Pivot With Purpose Season 6 Episode 17 Kristina Bartold-Sorgota Full Transcript

Meghan Houle (00:01.742)

Christina, welcome to the Pivot With Purpose podcast. I'm so honored to have you here on the show today.

Kb (00:10.383)

my gosh, I am so excited to be here, May, and you're one of my fave people. I just love you, I think you're the best, and yeah, I'm just so honored to be here.

Meghan Houle (00:18.414)

I was thinking about it today, knowing the anticipation of this recording, that I'm like, feel like you're probably one of my favorite moments in the past 12 months of someone new coming into my universe. Seriously. So, just gonna say that out loud for the listeners. And I know you're the queen of building community. So for all listening, we're just gonna drop nuggets right away, people. You know, I met Christina.

Kb (00:32.443)

That is so sweet and

Meghan Houle (00:44.568)

highly investing in myself and pushing my comfort zone of getting into new rooms and masterminds and all the things wherein, gosh, I will tell you, and I just know you're so amazing at this, so I know you stand behind me here too, but there's so much magic in connecting with new people. And Christina's in Canada, which we can go into, as you guys know, I'm here in Boston, but to stay connected and have a community and have...

like real women that do support you, who are real, who struggle, who have challenges, who you can lean on. It's so magical. So I just feel so grateful for this connection and thanks for putting up with me and all my craziness as well.

Kb (01:24.527)

No craziness. You're so funny. like, honestly, I think this is like one of the most powerful things about being a female entrepreneur is like having an amazing group of friends. And like, I always say this, I'm like, the people I do business with, like my husband always be like, those aren't your friends. I'm like, they're my friends. Like they're my ride or die. They're my ride or die. my family. because nobody gets like what we're doing and like how we're doing it. it's

Meghan Houle (01:38.978)

But they are.

Yeah.

Kb (01:46.209)

nuts over here for you. It's nuts over here for me. And I just think there's just so many good things and hard things. And that's why it's so important to have this community. So likewise, you are one of my favorite things that joined my world in the last year too. like us meeting in Napa, we've connected since like in Nashville and I came to visit you guys in Boston. Like this is just the beginning.

Meghan Houle (02:06.38)

Yeah, no, we got a big wide world out there. So I cannot wait for it all. And at the heart of this podcast, talking about pivots and creation and all of that, I love to sort of start in the here and now, and then going into some deep dives into your background, but also to like what you're leading and just all that you manage within your agency. And I just know you help so many people, but what's going on in your world?

right now that you're super excited about, like where are we catching you? Yeah, what do you got going on? A million things. Yeah.

Kb (02:40.667)

Yeah, yeah, it feels like a lot of good stuff, which is awesome, but mostly have been. So I call them the social snippet or social media and podcast agency. And I've been a bit in my like speaker girl era, which I think is so fun, like getting to speak on some cool stages and talk to people about how to build community in their businesses and in in really like.

sales and how they can kind of grow their networks to kind of grow their net worth. And so that's been such a big part of like what this year has kind of brought me, which has been such a gift and so funny because when we were in Nashville, I looked at Marina and I said, my gosh, I would love to get like two speaking gigs this year. Like that would be awesome. And it's like the power of saying these things out loud. Like I know how woo that sounds. It has been nonstop. Like people are reaching out to me from everywhere being like, Hey, do you want to speak as a man? Hey, do you want to do this? And

It's been pretty amazing. So that's kind of like what I'm really excited about. we, we really serve, we have 85 clients, man, you're one of our fab VIP clients that we do podcasting for. And it's just been so cool to see like the evolution of how these platforms have helped change these people's businesses.

Meghan Houle (03:45.966)

Yeah, no, 100%. No, I fully agree with you, the power of saying it out loud, but actually putting some very intentional action behind it through your channels, how you're showing up on socials, making sure people know how to work with Christina and what you want to be doing, which I feel like is such a miss for many people because, and I posted about this last week on LinkedIn, everyone just feel like somebody should be thinking of them. And it's like, no one's thinking of us, okay?

like they are, but also not if we're not putting ourselves out in a strategic way to be like, I want to do this or I can do this or being connected to two people that can say your name in a room of opportunity because you know you do that. There's so much power and connection. I don't know. Was there a shift for you where you were really ramping up to do that or how do you feel like this abundance was like called in? Any secrets to success there? Dropping more nuggets in early on. Yeah.

Kb (04:44.893)

Well, I'm just somebody who am a huge believer in like what you, how do you say this? I was messing up, like what you give is what you get kind of thing. And so I always tell this story, but like a few years ago I was talking to somebody and I was like, my gosh, like I have like eight discovery calls this week, like, like it's nuts. And he was like, eight, like, wow, like how did you get so many leads? Like, tell me about it. And I was like, I give like 40 referrals a week. Like, I'm not joking. Like I meet so many new people, people are always looking for stuff. So I practice so much goodwill with other people.

Meghan Houle (04:52.631)

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (05:14.318)

Yeah, that's awesome.

Kb (05:14.619)

So I think when I started to tell people like, this is something that I'm interested in, I wanna talk about this. And I think it also helped too, I ran my own event and I have had some stage experience and like, you know, doing some speaking, I have like kind of a message. But once you start telling people like what's on your heart and what your vision is for your business, people start to kind of rally behind it. And so I think that that's like one of the things I would say is like, I wouldn't go to people and be like, you got a speaking gig for me, like I just wanna like, I wanna speak, like that's not the vibe, but like.

Meghan Houle (05:19.629)

Yep.

Meghan Houle (05:42.04)

Right, that's not how we do it. Really? That doesn't work? So weird.

Kb (05:44.573)

That's not it guys. Yeah, it's like actually like my first business coach ever told me she's like, you know what you should do? You should friend 150 people on Facebook every single day. And I'm like, what? And now I look back on it I'm like, I'm so happy I did not listen to this woman. But like, you know, we have to do the stuff that really works for us.

Meghan Houle (05:58.134)

yeah.

Meghan Houle (06:04.526)

Totally. Yeah.

Kb (06:05.409)

But yeah, I would say I try to give what I want and try to give opportunities to other people. And, and I think you do that as well, Diane. And so I think that that's a big piece of it is that if we're seeking something, how do we actually create it for ourselves and then be able to lift others using it as well.

