Erica Nelson

I would attribute my success to the genuine support of my parents and also really good girlfriends. Many times, I think we forget our accomplishments when things don't go our way, or we have to pivot. And pivoting is not easy, especially when you are so sure about something. Support is very, very, very important in that moment, because it can either guide you to being productive and proactive, or you can be depressed. I would say that the support of just hearing simple things, like 'You got this, you know what you're doing. Take your time. Breathe. Go for it.' Sometimes you need that, because it just feels like you're holding your breath, almost. You need someone to say breathe, and you're like, thank you. It's like having great girlfriends that I can go to TJ Maxx with, or just lay it out, I can cry, I can tell them, like, hey, I feel insecure, I want to be able to do this, I don't feel good, and they're like 'Don't forget you did this, and don't forget you accomplished that.' I realized in times of turmoil, for whatever reason, we have professional amnesia. But we do. And the people that are able to kind of get you back into gear are the people who you talk to, they are the only people to give you an emotional progress report. When you were a kid, we have report cards. My friends and family, they had to bring me back, like, remember, you did this, you did that. So I would definitely attribute my success to my friends and family, and also just my willingness to try, fall and try again.

The best career advice I've ever received was 'You need to be proactive, not reactive.' I received that when I was working for an advertising agency called Gyro Advertising in New York City as their office manager. The CEO gave me this feedback because I had to order lunch, and I didn't order enough pies - I think I just didn't order, like, 5 pies, or something like that. When I realized there wasn't enough food, I'm calling the pizzeria, and I'm like 'We need more! People are hungry!' And he was like 'Erica, you need to be proactive instead of being reactive.' So, that always stuck with me. Because of that, I developed this forward thinking of thinking about every available opportunity that I can think of. Of course, life is not perfect, so something I will miss. But that really shapes how I started to do things, because I was like, Wow, okay, I'm gonna work on that.

I would say the biggest thing is to have a foundation of why you're doing this in the first place. It's not just about being this boss or being this leader, it's really about the impact that you're making towards the clients or the people that you are servicing. I would say that they need to understand this is a service-based industry that is really big on collaboration. You need to understand that everybody is emotional, including themselves, and a true professional knows how to navigate those emotions when dealing with different people. Another thing I would say is imposter syndrome does not necessarily expire, because I've noticed that every time you reach a new level, you might have those butterflies in your stomach, whether you're excited about it, scared or not. So it's really important to feel those feelings, like, say it out loud, really talk about what's the truth, what's really the concern. And from there, target that, work on that, but don't stop with being imposter syndrome, you have to move with it. Continue to network, continue to talk about yourself. Let people know what you're doing, make yourself visible. Let your work speak for itself. That's something I definitely struggled with because people were like 'Tell me about your business?' And I'm like, oh yeah, I, you know, like, it's just kind of like, I get a little shy. I would say that, and to be professional at all times. No matter how cool someone is, keep your professionalism on. Just because someone is swearing doesn't mean you have to swear. This is not your friend. I do live in New York, it's not uncommon for someone to drop the F-bomb when they're excited. But maintain that level of professionalism. And unless you want to help people with their branding, the brand that you need to work on is yourself.

I would say scaling the business is the biggest challenge right now. I would love to grow the business, but it's only me for right now. The challenge is to scale, even though it's fresh. But I am getting some additional clients, and just figuring out how can I hire someone to be on my team. I'm thinking of their responsibilities and duties, and what I want them to do. So I was thinking about, if I'm doing social media, maybe hiring someone to work with me on social media where I don't have to specifically go there, but they can go on my behalf. So I would say right now, that's a challenge that I'm currently working on - scaling the business.

I think the first word that came to my mind was safety. Being in a safe environment allows me to be my best self. When I'm safe around friends and family, I can really be vulnerable. I feel like, because of that, I'm able to get accurate advice, because I'm not trying to hide, or diminish, or leave out details, because I'm in fear of being shamed or embarrassed. And I would say, professionally, that's also important, because I want to work with people that want to collaborate with me as well. It allows me to masterfully do my work. It allows me to give accurate feedback. So I would say I value safety both ways. Like, I want you to feel safe with me, and I also want to feel safe with you. I can give accuracy, and it could really show improvement in what you're doing in the business. But also personally, as well, I value that safeness, where it's like, okay, can I share this with you. This is why this isn't working, and not feeling nervous or afraid that you're gonna go crazy on me. Or I have to kind of sugarcoat it, because this person is sensitive. So I would say safety is really big. I just feel like it's the only way to live. Who wants to live where you have to constantly micromanage your thoughts so you don't lose someone? Walking on eggshells, that is not a good feeling.