Meet Jacinta Gandy

We recently connected with Jacinta Gandy and have shared our conversation below.

Jacinta, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Overcoming imposter syndrome is talked about a lot but I don’t really think what it meant clicked for me for a long time. I equated ‘imposter syndrome’ with feeling like a fraud, and that was never something that resonated with me. But there were so many times where I felt like I was out of my depth. Like, ‘who was I to be wearing this big hat of marketing strategist and coach?’ After all, the hat I wear comes with some big responsibility as a strategic advisor to our clients and an employer—there are so many people that are relying on me.

It finally clicked for me that all my years of experience had prepared me for the very business that I run today. My background includes design, marketing, and tech—the same exact disciplines that my agency was founded on. In the quickly moving world of marketing and tech, it’s easy to feel like a novice because it’s a world of constant change. But being excited about that change and learning how to unlock those opportunities to create more opportunities for my own business and the clients we work with is truly a game-changer.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

As the owner and founder of Social Circle, I’ve shaped my business to be much more than just another brand and web design agency. With over 13 years of experience in design, digital marketing, and tech, I bring a comprehensive range of services to the table. This includes everything from branding and design to social media, sales funnels, product refinement, and even developing pricing strategies and pitch decks. My journey has allowed me to not only offer diverse services but also to build close, long-term partnerships with my clients, providing them with mentorship and strategic planning that’s specifically tailored to their needs.

What sets Social Circle apart is our growth-oriented, result-driven approach. We focus on the overall success of our clients’ businesses, not just delivering a service. This is evident in the significant growth of my business and the strong relationships we’ve built with over 150 entrepreneurs.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I remember when I truly started to get serious about my business, I had such a pragmatic approach. I wrote a ‘to do’ list of the things I needed to do to be successful and just thought I had to execute on it. But while making that list, if I’m honest, there were things that felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar, and I found myself skipping those activities. Most of us choose entrepreneurship as a way to do more of what we love and avoid the things that we don’t, but a lot of the time, the journey to being a successful entrepreneur comes in the form of facing things that make you feel very uncomfortable.

So, regarding the three qualities that were most impactful, I’d say developing a healthy risk tolerance, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and realizing that entrepreneurship can be a very emotional journey at times— and that’s perfectly okay. There are times when that imposter syndrome you thought you kicked to the curb will rear its ugly head, but it’s all part of the process. You will build resilience and the ability to get up and keep going each day.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

My biggest area of growth in the last 12 months has been my own self-improvement journey. When I first started my business, someone I met at a networking event told me what a personal journey entrepreneurship was, and at that time, I didn’t quite get it. But the last 5 years have really helped me prioritize the things that are important to me. Early on, so many of my business goals were connected to my personal goals. For example, I felt like I needed to hit a certain revenue number in order to be successful, and that was what drove me in the beginning.

But as most people know, entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. There will be times when things are wildly successful and other times where things don’t go as planned. I started realizing that I was tying my own worth and values to the things I wanted to accomplish in my business, which meant that from a personal standpoint, I was always on an emotional rollercoaster. If I had a big win, I’d celebrate, and when something didn’t go as planned, I took myself to task.

But over the past 12 months, I’ve invested in myself to truly break that pattern of thinking. It’s been a long journey which has included therapy, reiki, physical fitness, daily walks, journaling, and a decent amount of self-help books. Working on yourself is perhaps the biggest project of all. There will always be more work to do, but through that work, I have a new lens I see my world through. ‘If I’m okay, my business is okay.’ So that means that prioritizing my own health and mental wellness comes first, and because I do that, I’m able to show up to my business each day fully present. I have more clarity and control than ever before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://socialcircleinc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacinta_gandy/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jacintagandy

Image Credits

Shelly Xu https://someshelly.com/
Kaitlyn Jackson https://spagbol.productions/