Meghan Houle (06:21.122)

Love that. Well, take us back to the beginning. What was your initial spark that led you to start this social snippet? And I think you started during the pandemic, right? Tell us about that, yeah.

Kb (06:34.663)

So it's funny, am like, people are always like, like, why did you get your MBA? I'm like, what MBA? This is so funny. But school of life, guys.

Meghan Houle (06:44.736)

School of Hard Knocks, crack a book about it, know, just to help her hear the same. Yeah. Mm -hmm.

Kb (06:49.085)

But yeah, like, you know, I graduated university and worked at the university for years after I loved supporting students. And a big piece of my love for that was actually love creating community. Like I loved writing events for them and I loved, I managed residences, managed, and then I managed people who managed residences, and I managed people who managed people who managed residences. So was like, that was kind of my jam for a long time. But I always had this like love for social. did it as a side hustle.

I never thought it would lead to literally anything. I was like, this is kind of fun. Like that I do this thing that, you know, other people don't know how to do, but it's weird that they don't know how to do it because it's my gifting, right? It comes so naturally to me. And so I was doing that. And during the pandemic, I started, I have a master's in leadership and I started doing Myers -Briggs for people because people were at home and that's a great time to dive into your personality. And so I would do Myers -Briggs for people and I would sell out all of my stuff on Instagram.

Meghan Houle (07:36.504)

Totally.

Kb (07:42.619)

So Instagram, LinkedIn, people, was getting corporate gigs. was kind of nuts. Like now that I look back on it, just like what we were able to do. And Maria, who's my business partner now, was my VA. So we had this great conversation and we start working and every single one of my one -on -one coaching clients, I got a life coaching certification, I do the whole thing. Every single one of my coaching clients somehow turned into like a business client. Like I would be teaching them how to create flow desk opt -ins. I would be teaching them how to...

Meghan Houle (07:42.894)

Wow.

Kb (08:12.093)

sell offerings. I was constantly working with them on how to build community within their businesses. So everyone who worked with me left with a side hustle. And I was kind of like, feel like I'm kind of onto something. So I went to Maria and I said, hey, this is kind of random because I really thought I was in my dream job. I'm 28. I'm in my dream job. I'm in the job I thought I'd have when I was 65. So I'm kind of like, what's going to happen next? I don't know. And I'm like, Maria, do you want to do this with me? Originally, she said no. But then she pivoted. She pivoted. And she said yes.

And we've been in business ever since. So in May of 2021, we got started with two clients that were kind of gifted to us by a friend. And then it has been kind of gangbusters since.

Meghan Houle (08:51.906)

Yeah, and shout out to Maria. Love her. So I am always so jealous when, you know, there are two female founders that you know really love working together. So I feel like you guys have such an incredible synergy and then obviously have built out an amazing team from there. do you feel, so what's the yin and the yang, right? Because you think about going into business with someone, which can be really scary.

And I know for someone who creates teams on my end from the recruiting side, my job matchmaking error, the personalities, culture fits, like all of that have to go in. And sometimes you just click and there's that chemistry. And then we obviously see people get into business that the chemistry is not there and it just feels forced and it falls apart. Where do you guys feel like you compliment each other? Just so curious about that. Cause I know you're same, but also very different, right? Yeah, yeah.

Kb (09:44.711)

So different, we're so different. Are you a believer in, and maybe some of your listeners definitely are, are you believer in human design? Have you ever done human design? Okay. So that was a game changer for Maria and I. So Maria is all things creative and I'm all things strategic. That's kind of the way our brains kind of work. And so I'm the first person to tell you, I can build out a full strategy, everything, and she is the first person to like,

Meghan Houle (09:53.243)

yeah, totally, yeah.

Meghan Houle (09:57.901)

Okay?

Meghan Houle (10:02.766)

Mm -hmm.

Kb (10:13.329)

bring it to life with creativity. And so really where this line is, is we work really well together in the sense of we have so much mutual respect for each other. And that is something that I think is so important. That it's not just like we choose to like each other, like love each other. It's like we have this profound respect for the other person and the way that they do work. And that took time, like in a way, like when we started working together, I'm a manifesting generator to my core.

And I have 1 ,000 ideas a day. I just have to tell you, I think you'll laugh at this. I bought a... Yeah, I know.

Meghan Houle (10:45.986)

No, I'm like literally the same person and I have to like rope myself in daily. Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

Kb (10:51.389)

I know, we're both doing the most. But Meg, like I bought a 360 photo booth the other day. And the only way I could get away with that was because Maria was on vacation. And then Ben on my team, who I know you know well and who will probably listen to this, but know, Ben's fabulous and I got him to research all these things and this poor man, he's like, can you please like stick to one thing? But it's just funny because I think...

Meghan Houle (11:01.516)

You have a hike, we'll just do this on the side. Yeah. Yeah.

Kb (11:17.665)

What's so interesting about Maria and I is she's a projector. And so a big piece of what she's so good at is kind of that eagle eye view into a business. So I'm the person I'm like, you know, tossing and turning and I'm moving and shaking. I have all these ideas. like, hey, threads just happened. This just happened. Like whatever, whatever, like you're building, building, building. But Maria is so good at actually slowing me down and being like, hey, like how does this fit into the bigger vision of what we're doing?

How does this fit into how we're gonna make things happen? How does this make our team feel? Hey, our team member is going through this. How do we offload work? She is so present and I am so futuristic. So I think those are just some of the ways that we've complimented each other in the yin and the yang, but I just know that it's been so impactful for us working together that neither of us would have ever done this alone. And we couldn't imagine having done it with anyone else.

Meghan Houle (12:03.724)

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, and you know, I know very quickly, as you were saying, I mean, you put it out there, you started to get a lot of referrals, and now you've really grown this rapid business. How have you guys managed all of the rapid growth and what do you feel like?

some of the challenges you faced over the past couple of years of, cause I know it's like you get the inquiries that come in and you possibly can't get to everyone, right? But how do you feel like you really navigate some of that and decide who is best to work with as well and dealing with some of those challenges also? Yeah.

