Meet Sierra Garrido

We were lucky to catch up with Sierra Garrido recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sierra, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

This is a great question, and I sometimes forget that this is actually how my business began. Like many entrepreneurial journeys, mine wasn’t linear. Being asked to resign from my corporate job was the spark that led to the business I run today, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. My ego definitely took a huge hit. I felt humiliated that the company I’d dedicated the past two years of my life to considered me replaceable. But it hit me hard that that’s exactly what I’d given to this job—two years of my time and hard work, but not much heart or soul. This was my first job out of college at a major Fortune 500 company in an industry I only felt a loose interest in. Deep down, I knew within the first few months that this wasn’t the job for me, but I think we as humans try to convince ourselves otherwise. I didn’t want to give up the “sexy” company name on my LinkedIn or go back to the exhausting, scary job hunt, so I stayed—uninspired.

Flash forward to my unfortunate meeting with HR. I was torn apart when they asked me to resign. I wasn’t so devastated about losing the job itself; I was more upset that it didn’t end on my terms. But I held my head as high as I could, said my goodbyes, and went into action mode. First things first—rent money. I had some savings to keep me afloat, but I needed quick side gigs for cash. This led me to create a Rover account, where I started walking dogs all around San Francisco. I love dogs, so I actually found this gig fun and a way to explore new neighborhoods in the city. After two years living in SF, I’d barely had the time or energy to walk around because I was glued to my desk 40 hours a week and too drained on weekends to do more than run errands. Walking around like this really got me thinking, “Wow, I wish there was a way I could do something more like this for a living.”

While I looked for my next job, I had to ask myself, “What’s the new dream role?” I had two years of solid merchandising experience at this point, but I knew this wasn’t the path for me. Sure, I was good at it, and maybe a different company would have been a better fit, but deep down, I knew I needed to pivot. Marketing was my true passion. I knew it, but I was almost too afraid to pursue it. Because it was something I cared so much about, failing at it would feel more personal, almost like a hit to my identity. Plus, I had two years of experience in a completely different field and thought, “There’s no way I’m qualified for a marketing role now; my knowledge is way too outdated.” But again, I think we tell ourselves these stories to keep ourselves small when we’re scared.

Then, I saw a post in my alumni Facebook group where a woman was hiring for a freelance Social Media Manager, 5-10 hours a week. I’d never even considered freelancing, but my gut told me to go for it and use it as a way to get some marketing experience under my belt before pursuing a “real” marketing job. This quickly snowballed into a range of marketing contract and freelance roles—website design, email marketing, social media, you name it! Even if I didn’t “technically” have the experience, I’d put my hat in the ring and figure it out to produce great results, products, and referrals. I saw each role as an opportunity to grow in the field I was passionate about. Within two years, I’d turned it into a business, and Sierra G, LLC was born. Through freelancing, I not only became a much stronger marketer, but I also had time to pursue other passions, meet incredible entrepreneurs, and yes, walk even more dogs! I felt inspired every day by the work I was doing, and that feeling was irreplaceable.

Looking back, I can’t believe I went through the motions as long as I did at my corporate job. When it was all said and done, someone told me, “Rejection is redirection. Something bigger is in store for you.” And they were right. That one tough moment forced me to face my fears, first out of necessity to pay the bills in a very expensive city, but ultimately, it led me to a life and career filled with passion.

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?

My name is Sierra Garrido, and I’m the owner of Sierra G, LLC—a social media marketing agency dedicated to helping small businesses, personal brands, and creators establish a strong brand identity through social media. I’m deeply passionate about working one-on-one with entrepreneurs to craft social media strategies that help their businesses thrive. Social media is such a powerful platform to reach new audiences and creatively showcase products or services in unique ways.

Staying up-to-date with social trends and figuring out innovative ways to incorporate them into my clients’ strategies is something I love, especially as it often empowers entrepreneurs to feel more comfortable and excited about social media’s potential. Social media is like a never-ending puzzle—new algorithm changes every other week, new trends emerging daily, and even new platforms popping up! I totally get why it can feel intimidating. But I love solving that puzzle, and I see curating the “perfect post” as an art form.

I always laugh whenever someone says social media is just “throwing up a picture and clicking ‘post.’” Creating a meaningful post involves careful thought around design, aesthetic, audio, video editing, timing, filming strategy, lighting, fonts, captions, hashtags, geolocations, cover photos, messaging, tone, and more. Once business owners dive in, they quickly realize how time-consuming it is as a beginner and often look to outsource to someone like me. My approach, though, is to make social media less intimidating. I aim to give my clients digestible insights into the ever-changing social media world and get them excited about putting their brand out there.

For me, there’s real joy in empowering business owners to feel more in tune with social media and to understand its lasting impact when used thoughtfully and strategically.

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?

Grit, Confidence, Trust

Grit: I had to get pretty scrappy at times just to make rent, and it was challenging, to say the least. But having grit meant I could power through those moments and keep sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Confidence: I had this blind confidence that even if I didn’t “technically” have the skills to do something, I trusted in my ability to figure it out along the way.

Trust: I have a strong belief that the universe has my back—that things happen for me, not to me. So, even on the toughest days, I trust there’s a lesson in it, helping me grow stronger.

My advice? Always look back at a time when you faced something hard and reflect on how you made it through. Chances are, you already have exactly what it takes to tackle the next obstacle. We often forget just how resilient we are and how many times we’ve picked ourselves back up during tough times. Use a past example from your life as a reminder and confidence boost that you’ve got this and can get through anything.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

As cheesy as it sounds, You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. I remember finishing each chapter feeling more inspired and empowered. One part really stuck with me: it talks about a man who’s incredible at emceeing parties, but he’s working a boring 9-to-5. Then, at some event, the hired emcee is awful, and he thinks, “This guy’s getting paid for this? I could do a WAY better job.” Eventually, he takes a leap of faith, leaves his stable but unfulfilling job, and becomes a highly paid, successful emcee.

I believe it speaks to our fear of pursuing our passions for money—this idea that we’ll fail or that our passions aren’t “worth” pursuing. But if we’re genuinely passionate about something, we have more value to bring to the table and are far more likely to succeed and thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sierragarrido.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierragarrido/