Taking a Chance on Yourself | Ashly Hughes, GoSavvySocial #016

Hello everyone. I'm Karissa with Shining Light on Minnesota. We have a super exciting guest here today, Ashly Hughes from GoSavvySocial. Welcome Ashly. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. You bet. So, let's kind of dig into a little bit tell our guests about what you do and why you do it. I am a business development strategist with a little bit of a marketing twist. Uh that's basically the foundation of of GoSavvySocial. We work on organic strategies internally with organizations. Nice. So, how long have you been how long has GoSavvy been around for? So, GoSavvy was actually founded as a turn of events in 2009 and DBA in 2014. Uh, a foundation of an events company and pivoted to a social media website company and now with the foundation of a development strategy. So, it's been in the works. Yeah, absolutely. Tell us a little bit like you did some event planning, everything like that. How did that first start off? I spent a very large amount of money with someone else in December of 2008 and decided I thought I could do it better. Went at it independently, couldn't make it thrive on its own. Then ended up getting approached by my local community festival, my hometown, Iani. Iani Rodeo Jubilee Days to coordinate crafters and vendors for their city festival because their volunteer force had fallen short. Yep. And that turned into working with several different communities, Albertville and Walk-On and St. Michael and communities up north. Nice. Uh the pivot happened in just my fade of community. It's very hard when they don't have the volunteers and it's hard to watch them struggle, right? So, what is your why? What was that? Just kind of trying to help out the communities in general in the beginning or what what drew you into that? The true passion came with the community involvement and it's always been a foundation of who I am. People said people say why do you continue to network if you're at capacity or when you have contracts so so deep into the industry and it's really just my passion for supporting one anothers and referring one anothers where it fits how I got absolutely you right and that's kind of I mean important for people to know on the outside world looking in it's all about the connections that you make and having those conversations and really getting to know the people. Yes. What are some of the interesting people that you've met along the way that have really kind of helped drive you to where you are today? Uh I think my development strategy bloomed most when I was with Doc and Doortech out of now then. So a W2 position. But the leader there is uh is just a phenomenal leader, great coach, a great mentor and and so I was able to spread my wings in development and support that with my marketing background. Nice. So you started off and now you've kind of gotten into coaching. Tell everybody a little bit about that and how that works and what that's all about. So generally I'm working with internal teams to support their marketing and sales efforts more developing a personal sales brand aligned with the company culture and organization and their marketing as a whole and how we pivot that into an organization to generate revenue. And how do you feel that going into different businesses they they take that? Like obviously everybody needs coaching and they need some guidance and how to generate the sales and kind of get that going. Have you had anybody that's kind of made it a little more of an obstacle or that you've had to kind of backgineer it to restart again? I do not do templated strategy. So every organization is a different model that works for them and generally I'm meeting with teams to make sure that we're all in alignment from the start and I know who my strong players are in certain areas that takes some time. Absolutely. Uh there's always a struggle internally I feel like in change or a different strategy but just communicating with the teams to make sure we're all on the same page or addressing concerns right away when we run into them. Nice. Do you So I also noticed you guys or you do a lot of keynote speaking. How did you get into that? I was given the opportunity to speak at a corporate event and it just it sat well with the dealers in the organization and how I was using social media organics verse Facebook boosting or or Google Adwords to promote them using more internal sweat equity and teaching them in front of the group felt phenomenal. Nice. Uh I still you always get a little nervous. Oh yeah, absolutely. You never know what to expect. Like a little on edge. Like even doing podcasts every day. I'm like, let's go. What are we walking into? Yep. Right. Got to do the back background work just to kind of find out the little ins and outs and things like that, too. So, I noticed you stocking and he said so, right? Well, you have to. I have to know what to ask. So, that way when we come into it, I'm just like, "Okay, tell me about you." That's part of what I coach is is a little bit a little bit of research is okay. Yep. So, you kind of started off, tell everybody there's a little bit of a story. Yes. When I did look into you about your grandpa and getting into that and his story. Yeah. He's just was always the community person that stood out. People always knew him. He told jokes. He just represented himself in a way that drew people towards him. And I I'm so passionate about just creating those same relationships. When I walk into a room, I'm a little bit more quirky. Yeah. Uh when I finally let my personality out, it uh I think I'm memorable. And I think creating a brand around a memorable brand for your person is so important. Yep. How do you find or what do you find when you go into places and they don't have a background story or they don't have a story to tell? How do