Erika Maram : The Journey from Freelance Designer to Successful Entrepreneur

I do really believe 100% from every part of me that everyone has the capacity to be able to do the things that they want and not to be held back by the mental baggage that's in our head that we want to push through.

Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. In each episode we get down and personal with people who go after the things they want to make all their wildest dreams come true. Join us as we unveil and dissect a formula for what it takes to do the thing. Here is your host, Stacy Lauren.

Hey everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. I am so excited to welcome Erica to the show. Hey Erica. Hi. How are you?

I'm good. How are you?

I am doing good. I'm so excited to have you on and I'm especially excited because you helped me just figure out how to silence my notifications on my email.

Happy to help. Yeah.

So we can already see your expert problem solving abilities at hand. I'd love to start off and just have you share with the listeners more about you and your story.

So me if we go into background business wise. I was a bartender for almost 10 years during and after college. In college I was studying art, fine arts and art history. But then with bartending you get to know so many people and learn how to approach them and that customer service experience, I think it's been the most valuable thing I've gotten from that experience. So then when I became a mom I was like, I'm not going to just sit here and let this be my life. So that's when I started doing graphic design for network marketing companies any mlm. I was there doing graphics, doing freebies, doing every single thing. And that gave me the experience in marketing. Like how can I put my visual studies and my customer service experience into something that I can actually offer. So I focus my graphic design into virtual and visual marketing. Something that they can actually see. Not only marketing in sense of the words that you're using, but how can it be visually appealing? Then you can forward four years later I was having clients ask me for copywriting. They were asking if I know anyone that would do their email sequence or automations. Anything regarding their business that they didn't want it to do. They were asking either for referrals or if I was able to do it. So I was like, you know what, I can but I don't want to because I wanted to stay in the things that I like, that it was a passion. So that's when I started Running my own marketing agency with freelancers, and it's been newbie freelancers, because the focus that we've had in the last year, it's more giving those new freelancers the exposure they need and the experience in order for them to actually create a foundation to grow a business. Because it's easy to hire someone that it's already established in their business, in their lane, because they have the experience. But how can you gain the experience if no one gives you a chance? Which is one of the things that I encountered when I first started. So I'm trying to help those new freelancers, those new business owners, get that experience, that exposure, so they can grow into the business that they want. Yeah, I like that.

Because you're taking something that's a high value for you and something that you had a hard time with, and now you're able to help others live up to what they need to do to be able to grow their business and the things that they want.

Mm. Yeah. Because I've been in their shoes and I know how hard it is. And in the last five, six, six years, I've gained that knowledge and I've poured blood, swear, tears, every single thing that I had working until 4am while having to take care of a child and a house and the animals and all the things that overwhelmed us. Still, I was able to grow a business that now pays for everything. My husband just retired in November because it was like, do we need it? No. I have a business that now it's almost automated. I don't have to stay here every single day.

Yeah, I'm really curious. So when it's interesting to me because I had bartended too. And it's funny, I didn't even think about that experience when I talked to people, about how I learned to talk to people because I used to be really shy and I did sales, and that's what I kind of remember as my thing of a way to communicate. But I wonder if the bartending might have had something with that. Because I feel like there is so much skill in there by being able to talk to people, but also while having the pressure of urgency and needing to serve drinks at the same time. And I talk a lot about having life assets. We're really looking at the things that you've done in your life and seeing what strengths you've gained from those things, because then that's going to give you the confidence to do new things. So I just love that you brought that up because I think there's something really important in that experience of you realizing that you had that wealth of knowledge of doing something that may not at the time seemed that. I don't want to. I don't want to minimize it because I think it is a really cool job.

It is a cool job. And I think that us as human beings, we tend to forget the value of experiences because every single thing that we do, we have a chance of either becoming the victim of that situation or learning from it and actually growing and getting something out of it. Even if it was the worst job you've ever had, I'm pretty sure everyone has had one of those jobs that is like, I can't wait until I can quit. You learn something, either a skill or you learn what it's not your passion or, or even learning what are your limits when applying to a job. I don't want to apply to a job that has these things that I hated from my last job because it's not a passion. It's the same thing if we apply it to today's business. In my industry, for example, I don't want to work with entrepreneurs that have certain characteristics just because I know it's going to become a problem in the long run. And in order to not get into the back and forward with them, it's better for us and even better for them to actually me saying, sorry, we cannot help you with that, but I can refer you to another agency that might be able to help you, because when two magnets don't match, you're gonna start feeling that repulsion and it, it affects both businesses. So why even pray?

