We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sophia Vega a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sophia , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Do you remember when you were a child, you would look at an adult and think “I want to be like them when I grow up?” Have you ever thought “when I am in my (insert an age) I will have it all figured out.” People who are older or more experienced than us seem more confident, successful, and smart. They know everything. They have it all figured out. Age equals experience and wisdom.
Until you turn that age. You realize that you are still figuring it out and so were they. I still find myself marveling that I am an adult with two teenagers! When I was young and looked at adults my age it looked like it felt different than what I feel now. I know that sounds funny.
Why do we have imposter syndrome? In our mind, we believe that we are not enough. We don’t know enough. Our skills aren’t enough. We don’t have enough experience. There is this person looming in the distance, this image of how we think we will feel when we are enough. Just like when we were young and imagined being in our 30’s and having it all figured out.
I started my own business after being a teacher for 15 years. I was a great teacher and by every measure I had figured it out. Now I was stepping into a world that I had no experience in – online business. The Imposter Syndrome was real. I often felt paralyzed thinking I didn’t know enough. I didn’t have enough experience. Could I really do this? This changed when I started putting myself out there and taking action. The goal was not perfection just forward moving action.
As I networked and joined groups of other entrepreneurs I learned something – EVERYONE is still figuring something out. Your thoughts are things. If you let imposter syndrome take over you will doubt yourself. You will say I can’t do it. I am not ready to do it. There is someone who does this better. They won’t want to hire me. And guess what? You are right.
Through meditation, visualization, and manifestation I changed those doubts and the way I talk to myself. Now I tell myself people want to work with me. They value me as a professional. I will grow their business and guess what? I do!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I develop data-based digital marketing plans for organizations to reach their growth goals. I use SEO as the foundation for digital marketing. This sets organizations up for long-term growth. It is exciting when you implement the strategies and tactics of the plan and you can track the success with key performance indicators that give you feedback on what is working and what needs to be adjusted. Content creation is the lifeblood of digital marketing. With a strategic plan, your content is maximized and moves the customer along the buyer’s journey.
Social media is an important component of any digital marketing plan. I advise my clients to find where their ideal clients are and go all in on that social channel. Don’t try to do all the things. Do what you can do well and consistently. I have gone all in on LinkedIn and I love it. The opportunity to create brand awareness, provide value, and get new clients is huge. It is not oversaturated like Facebook and Instagram. With over 1 billions users and only 4% of active users posting you have a great chance of getting in front of your ideal client if you can be consistent.
I love to share what I have learned so I created a free e-booklet with more than 25 ideas for posts on LinkedIn. It also has a schedule for consistency. You can download it on my website or connect with me on LinkedIn and you can get it from my featured section.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three things that have most impacted my journey into entrepreneurship are resilience, a love of learning, and the desire to build a business around the life I want to have.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after you make a mistake, don’t get the job, lose a client, or whatever setback happens. I had to be resilient when I left teaching for mental health reasons. I knew that working was part of my identity. I also knew that I needed to have a job where I could put my health and my family first. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It is not a straight trajectory it is more like a heartbeat up and down. Remember that when you are down, take a minute, and dust yourself off. Keep putting in the work and things will move up again.
A love of learning has been my biggest asset. Knowing that if I don’t know something I can learn it is what has made my business successful. I have the soft skills necessary for success. Those are the things that can’t be taught: drive, work ethic, desire to help others. Hard skills are all things that can be learned. I read for at least 2 hours of every day. I take courses regularly to keep up with new technology and create relationships with people who are more experienced and smarter than me so that I can learn from them.
The desire to take care of my mental health and have more time for my family is what drives me daily. I developed boundaries around my time by prioritizing family time. For example, I don’t start my work day until my kids leave for school and my day is done when they get home. Are there exceptions? My kids are teenagers when they lock themselves in their room I take advantage to work on my business. But this is a choice. I don’t do any client work on the weekends. Again I know that this is a restorative time for myself and my family time. I work online so that I can work from anywhere. When the kids are on a school break we can travel and I can still run my business.
My advice is to remind yourself daily of your why. Why are you doing what you have chosen to do? When it gets tough, as it inevitably will, double down on your why, don’t be afraid to learn and do the work to be successful. Your why is worth it.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As someone who struggles with anxiety, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. I start my day by writing three things I am thankful for, 3 things I am manifesting, and 2 things I am excited about. I also write what I will avoid. This is like lifting weights to help keep my mind focused on positive things.
I also set boundaries to protect myself from feeling overwhelmed. An example is that I don’t schedule more than two appointments or meetings a day. I know when I have more than two it makes me feel anxious and overwhelmed. So when two things are already on the calendar for a day nothing else can be added. A good scheduler makes this possible.
To prioritize the day I write out what I want to accomplish business-wise and time spent on myself and family. My goal is to ensure work doesn’t take up more than 1/2 on any given day. For example if I have to complete a client project and write a proposal I know I need to balance that with eating dinner as a family and going for a walk.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sophiavegadigitalmarketing.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svdigitalmarketing/
