As many of you know, I started my entrepreneur adventures in February of this year. We are now officially at the six-month mark, and it has been a whirlwind of excitement after picking up my first client. When I tell you all that I haven’t stopped moving, I really mean it. What’s even better? I LOVE every second and every day at my job.
Jumping off the ledge and starting your own business can be scary but I’m here to tell you that if you put in the work, you will make it. This is your sign to go out, chase your dreams and live life to the fullest, because we don’t live forever. Keep reading to learn more about the growth and challenges I have faced, along with some exciting plans for the future.
Introduction to Me
For those who are new I want to give a brief introduction as to who I am and what I do. My name is Sarah, and I am a 22-year-old entrepreneur that decided to quit her job and start her own business at the beginning of 2024. Through my company, Hamilton Communications, I provide marketing and advertising services for businesses and individuals who are looking to grow their brand. I have always loved learning new things and my business gives me the perfect opportunity to do that! Not only do I learn more and more about my own business, but also all the other businesses and individuals that I work with. It’s honestly a dream come true.
Outside of work, I spend most my time with my three dogs, family, and friends. I also love swimming, reading books, building my plant collection, and even skydiving. In the future, I have plans of getting my certification to skydive solo! I love the thrill of life and have big dreams that keep pushing me forward. Let’s talk more about how I got my business off the ground.
The First Step: Meeting My First Client
Toward the end of February once I had my business plan laid out, I was ready to find my first client. You may think, “Duh, her first client was found through what her whole business primarily surrounds. Social media!” I’m sorry but that answer is so far from the truth. As much as I love social media marketing and advertising, and do it on a daily basis, the industry I am in is extremely oversaturated. This oversaturation occurs primarily because anyone with a phone thinks they can do social media marketing. And while yes, technically that is true, most of those choosing to start this route have no experience, no training or certifications, and are just looking for one of those “you make your own schedule” jobs. Ultimately, this gives that individual a bad rap and hurts the business that is paying them money and expects a return on investment (ROI). Also, would like to note that if you do go out and teach yourself, that’s BADA$$! Please, just be prepared and know what you’re doing before you start making people pay for it.
In order to start my business in a very competitive market, I needed 2 things: A different approach from the rest and to create real connections with people. With this decision in mind, I decided to go door-to-door to businesses across the city of Norman. And I’ll tell you what, I could not have possibly found a more perfect first client to start my business.
It was late in the day, and I had already gone to several businesses that either gave me no’s, maybes, or let me talk to my boss statements. When I was driving to my first stop that morning, I saw a huge, old church building that was obviously being used to run a business inside. I felt tugged towards the church building but had decided to keep on driving towards my first stop of the day. After running to several different businesses, I decided to call it day and head back to my home office. Once again, I was passing that big church building and something that could only be described as God’s Will was literally screaming in my head to stop and go inside. So that’s what I did.
This old church was home to a thrift shop and inside is where I met the owner, Lyz Farrar. As soon as the words came out of my mouth about what I was doing she stopped me so we could go to her office to talk more in detail. From there, the rest is history. We bonded very quickly, even deciding to start our own podcast together not long after working together.
That thrift shop inside the old church is called Donate a Miracle, and it has left a long lasting positive influence in my life. The community surrounding that thrift shop is unbreakable.
Overcoming Challenges and Obstacles
Becoming a business owner means a lot of new information and tasks that are your responsibility. Each time you move to the next level, or think you are caught up, there is always something new to do and to learn. Business ownership is definitely a 24/7 fast-paced environment. The ultimate goal is to just keep pushing forward, regardless of what challenge or obstacle you are facing.
My greatest struggle has 100% been finances. A year ago, I wasn’t even thinking about starting my own business. There was no savings or financial planning that I made before I quit my job. Like I said, I literally jumped off a ledge and I feel so blessed to have had an amazing support system behind me while I was starting out.
In the beginning, I Uber delivered food to make enough money to get by until I started picking up clients. Another side gig I also picked up along the way was selling clothing online through an app called Depop. Shoutout to my brother for giving me that idea! All in all, I made enough to get me through, and it continues to go up from there.
Another big challenge I had in the beginning was really just getting the word out there. Like I mentioned before, this market is extremely oversaturated, and it can be tough to make your voice heard over so many others. However, once I picked up my first client, showed good results, and gained a strong reputation, the word just spread from there. All of my clients have come from word-of-mouth. It was actually insane how it all worked.
Many would be surprised to hear that I have not posted a single ad about my marketing agency since I started. I am going to start posting some ads soon to be able to boost myself to the next level to where I am able to hire another person but the biggest piece of advice I can give is to work hard, because it will pay off. I would still be where I was in February if I hadn’t built such a strong and positive reputation.