Yeah, I'm so curious because you mentioned earlier that you wanted to stay in the things that you liked. So that's when you started to do this program where you started outsourcing things. And now you're saying in terms of you even working with people that you like or that follow the same characteristics of the things that, that you believe in. I'm. I just feel like there's something so powerful about you already being able to tap into that because so many people will waste years and be with people or do the things that they don't want and burn energy after energy of all of that. And then that minimizes your opportunity cost because you're just completely burnt out. And I'm just curious, how did you learn that so early on?

Experience, honestly. I remember when I was first starting, I thought I had landed this huge client because she had a big. By then, it was what I would consider big. She had like 25k followers on Instagram. And for us, by that time, it was just me. It was like, wow, that's a lot of exposure of my work. And I worked for her for like a year and a half, and it was very exhausting. I didn't have energy after designing her stuff. I didn't have, or I barely had energy to create anything else because it was a lot of back and forward. She wanted something, she worded it a certain way. I created it and it was like, no, I don't like that. That's not what I meant. And we would finish a project, and then one or two months later, we had to redo it again because she was changing her mind. And for me, as a designer, that was draining my soul. So I decided, you know what? This is the type of client that I don't want to have. We finished our contract, and then right after that, I felt. So it was a mix of feeling between accomplished because I had just finished something. But at the same time, it was like, what am I supposed to do now? Because it was a good paying client. If I tell you that it was two weeks later, it was a lot of time. I got a DM on Instagram. And my Instagram is not big. I have like a thousand followers or something. Back then I had like, I don't know, 600 maybe. I got a DM from an actual big bay. And when I say big, it's like 200k followers, an account. And they. They just said, hi, Erica, we need your services, plain and simple. I was like. So I closed one door and another one open, and I felt like it didn't open a door. It was a door, a window, the attic. All the doors in a house would open just because I let myself go of that thing that was holding me back. So I gained knowledge from that and I. My goal, my mission is to learn from that experience and share it with the freelancers that we hired. Tell them, you know, if this project doesn't feel right with you, I don't want you to do it. I want you to actually feel passionate, and I want you to be able to tell me, look, I'm having a hard time with it. Can we pass it to someone else? It actually happened last week. We had one girl working a project and another one working something simpler. And they switched projects because one was very passionate, giving the other one idea. So they were. They were cross and they approached me and they were like, can we change projects? Is because we don't feel aligned with what we chose. Of course, it turned out amazing.

Once you see that can happen for you, where you close the door and then you see all these other doors open, you're able to really open and expand even more because you might be scared to let something go, but then you don't realize until you've seen it how many new things open up when you're able to do that. I think the fact that you've seen that over and over again, then, now you're getting more confident when you need to do it again.

Yeah, exactly. It's that ego. It holds us back from so many things. You're in this bubble, your comfort zone, and you see that other shiny thing and you're like, oh, but if I let this bubble go, what can happen? And then that ego holds you back from experiencing that other awesome shiny thing. What's the worst that can happen? When you step out of your bubble and your comfort zone, either you enjoy it or you learn that it's not as shiny as you thought it was. You still learn something. Therefore, next time you see that shiny thing, you're not going to run to it. You're going to be like, been there. Film that move on the next.

I'd love to hear also, just back to their. You that was still starting this business because you had been bartending and then you had been doing art classes. So you have this visual ability to see things from there. Art class, I'm assuming. And then you're. You're with the bartending. You're getting the people experience. How did you actually take the step to actually start?

Necessity. I was in denial of just being a mom. I needed something else. I didn't want it to just sit there making dinner, feeding a baby and that being my life. I wanted something else. And one thing that I knew that I was enjoying and that I was good at was designing and art. So I started posting things on Instagram. I started talking because I'm not the most social person, I'll be honest. I have certain amount of social energy. And then I'm like, can we go? I'm pretty sure most of the people are. We just hide it very well. So I was on messenger on Instagram, DMs just talking to people, saying like, hey, I love what you do, and blah, blah. Just being friendly. Honestly, it was just creating relationships. Therefore, they were going into my profiles and seeing what I had done. And they would, I don't know, 10 conversations a day, maybe one. Some days none would ask for, hey, can you design this for me? Sure.

Here you go.

10 bucks. Because I was just starting. It was experience. All those little projects of 10 bucks helped me create a portfolio of things that I had created. I started teaching people how to just get out of their comfort zone when it came to the online world. What's the worst that can happen? You send someone at the end saying like, hey, I like what you do. Can you tell me more? And they ghost you. They don't reply. Fine, yeah.

And I just am thinking, when you started, is that what made it easier? Because you were only charging $10 and so it was an easier way to make the first step. Something I'm exploring is a lot of times people think they need to have every step pre planned before they even start. But it sounds like that was kind of like you had an idea of what you wanted and then you made this first step of charging $10 and then doing it that way. And then as you did that, the new things sort of evolved as you were going along.