you kind of help them bring that out in their brand recognition? It's very uncomfortable sometimes to get deep into someone's why when they have no idea why. Why? Because I wanted to. Why? Because I cuz I can. Yes. Uh but people really take to you know that people take to a solid story and it creates a great experience for everybody. And if we think about breweries or wineries and going in there, you're anticipating a full experience when you walk in. And that and that's how I get people to realize why do you go to that place because it pulls at my heart. How do we create that experience for you? And how do you reiterate that? Like when you go into places, do you try to find out like when you're walking into a place like I wonder what their story is or you just kind of start thinking about the whole marketing and branding as you're going in somewhere? Oh, it's hard when you're a marketer. You always think you're being marketed to. Yeah, you do. Yeah, absolutely. So, yes, often times I'm looking at other people's strategy and there are some that tread a very gray line, but the gray line taps into their core client. You have to be very wholesome about who you are and how you project that and stand by anything you put out there. Do you do like what areas do you cover? So if someone comes to you and says, "Hey, I need some help. My company needs some help. We need some coaching or I'd love to have you come to our event." What areas do you go out to? Uh I I'm expanding into other states now. Nice. Exciting. Scary. It is. Yeah, it is. uh just because the digital aspect you lose a little bit of personal and I truly believe in the personal touch and creating relationships. We can't walk into organizations and find your decision maker anymore. How do we reach that person when we were a salesperson on the street? How you know? So I face similar maybe impostor syndrome on handling in a a digital environment. But the people I'm choosing to work with in those spaces are good in a digital space already, right? Have you found So, have you gone into any other states yet or you're just going to be going out to other states? Well, I've done in Wisconsin. So, that's out of state, but close enough where I can drive. Uh, I have conversations in Iowa and Nebraska right now. Do you find that with even Wisconsin, people are like, "Oh, you're not from Wisconsin. You don't know the the background history of our state or things like that?" Sometimes they get very clouded if you're not from those areas. And how do you reach and reach out to those people? I think I belong in Wisconsin actually. We always came up in W. It's just people are very genuine out there. You don't have the circles that Minnesota has. There's very everybody's very open and and I'm an all-inclusive inviter. So if there's an event happening, I'm like, do you want to come? Do you want to come? Do you Ashly? Why are you always inviting everyone? Because the more the marrier, you know. Uh, so I I I think I'm driving well with the other states, but yes, Wisconsin has sat better than others. So, in your area of expertise and being an extrovert, do you get exhausted and get overworked and kind of start feeling that you're pulling yourself a little too thin at times? I would call myself an introverted extrovert. Yeah. uh because I do realize when I need to pull back and there are some days where I have a full day of networking and I I know I'm not fully on par, right? So using drive times to prepare myself mentally and be ready for the evening and decompress from there. So I thrive in chaos, mass chaos. I have four children. You probably knew that. Uh and and when my life is silent, I don't Right. What ages are your children? Nine, seven, six, and four. Nice. So very busy. Do you How do you balance home life, work life? We have a really s strong strong support network. Great day care. Great. My mom's always in with the kids once a month at least. And uh and they need that exposure. Yeah, they do. So, Yep. Good. So, you were born in a Santi. Where did you go from there? Tell us a little bit about your schooling, things like that. Oh my gosh. I went to St. Cloud State for law enforcement. Nice. Uh outstanding. Thank goodness I didn't end up there. Uh, I had a very strong marketing mentor out of Eden Prairie in 2014 and that's when my company started to pivot. And I trul I believe and oo people are going to not like me for this but I believe true marketers are everlasting learners. Absolutely. And you can't go to school for marketing and assume that that's going to stick without learning more and more and more every day. Google is changing every day. Social medias are changing every day. Uh how we reach people has changed significantly. Yep. So, uh when people say, "Did you go to school for marketing?" I kind of giggle a little. Uh no, polar opposite, but we'll be good on that one. Uh but it t I mean I would say law enforcement taught me some skills that help me and hurt me. I'm always willing to ask questions, dig deeper, get to the core of the problem and challenge perspectives, right? And I love anyone that also challenges me just because we can learn so much from each other in that space. Well, and that's how you grow. That's what makes you who you are is thinking outside the box and going that extra mile and like, okay, where to next? Like the whole where am I going to go kind of theory and how can I how can I keep growing myself? Absolutely. So, let's talk a little bit about emotional intelligence. How do you feel that with the world changing the way it is with AI, VR, everything like that, people stay connected to themselves, but also to their business and keep their emotional intelligence going forward so they don't get lost behind a computer or screen? My god, good question. uh you know I think we and I will say I struggle with emotional