Meet Megan Shaffer

We recently connected with Megan Shaffer and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

I wouldn’t say that I am a natural risk taker. Being someone that faced instability due to divorce as a child and also having anxiety and OCD, my safe place is knowing what to expect and planning for all outcomes. However, a few experiences in the last few years really altered my view on life and my desire to be happy and fulfilled outweighed concerns of ‘failure’ or losing a self-imposed status.
After the birth of my daughter in December of 2021, I soon was faced with severe postpartum depression and anxiety. While I had some minor mental health issues in the past, most of which I self-managed, I had never dealt with a depression that deep. I didn’t realize the extent to which it can take hold, hurt physically, and completely halt life. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. As I slowly came out the other side of it, I put much more value on my happiness and mental health. My husband and I started having conversations about me leaving my job to spend more time with my daughter, and we began to plan for that change financially.
Then, in September 2023, I lost my best friend of over 30 years (we grew up together). Again, the loss of a sister-figure in my life at such a young age was devastating. It continued to reinforce the fleeting nature of time, and it fast forwarded my plan to be the best version of me in honor of my friend.
In May of 2024, I left my comfortable and well-paying corporate job to both spend more time with my young daughter and start a business of my own. As if the universe was sick of hearing my dreams, almost in parallel a close friend of mine connected me with an entrepreneur that was looking for freelance help with her marketing and communications business. We hit it off, and I have spent the last six months doing work for her that doesn’t feel at all like work. I also have a client of my own, and I hope to expand my client list in the near future. With my focus split between part-time work and my parenting, I am very content with the balance I’ve struck. I sometimes have to pinch myself when I reflect on what I wanted so badly for years and that it has now come to fruition.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I create meaningful content for small businesses across various platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, emails, websites/ blogs) so that they can connect with their target audience and build their platform. I have work I do each month for clients through a friend of mine, such as their social media content calendar, and then I also have more project-specific work, including rewriting website content to boost organic search results and to better communicate their brand and value.
What I love most about this work is that I get to be creative, as well as strategic. I love writing and creating graphics to bring words to life. I also love data and looking at keywords that hold the most value to leverage in my content and researching competitors to see where gaps are. I get jazzed about analytics and seeing what works and what doesn’t to better adjust going forward.
I also love the flexibility of my work. I can get tasks done while my daughter is at preschool part-time or when she naps. I often ‘plug-in’ when she goest to bed because I just love what I do. It is a joy. As long as I have a computer, I can work.
In the new year, I am going to focus on creating a website for myself and getting 1-2 more clients of my own.

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?

One of the things I learned early on after a few discovery conversations with female business owners is that they don’t have ALL the answers. Sometimes they fly-by-their-seat and exhibit a ‘fake it until you make it’ attitude that I find inspiring. What held me back for so long was a thought that I had to be an expert with years of experience in something to make a change. However, with foundational knowledge and the desire to learn, you can 100% take the leap. No one, even a seasoned entrepreneur, has all the answers before they leap. Little did these ladies know, telling me “I am not sure” or “I don’t know” or even better “I just tried some things to see what stuck” would have such an impact!

Secondly, the shift in deciding to put myself first (or further ahead than I typically do), was a key driver for me. After noted mental health issues and losses, it became ever present that I couldn’t pour from an empty cup. It is often a hard lesson for women, but I have found I am a better mom, partner, and friend when I am also doing things that make me happy.

Finally, I couldn’t have made this change in my journey without the love and support of those closest to me. Having cheerleaders and people that think positively about your vision are gems. Keep them close! In addition, surrounding yourself with people that are doing what you want to do creates a confidence and a model in your mind that helps to create the plan needed to get started. The people we surround ourselves with matters!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I am incredibly fortunate to have many positive and uplifting people in my life, from my husband to my mom and from my therapist to my friends. However, it was the belief in me from two close business(es) owning friends that gave me the idea and confidence to pursue work outside of the corporate safety net. These are two people that I highly respect. They know me and have worked with me in the past. They own various successful businesses, and I look up to them in many ways. When they first asked me if I had ever thought of doing communications and marketing work on my own, I was almost taken aback. At the same time, they planted a seed that quickly grew in my mind and made all the sense in the world. I nurtured their thoughts and ideas. Furthermore, they put their words into action, connecting me with people I could partner with and giving me some business of my own to rewrite their website content. They are true advocates of me, and I wouldn’t be here without them.

(Tom and Jamie Vranich)

Contact Info:

• Other: email: msstratcomms@gmail.com
  (Megan Shaffer Strategic Communications)