Honestly, I just had that one offer which is it was designing either an Instagram post or I'll make you some kind of graphic that you can post and see how it works. That was it. I didn't want it to overcomplicate it. I didn't want it to just, oh, I have a logo, I have my license, I have all these boxes checked so now I can start a business. Now you don't need all those things. Does it make you more official? Does it make you feel better? Of course. But in order to start, you don't need to check all those boxes. All you need at first is practice and networking. Get your name out there, start practicing your skills. Not only the design skills, I was also polishing my talking points, like what are the conversations that are actually converting when I talked about this, did it convert? No. But then I created a friendship out of it that one year later, they are asking for a logo, they are asking for a website. So it's creating that relationship that actually made it a foundation. Because I created a lot of $10 offers. But did they make me into the thing I am today? No, it was more that connection with people, that relationship that actually created that foundation for the business that we have today.

How do you handle rejection?

Honestly, I don't pay that much attention to it because the way I see it, it's their opinion, it's not mine. It's their reality. Doesn't have to become mine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You don't like it, that's okay. You're entitled to your own likes and dislikes. I Have mine. You don't like my offer, you don't like my design, you don't like my style. That's completely okay. There are more designers out there. You don't like talking to me, that's okay, too. One thing that I learned from a very young age was that I'm not a $100 bill. I'm not entitled to get to be liked by everyone. Would I like to? Probably not. Because can you imagine your house full of people that actually like you and nagging you all day long, like, hey, how are you? Hey. It would become a point that it's just like, oh, can I just be alone? So for rejection, it's honestly taking it as lightly as possible. You're entitled to your opinion, so be it. You don't like it, you don't have to. I like it. It's my thing. I like it. You don't like my plant, it's mine. It's not yours.

I'm wondering if it started that way or if you built that kind of muscle up, the rejection muscle, because you got more confident with what you were doing.

I think it's come back. It's a practice from when I was a bartender because there's always going to be that person that is like, oh, you make this too salty or it's too strong and they bring it back to you and you have to do it again. And even though you're doing it by the book, someone's always going to say no. And that's something that you're going to have to go through in school, in college, in any kind of job, someone's always going to come to you and say no. It's how you react to those things. And in this business, the online world, you're not just dealing with the people that actually walk into a store. It's a world. So you have to be open to getting those nasty DMs. There are days that I get nasty DMs and I'm like, people are so mean. And I kind of let it get to me. And then I'm, well, they're entitled to their opinion. And then you. It's switching that mindset of, am I going to be a victim of what they're saying? Where am I going to learn? What can I do to help them see that it's okay, that they don't like it? It's a non sight switch.

Honestly, I've been kind of thinking about this a lot. I'm about to start a, start a podcast challenge next month. And so I've been really. When you're doing something like a podcast, you realize all the things that hold you back because you could see what bottlenecks you have and what your comfort zone is and what you're scared of and all of these things. And so one of the things I'm really working on is helping people process when that voice comes up saying, I'm not good enough or what? People aren't going to like this or being self conscious about whatever, because once all those thoughts disappear, then your mind is full and that's when you're able to expand to do all these great things because you're. You're not filled up with all the things that are swimming in your head.

Yeah, I completely agree. And I'm 100% sure that it's an ego thing. Your ego holds you back because you're in that comfort zone. Like, are you really good enough to do that? Yes, I am. Are you really opening to just doing that, even though you might not be or you're not good enough to do that? Watch me. Watch me give it a try. What if you fall? I stand up. Childs do it all the time. Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean that I'm not going to fall. I fall down the stairs a lot. Do I just sit there and cry? Yeah, sometimes, because it hurts. And then I stand back up and keep on moving because it's a choice. You have that choice of staying in that comfort zone or pushing your ego to the side and just giving it a try. Will people judge me because of my voice? Because of how I sound? Because I have a different accent? Yeah. Do I care? Not really. Because they don't pay my bills. Have I had to learn that? Yes. I've had people constantly DM her because there is a word that it's not used like that in the English language. And I'm like, well, English, not my first language. At least I know how to type. Thank you. Or sometimes they come to me on DM or on Facebook and they're like, well, I can't really understand what you're saying because of your accent. I'm like, I'm sorry. You can read the caption. I'm giving you options. If you decide to focus on the negative things, it's on you. It's not on me. So it's how you focus your energy. And if you're going to let that ego hold you back or just kick it to the side and be like, let me show you what I'm capable.

Of I'd love to hear more about your business, what it looks like today and who you're helping with the work that you're doing today.