Kb (12:41.307)

Yeah, that's definitely been my challenge. would say like we grew fast and I think one of my gifts in our business, which Maria would say, I think if she was on this podcast too, is my gift. I have a huge capacity for work. think like bad quality or good, but like I can work a lot. work quickly. Like that's just been kind of how I've been trained up in, you know, my corporate life. And so I do things quickly. I take a lot of messy action. I'm okay to try things. I'm okay to fail.

Meghan Houle (12:43.522)

Mm -hmm.

Meghan Houle (12:54.382)

Hmm.

Kb (13:10.983)

that it's just like part of my personality. And Maria's not quite like that where she's so much more thoughtful with the things that she does. And so it's been such an asset to have both, but I think where I've really played a key role in some of our growth and the frequency of it or the speed was really the fact that like, I'm okay trying things and they're not going well. Not with clients, but like, you know, with partnerships with, you know,

content with things on our end, with offerings, like, you know, I'm always okay to try things. And so we grew really quickly. We had two clients then by the, you know, four month mark, we had five or six by the one year mark, we were at 25. We had two full -time employees. Like we had come really fast at it. And, you know, as people would never worked in an agency, like we had so many and still so many battles like of, you know, how does this work? How do people do this? How do people do that? And the key to this of when worked is network. Like,

I can't tell you enough, Meg, how many times people have asked where it's been like, how'd you grow so fast? I'm like, because I had great people I could ask questions to. That there were people who owned social media agencies that were two or three steps ahead of us that would let me call and be like, hey, I had this happen with a client, is that normal? Hey, I'm noticing this with a client, is that okay? Just these things that are so inherent for us, right?

It's just amazing and I think that's why I'm so passionate about not only creating these rooms, but being in them because it's an amazing way for us to be able to be like, hey, have you tried this? Do you do this? What's your professional opinion on that? And that helps us all move farther faster.

Meghan Houle (14:46.712)

And I know something else you're incredible at is building community, which not until I feel like really I tapped into our masterminds that we're in with Blueprint and have been in and then just some of the other things I know you and I both love of like really what community means. But I know your podcast is called Community. I just feel like you are the queen of that. What strategies would you say you've used to build

and maintain first and foremost such a strong community just around your agency. What does that mean for you? yeah, when we say community.

Kb (15:23.847)

For me, think it's been about, again, giving what I want from others. I'm the first person to make an introduction. I'm the first person to...

Meghan Houle (15:29.186)

Mm.

Kb (15:32.601)

offer somebody help. If someone needs it, I can give you an example. This woman had reached out to me and she could very well be a competitor and I'm doing air quotes. You can't see it in the audio, but I'm doing air quotes because I don't really believe in that, but she runs an agency. It's not the same size as ours. It's local to me. We have every reason not to be friends. And she was like, called me on the phone crying because she was like, hey, I'm having a hard time with my profit margins. This is how much I'm paying people. And I'm like, my God, you're

really overpaying your employees. Like she was paying her employees like probably five times what I was paying. I'm very proud of what I paid my employees. And so I was like, my goodness, like how do you kind of get into this? And she was like, you know, I talked to this person, this coach told me to do this. And I'm like, okay, well like what if you met this person halfway and you did this and you did a package trade and this, so this person is still beginning to save them on a money, but maybe this and that. And we were able to like really come up with a solution. And she was like, would it be okay if I kept your calendar? Like I'm like, yeah, book in whenever you want, like whatever you need, I'm here for it.

Meghan Houle (16:30.018)

Yeah.

Kb (16:31.173)

Right, like I've always been that person and I think it's because I've received that so much. And I think when you're building community, it's often like, there's a lot of talk out there, I think around ROI, which I think is really important. Like you wanna have a return on investments and investments of time and stuff like that. But when we're building community, like a big piece of it has to be about us going first, us showing leadership. And I'm just such a big believer in that reciprocity that comes from us being able to show up for someone.

Meghan Houle (16:59.694)

Wow, no, that's so lovely. I don't know, question for you then on the flip side as for individuals that are so freely giving and kind and considerate and so generous with information and truly want to help people. I know you and I are so aligned there. On the flip side, and I get this a lot in my business, especially as a recruiter, where there's a pretty clear definition of what you do. I think there's been a lot of misconceptions.

over the year on what recruiters do and the time that we have available for everyone. How do you manage that and your boundaries on the other side of it, Christina, for maybe somebody listening in? And I know a lot of women in business and just entrepreneurs in general struggle with the people pleasing and saying, yep, I can help everybody. And then you almost get into this regret moment because maybe it feels like one -sided or you feel like someone's taking advantage of you. On the flip side, how do you manage your boundaries with

as well or maybe when do you know it's time to say, hey, here's my Calendly, but it's also connected to a payment. Sorry, you know? No, I mean, I'm not sorry actually because I just like did that two weeks ago. But I love everyone, but time is time. It's like you're such a valuable gem of information wealth. Like I think sometimes people really tap into that well and they're like, how much can I get? How much can I And maybe you don't have that, but I think that does happen, Christina though. It happens out there, you know? Yeah.

Kb (18:09.392)

What is it?

Kb (18:13.372)

Yeah.

Kb (18:24.357)

No, no, no, it happens. It happens for sure. And like, it's funny because I was recently doing a podcast episode with a few friends and we were like, okay, let's talk about boundaries as community builders. Like, let's do that. And all of us were like, my God, I don't have any. Like, I don't have any boundaries. Like, I'm so bad at that. Like, we can't.

Meghan Houle (18:34.188)

Mm -hmm.

Meghan Houle (18:38.006)

No, but it feels like it's used it, but maybe then that doesn't exist. I don't know. I'm just so curious. Yeah. Yeah.

Kb (18:42.829)

Yeah, you know, it's so hard for me, Meg, because I, I'm such a believer, like, I can't stop saying this, like, in reciprocity, but it's like, I'm such a believer in reciprocity that even sometimes when I'm being tested, I'm like, okay, I know that something's good is on the other side of this. So I'll be kind of like, even if it's not with this person, like, I'll be rewarded by the universe. So that may be not be the best way to live. But one of the things that I have has always resonated with me, and so I had a really, this is not that impactful of a story, but recently, I this woman,

Meghan Houle (18:45.527)

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (18:57.07)

That's good, yeah.

Meghan Houle (19:02.198)

Okay. Yeah.

