Top tips you need to know before opening your marketing agency

Kasia Manolas is the founder of a content marketing agency called Narrative. After 7+ years of helping tech startups and e-commerce brands, she decided to dive into entrepreneurship.
She started Narrative in the fall of 2022. Her favorite part of the business is meeting inspiring people who run interesting companies.

She enjoys writing in-depth, well-researched content on niche topics to help brands rank in Google and grow their organic traffic. She also loves zooming out and working on a business’ organic marketing strategy as a whole. And, from time to time, she helps e-commerce brands with click-rate optimization.

What made you want to become a business owner?

Entrepreneurship runs in my family. When I was 10, I saw my parents start and grow a company. In my 20s, I started playing around with different offers and loved the creativity and autonomy that came with it. I’ve been hooked ever since. I recently read a Robert Kiyosaki book called “Before You Quit Your Job” where he outlines the difference between people who stay in the employee versus entrepreneur mindset. He says that freedom and security are at odds. People who prefer to stay employees prefer security. And people like me who prefer entrepreneurship value their freedom more. That rang true.

He also said entrepreneurs essentially have a screw a little loose. We see opportunity before we have the money to prove it. We’ll create a plan even if we don’t have the resources to back it up – in hopes that we will get the resources to back it up. It’s a giant leap of faith. I’m still glad I’ve taken the leap, but maybe ask me in twenty years when we can really see how this all pans out.

“People like me who prefer entrepreneurship value their freedom more. That rang true.”

How did you start your business?

The first thing I did was move a few thousand dollars to my new business checking account. For some reason, this felt like the official beginning. Then, I talked to my business coach about how I wanted to go about finding my first client. She recommended I do some customer discovery, so I posted in a Facebook group with founders asking if anyone would answer 2-3 questions about their content marketing efforts. From there, once I had my first client, I built a simple website on Squarespace and got to work. I had to start balancing producing deliverables for clients while finding more clients and in the process, getting the hang of business accounting, paying myself, expenses, etc.

“The first thing I did was move a few thousand dollars to my new business checking account.”

It’s fun to reflect on the growth since the beginning. It’s been 8 months since I started, and sometimes I don’t feel like I’m growing fast enough, But to still be in business, learning new skills, and meeting new people is the whole point, and I’ll take that as a sign of early success.

What does your typical day look like? And what is the ideal work day for you?

I usually work 8-3 PM Monday-Friday, but it entirely depends. I’ve taken spontaneous days off, started work at 10 AM, etc. I’ve been trying to find a new routine since becoming an entrepreneur and it’s been nice to use the extra time in the morning to workout, shower, and practice self-care.

I like to dedicate the first half of my workday to deep work, whether it’s writing, sales, or strategy. In the afternoon I’ll do admin work like emails, accounting, or other lighter tasks.

I’m lucky that my typical day is close to my ideal day, but I will say, my ideal day has no meetings, appointments, or interruptions. I’ve found that working from home and being an entrepreneur often means that everyone assumes I’m always “free.” I have to protect my time and have boundaries around my work hours.

What are the pros and cons of being a freelancer?

My favorite part of being a freelancer is the autonomy. I decide my schedule and how all the work will get done. There’s also a lot of pride in owning the business myself and feeling ownership over everything I do. I’ve greatly enjoyed the creativity and getting to create work for myself and choose what direction the business goes in, whether it’s what type of clients I work with, or what kind of deliverables we put together, etc.

“I also believe in letting my family and friends be a part of the business’s highs and lows – I welcome all the moral support, advice, and encouragement!”

I’m constantly fine-tuning the business to make sure it fits my needs and desires, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do in a full-time position.

The con is that there’s no manager or boss to guide me or tell me when I’m doing a good job! I’m lucky I have an amazing business coach who helps me celebrate the milestones and encourages me to push past my growth edges. Without my business coach, it would feel a lot more isolating. I also believe in letting my family and friends be a part of the business’s highs and lows – I welcome all the moral support, advice, and encouragement!

How do you get new clients? And how do you promote yourself?

I found my first client by posting in the Trends Community Facebook group. I asked if any founders would be interested in answering a few questions over email about their content marketing. I ended up emailing five founders and one of them wanted to work with me after we exchanged a few emails.

I found my second client while scrolling Twitter! She tweeted she was hiring and I reached out.

From there, I was really lucky. My first client gave me many referrals. And now I’m mostly finding people through my network. There’s no simple solution. I try to dedicate a few hours per month to staying on top of my relationships and I’m not shy to ask for a favor if I need an introduction from a friend.

What advice would you give to your past self before opening your own business?

First, I’d tell her that B2B is a great way to scale revenue faster and that she’s going in the right direction. 

Second, I’d tell her to always be on the lookout for the next client, even though it’s hard on top of producing client deliverables. Dedicating just a few hours per week to it will help in the long run. This is something I didn’t do from the beginning…

And last, I’d tell my past self to celebrate every milestone. I have a tendency to be hard on myself and always want to hit the next goal. So if I could go back, I’d tell her she’s doing great while taking the leap (it’s scary!) and how cool it is that she’s a full-time entrepreneur. I’d tell her (and I’m telling myself now) to never stop celebrating that. 

Kasia Manolas is the founder of Narrative, content marketing agency.