Today we, I would say that 90% of our clients are female entrepreneurs that have been in the business for over four years. So we don't serve new businesses in the terms of the people who outsource things to us are the established businesses, but the freelancers that we hire are the ones that are starting out. We want you to be our next client. Basically, I'm giving you the door, I'm opening that door for you to come here, get, practice, learn the skill, develop it, put your name out there. We've had freelancers that started with us. We had a girl that started with us last year in June, July. She just left our agency because she has so many clients now in her own business that it's pointless working two places at once. And I'm like, that's what I wanted. I don't want you to stay here working with me for the rest of your life. I want you to be my next client and be like, hey, can I outsource this automation, that email sequence to one of the new girls? Like I was sure.

What have you noticed with the people that you're serving that are doing really well? Have you noticed any common patterns with them that gets them to be able to do.

The thing I would say is it's a mixture of actually being responsible and showing up like it's your full time business? Because we have a lot of freelancers, they have their corporate job, they have a 9 to 5, but they still work freelance jobs after that and they actually show up, they actually get their job done. And we also have clients that have their nine to five and they still show up for their businesses just because it's their focus. It's like having a second child. You can have a kid that is already a toddler and goes by itself to the bathroom, but you still have to take care of it, you still have to serve food while still taking care of your newborn. So it's being responsible and not treating that job business as a hobby, as a part time thing. It's showing up, being responsible with it and not giving up. Because the first two years, in my opinion are the first, the worst because you're getting a lot of rejection, you're getting a lot of months that it's no new client. You are struggling to define who you are and who you're serving because you still don't have a voice, you're not established. You're having a really hard time. Same when you're a new mom. Even if it's just a dog the first few weeks while potty training, learning what food they like, it's hard. Same with a business. The first time around, it's a pain, but you learn from it.

Do you think that's the thing that helps the most is learning from things, being hard and then being able to apply what you've learned? Or is there something that you've noticed that helps people when they're going through something hard and how to get through it?

So in that case, I would say that it's necessity. It's not until you need something that you actually put blood, sweat and tears into it. Because it's easy. Just saying, oh, I want to do it just for fun because I'm good at it, but I don't really need it. You don't show up for it. You forget to put stories and posts just to promote your business. But then when your mortgage depends on that business actually creating an income, then you're going to have it top of the list on your mind, like, oh, I got to post. Oh, I have to engage or I have to answer DMs. If it's not on the top of your list and you don't need it, it's going to pass a week and then you're going to answer that dm.

And what would you say would be your number one piece of advice for the listeners on doing the thing?

Don't give up. Even if you feel like you're not worthy, if you feel like it's just not working out and you're on your number three and you're still not making that income, I would say don't give up. You can redesign yourself, redesign your business. And that doesn't mean just visually, it means your offers. You can redesign your offers to serve a different type of person. You can reward how you have your sales pages and the words that you use. We actually had a client two years back. He had an offer that it was $10 and he wanted to create a funnel, an automation for it. And it wasn't selling. It wasn't. We were doing ads, we were doing so many things and it $10. Why is no one budgeting? So we reworded the whole automation that he had sent us. We were like, you know what, Let us dig into it, search the words, see how we can make this appealing. And if we turned it into a $100 offer, he made 10k out of that offer. Just because of how we presented the words we use. It's how you actually attract people.

And is there anything that I didn't ask you that you wish I asked you?

I don't know. I don't think so.

Could you please share with the listeners where they can learn more about you and if they're interested in either being a freelancer or a client, where they can get in touch with you the best way.

It's honestly on Instagram. Our Instagram. It's Erica with a K dot. Maram M A R A N. That's where we are both. I have a team dedicated just to Instagram. So there's someone always answering DMs just so we don't leave you hanging. Emails take a little bit more time because they can get filled pretty fast. But dms, there's a whole bunch of people there. Someone's going to answer you. Perfect.

Well, thank you so much for coming on. It's been great to get to know you. I'm really excited to listen back to a lot of the things that you said because I think a lot of this can be, it can really help people in terms of identify what their life assets are to build confidence to be able to do more things. And I think that's why you're able to help so many new freelancers start something new is because you have this unique ability to be able to help people build their strength, that muscle of confidence, so then they're feeling more and more confident to do new things.

Thank you.

And for the listeners, thank you for joining and do the Thing. Do the thing that lights you up. Do the thing that gets you excited. And we will see you next time.

Thanks for listening to the do the Thing podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. But even more, we hope you'll be inspired to do the thing. Do you have a burning question on doing the thing that you'd like answered? How about an inspiring do the Thing story of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Just leave us a voice message at dothing callcast co or email us at hello@dothethingpodcast.com.