Kb (19:12.445)

had reached out and she wanted to do a call and she just wants to talk about collaborations. And I rescheduled the call twice. And one was because I've canceled flight. So I can only do, know, God's at work over here. I can't, I can't make the plane go. But one of them was like maybe for a less good reason. And I, but I sent her this very sincere message as being like, I'm so sorry. like, I, this has been an impossible season. I'm in, and you know, Meg, you and I both, we're like 10 hours of meetings, back to back traveling. Like, you know, where I'm taking discovery calls from,

Meghan Houle (19:21.517)

right.

Meghan Houle (19:36.944)

yeah, nonstop.

Kb (19:42.543)

like from the airport, you know, living in this way that's not actually conducive sometimes for like a healthy life. And so I was like, I'm really sorry. Like, I feel like I'm in a really impossible season. And she like deleted the calendar invite and then basically it was like really upset about it. And I was reeling about this. Like, I was like, my God, like she came to me through a referral. Like I didn't like, like I don't like to cancel things more than once. Like, I don't even like to cancel things once, but I was like, this isn't great. Like whatever, whatever.

Meghan Houle (19:49.665)

Mm -hmm.

Meghan Houle (20:07.404)

No, I hear you, yeah.

Kb (20:11.841)

And I realized that if I was gonna disappoint her with those types of actions, I was probably never gonna be what she was looking for. And somebody who doesn't have empathy for like the situation where I'm like, hey, like I'm actually emailing you because I'm from New York, I'm like in New York, I'm trying to get home and like my flight's canceled and so I won't be home tomorrow. I'm like, whatever. I'm like, that probably isn't someone I'm gonna wanna do business with. And so there's this Glennon Doyle quote where she talks about like, you know, talking to her daughter and she talks about how like it's like,

it's worse to disappoint yourself than it is to disappoint someone else. And I think that's something that I've been living in in business lately is like, if I do this, will I be disappointed in myself? Will I be resentful? Will I be... In my episode with Lori, that Lori Harder, I had on my podcast, that was such a great example. I had asked her to be on my podcast 10 times. I probably went on 10.

Meghan Houle (20:56.44)

Hmm. Ooh, I like that. Yeah.

Kb (21:05.501)

And she was always like, yes, but it has to be the right time. Yes, but it has to be right time. And I finally got the right time. And she said to me, the reason why this took so long is because I love you and I didn't want to do this out of a place of resentment. And I didn't want to come and be mad that I was doing this before one of my events because I wanted to just be fully present with you. And I was like, damn, like that's permission that like I needed like to be able to do some of these things where it's not, I can't be working 80 hours a week. Like, you know what I mean? Like I needed some of that permission. So.

This is a long winded answer Meg, but I would just say like, this is an ongoing struggle. I think especially as your community grows, sometimes like you mean something different to your community than it means to you. And I'm such a big believer of like, even at my events and I actually borrowed this from Lori of like, I always tell people, like, these events are not about me, they're about you guys. And like, you don't want to be friends with people on the stage, you want to be friends with people in the seats. Because those are the people who are going to make impact in your business. Those are the people who have the capacity for like huge friendship. And so,

Meghan Houle (21:35.618)

Yeah.

Kb (22:03.707)

Yeah, I think it's figuring out like what's the line of what's what's going to be needle moving for you. But also like if you're going to be disappointed by doing something, it's just best not to.

Meghan Houle (22:12.526)

No, that's such great advice. No, I feel that. Obviously, I love Lori. Hi, Lori. Shout out to Lori. That's why I had said resentment. It's funny that word had come up with her too because it's also not necessarily resentment. Sometimes it more is like a force. You feel like you're like…

Kb (22:20.857)

Hahaha!

Meghan Houle (22:37.634)

for saying and like, yes, I don't want to disappoint this person. But then the outcome of that may feel force word if it's feeling a little more organic and someone's like excited to be on like you probably have those people on your podcast too or you know, or maybe you get pitched from like PR people and like you pick it on and you know, they're like not super pumped to be on a podcast or maybe you don't be I've learned how to set better boundaries.

Kb (22:58.373)

I do.

Meghan Houle (23:00.482)

but you're like, this is going to be terrible. So I love that. And I just, that's, I love that you are just who you are. But I think at the end of the day, it's kind of like recognizing some of those things. And I think also too, you're right, how people react. That is that telltale sign of like, okay, then I made the right decision. So eventually the universe kind of shows, but I you always have to set boundaries, but I love that you are so generous and giving. And, you know, with your team and leading,

a team now and a connected community. I mean, that comes with its challenges as well. So what type of leadership lessons, Christina, do you feel like you've learned along the way that help you foster a positive environment, you know, along with an engaged community? Like what are some of your leadership strategies at Social Snippet? You and Maria kind of divide and conquer to keep the team going and then continuing to foster all that you do. Yeah. Yeah.

Kb (23:53.127)

That's such a great question, Meg. Yeah, so for me, think the one I think about leadership, like I think I may have mentioned this, but my original like, grad work was in leadership. So when I became a CEO, I was like, I am going to be the best leader. Like, this is gonna be so good. I'm just gonna crack this. And truly it's like,

I think a big piece for leadership that has been so important and that Maria and I have had to think about almost every single day is that it's really important and this is basic, but it's really important to remember that not everybody acts, behaves, thinks, works like you. And when you're owning a business, it's so hard. Like we love our businesses so much and we expect you to work day and night for us and we want people to be so invested in it. It's also remembering that like...

to foster a culture that's like not only about like, I want my people to like go on hikes on the weekend, you know, we and work on Fridays early, like things like creating a culture as our business has grown. It's not just like when you're in startup mode, I know you know this, Meg, like it's like all hands on deck. Everyone's working on everything. Like we're all doing all the things, but now we're actually like transitioning to like more of being a company and like as that happens, like what are like, I'm always reminded, like what are the things that they would want, not just the things that like I feel like I would want and like.

really asking those questions, like what makes you happy, what motivates you? I'm not monetarily motivated. I've never been like that. I've always been motivated by opportunity. even when I was an employee, you could have sent me to a really kick -ass conference and that would have felt as good as 10 grand. I just would have felt so motivated. Other people are more motivated by money. Other people are motivated by impact, by commission, all different types of things.

