if I could “make it in the big city.”
I dealt with the corporate ladder and politics for almost eight years and wanted out! I moved to Atlanta in 2013 and began to really consider going out on my own and what that would look like (especially now that I wasn’t paying an arm and a leg in rent!). I had a solid job my first couple years here and then found myself in the classic case of “falling-for-the-pretty-picture-startup-gone-bad” situation.
I started to contract and network 24/7 to see if being my own boss was finally feasible. I was still interviewing for full-time positions but opted out of those offers. I had secured several clients within 3 months and knew this was a sign it was going to work. I drew a line in the sand and went all-in!
Great, 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?
I would never say that owning your own business is a smooth road. I think the biggest challenge has been getting used to the feeling of uncertainty and knowing it’s not the end of the world, and I’m not just talking about paychecks! New clients are not exactly banging down your door to work with you at first, and existing clients are not always guaranteed to be there forever. So, you hit the ground running and it doesn’t stop – networking (I can’t even count the gallons of coffee I’ve had with friends of friends of friends of friends!), learning, proving myself and staying relevant.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the anxiety of the “What if…?” question – it’s always in the back of your mind. I’ve learned to block that out and change my perspective. There are going to be drops in income here and there, which is scary, but you work harder to make things happen. And I have! Sure, it would be very easy to take the safety net of a consistent paycheck and paid health insurance again, but it wouldn’t be mine. All that blood, sweat and tears is worth it to be able to call something my own. So, I keep going.
Please tell us about LMB DigiMarketing.
LMB DigiMarketing is a marketing consulting firm, which specializes in marketing automation and creating a full marketing strategy to attract, and nurture leads that will build up your business’ revenue stream. I created LMB DigiMarketing with the idea of having tailored solutions to each company’s marketing needs.
There are so many agencies around that tend to pigeon-hole their clients into retainers and set packages. I didn’t want to force clients into signing onto something they didn’t feel they needed. I’ve found that clients, as well as potential clients, appreciate the tailored and flexible approach that I bring to the table.
It makes me happy once I see the process working for each and every client, which ultimately makes them look good in their own corporate ladder. And, while I am local to Atlanta, I have clients all throughout the country.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
Start sooner and get the self-doubt out of my head! That sneaky “what if” question made me second-guess myself more than it should have. Of course, there were corporate experiences along the way that contributed to that self-doubt, but at the end of the day, those instances only made me stronger and more knowledgeable.
Those experiences also don’t go away when you own your own business either, so once I accepted that and learned how to handle it, everything fell into place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lmbdigimarketing.com/
- Phone: 470.231.8804
- Email: laine@lmbdigimarketing.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lainemb
Image Credit:
Krys Alex Photography – https://www.krysalexphoto.com/
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