Meet Carmen Erholtz

We were lucky to catch up with Carmen Erholtz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carmen, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.

Since I was a kid, I have always loved talking to people of all ages, but I learned pretty quickly that in order to have quality conversations, I needed to ask questions. I specifically remember my mom encouraging me to ask people questions about subjects they were already interested in, such as asking my grandpa about farming or my friends at school about sports. I realized that when I asked people the right questions, they could talk for a long time. It was fascinating to listen to people share pieces of their lives I would have never known if I didn’t ask the questions.

Throughout my life, these questions have developed into more thoughtfully-worded questions to really understand people better. In college, I chose to study Organizational Communication, which placed a huge emphasis on theories around conversations and people groups. Through those classes and experiences, I further understood the power of asking questions and taking the time to listen to the answers in order to really understand.

Now as a small business owner, my question-asking has only continued. Sometimes it’s to Google, but most days my questions are aimed at my clients. In order to really understand who they are and the businesses they run, I have further understood just how important the right questions are.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Before venturing into the social media management space in 2023 with Content by Carm, I worked in a corporate 9-5 job. Now, I get to help business owners in the home and design industry utilize social media marketing to reach their ideal clients and tell their business story. By having a distinct niche, I’ve learned so much about the home and design industry, which gives me a unique perspective and clarity around content for businesses in the industry.

I offer social media management packages that include a variety of weekly content, engagement, and reporting and analytics. I take the content from my client’s projects and turn it into strategic social media marketing.

When I’m not working, I love trying new recipes with my husband, hosting friends and family in our home, and going for walks while listening to many, many podcasts.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

– Communication with a variety of people
– Consistency
– Taking risks

My advice would be to find people ahead of you to ask questions of, know that you’re not going to figure everything out (ever!), everyone has imposter syndrome, but also it’s possible to go after your dreams and so worth it!

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

My ideal client is a Minnesota business owner in the home and design industry who has struggled to maintain their social media marketing because they are so busy and focused on their own clients. I love working with small to mid-size business that wouldn’t be looking for a full time marketing role, but they need an arm of their business who they can trust with a variety of marketing work. I love working with real people who have lives outside of work, who are clear communicators, and who trust me to handle the pieces I’m an expert in!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Personal photo: Ali Dietrich Photo
First 3 Additional photos: Ali Dietrich Photo
Last 2 Additional photos: Chelsie Lopez Production

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