Milestones Achieved: Where We Are Now
My goal is to celebrate every milestone achieved within my business, no matter how small or big it may be. In the past six months, I have been setting goals each month as to where I want to be at with my business. I’m proud to say that we have hit every single one of those monthly goals. Yes, it has been a slow build up but each day we are gaining more traction.
Since our start, we have worked with a variety of businesses owners, all in different industries. We have learned so much about the different industries and that just continues to help grow and push us forward. There has also been a lot of training classes that I will take whenever I have time to fill. These classes have been a great resource to go more in-depth about certain industries and fine-tuning my marketing skills. It’s important during business ownership to never stay stagnant. Always work to improve yourself and your business and you will go far.
As far as customer satisfaction goes, we have had a bunch of happy clients that are enjoying seeing their dreams come to reality. The thrift shop, Donate a Miracle, celebrated their 12-year anniversary at the beginning of June. We threw a huge celebration outside the store with vendors, a food truck, and games to help support their non-profit, SAKS Closet Foundation. It was a HUGE success! Our ads that we ran online resulted in people from all over Norman and the surrounding areas showing up to celebrate us. It was a great day with lots of good memories made for everyone, customers, vendors, and employees.
Another client that I have been running ads for has been wanting to see improved sales on a specific product. After a few trials and errors, their product started gaining traction. This last month, there were 15 new purchasers that began buying this product. We only expect the number to continue to rise.
Additionally, Lyz and I have recently started a podcast called Thrift Tea Radio. We discuss industry trends in the thrifting world as well as explore challenges that small businesses face. Eventually we will start having guests come in and talk about their business so definitely be on the look out for that. It’s been fun and we look forward to continuing to grow our following.
These are just a few of the highlighted achievements that I’d like to point out. There are countless others but then this blog would be way too long. If you want to hear more in-depth about my results or different milestones I have reached along the way, then reach out to me!
Plans For the Future
I’m honestly not even sure where to start when it comes to future plans. The future is so bright, and I am thrilled to be progressing further each and every day.
Right now, my primary focus is on building Hamilton Communications as quickly as I can. My goal is to be able to start hiring people by the end of next year. It’s a long road ahead but the progress I’ve seen is phenomenal. Being able to get Hamilton Communications off the ground is going to be monumental because it will open the door for lots of other opportunities.
As I touched on earlier, Lyz and I have grown very close and I truly love the community at her store, Donate a Miracle. She was my first client and I have bonded with her more than just being two business partners. After much conversation with her, I have decided that I will be buying Donate a Miracle from her as soon as I can save up enough money. I absolutely love everything that she does for the community and her store is a beacon of hope and love to many. I am so excited to continue on the legacy and keep growing the community surrounding the store.
One of my goals that I hope to accomplish further down the road of life is to open my own non-profit and honestly maybe even two. I am strong advocate for the war on the drugs. My goal is to help as many people as possible that are struggling with addiction. Addiction has played an absolutely devastating role in our country and across the world. People are dying every day because they don’t have access to the resources they need to help them recover nor the resources that will keep them alive if they aren’t quite ready to go into recovery. For example, I carry Narcan on me at all times in the event I run across someone who is overdosing.
At the end of the day it’s up to them to make the decision to quit but if we show a little love and compassion to them, it’s going to plant that seed in their head that maybe it is time to get help, and whenever they are ready there will be people who are supporting them. One thing I will never understand is why we are so cruel to those who are struggling. Because let’s be honest, EVERYONE is addicted to something. Some are addicted to drugs, some to their phone, drama, food, relationships, etc. We all have problems. Why don’t we work together to make a difference and stop contributing to the fentanyl epidemic.
Additionally, I also have a big heart for animals. It would be so awesome to be able to build a big shelter right in my backyard where I can save animals from being euthanized, dumped, and all the other awful things that happen to our animals. I want to be able to provide a home and a safe place for them until they are able to find their forever homes. This is another growing problem, especially in Oklahoma and I’m tired of seeing it happen. Don’t get a pet if you aren’t going to love it like your family, because they are family.
Final Thoughts
I know I’m going down a lot of different avenues here but these are all very real possibilities for my future and what I want to accomplish in this lifetime. In a perfect world I am able to accomplish all of these things. Worst case, I can narrow it down and keep moving forward from there.
My biggest goal is simply to be able to leave a positive impact on this earth and it’s people during my time here. We don’t live forever and must make the most out of everyday. My message for you all is to be kind. Love large. And don’t regret a single thing.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to me if you ever want to chat about entrepreneurship or anything else. I’m always here.
Hamilton Communications, LLC 
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