We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Audrey Buchanan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Audrey, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I learned resilience at a very young age, and it’s a muscle that I’ve continued to develop through every challenging season of my life.
As a kid, I knew I had to be different. I excelled and advanced in academia and in sports at a very young age, and because of this I was terribly bullied from preschool all the way through high school.
In the midst of of the constant bullying and backlash that I would encounter at school, home life during my teenage years was rough. My parents went through a really messy divorce when I was fourteen, and as a result, I had to take on a lot of responsibility for myself. Whether it was finding a ride to school, trying not to get in the middle of what was going on at home, or navigating life as a teenager on my own, it kinda sent me down a dark road.
I didn’t know it at the time, but the way I continued to advance and live my life despite all the bullying was building in me the resilience I would need to get through college and go on to start my own business.
Before I go any further, I have to give credit where credit is due. My mom has played an absolutely pivotal role in showing me what true resilience looks like. She has always been the bread winner for our family, working tirelessly to provide for me, making sure that I never lacked and doing her absolute best to be there for me during the divorce even when I would push her away. She never gave up on me and because of that, I am the woman that I am today.
Seeing my mom’s work ethic, her own resilience through divorce and even her strength to fight to keep me in her life is what has given me the courage to keep fighting for myself. She’s never given up and knowing that I know that I have the strength in me to keep fighting too, no matter what this life may bring.
Looking back it all now, I’m so thankful for all of the challenges that I had to overcome at a young age. I’m glad that it wasn’t easy. I’m thankful for the dark times, because they make the good times that much brighter
Dealing with resistance, facing hate and negativity, having to push through and continue to move forward even when I didn’t know what the path ahead looked like were all things that I would continue to face navigating the world of entrepreneurship for myself.
That strong, resilient, bring it on little girl that got through middle school and high school is still the one who pushes me today to keep going and to not give up. Being able to look to my mom for guidance and support, knowing that she too has overcome so much, gives me the fuel not to quit.
At the end of the day, it’s all the things that tried to break me that have made me stronger. It’s those challenges that have turned into opportunities that have opened the doors that go me to where I am today.
It’s the muscle that will continue to be exercised and the fire in my belly that will keep burning. Because it’s necessary for the next success.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
After graduating from college in 2015, I thought I would go into the world of agency Public Relations, but God had other plans. I ended up working with an entrepreneur who had just started his 2nd SEO company here in SoCal, and it was what sparked the entrepreneurial spirit in me that I didn’t know existed.
I started Let’s Bee Social Digital Marketing in 2016 thinking that it would be a good way to start freelancing and getting more experience in the space. I had one goal in mind: to work with business owners who are passionate about what they do. Little did I know that it would turn into a growing agency that serves small businesses all over the world.
Going into our 6th year of business, Let’s Bee Social is still a small but mighty force to be reckoned with in the digital marketing space. We specialize in organic social media marketing, search engine optimization, website transformation and digital branding, and have helped nearly 100 small businesses since our conception.
We’ve expanded our service offerings to education, and offer DIY solutions to small business owners who are looking for help in the digital space, and are working on launching a subscription service later this year.
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?
The three biggest things that have helped me on my journey:
1. Surround yourself with people who will speak life into your vision – there are going to be times when you do not think you can do it. There are going to be days where you feel like giving up and taking the easy way out. It is in these moments that you need people around you who believe in you, who will encourage you, who will remind you why you started and show you how far you’ve come. The ones who will pick your head up, dust you off and push you to keep going. Get around people who believe in you more than you believe in yourself.
2. Don’t rush to the finish line – it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Learning to enjoy the journey will help you to get the most out of every part of the road that you’re on! Trying to get to the end goal will leave you feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied. It’s okay if it takes longer than you thought, there’s a reason for it, lean into that and appreciate it for all that it is.
3. Be honest with yourself – the sooner that you can learn to be honest with yourself, the easier it’s going to be to have those tough conversations and to overcome difficult circumstances. Trying to hide behind pride and ego is only going to hurt you in the long run. Know when to ask for help, know when to slow down and know when to try something different. This honesty and transparency will foster stronger relationships in your business and your life.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Learning how to be a better leader for my team.
I have the very high tendency to be a control freak. Especially when it comes to my business. I was struggling with trusting my team and giving them the space to learn, grow and make mistakes. It was hindering me in my business, because I was constantly struggling with relinquishing trust and delegating.
I was micro-managing instead of leading, and it was not creating a positive environment for anyone. Once I learned the difference between a leader and a manger, and discovered ways that I could implement trust exercises with my team, everything changed. It’s opened the door to building the strongest, most successful team that I have ever had and it’s allowed me to stay in my lane to be the leader that my team and my business needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: letsbeesocial.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/letsbeesocial
- Facebook: facebook.com/letsbeesocial
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/let’s-bee-social/
- Other: Get access to courses and DIY resources at https://gumroad.com/letsbeesocial
Image Credits
Cover Image Credit: Victor Hernandez, Midnight 45 Studio