We had the good fortune of connecting with Audrey Buchanan and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Audrey, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I tend to think about life as a journey. In my case, my journey includes choosing the road less traveled with pretty much zero idea on how to navigate it, and it’s made for some interesting turn-by-turn decisions. I’m currently in the 5th year of owning my own business, and I can honestly say the amount of times I have thought about giving up is much too many to count. Nevertheless, here I am, continuing on the path of entrepreneurship and fumbling my way through it so that I can help others navigate their own way much easier than I had to navigate my own.
When it comes to knowing whether to keep going to give up, I’ve found the following to be true. When I’m in a place where everything is falling apart, it’s a lot easier to think about giving up than it is when things are coming together. That’s why I constantly have to remind myself of why I started and why I do what I do. Just like driving a car, you can’t spend too much time looking behind you. You have to keep your eyes on the windshield to see the road ahead, but the rearview mirror is still useful for keeping you safe on your journey.
Knowing why you started is crucial for those moments when self-doubt begins creeping in or when the outcome isn’t looking like you imagined. If you’re still pursuing your purpose, if your still working towards your goals then the detour or the road block isn’t meant to keep you from reaching your destination. If you can look back, see why you started and know that you’re still pushing forward with that ‘why’ in mind, then there’s no reason to quit. In my opinion, the only reason you should ever give up is if what you’re doing no longer aligns with your why.
I started my business because I love marketing and I have a passion for helping people. My goal was and is to work with people who are passionate about what they’re doing. This has translated into creating a digital marketing company that solely works with small business owners and entrepreneurs. I’ve had to make tough decisions when that passion or that value has not aligned. But it’s never been enough to make me want to give up altogether.
If you’re thinking about giving up, my advice to you would be this: get around people who can remind you of why you started and how far you’ve come before you allow that voice in your head to convince you otherwise. Always remember your ‘why.’
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?
Founded in 2016, Let’s Bee Social Digital Marketing was created with one goal in mind: to help passionate business owners hone in on their online presence. Present day, Let’s Bee Social offers a full range of digital marketing services including SEO, content creation, social media marketing, brand consulting and development, photography, graphic design and basically anything else you may need to grow your business’s online presence.
The two things I’m most proud of:
1. I’ve always stayed true to my vision and goal: to work with people who are passionate about what they do. My business has been and always will be small business focused. That is something that will never change.
2. Our Client retention is incredible. I have clients that have been with me since I started and the bulk of our client roster is packed clients who have been with us for at least a year. I love building long term relationships with our clients. They become like family to us and being that they are family-focused, I truly value that bond.
What Makes us Different: We treat your business like it’s our own. We are genuinely invested in your success and we will go above and beyond to help you reach your online marketing goals. Whatever our clients define as success becomes our goal.
Something I’m Excited About: Let’s Bee Social is launching ‘Focused on Growth’ a lifestyle apparel brand for all the hardworking, resilient, never say die entrepreneurs, business owners and self made bosses who are flourishing as they remain Focused on Growth.
Focused on Growth has been a phrase that I started living by really early on in my freelancing career. The seed of this idea was first planted through the weekly prompt in my @passionplanner that reads, “This Week’s Focus.” As I was growing my own business, trying to figure everything out for myself, while also helping other small business owners and entrepreneurs grow their own business, I constantly found myself writing in ‘Growth’ as my weekly focus.
Over time, it became less of a focus and more of a lifestyle. A constant reminder to keep going, to keep growing, no matter what the conditions. It’s planted in me a resilience that I never knew was possible, and on this journey I’ve come to see that this is a necessary way of life for the one’s with a burning entrepreneurial spirit inside of them. Our first collection is launching this Spring!
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.
Must See Places –
+ Laguna Beach – hike Top of the World and eat at Las Brisas for Lunch
+ The Circle of Orange – thrift store shopping and lunch at Gabbi’s is a must
+ Little bit of a drive from Orange County, but I always love going to Old Town Pasadena for the day. Usually we will go visit Griffith Park first and then hit Old Town on the way back. Can’t leave without stopping by Cafe Santorini for their Moussaka
+ A Day trip to San Diego to see the Gaslamp District, Mission Beach and Sunset Cliffs (my favorite place)
+ Disneyland is pretty much always a good idea – even if it’s just exploring downtown Disney and stopping for Beignets at the Jazz Cafe The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This business would not have been possible without the love and support of my mom. She has believed in me since day 1 and always made a way for me to pursue my passion no matter what. She’s offered emotional, physical and financial support every step of the way, and is always an honest sounding board when I’m in need of help. I can honestly say that my business would not be where it’s at today without all of her help and support along the way. Thank you, mom. For everything. You are my role model, my hero and my biggest supporter. I love you endlessly.
Equally important to mention has been the incredible team of individuals who have come alongside me to push this vision forward. From my very first intern, Liz, to my longest team member Courtney and my team of incredibly powerful women today, Brianna, Audra, Sarah and Dom. They have all been key pieces to building the success of Let’s Bee Social and I couldn’t do it without them. To my team, I am forever grateful for the way each one of you has impacted my life and helped our clients find success online.
Lastly, I want to recognize my boyfriend and best friend, Duran. We met when I was taking baby steps towards thinking about quitting my job and starting my own company and he has believed in me since day one. He’s seen things in me that I could never see for myself and has pushed me to keep going no matter what. When I’ve wanted to quit, he’s reminded me of everything that I am and everything that I am called to do. When I’ve needed help, he’s been the first to respond. Thank you for always believing in me D. You’re the biggest blessing I never knew to ask for.
I really couldn’t imagine building all of this alone. Every single person mentioned here and even those who have offered some from of support over the years whether it’s through sharing a post, leaving a comment or offering a referral has been a tremendous help. Thank you all so deeply for everything. Words cannot express my gratitude for this kind of support system.
Website: http://letsbeesocial.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsbeesocial/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreybuchanan1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/letsbeesocial_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsbeesocial/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDFwEJpJ5bUK9ogvPfcw3Ow
Image Credits
Photos by Victor Hernandez