Meghan Houle (25:19.726)

Mm.

Kb (25:36.485)

And so I think really figuring out what your people are motivated by and trying to work with them to bring that to fruition. But I think another thing that makes me like a good leader is that like I'm deeply invested in the people and like, I know that I'm a stop on their journey. I don't pretend that these people are going to like die in my business. don't like, you know, like I don't think they're going to retire here. but I know that like, I want to set them up for whatever it is that they want to do in the future. And I think like, I think about that intentionally, like what skills are going to help them get their next job. Like,

What skills are they most interested in learning? How do I pay for that? Like being a startup, obviously limited budget, like really trying to figure out how do we help move them in the right direction.

Meghan Houle (26:16.524)

And how many team members do you have today?

Kb (26:19.421)

Yeah, mean, there's five of us full time, like in total, like five full time, then we've got about 10 people that work 20 hours plus, and then like probably 35 people total that work on the team in some capacity. So it's a lot of like moving pieces and something else for...

Meghan Houle (26:21.25)

Yeah, from two to...

Meghan Houle (26:27.757)

Nice.

Meghan Houle (26:34.082)

Yep. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's even sometimes harder to manage, you know, where it's not people in a day to day, but also on a freelance or contract or like managing various clients, which can be tricky. So yeah. Yeah.

Kb (26:50.584)

100%. I was just going to say like just very quickly, another piece to really think about is that it's interesting when we're managing people and we're growing your team and all of these pieces that it's really important that we're connected to like what these people would want, but also connected to like our vision of a business. And I think that that's sometimes where people get too swayed in leadership is like, sometimes it's really hard to

to, like I know people on my team want X, but I know that that's not my vision for the business. So being able to have those open conversations with people early on, I'm saying like, hey, like I actually don't ever see us doing that service, or I don't ever see us doing it that way. And I know you're so invested in your work. So how do we maintain that level of happiness and enjoyment? Like I think a lot of those conversations are so important and it's stepping out of the doing, doing, everything's on fire and making it something that's sustainable.

Meghan Houle (27:45.174)

Yeah. Well, in terms of the social snippet, just to plug a bit about your services, tell us a little bit about some of the buckets in which you support your clients.

Kb (27:56.637)

Yeah, so we have like kind of four buckets are kind of the main thing. We have our done for you social media. That's our most popular service. We have about 65 clients or 60 clients over there. And that's where we really help our clients like build community online. So we do everything, all the social, all the, you know, the writing and the captions, the hashtags, we're really like managing the kind of them online. And we work in collaboration with our clients there. And then secondly is our podcasting, which you're well versed in, but

Meghan Houle (28:22.248)

-huh.

Kb (28:22.973)

That's where we work with amazing entrepreneurs and not entrepreneurs like people like Meg who where we edit their podcast, we write their show notes, we get it out there, we do clips for them at everything so that they can be in their zone of genius, which is so important. And then we've got our social business club, which is our membership. And that's where we teach people how to do their own social. if you're listening to this and you're interested, you can go to socialbusinessclub .ca and use the code podcast for a dollar as your first month.

And then lastly, which I know you're excited about and we'll see you shortly is we've got Highlight Women, which is our community for entrepreneurial women. And that was kind of born out of, we have all these amazing female clients who are just so awesome. And then they, you know, I was kind like, what would happen if some of them like got together? And then we started getting all these women together. And now we have these hundred plus person events where we bring together incredible women to build community.

Meghan Houle (29:17.578)

Yeah, and like so much credit there. I did that last September and I know the event space is not for the faint of heart. mean nothing we do is. But I give you so much credit but I feel like when you crack the code in that formula for like what works and you have people that show up, I mean it then starts to get super.

exciting and then people look forward to it. So, and I just feel like we're back in real life more than ever over these past like 14 months where people are just really back and feeling comfortable being in person and connecting again. And I just love it because I just feel like we're so exhausted from the screens and all the things, even though we still do it, you know, there's so much power in that. And that's how your community, you know, thrives as well. So,

Kb (29:57.266)

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (30:00.972)

I love that and thank you for sharing all of that. And also too, I mean, we'll definitely link all the ways people can work with you in the show notes. But going back to social media, mean, for those who are in it, we know it's super obvious in terms of like what role it plays in shaping our growth and communities. But for somebody who is apprehensive of like...

doing social media, putting themselves out there. I think there's some easy, low -hanging fruit potentially that maybe doesn't feel as painful as creating a post and posting it and the consistency and all of it. But what are some of your recommendations maybe for someone growing their community or business of where they can start or any examples of easy strategies, not giving a whole?

the milk away for free, but would that have like worked well for you or your clients? Because I know you're just so tapped into all these platforms and each one of them are super unique from like Insta to LinkedIn and otherwise. Yeah.

Kb (30:57.543)

Yeah, so I would say there's so many things that people could do that's a hanging fruit and that we don't need to like, also I will give away all the tips all the time for free because I'm just like, honestly, I'm like, it's not, no. Let me do your social media for free.

Meghan Houle (31:04.994)

Thank you. I'm not setting boundaries for you. girl.

Kb (31:16.101)

So basically like what I would do the big stuff is I would say if you are looking to engage on social and you want your audience to be somebody who is someone that you're excited about and that they're your ideal clients, really it starts with having conversations with them.

That's something people do not do enough. They really they post and ghost and they don't check their DMs. They're not commenting on people's posts and all that stuff. And this is what really resonates with people is like you actually need to find out what your ideal client or the person that you want to be posting for what they want and then post that. So if they're having a problem, like so for example, if Meg's audience is like having trouble finding jobs, right? Megan going and being like, like, I'm going to post about cats.

Meghan Houle (31:49.774)

Hmm.

Kb (32:02.903)

Is that helpful?

