We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Kennedy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.
Stephanie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I want to start with this – everything I’ve experienced has been a blessing. I am so grateful for the opportunities to learn and grow.
My resilience has transformed from a journey of grief and missing some of my most important family members. In 2018, my life changed. My grandmother passed away – the matriarch of my extended family. That month, my uncle was diagnosed with Leukemia and just a month later, my mom was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Throughout the next year, my mother went through several treatments, and two brain surgeries, and my uncle was going through his treatment as well. My Uncle Pat lost his battle in December of 2018.
My mother was stable for a while – she kept her spirits up and her energy was reserved as much as possible. Down the road in 2019, another uncle, my Uncle Rob, passed due to Cardiac Arrest. Her brother was a champion for my mom. Then, in 2020, 10 days after we shut down for COVID-19, my mother lost her battle with Brain Cancer on March 25, 2020. Soon after, on Mother’s Day, my Grandfather died. The second patriarch in my extended family.
Through ALL of this, I was building a business. I built my Digital Marketing Boutique Agency while going through these different trials and tribulations. I’m so proud of where I’ve been and where I’m going.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Stephanie Kennedy, a Buffalo, NY Native and Digital Nomad.
I am a Digital Marketer by trade, but I am primarily a Social Media Empowerment Consultant & Manager. I work with small to medium businesses to boost their confidence in the digital space. When I graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2017, I noticed there was a huge gap in understanding of the digital space when it came to business owners in all generations. I started my consultant business in the same year to work with businesses on their strategies as well as empower them to utilize social media efficiently and effectively in their business.
During this journey to assist business owners, I also found many organizations to be involved in, including NYS Women Inc. Buffalo-Niagara (Past-President), NAWBO Buffalo-Niagara (Board of Directors), and the Cystic Fibrosis of Western New York through the Rising Stars Program and Tomorrow’s Leaders (Councilmember).
I am, also, a Mentor through WEDI (Westminster Economic Development Initiative) to work with new businesses on their social media strategy as well as at Clarence High School for the Academy of Business and Finance.
My favorite part about what I do is just the fact that I get to meet so many new and seasoned business owners, learn about their passions, dreams, and more in their business.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Getting my Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Communication and Digital Media was a great idea for the path that I took with my consulting. Without this experience and knowledge of effectively marketing a brand, I would not have been able to show my credibility when I was first starting out.
Also, learning how to network from a young age and being confident in showcasing my skills to those I was networking with was instrumental.
Working in a customer service role for over eight years prior to starting my business was, also, incredibly helpful to aid in my level of professionalism and patience.
My advice is that you take each opportunity with an open mind and open heart. If it doesn’t feel right at that moment, it’s time to shift and restructure.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My current obstacle is the current economic climate and how that has effected cash flow within small to medium businesses. My sales this year aren’t where they usually sit as far as a course of growth even though my services have only slightly changed.
I am looking for ways to provide my services for my clients in an effective manner that allows me to be able to meet them where they are at, financially, while still providing a worthy service for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reachdigitalmediasolutions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/reachdms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reachdigitalmediasolutions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18480197
Image Credits
Dana Goodemote from Adore Photo Studio
