Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Wulf.
Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved social media. Ever since I discovered Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on, I have loved the idea of connecting with people like you (or different from you) all over the world. Still, I mainly liked the posting aspect and creating content. I’ve always had interests in art: photography, graphic design, writing, etc. I always knew I would somehow work with and use social media in my career. It just took a while to act on that (sometimes we ignore our intuition, have imposter syndrome, and don’t think we know what we want to do [when we do]).
I graduated in May 2021, so I was a pandemic graduate. I love that my psychology major and communications minor overlapped to provide me with marketing knowledge since human behavior and psych are the backbones of marketing.
Come job-hunting time, I had journalism, marketing, & social media internships under my belt, so I thought job hunting would be a smoother process than it was. I applied to so many jobs in the marketing field (mostly for health companies – that was my goal), with only little return. After applying to jobs all summer but also trying to enjoy the post-grad moment while I could, I decided to take matters into my own hands and spontaneously joined a freelance website. I knew what I wanted to do and who I wanted to serve. I became a Virtual Assistant for Therapists and other people in the mental health niche. I got my first client (doing admin tasks and social media for a child therapist) within a few days of being on that platform, and from then, I knew that I needed to explore the path of freelancing even more. Corporate 9-5 has never appealed to me, so freelancing felt right, authentic, and natural. From there, I gained a solid clientele with referrals and had a steady income.
Then, in the spring of this year, I came across a business mentor for Online Service Providers like me. And I had never thought of having one before, but I reached out, and she has been an amazing business mentor to me and helped me realize I officially wanted to start my own business. I started Virtuwulf LLC in July 2022. The name consists of “virtual” (for virtual assistance) and my last name. I’ve been loving getting to consult small businesses on their social media and marketing strategies.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have entrepreneurs in my family, but that was the extent of ‘business-specific’ knowledge I had experienced, so I just learned things about business secondhand. I never took a business course in college or anything. I just learned about marketing throughout my time there. So, I’ve learned my lessons about client boundaries, time management, knowing/charging your worth, breaking down mindset blocks being an essential part of business leading, etc. Not to mention dealing with setting and keeping to my boundaries. I choose to spend my time however I see fit for that day, which takes a lot of self-discipline and prioritization, which sometimes affects my own personal time. So, a specific struggle I’ve dealt with regarding my boundaries is forcing myself to shut my laptop when I had too many work hours that day. My eyes are tired, and ideas aren’t flowing, meaning I’m burnt out or about to be. When I started freelancing last fall, I had to pick up the hobby of reading because I was staring at my computer screen so much that I just needed something physical to hold. Time away is necessary!
We’ve been impressed with Virtuwulf LLC, 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?
I own a virtual assistant business specializing in social media marketing, management, and consulting. I am most proud of my branding work to establish a cohesive theme across my business social media (colors, visuals, etc.). I offer long-term social media management, short-term rebrands and 1:1 consulting, and virtual assistance tasks to local small businesses. I try to do work for/support women-owned small businesses as much as possible. I don’t “just make any kind of posts” for businesses – I focus on a creative content strategy for my social media clients because I have a love for graphic design and thinking outside the box.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Industry-wise, social media is starting to be more authentic. The types of content I see being pushed out and prioritized by social media giants are more on-the-spot, spontaneous, genuine, no-filtered, and funny videos that people can share with friends. So, we might see social media take even more of a front seat in peoples’ lives.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtuwulf/