Meghan Houle (32:03.052)

I mean, but okay, but also, wait, can we just like take a little like five minute, not five minute, maybe five second break, because I could go on a five minute night. But like, also, my DMs are filled with like cat memes and apparel spritzes. So I'm obviously doing something wrong. But no, it's so hard. When you're like the Megan Hall, you know, this like whatever lifestyle person, it's such a balance to and not to get off a tangent, but like,

When you are this like entity, which I know we talk about so much in our masterminds like we are Hugh like a human being with a business where it's like like balancing the lifestyle piece of it with our credibility Christina And that's where I definitely struggle but no send me all the cat things But then also I'm thinking like we'll shoot but this is what I do and do people know so no That's a good call out because it's like what are your people looking for? Are they coming for you? Are you if you're building a business like and you're offering something you better talk about it, right? So

Kb (32:58.309)

number one thing where I see people go wrong honestly, Maggie said people don't know what people do. And we've talked about this. This is not a personal call out against Cinnamon, but your cat. But that's your cat's name, right? yeah, I forgot about Spice. So sorry, Spice. But what I was gonna say is that, know, having an online presence, like I have a personal brand, just like you do. You have a Meg Cool, I have a Christina Barthold. And there, do I post pictures of my doggo? For sure.

Meghan Houle (32:59.32)

Right? Yeah.

True, yeah.

Meghan Houle (33:11.297)

yeah, and spice. We have the two. Yeah, that's okay.

Kb (33:27.079)

Do I post, you know, events I go to? Yes. But the social snippet page is about social media. And over on the podcast. So this way you know what you're getting. The people will look at your profile for only six seconds before making a choice about following you. If that's the case, what are they seeing in those six seconds? You don't want them to be confused. And I'll tell you, this is a funny not funny story, like it's like a hee hee, but one time I posted a reel.

Meghan Houle (33:27.086)

Mm -hmm.

Meghan Houle (33:33.388)

Right, no, totally. Yeah.

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (33:45.816)

Hmm. Mm -hmm.

Kb (33:52.913)

and I posted on it and it was like one of those like really high quality DSLR reels where like it was like it looked good. And I said, hey guys, like, you know, unless you're a chef, you shouldn't be posting pasta on your feed. And I got absolutely annihilated. Like I was, I have never been spoken to like this in my life. I had to take it down because I was like, my gosh, this is horrible. It went viral. It was so horrible. Anyway, long story short.

What I was trying to get at is that if people, if you're going on a blender's page and you want to buy a blender and then there's all these photos of cactuses, does that give you an, my gosh, yes, I need this blender? No, if you're a life coach and you're posting pictures of your smoothies every single day and there's no correlation, which arguably there is, but there's no correlation in the messaging. I did a live coaching session today for someone and they're a business coach and.

She said it's so weird my picture of a horse didn't get a lot of engagement and I was like, I'm so sorry Are you a horse a horse coach and she was like no and I was like, yeah, that's why there's people don't care about your horse No offense like respectfully but on your personal profile make that your personal profile make it a holistic thing It's the balance between having a personal brand and having a company like image and I think it's really important about finding that balance so that you're really Really kind of respecting that process and also so people know what to buy from you

Meghan Houle (34:50.978)

Right, yeah.

Meghan Houle (34:55.33)

Hmm.

Meghan Houle (35:14.328)

Yeah. So what you're saying is I need a whole social media new strategy. No, I'm just kidding. No, but it's so true. Well, you know I have some things in the works that we can't just close. Yeah. But no, I think it's such a good call out because I don't know. I do feel like there are some people that really balance like a branding page that also is a lot of them. But like it has to be a lot of one or the other. Like I think to have them both.

Kb (35:26.896)

Yes.

Meghan Houle (35:41.87)

Because I think sometimes when I post about hiring and recruiting and things like that, sure, it gets hits. But a lot of times it's more like, my god, I love what you're wearing. And I'm like, OK. It was anyone. I wish I was a stylist. I don't know. But no, it's such a good call out. really is. And I mean, I'm taking notes already here behind the scenes. But yeah, I think the messaging being clear and consistent. And what do you feel like are some of people's favorite platforms or the best platform?

where you get engagement maybe if you're a business or like a personal brand. I don't know, do you divide and conquer with your clients depending on their needs of like LinkedIn versus Instagram? Just curious about that, yeah.

Kb (36:23.645)

Yeah, I think it's less about need and a little bit more about like who their ideal client is. So if their ideal client is somebody who is a, know, I actually just used this example a few minutes ago, but like my previous call, but if your clients are 65 year old women, TikTok's probably isn't where you're go hang out. So it's just finding out kind of where, like we always say party where your people are. So finding the people who like match your kind of like ideal state and then you work kind of with them.

Meghan Houle (36:30.209)

Okay, yeah.

Kb (36:53.629)

But I would say all of the platforms have capacity for community. I have a strong affinity for Instagram because I think it's the easiest to be able to balance that personal aspect and that professional aspect. So having both of that on there, I think that's where the magic kind of lies.

Meghan Houle (37:10.7)

And I know trends are constantly evolving. how do you stay ahead of the curve and ensure strategies that you work with your clients remain relevant, impactful? Because I feel like that's a lot to keep up with sometimes as well.

Kb (37:23.995)

Yeah, well, we definitely keep our ear to the ground. So like we definitely keep our ear to the ground on what's happening. We're always looking kind of at the news, like what are our trends. TikTok tends to like I would say TikTok eats first. Like TikTok is usually the first sign of a trend. So we can usually follow that. But I would say a lot of the things that we do like in terms of strategy are kind of algorithm proof. Like they don't really rely on the algorithm. They actually rely on on community. So that's where we're really encouraging our clients to have conversations. We're encouraging our clients to

to build rapport or like encouraging them to post things that their ideal clients would resonate with. We're testing, testing, testing. And so that's what I would say I spend a lot of our time or our social media managers spend a lot of their time doing. We're not so focused on, know, do we use this cap cut trend or this cap cut trend? It's really about how do we build that community.

Meghan Houle (38:13.634)

Yeah, community and then the audience. I feel like in that it's using that social media to tell stories in a way that really resonates. So how do you feel like you help business owners do that? I mean, I love that you say talking to your community via stories or reels or what do you feel like some of the best storytelling strategies are that really land for people that you've seen too going on these days, if any? Yeah.

Kb (38:39.089)

Yeah. Well, I think a big piece is like, sometimes it's really nice to have like an external person who's able to help you kind of finesse your story and like be able to have that conversation with you because often what we know and what we're experts in feels so basic to us. Like I could give you social media advice, sell them blue in the face. And I literally think everybody knows everything I say. And then I'll say something and people are like, whoa, I never thought of that before. And I'm like, really? Like.