intelligence based on the day what you've been through what you so self-reflecting staying introspective asking yourself questions often last week uh great somebody that always challenges me said I think you're playing small and when we said you should go out of state uh and And I said, "Nah, you know, it's scary. I these conversations I don't know if meant are meant for me, but I definitely want to have them." And and he he was right. It hurt to hear it, but he is right. I was playing small. I wasn't seeing the whole picture. The people I met with were fantastic. It was so really digging deep into when somebody says something to you, it might really hurt to hear, but can you grow from it? And is it true to what you believe internally? Right. Do you think that taking a step back when someone says something obviously like not being reactive, but taking a step back and being like, okay, why are they thinking this way? Like what's what's going on? What am I missing? Maybe I'm missing something there. Yeah. And that's where where I revert to questions to get the full because you my words of the year. I I was not going to pick words of the year this year, but it was perception and perspective that just kept and how you interpret what I say may not be what I actually said to what I was internalizing to say. So being okay, asking the question, asking for a sale, asking for always asking, don't be afraid. Well, I think too with the way technology is, there's not a lot of emotion behind it. So you could say something via text or email come off one way and or have a word read totally the opposite way that you feel. So it's getting that emotion put behind that as well. And I think that's big for businesses to understand that you could be saying something one way but it could be read a totally different way. Right. And I know we like to have things documented but again you're taking the personal out of it. And we we crave that as a society right now. even if we're an introvert. I met somebody at a networking event a week or two ago and he said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm an introvert." And he had stepped aside. I was looking at him all night to catch time with him. Notice he stepped aside and thought, "This is my opportunity." But he he and I just backed off and I said, "Absolutely understand. You need to breathe." And he said, "Why don't you stay here and talk?" So yeah, there's just the ways different ways to work with different people. Not feeling offended when somebody needs to to communicate with you. That's what they need. Yep. What do you feel is important for when your kids grow up? And it's scary to think the way the world's going right now, but the way they're going to be with technology and with everything that's out there. My family is highly exposed to technology just because of absolutely my knowledge, background, fields and we just have very open conversations about it. And I think the more we can make sure we're communicating with our children and understanding the right and wrong and why things are a certain way and make my I the way I was raised I was raised by a single dad. I knew I could call him even if I was in trouble. Absolutely. And I wasn't going to be in trouble. that way he would make sure that all things were right around the situation and I want to make sure that I'm doing that for my kids because I think I got in less trouble because of that because you knew you could always you always had someone to turn to at the end of the day. Yep. Yep. How do you feel like obviously with the way the world's going, doing your keynote speaking, doing all your coaching, everything like that, that's going to change in the future. I think we're going to pivot a little bit more where it's going to be accepted for a while. But if you follow the trends, it pulls back into internal organizations unless you're a proven skill and asset to the organization. And that's when they keep consultants and fractionals and and those people in that space developing. But I also see a pivot to a culture for society and leaders that need to pour into the development of people versus verse leaders that are micromanaging. And you have to give everybody a chance. Everybody kind of learns a different way too. And I think that that's important to really see and recognize what lane you need to be in. It might not be where you start off, but let's let's branch over there and let's see how that works for you. Let's give them those options for sure. And that helps to know your to genuinely know your people on a personal and professional level. Yep. How many people do you have working with you? So if you someone says, "Hey, I I need some help or we have an event I would love to have you speak at or a team that you work with." I'm generally using outside contractors and relationships. That's so when oftentimes marketers don't want to network with marketers, right? But you grow from that though. That's that's huge to know. I agree. And sometimes I'm too busy for that. And you're the best person for that or I'm not the greatest at that. And I don't want to supply them a product that they're not going to be happy with. If I have extra time, energy, and effort, maybe I'll put into it. But but I really want to refer the best person for the job. Somebody had recently contacted me from PR and I had met somebody in the NOA chamber that I truly believed in after our onetoone and he was the best person for the job. Can I do it? Yeah. But do I need it? No. Not quite my lane right now. Yeah. Yep. Do you think that with all the events that you do, do you like being vendored or do you like hosting the events still at all anymore or do you kind of shy away from more of the hosting of the events? I prefer that I just walk in. Yep. Great. Makes it easier. