Daily Inspiration: Meet Hailey Curtis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hailey Curtis.

Hi Hailey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Six months into my first job out of college as a graphic designer, I had a sinking feeling that I didn’t want to be in this industry for the next 40 years. It was a scary thought that I suppressed and carried on. This little voice got louder and louder over time. It became more clear that I wanted to start my own business. Four years in the real world, I now knew I wanted to leap into my business but what would that be? I did a lot of time researching and exploring my options. I had a ton of ideas. Picking ONE was the hard part.

I wanted to start a business that was meaningful and served others. That’s when I decided I’d become a life coach. I launched my business in March 2020, right when the pandemic started. It was a weird and hard time to start a business! I went through a major self-growth journey as I was starting my business, becoming a certified life coach, and navigating the struggles that come with owning a business. I learned so much about myself. My intention was to start my life coaching business and leap into it full-time once I was successful.

I was laid off at my design job due to budget cuts from covid about a year into my life coaching business. I was certain that this was the time to leap into full-time entrepreneurship. Everyone wasn’t so sure for me. Many people sent me job applications and would question the security about what I was doing. I was so certain and set on working for myself. I spent four years at my desk dreaming about this opportunity. There was only one problem. My life coaching job didn’t meet my expectation of full-time work. I needed another stream of income so I launched my second business in December 2020 called DesignBee.

DesignBee is a full-service social branding agency. We offer services such as social media takeovers, content creation, social media consulting, graphic design, website management, newsletter marketing, and influencer marketing. The idea to start an agency was inspired by my many talents. I love photography, content creation and branding. I’m great at taking a brand’s energy and translating it to their social media platforms. I just put all the things I love and am talented at under one roof and created an agency.

My life coaching business is my passion outlet and DesignBee is my creativity outlet. I absolutely loved the life that I’ve built for myself. I don’t think I would have started DesignBee if I never became a life coach. Being in the life coaching industry has provided me with so many tools that changed the person I am. I know how to recognize and respond to self-doubt and criticism while also celebrating myself along the way. Life coaching really led the way into creating DesignBee. My skills with life coaching also are really helpful with my clients. A lot of resistance pops up along the way and I am professionally able to coach them through the resistance. It’s been a wonderful experience!

Today I am still operating both businesses. I have been a full-time entrepreneur for two years now and absolutely love it! DesignBee has really taken off. The agency has grown from a one-person agency to now five people. I never imagined this success and it feels so surreal that this is my life. As a life coach, I help women find their purpose in life and love themselves. Whether that is just making more time to do the things you love or starting a business. I provide support, guidance and accountability every step of the way.

Alright, 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?
Starting a business isn’t for everyone. There are several excuses that pop up to quit. The successful business owners are simply the ones who don’t give up. They push through the tough times and they’re not afraid to try something new.

Starting my life coaching business at the start of the pandemic was challenging. On top of that, people weren’t completely educated on what life coaching was. I absolutely hate sales and that is 80% of this business. I had a lot of people unfollow me on social media. I was constantly breaking down because I would take things too personally. I now am able to remove myself and realize our perspectives just don’t align. It took my a while to build confidence around my role as a life coach.

Another struggle was having too high of expectations and putting value in the wrong area. I felt that I was constantly getting my hopes up. I’d reach out to someone who inquired about life coaching thinking they’d become a client and then they never show up to the call. I’d spend so much time on planning my posts for social media to get no clients from them. I also caught myself comparing my worth as a coach to the amount of likes I’d get on a post. I slowly realized that I needed to detach myself from the outcome. Things went smooth after setting that mindset.

Setting boundaries with clients has been a struggle. In the beginning of days of DesignBee, I was so desperate for clients that I would sell myself short and say yes to everything. Being in the life coaching industry taught me about boundaries…mental and physical. I was aware when a boundary needed to be set. The challenge was setting the boundary upfront. Today I still learn lessons about boundaries and apply them moving forward.

I really enjoy working for myself but it can be a struggle. Everything is reliant on you working. I work 7 days a week and have to prepare a lot if I go on vacation. I didn’t have a choice in the beginning and had to work on vacation. It’s been really valuable to have people in my agency I can rely on to help out when I am away.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
DesignBee is known for social media branding and what sets us apart is our content creation and local touch. We are known for our crisp photography and engaging reels. We strive to capture photos and videos that bring the brand’s energy to social media. We work with local brands in Atlanta so we have personal relationships with our clients. We treat our clients like family which sets us apart from others. We enjoy learning about our client’s brands so we can join in on the passion as we grow their business together. We have monthly photoshoots with every client to capture content for the month. We capture photos and video content to create reels. Our content creation shows what it would be like to interact with a brand before you even experience it firsthand.

I’m most proud of the growth DesignBee has experienced. Most of our new and incoming business has been through word of mouth which tells me our product really speaks for itself. Social media is so important nowadays. Over 40% of Gen Z is turning to Instagram and TikTok over Google when it comes to finding a new lunch spot. We make sure that our client’s social media platforms are authentic, shopable and engaging at first glance.

I have a passion for taking a brand and bringing them up to speed on social media. We ensure their brand is streamlined across platforms and their brand identity is present through photography and reels. It is so rewarding to see the growth our clients experience!

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to invest most of my time into DesignBee and just let my coaching business run as is. I’d love to continue expanding DesignBee. I’d love to hire more help and take on a managing and art director role. It would be great to be in a position where I don’t have to turn down business and I can provide jobs to friends, family and those who are interested in gaining experience in the social media world. When hiring help, I am always looking for people who are passionate about helping others because that’s what we are really doing. No one truly loves social media. It’s about helping a brand achieve their goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: haileycurtis.com / designbeeagency.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/iamhaileycurtis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designbeeagency
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClcKo5nIuZsjSgQPFa73LcQ

Image Credits
Alexander Grant (for headshot image)