Meghan Houle (38:47.201)

Mm -hmm.

Kb (39:03.483)

Really? This is new information, right? And that's the same for anyone who's listening, the same for their niche. So I think that's really important is just recognizing that like, we need to be talking to our ideal clients and talking to like the problems that they have and really focusing on that with them. Because otherwise, you we're kind of just talking into the void and then, you know, if we're not talking to anybody, nobody's picking it up. So really, really, I think that's what I would focus on.

Meghan Houle (39:29.742)

Okay, so many good nuggets in there. And for yourself in all that you're able to give back to others, I mean, I know you are a huge champion for investments in getting into amazing, whether it's masterminds or rooms. And I think sometimes that can feel overwhelming, Kristine. I know you and I have had multiple conversations just about like what makes sense now.

And honestly, I'm even feeling like things that have made sense, maybe you outgrow those rooms and move on. But I think in the best way possible, in the best way possible. So for someone listening, because I get this question a lot and I know you are the right person to ask, but what rooms do you know are right for you? Like events, maybe what do feel like you've invested in that just changed your business? Where do you even start?

you know, because it can just feel overwhelming. So talk to me a little bit about just pouring back into yourself as well and how that really has benefited you.

Kb (40:32.955)

Yeah, it's so interesting because I think the whole idea of like, you know, investing in rooms, it is so scary. And like, there's lots of different kind of like priced rooms. Like I've done rooms that have been four figures and I've done rooms that have been, you know, probably close to six, like, you know, so it's like there I've been kind of like all over the place in terms of investments. And that's been some of that's been part of some of I think our, our success, but I would say, and I've also grown out of rooms to make like there's been rooms that I've invested in where I've been like, I would never do that again. And not from a bad place.

from like, got what I needed and I've moved on and I actually don't think that we should be working with the same coaches forever. I don't think we should be in the same circle forever. I think we should always be trying to grow our network and try to be able to really like move the needle in that way. And so what I would say if you're trying to figure out like, okay, is this room a good room, whatever. Firstly, you shouldn't feel so financially stretchy that like it's gonna put you under like that's really important is that you're not like.

I would not encourage putting it on a credit card or anything like that and hoping for the best. I think there's a lot of rooms that are predatory in that way and they try to encourage people to do stuff like that. But I would say trying to find people whose lifestyles and who behave in a way that you would want to emulate. So for example, like...

I've been in Chris Harder's room for a long time. I joined his elite mastermind this year, but I've been Fast Foundations and I have done round tables and I've done the dinner series. I've kind of done it all. I always say that Chris and Lori need a credit card so that I can have a harder credit card. But Chris and Lori have been somebody who are people who I really respect and I respect their approach. I respect the way that they live. Those are things that really are of value to me.

One of the things that's the biggest is that Chris's whole thing is about like when good people make good money, like great things can happen because you get to be generous with it. You get to like live in a way that's like in generosity. And that's like me and Maria's number one value is like being cheerful givers, like people who can live in that energy of being able to be generous with others. That's like my goal in life. And so when I saw that he was aligned with that, that was an easy investment for me. I have made investments in the past.

Kb (42:47.565)

who haven't been in alignment for me, it's hard to take them seriously. It's hard. They're not working towards the same goals as I am. And so it's really important that you find people, think, who, one, like are, you know, aligned with you in that way. And then two, if it's a community that you actually enjoy the people who are in there, like making sure it's kind like a no mean girl space. It's a space that you really are excited about being in. yeah, I think that that's really, that's really where, where I would get started.

Meghan Houle (43:15.446)

No, it's such great advice and you're already flipping some good energy on my way too. Just reminders of so many incredible things. You're such a gem and agree. Listen, in huge rooms of women, there's always going to be, I would say, a good... Our friend Patty from our mastermind too, hi Patty, that we love, is you always connect to five to seven people. It's between five people, five to seven, where you find that tribe, but collectively...

the room should just have a good energy. And it's like, you know, how is maybe investing in this event going to be helpful for me, my business, whatever your goals are as well. And do your due diligence because you're right. I mean, there's a lot of swindly situations I've been in where literally, Christina, I've been on like a Zoom and some dude was like not letting me off without giving me his giving my credit card to him for a thousand dollars. So he could like hold my spot. I'm like, I wouldn't give you a starburst. So I don't know what you're looking for.

Kb (44:11.618)

I love how that came to you.

Meghan Houle (44:13.134)

I'm like, bye, hang up. Zoom is so powerful. And that way you're like, bad connection. But it's crazy. You can get like, it does feel sometimes swindly. And I think that's what turned me off early on. So it took years after that to like trust. I'm like, people aren't just trying to take my money. You know, it is, yeah. Yeah. I mean, yes and no, because like it's a finance, it's a revenue thing, but like you got to feel good about the people. You do. Yeah.

Kb (44:31.901)

obviously

Kb (44:39.997)

was gonna say we even like, Jen and I were in a call the other day about there's a platform we love and we had made like a really good, you I made a great connection with my love the platform and they they introduced a new service. And I was like, immediately I knew the service was a no for me. It's just like not set out yet enough to purchase, which is fine. It's fine. But at the end I go, okay, thanks so much. And I should have just said, you know what? I'm not really interested. This was my mistake. And he goes, he goes,

Meghan Houle (44:57.09)

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (45:05.858)

Right. Right.

Kb (45:10.107)

I'm like, let me talk to my business partner about it. And he goes, so when do think you're going to talk to her? Do you think you're going to talk to her tomorrow and I can follow up? And I was like, am I buying a Honda Civic? Relax. Relax on this. It was just so gross. And I think that's the thing, too, that people should really listen when making these investments is I've made investments I haven't been happy with because I felt pressured. then afterwards, like, I one time invested in this program and...

Meghan Houle (45:20.061)

Right. You're like, no thing. Yeah. Yeah.

Kb (45:34.525)

And the woman really pressured me into it. it was maybe $2 ,000. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but a big piece of it that was so annoying was she basically, my thing for it was I like, just think I'm too busy. And she was like, I have two golden retrievers and four children. And I was like, then maybe I'm not too busy. Maybe I'm not too busy. She's right. She's busier than me. And then now I didn't do anything with that investment because I was too busy for it.

