Chrissy graduated from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2019 with a B.S. in Economics, concentrating in Marketing & Management. At Wharton, Chrissy was involved in the fashion and media communities, pursuing jobs within social media marketing. Her work with influencers and brands ignited her desire to find a way to improve the social media marketing industry for both brands and social media managers.
Leonor graduated from the University of Texas in the spring of 2019 with a degree in Public Relations, concentrating in Media Studies and Analytics, and a Business minor. Her experience moving to the U.S. as a young girl and unable to speak the language ignited her fascination for communication. Since then, her curiosity molded into a passion for the ways humans and brands connect.
What is Digital Medium Agency all about?
Digital Medium Agency is the bridge that connects Social Media Managers with brands, offering both sides game-changing transparency and expertise in the process. We are committed to providing brands with the best Social Media Manager for their needs. Equally, we provide Social Media Managers with the most lucrative talent presentation in the industry.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your business?
Digital Medium was born from a high school friendship that continued to flourish as Chrissy and I pursued our passion for business and digital media at Wharton and UT Austin. We loved discussing our entrepreneurial ideas during the holiday breaks while catching up at our favorite hometown creamery and exploring new restaurants in Austin, TX. Shortly after graduating and beginning our careers, we decided it was about time to merge our shared passion and create our own business. Fueled by nearly 10-year friendship and our unique skill sets, Digital Medium was born with the mission to empower brands and the people who bring brands’ voices to life.
How has the pandemic affected you or your new business?
At the onset of the pandemic, Chrissy and I had just rounded out six months at our first corporate jobs after graduating from university. At first, we baked bread and joined online workout classes. I’m sure many people can relate to how therapeutic it felt to throw yourself into a new hobby. Still, as the stay-at-home orders progressed, those novel hobbies started to feel mundane. Soon enough, Chrissy and I were itching to dive into something other than adding another tie-dye tracksuit to the already overflowing DIY project drawer. We felt passionate about building something that would fuel our creativity and sharing that something with others. A year into the pandemic, Digital Medium Agency was born and has been the most grounding experience through all the pandemic uncertainties. Truthfully, the pandemic has been a considerable motivation driver for us, and that is such a privilege.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
We might have underestimated how much money it takes to found a company. It’s no surprise that starting a business isn’t a financial walk in the park and quickly adds up. All the upfront costs like setting up an economic corporation, filing for a trademark, compliance regulation, legal representation – adds up. Our expense tracker quickly became a frequently visited spreadsheet.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
Chrissy: I constantly look to learn from others. After graduating, I figured out that no one really knows what they’re doing – we’re all just figuring things out as we go along. When you have that understanding, you become so much more open to learning from others in all ways. I take time out of my day to explore new brands, listen to start-up podcasts, discover new content creators, and read up on industry news. I look for ways to learn from others in terms of branding, strategy, or just new ways to approach problem-solving.
Leonor: I agree with Chrissy and enjoy learning from others. I also try and prioritize sleep, exercise, and what I eat. It’s easy to glamorize the entrepreneurial struggle of 4 hours of sleep a night but that doesn’t work for me. There’s always exceptions, but generally speaking, I’m much more productive, energized, and clear-minded when I’ve prioritized my health.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Digital Medium Agency is still a young business, so our best marketing strategy thus far has been word-of-mouth. We’ve been very open about starting Digital Medium and keen to talk to anyone interested in learning more about our business. We’ve found that people are generally eager to help and interested in either learning more or connecting us with someone else in their network. We also can’t deny the impact social media has in growing our business. Our intern, Holly, first learned about our company by responding to an Instagram story.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
The hardest part is starting. Our best advice is to start. Start the conversation, start the business plan, start the website, start somewhere. In conjunction with starting, we highly recommend finding a co-founder. There is nothing like having someone else who is just as passionate and aligned with the mission to bounce ideas off and resolve challenges with.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Leonor: I’ve always enjoyed making color-coded to-do lists to boost my productivity. It’s easy to skip this step and keep a long-running list in my head but writing things down helps me itemize what I need to do and makes it seem less daunting. A productivity tip that hasn’t been the most intuitive for me is completing quick life tasks right after waking up — making the bed, putting away the dishes, working out. By starting your morning checking off all the small personal responsibilities, you’re setting yourself up for a productive day in all areas of your life.
Chrissy: Creating organized and specific to-do lists is how I find order in my day. I live by this productivity guideline. Giving yourself small goals with clear deadlines is a great way to make big projects feel feasible and less daunting! The way to conquer your goals is to start by at least doing one small thing today. And – nothing feels better than crossing off an item on your to-do list at the end of a long day.
What is your favorite quote?
Leonor: There are many powerful and eloquent quotes out there that I love, but one that has stuck with me is so simple. One of my college professors and mentors, Lisa Dobias, always asks,
“So what?”.
This question is so simple but so widely applicable to all areas of life and helps me get to the root of it all. Before making a personal or professional decision, I like asking, “So what?” because it helps me ensure there is always a purpose behind anything I do.
Chrissy: An entrepreneur and influencer I love, Serena Kerrigan, always says,
“if it’s not a f*ck yes, it’s a no,”
and I love that sentiment. If something doesn’t entirely compel you, you don’t have to commit to it. Life is too short. Go after the ideas, people, and projects that you are genuinely passionate about and that bring you joy.
What is your definition of success?
Leonor: For me, success is about growing and honoring my curiosities in life. This past year has offered me much time to reflect, and I find myself focusing more on what I’ve learned and less on what specific goals I’ve accomplished. Success for me is living a life full of chasing my curiosities and always learning.
Chrissy: I find that success is doing things that make my past self proud. I know everyone is always saying to “live in the present” and to “be in the now,” but sometimes it’s hard to realize how far you’ve come unless you look back. When you zoom out, you can often surprise yourself with how far you’ve come. I think that as long as I’m making my past self proud, I’m successful.
How do you personally overcome fear?
it’s easy to let the fear of failure consume and debilitate you, but we try and look at fear through a different lens. For us, it’s finding the balance between allowing the unpredictable to guide us in preventing any possible missteps but also not letting it consume us. We don’t lose sleep over the fear of failure; we shift our perspective and turn that fear into motivation.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can send us an email at hello@digitalmediumagency.com or DM us at @digitalmediumagency on Instagram – we’re excited to chat!
Random Interview: Sabina Khilnani: Pivoting to Entrepreneurship
