Today we’d like to introduce you to Kati Zukaitis.
Kati, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I studied PR and Marketing in college and with each professional role I held after, I absorbed the responsibility of managing social media accounts and branding in some compacity. Telling brand stories online always felt natural and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I fell into social media freelancing after I left a management position and did that for a couple of years before the pandemic hit.
Because I was always hired by word of mouth from other clients and their testimonials, I didn’t need to advertise my services nor have a branded or structured portfolio for clients to look over. When I was let go from my freelance clients, due to limiting work from the pandemic, I realized this was my opportunity to grow my brand 100% and focus on advertising my skillset and knowledge in the social media space. I decided to go all in and take the leap and opened The Social Reco in mid-October 2020. My primary focus is sharing “recos”, aka recommendations, to brands, businesses, and influencers on how to take control of their brand identity and build their confidence in conquering the ‘gram. I still share recos but my brand is so much more than that now! I absolutely love the community I’m part of!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a business during a worldwide pandemic definitely had its own set of challenges. I have an entrepreneurial background so the right mindset of starting a business has always been there, but you need so much more than that to start. Mindset, mentality, and fundamentals came easy to me. Finding clients to trust me when I had a very small portfolio, during a pandemic when social media managers aren’t a necessity for businesses… now that was a challenge! Creating contracts and packages was also a challenge for me when I started because I had a hard time niching down. I wanted to do a million different things for a million different types of people and it just wasn’t working for anyone! When I started, I still had a day job and was also starting another separate business, so the balancing act of managing it all was also tough. When I had a stable income from The Social Reco, I left my day job and focused primarily on building this business and that’s when it all changed for me.
We’ve been impressed with The Social Reco, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Social Reco is a boutique DFY (Done For You) social media agency. We focus on helping female-owned businesses and brands grow online!
Right now, our clientele is filled with lifestyle influencers, small business owners and social climbers. With every client we work with, there’s a common theme: They know why social media and their branding image is important, but creating that presence is too time-consuming and overwhelming to manage. Our mission is to continue growing The Social Reco so we can help female-owned businesses thrive in the social media space!
For me personally, I’m a little different than other brand or social media managers and my clients pick up on that quickly! I’m fun, laid back, quirky, and don’t let challenges keep me down. My main priority is teaching women-owned companies and brands to have fun with their online presence again and not have social media feel like another job!
I am most proud of the recognizable brand that The Social Reco has become. I am proud of the community we’ve fostered and worked hard creating and I am so excited to continue growing our team and clientele!
How do you define success?
Success means something different for everyone. What I find successful and what you find successful don’t have to mean the same thing, and I think that’s something that should be celebrated! To me, success is a feeling and not a thing. That feeling for me is gratefulness, calmness, security, and happiness… I define success by achieving a feeling I’ve been working hard for. A feeling that beats out all other doubts and insecurities and makes even the toughest days easier to endure.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@thesocialreco.com
- Website: thesocialreco.com
- Instagram: @thesocialreco
- Facebook: @thesocialreco
Image Credits
Paige Vaughn Photo / paigevaughnphoto.com / @paigevaughnphoto
Photos styled by Kim Rico of Drops of Honey Design and The Venue Studio, @dropsofhoneydesign, thevenuestudio.com