Meghan Houle (45:37.454)

Hmm.

Kb (46:01.137)

And that was such a good reminder, but I had the itch, I had the intuitive feeling that it was the wrong thing. And so it's just like sometimes when you know that it's just, it's acting on.

Meghan Houle (46:13.198)

Yeah, good. Well, such great advice. And before I let you go, looking forward, what is next for social snippet? Is there anything new that you can talk about or goals that you guys are particularly excited about? As I can't believe we're already going into like the back half of this year and almost anniversary in like 12 months in each other's universe. How lucky. Let's go back to Napa, girl.

Kb (46:34.287)

yeah, I'm like, we should do a reunion. I know, but I think we'll be close because we'll see each other in New York. So it'll be like, can go to Earl's New York maybe. But I was going to say, think for what's going on right now with Social Snippet and like really we've been focusing so much on High Five Women, which has been so amazing. But in Social Snippet land, it's been welcoming so many wonderful people into our membership. It's been helping more impactful entrepreneurs like work.

Meghan Houle (46:41.794)

I know, we'll see each other soon, yeah.

No.

Kb (47:02.881)

on podcasting in particular, helping them get their voice out there and really finessing that process. But I've been working on my own leadership in terms of our roles, what we do with them. At the beginning, it was all hands on deck, and now we've had a bit of time to breathe. it's been good to reimagine what it would look like, all of us working together and what that looks like. So yeah, I think that's what's going on for me. But I'm looking forward to an amazing rest of the year. I know you are too, Megan.

I'm just so blessed to have opportunities like this because I think it's just so important to have these conversations.

Meghan Houle (47:37.038)

Totally. And I know there's so much to come. And I'm actually excited for 2025. I mean, I'm never one that makes resolutions, but I feel like when you're cooking stuff in the kitchen that no one can see yet, but you're just so excited to bring it to life. I mean, that's always what fuels me in balancing the day to day. like, listen, lady with the golden retrievers, we're all busy, but like you prioritize.

what is important to you. like, you know, I think that there's just so many things that have shifted for me and so many wonderful people that have come into my universe that have just really set me on the best track ever. And I know in listening to all the amazing podcasts that I know you and I both enjoy together along with your podcast, it's like thinking about this next.

level version of me and like what I would be doing if I like achieve this goal or if I was the 10x version of myself, like how would I operate and just also like as you were saying, like loving leadership and just your mindset and like how you do things. I think it's so important to as we expand and grow, we change as people. So the way that we operate it or what people needed from us back in the day is like not how we're gonna have to operate moving forward to be that next level version of ourselves. So yeah.

Kb (48:45.981)

Well, I was gonna say something too, like just as a reminder for yourself and I think me and all the people listening is that like, you know, we don't need to wait for that next level version of ourselves to be celebratory about like all the great things that have happened. And I think something that's so hard is that like we need to cultivate this like season of celebration now when we're like in it, because right now we're probably living a version of ourselves that two years ago we would have begged for.

Meghan Houle (48:57.836)

Yeah.

Meghan Houle (49:04.034)

Mm -hmm.

Meghan Houle (49:10.872)

Right. Yeah.

Kb (49:11.813)

And sometimes I think that's really hard for us because we're like, so in it and I'm like, my next thing, like my multi -six needs to be a seven, my seven needs to be an eight. And then when you're a nine, then what?

Meghan Houle (49:17.902)

Totally, yes.

Meghan Houle (49:22.53)

Right. Yeah. No, I was thinking about that on my like walk back from the gym this morning. I'm like, just staying more present, you know, and celebrating. I have a really hard time doing that, So I'm like, thank you everyone for joining this podcast and my live coaching session with Christina. But no, I mean, it's, you're so right. And I think I'm always wanting to be like, okay, great. And maybe that's just the world I live in with recruiting. I always say you're only as good as your last placement and then you have to like move on and keep going.

but just celebrating where and how far you've come. I am not the person I was, you know, six months ago or 12 months ago. So, so many great things and so many great reminders. So much, you know, so much valuable advice that you gave and thank you for letting me dive into your social background of just sharing some insights on how people can continue to build their own personal brands and show up more authentically in building communities online. And for listeners who may be considering

starting their own business or pivoting, what advice would you offer them, especially in the context of building a strong, supportive community? Last question. Yeah.

Kb (50:30.991)

Yeah, I think it would be if you have the vision for it, you're like, you're the person who's supposed to do it. And so if you're feeling like nervous about doing it, like there's a reason why this is like poking you so much. And I think like tell people that this is something you're interested in because people will bring you so much closer to your goals. Like most people who are in business, the first few people they sell to friends, people they know. And so these are people who are gonna make you're like one introduction away from like the probably.

bigger than the dream you can have today.

Meghan Houle (51:02.382)

Well, and what's the best platform where you guys love to engage and we're going to link all the links. Everyone scroll down to the show notes, follow Christina, follow social snippet, get into all of her amazing offerings. I think you're sold out of the event, right? Or there's still tickets left. So maybe next year, anyone listening can come to the event. like, what's the best way to engage and like what can people tap into right now for you to work with you? Yeah. Yay.

Kb (51:29.211)

Yeah, we are certainly sold out of this event because I've been begging the venue for like one more table and they're like, not today. I'm like, okay. But that's okay. So we have another event coming up in March, which I'm really excited about 21st, 22nd. I don't even think we've been nuts that anywhere. So first to know. But yeah, the best place for you to connect with us would be definitely on Instagram. You can go to at Christina dot bar told or at the social snippet. I saw my name with a K. I would love to hear what resonated with you. Any friend of mine is a friend of mine. I would love to hear kind of what's going on for you.

Meghan Houle (51:32.046)

Hahaha

Yeah.

Kb (51:59.135)

what resonated from the episode and how we can all come together because honestly with the world needs people who are collaborated.

Meghan Houle (52:06.602)

Absolutely. And especially if you're looking to grow your social media presence, business, personal brand, start a podcast, Christina is your girl. thank you so much for your wonderful, generous time offering with me today. I can't wait to see you soon and cheers to our friendship and your continued success.

Kb (52:24.763)

Right back at you, just the beginning for us both.

Meghan Houle (52:27.242)

Yes!