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yep. I think a lot of people don't understand when you do host events everything that goes into it. The planning and just making sure everything's lined up and you're not done until a week later. And everything's then aligned to the company expectation. It's planned on that side. What do you think that with your coaching everything like that? Do you are there certain areas that you like to speak at or that you like to coach in more than others? Is it more of a construction world? Is it more of any kind of a business world or anything like that? I thrive in servicebased industry space that is a saturated market. So their spending, their acquisition cost is large in an AdWords or in a Facebook boost. Their investment is too large for them to withstand as a company. So how do we internalize that sweat equity and produce a better result? Nice. What do you feel about the way the algorithms are going on social media? Do you think that they're Well, obviously they're changing every day, but what what's the learning process on how to make it work for this company versus another one? I think it changes for each organization, and I'm also a marketer that believes in utilizing your content to its optimal capacity. So, I I do use images and video across platforms for organizations because chances are the person you're hitting on LinkedIn is not necessarily the same person you're hitting on Facebook or Instagram. And should you be in all of those spaces, uh if I and the supporters are going to embrace that maybe they missed it on Facebook, but they caught it when they scrolled LinkedIn. Yep. Absolutely. So obviously you're talking about going out into the future like in other states. What else do you see is coming up for you or what would you like to try that's different? I am launching some templated work. Nice. So I do want to help the smaller entrepreneur but I'm finding that my time is limited in that space and I I want to give back. So, I'm developing some lowerc cost strategy books for those that want to do it themselves. Nice. Do you with giving back, what are some of the favorite things you've done to give back or to touch some of those communities in general? I I actually get no business from my local community, but I do love to volunteer. Volunteering at the school um my local chamber. I belong there. I belong there, attend the events, support other comm community businesses. Uh total nine chambers that I belong to and volunteering and so forth. So, which is good for the kids to see. Do you have them get out and volunteer with you too whenever you can? Yes. My favorite is the Zimmerman Wild West days. We go and experience the event and then on Sundays they invite the community to come help clean up from the event. And I think it's great for them to realize that we had fun here, but there's also there's also a community component that needs to come into play and the cleanup and support and this is not a paid community event and people aren't making money off of this, right? It's just the benefit. Yes. And there's a large cost to it. Yeah. Tell everybody I did see something about a large rubber duck in that whole Yeah, they had they had a large rubber duck in the Princeton area. So, the Princeton area Chamber of Commerce had put that all together. It was weird to see a large rubber rubber duck. Actually, I had went to go shop at a small business on my lunch and I pulled out with my car and I giggled a little because there was a gatekeeper uh charging to park in my office parking lot and I never in my life thought I would see what somebody charging for parking in Princeton, Minnesota, but I ended up turning around and parking back in my office space and walking cuz that it drew that much. What all did you guys do or what was all done around it? Did they have like festivities and different things too with it? They had uh so we made a duck. You decorated your duck and I can't remember who in the community won that but I went in thinking I had a pretty strong duck and there were ducks way way way better than mine. Fun. Uh but that was fun to do with the kids too. Yeah. Yep. And it's good to let the community see that in different communities too. Hey, I'm here and I'm bringing it and let's let's Yes. Let's do something fun. Yes. Yes. What do you think that other than your public speaking, do you think you'll be doing public speaking in other states too or is it kind of more of a coaching thing or what do you what are you doing in the other states? I kind of just want to eb and flow and see what happens. Yeah. And that's been again in networking I've kind of been pulled in the right directions and and I trusting the journey. Yeah. Cuz you never know what tomorrow brings. nonetheless later today. Right. Right. How can people find you if they're trying to get in touch with you or want to hire you for an event or public speaking, anything like that? Where can they find you at? Go savvysocial.com. Easy. There's lots of information there. Like I said, new templates for DIYers coming in the next month or so. And uh I And they say that cleaners don't clean their house. And you know, so I'm not the best at my own social media because I have my client social media. Go and do that all day long, all day, every day. Um, not and I think I'm decent at it, but I would say I'm not, you know, steadily focusing on growing that either. So you can follow my socials, go savvy, but and I would greatly appreciate that because I don't How do they schedule an appointment with you? Uh, just go to the contact page. My calendar is available. Easy. Yeah. Perfect. Well, we appreciate having you on today. We look forward to having you on again in the future to see kind of where where you're branching out and everything that you have available. Thank you so much for having me. It was fun. Thank you so much. All right.