We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Burton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amanda , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Growing up, I was a quiet girl, content to not say much, do my schoolwork and spend any waking minute of my free time reading. It was only when I entered high school that I started to develop a voice.
But, my confidence didn’t grow much until I was living on my own, in a new city at 18 years old.
I’m originally from New Jersey, having moved to Nashville, Tennessee for college. Through the experience of making friends and starting to piece together a home here, I knew I could do hard things.
Whenever I need the confidence to do something difficult whether it’s speaking in front of people, presenting a plan in front of leadership or striking up a conversation with a stranger, I always think of that 18-year-old girl, still in New Jersey, packing up her suitcase and crying while doing it, not knowing if she would be successful or would come home reeking of failure. I do hard things for that girl, continuously proving to her that she continues to go much further and is more successful than she ever could have imagined.
Keeping my younger self in mind actually boosts my self-esteem because I want to prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to do. Others’ opinions of me go out of my mind because I’m so focused on proving myself to myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My newest venture and one that I’ve needed lots of confidence for is becoming a small business owner this year. I recently started The 375 Company, LLC, a boutique digital marketing agency that delivers 3 prongs of service – Strategy Consultation, Optimization and Content Creation – 7 days a week with 5-star service. I have one client so far and love writing content for them, building strategies for new campaigns and anything digital media related where they need assistance. My plan is to build my business gradually and intentionally, being mindful of my capabilities schedule-wise while also having the confidence to go after what I want. Eventually, I want to be self-employed, managing a team of creative professionals and using my business to foster more kindness and integrity in corporate America.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Gumption, flexibility and knowing when “silence is power”.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have gumption. I get that from my grandmom. It was 2012, the economy wasn’t great and I was a college graduate desperate for a job. She and I were on the phone one day and she asked how the job hunt was going. I told her and then she said. “Maybe you should print out your resume and go door to door. Give them a face to your resume. That will make you stand out because not many in your generation are doing that. It’s all behind a computer.” I said, “Grandmom, things aren’t done like that anymore…” but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I had to stand out. So, I did what she said and I went door to door to businesses. Some looked at me like I was crazy, but then I met a girl who worked in government. She forwarded my resume to the woman who would become my boss. My career developed amazingly after that. Sometimes with a bit of gumption, you can get to the next step, stand out from the crowd and do incredible things.
Life throws you a lot of curveballs and you have to know how to be flexible. Things aren’t always going to go your way. When things don’t go your way you can do one of two things: complain or roll with it and see what life is trying to teach you. For example, I work in politics for my 9-to-5. No day is the same. Things happen in a split second and I have to be flexible with my schedule and be in meetings I need to be in to have conversations that are important. If I wasn’t as flexible as I’ve become, I wouldn’t have learned half as much as I have.
Finally, knowing when “silence is power,” or choosing my moments to speak, has been vital in my career – and in my personal life. Too often there’s the temptation, especially with social media, to spout off the first thoughts in our heads. We react rather than respond to the world around us. I want to be a person who responds – speaking succinctly, tactfully and with meaning. “Silence is power.” Silence makes us pause and really grapple with our feelings in order to get our thoughts together so we can speak clearly.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who wants to learn how to effectively use social media to tell their business’s story in a compelling way but may not have the time to do so. The 375 Company draws up a content strategy and implements that strategy to drive more website visits and increase your social media presence.
Contact Info:
- Website: the375co.com
Image Credits
EightJPhotography
