Meet Malena Lloyd | Influencer & Business Owner of Disco Social Media

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

Hi Malena, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
When it comes to social media, there’s a very fine line between toxic and healing…and social media CAN be healing! I believe that line is determined by those behind the platforms, and us as consumers.

With my company, Disco Social, I do everything with intention. Whether you’re a brand or influencer, sometimes you can’t avoid playing the social media “game,” but innovation and authenticity is so important with what I do. I love working with clients who have passion for what they do and truly deserve to be seen. The digital space is saturated with big brands. I love working with those brands who offer a really great product or service, and are really great people. It’s my dream to work with non-profits and companies who extend a hand to underserved and/or minority communities.

Social media has gotten a bad rap, but I do think we’ve seen some positive changes and that’s all due to us, the consumers. We’ve made important content gone viral on TikTok and Instagram. We’re telling the algorithm what we want to see on our pages. We have a long way to go to make social media more helpful than harmful, but I’m proud to play a part in that change and even one person can make a huge difference.

What should our readers know about your business?
Believe it or not, I’m so proud of how I apply the principles that I practice in my personal life, to my professional relationships as well. I definitely don’t mix my personal and professional life, but I do make sure I’m nurturing my relationships, providing honest and effective communication, and holding myself accountable.

I have an excellent relationship with my clients and I make sure I have enough time to dedicate to their brand and ensure they feel heard and their questions are being answered. I don’t want them to feel as though they’re just another client – because they’re not! I care a lot about their brand, and them as people. Each of my clients are doing really wonderful things and I’m so happy to be a part of their journey.

Oh, it definitely wasn’t easy getting to where I am today. I went from working a 9-5 and doing some freelance projects, to being a business owner with a business partner, to being a solo business owner, all in the last 5-6 years. And there’s an unbelievable amount of lessons I’ve learned throughout. One thing I learned that’s so important is how to hold boundaries. I noticed in the pandemic, a lot of employees started standing up for themselves and speaking to their higher-ups about their salary, the way they’re spoken to, their hours, etc. I’ve learned that even if you’re in a professional situation, you deserve to be treated with respect. You deserve to be heard. You deserve to not be taken advantage of. I haven’t necessarily had a boss for the last 6 years, but I’ve molded those inspiring stories to apply to my professional life in so many ways that has resulted in me being in such a positive place in my career.

I’ve also learned that money isn’t everything. You shouldn’t just accept clients just because they’ll pay well. You should accept clients that excite you; clients that will add to your energy, not drain it. There’s so much beauty, collaboration, and success in those relationships and THAT’S a team I’ll always want to be a part of. That’s a team I’ll go above and beyond for. Teamwork really does make the dream work!

That’s a lot of the inspiration behind my business. Collaboration, creativity, and connection.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh. There’s still so many places in LA that I haven’t seen yet, much less an out-of-town friend! I’d take my friends to a few local spots in the Valley – small business that I love to support, like Simply Coffee, Tequilas, and Marche Wine Bar.

I love trying new food and drink places so I’d probably take them to some unique places like Castaway in Burbank, The Rendition Room (you need a reservation. It’s a great place for a romantic date or night out with some close friends), Black Rabbit Lounge for dinner and a show, No Vacancy, Formosa Cafe, and Juniper. And that’s just off the top of my head.

For day activities, hit up some farmers markets, check out the shops in Venice, hit up the brunch scene. For exploring, definitely to Topanga beach, hiking Malibu, and a day trip to Santa Barbara or weekend vacay to Joshua Tree. Sometimes I think the best part about living in LA is leaving it! Ha!

My favorite thing to do in LA is probably just having one initial destination, then seeing where the day takes you!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Before I started Disco Social in January 2022, I had another business where I was COO. My business partner and I had employees and there were two people who really impacted the way I wanted to move forward with social media – Allese Williams and Nat Turman, both of whom also have their own social media business.

Nat is very creative and has a lot of excellent creative solutions to new content and hoping on trends. Watching her go about her process was helpful for me to break out of a creative box I realized I was stuck in.

Allese taught me to not stress! This business can be frustrating and you can feel like you’re failing. When it comes to the digital space you really can’t guarantee or control results, so honesty and perseverance is important, especially when communicating with clients.

Both of these women inspired how I wanted to run Disco Social, in mindset, client relations, and creativity!

Website: https://www.discosocialmedia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatssoleelee/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malena-lloyd/

Facebook: https://twitter.com/thatssoleelee

Image Credits
@RyanKiaPhotography (photo with flowers) @RyanKiaPhotography (photo with phone)