Inspiring Conversations with Shari Landa of Oh My Landa

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shari Landa.

Hi Shari, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been an entrepreneur.

It all started with my babysitting business when I was 12. I marketed myself using homemade magnet business cards and handed them out around my town. I even went to technology camp at age 14 to learn how to build a website for my company. Shari’s Little Feet was booked out months in advance.

After college, I was lucky enough to get a job with Subway (SUBCON Inc.) where I started as a part-time admin and ended (10 years later) as the Local Market Strategy & Growth Coordinator & Even Coordinator. Through those years, I worked at a second company (Project Service LLC) (my boss owned both companies) where I became the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and the Marketing Manager.

Yes. I worked TWO full-time jobs.

BUT WAIT. That wasn’t enough for me.

In 2017, after having our first son, I was determined to find a way to stay-at-home with him. I created my company (then, The Virtual Savant and now Oh My Landa), where I did exactly the same thing as I did for SUBWAY®…but for small businesses that needed a little help.

Fast forward to 2020…and my SUBWAY® world came crashing down (with millions of others). It was soul-crushing; I really enjoyed my job.

I now had two little boys and a husband who was in the process of finishing his PhD.

WHAT WAS I TO DO NOW?

It was time. Time to see where Oh My Landa could take me.

My husband graduated and received a job offer in Austin, Texas at the Texas Education Agency.

So, we moved! It was my first time moving out of CT! I’ve lived in the same state my entire life.

We moved blindly, only zooming with a realtor to see the home. The first time I ever stepped foot in Texas was when we moved here.

Oh, by the way, we moved in a snowstorm in Connecticut the week of Christmas to a place where we didn’t know anyone at all. This was also six weeks before the Texas Snowmageddon of 2021.

We didn’t know what to expect, but we lucked out.

We live in Pflugerville, in the most amazing neighborhood. Our community has become our family and I don’t see us moving out of Texas any time soon!

My favorite part of being my own boss:

I get to choose who I work with. I get to pick the projects and help others realize their potential in growing their company.

My main clients are small business owners who are just starting out or rebranding. There are so many little things that you don’t realize you need to do when creating a business or rebranding one. At this point in my life, I consider myself an expert in overcoming these obstacles for others.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m a stay-at-home Mom. I try very hard to be present when my kids are around.

This means I work during nap time and from 8pm-12am every evening. I also work all weekend.

My biggest obstacle is creating time to work! I have very mixed feelings about my youngest starting pre-school in the Fall of 2022. I am so sad he won’t be with me every day….but at the same time, I am SO excited about being able to work during the day.

With that being said, I realized I do need help in my company. So, I recently hired a few contractors to help push Oh My Landa to grow.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Oh My Landa, LLC?
SMALL BUSINESS HELP AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

I specialize in Social Media, Website Design, CRM Management and Marketing.

Website Creation

No website? Need a refresh? Let’s work together to create a website that represents your company in the way you want to be known.

Social Media

Grow your brand, gain insight and target potential customers with creative social media posts and trending hashtags.

Customer Relationship Management

How do you keep track of your clients and prospects? Let’s organize your client’s information into one place.

Administrative

Need a presentation created? Invoice? Training guide? Newsletter or worksheet? Let’s create beautiful on-brand items together.

Platforms I love working in:
WordPress
Wix
SquareSpace
Canva
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Google My Business
Agile CRM
Trello
Asana
Vagaro – and so much more…

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice?

Start small. Figure out what you love to do and let’s see how we can make this a real business. Find a mentor! Someone who knows how to start a business, grow your social following. Work for them. Figure out what your own strengths are in your future company.

What’s fun for you? Can you make money off it? I can help you with that.

When I started my company, I did a lot of bartering and pro-bono work. I bartered with children’s gymnastics and music studios for classes for my kids. I bartered with wellness centers for massages (for myself).

So my advice would be to find something you love doing and just start (and reach out for help).

Contact Info:

• Email: shari@ohmylanda.com
• Website: www.ohmylanda.com

Image Credits
Images by @amymichellephotos and graduation photo @Kubiak_Images