Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Calatrello.
Hi Miranda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The concept truly happened naturally. I was working for a resort as their Marketing Manager for a few years honing my skills in a fast-paced environment when COVID hit. As many other hospitality businesses experienced, the resort also closed down for a two months period furloughing its staff including myself. During that time period, I took the initiative to dive into what had also been a side hustle and fully built out my dream of an agency.
I saw that there was currently a gap in the marketplace for a marketing agency that could support small business owners without the cost of a big retainer firm. Like many of my family members, small business ownership is grueling and costs are tighter than corporate work, however they still need someone to support these marketing efforts who fell in the more experience category above an intern or cousin. That’s when Calatrello Creatives was born with the mission to help small businesses “grow” through the usage of social media. We create customized packages for your small business and operate outside of just strictly social, but also support in an integrated marketing approach by consulting on email marketing, website search, and more.
After the two months hiatus with the resort and my business in full bloom, I was at the point where I was making double my original salary. This is when I decided to fully dive into my business and leave the resort work. I however was grateful enough to sign on the resort as one of my first five clients and they have been a beloved client since – who have benefited greatly from the flexibility my agency offers and the variety of people that work on their account versus hiring one singular person for their marketing department. Blending both my past and future.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We certainly have had our ups and downs and growing pains. From being a solo practice to a six-staffed agency, the growth of our team and client base had their own unique challenges. As a first-time entrepreneur, I found myself very frequently turning to mentors and *google* for answers to questions like – “How to write an Independent Contractor Agreement? or How to Track Monthly Profit/Loss and What Bookkeeping Systems are Best to Use?”
Each challenge we faced, provided a unique opportunity for my business to grow and learn from previous mistakes.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in small business social media marketing. This is both a mix of social media management and creative content marketing. We believe at Calatrello Creatives that social media marketing is a balance between what your brand wants to say and what your audience wants to hear.
Our clients are aware that they need more than just a few posts on social media to move the needle or keep competitive in the marketplace. They are looking for an agency who can bring a holistic and strategic online presence that cuts through the noise.
Our ability to dive into our client’s small business marketing efforts from a top-down approach allows us to create a full-spectrum marketing plan unique to them.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The pandemic thought taught me to not fear the future. To be bold and take chances. If the pandemic would not have hit at the time as it did, I would not have been furloughed and therefore would not have had time to dedicate to my idealized agency. Although fear invoking, this time allowed me to cut through the noise of my previous 9/5 corporate job and envision up a work-life that I had always dreamed of. Flexibility. Autonomy. Mission-Oriented.
Never underestimate the power of a planted seed.
Pricing:
- Starting at $1,500
Contact Info:
- Email: miranda@calatrellocreatives.com
- Website: www.calatrellocreatives.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calatrellocreatives/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calatrellocreatives/
