21: Reina Pomeroy: Content Strategy, Hard Decisions and Start-Ups

Today, I’m excited to bring you someone who I think is incredibly inspiring. She is really positive and warm and what I found really interesting about her, as an entrepreneur and a business owner, is how and why she makes decisions. So, this is Reina Pomeroy, a friend of mine who I really admire. She took the decision to shut down her Creative Empire podcast with her co-host, basically at the peak of its success and, although her business was going really well, she ended up making that decision because things fell into place perfectly. She took her full-time business of five years and turned it into a side hustle and started working at a really incredible start-up doing something that she loves. 

Rayna had a great podcast, she had a big online community but she took the decision to shut it down and go work for a start-up, while maintaining her coaching business Reina+Co and turning it into a side hustle. 

It all started when she had to go on maternity leave and the test was- can her business survive maternity leave without her and do they have necessary systems in place to do that? At the end of her maternity leave, she was planning on going back to her business, when a new role just fell into her lap. Reina now works for a start-up called Modern Fertility and it was the perfect unicorn job for her. There was something really appealing about this role because she wanted to learn something new, it wasn’t about being that six-figure entrepreneur, which she had been for the past five years, it was about exploring new possibilities and testing herself.

When it comes to your business model, you can create a hybrid model that works for you, for your business and the life that you want to have. Ask yourself what the ideal business looks like for you versus the thing that everyone says that you need to have.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a six-figure business, the problem is when we get stuck in a “comparison” mode which makes it so that people want that six figures. If you know why you want to do this, why six figures would enrich your life, do it. You need to find your driver- whether it;s money, fame, impact, whatever it is

“We have to ask ourselves the question, why are we holding on to this? Is it an ego thing? “

– Reina Pomeroy

Another thing that is important is to find your dream client. Make sure that your values align with those of your clients. Make sure that you show your clients that you are an expert in your field but don’t neglect your human side as well. People are craving authenticity. People are craving realness even from businesses and the person behind the screen. We have to keep that in mind and make sure that we are both professional, liable and able to create the value that we promised to create, but also be human. According to Reina, your ratio should be 80% credible and 20% relatable.

Reina’s advice when it comes to business decisions is to ask yourself- why am I holding on to certain things? If you find that it’s simply because of your ego then ask yourself the next question- what opportunities am I missing because of this? 

First, reflect and think about the thing that you are looking forward to the most and also look back on what had the most impact on you in the last week or so. Second is to check your to do list, pick one thing and break it into five action steps and actually start taking those steps. 

Love + Magic,

Maggie