Interview with a Social Media Virtual Assistant
Meet Kyrs Media
Kyrstin is a full-time social media virtual assistant, recently engaged, and helps both Gabrielle & Clare in their photography businesses. Read on to see what it’s been like starting a new VA business.
Tell us about you & Kyrs Media!
My name is Kyrstin and I am 22 years old. I live in a small town that sits at the very bottom of Virginia, which I love because I get to be around all of my family and friends who are my biggest supporters. I created Kyrs Media, a social media management company, in March of 2021. I was working at a local graphic design company at the time but was craving something more. I wanted more freedom, more creativity, and more opportunity, and this is why I decided to start my own business!
What led you to pursue this passion with social media?
Years ago, when YouTube started to pop off with all of the lifestyle gurus, I became obsessed. I subscribed to them all and watched them weekly, if not daily. Then, they started to branch out on Instagram, where I followed them and kept up with them on that platform as well. I admired their work and was in awe at how they created their content. I even made multiple efforts to start a YouTube channel and become a micro-influencer on Instagram, but nothing ever stuck. In 2021, I discovered a social media management masterclass through a girl on TikTok. After watching the 7-hour class, taking notes on everything, and being fully captivated by it all, I realized this is 100% what I wanted to be doing – creating social media content for others. It was the perfect opportunity.
When I started this new journey, I began following photographers on social media. Photography is another thing I have always been fascinated by, so it was a no-brainer when I was trying to pick a niche I wanted to work with. While keeping up with all of the photographers I chose to follow, I realized that there was a common problem between them. They were all so busy trying to juggle everything with their business and their personal life that they couldn’t find the time to be active on their social media accounts. And with all the digital marketing transformation, they needed this online space to promote themselves. So I took it upon myself to start promoting my services and sharing how I could help photographers with their social media!
What has it been like starting a small business for you?
Starting this small business of mine hasn’t always been easy. Like I said before, I started my business in 2021, but I didn’t gain a client until August of that year. The client I was able to work with happened to be one of my best friend’s fiance and his dad. They weren’t in my niche, as they were a gym owner and realtor. We only worked together for a couple of months, and when we did end things, I didn’t take it so well personally. I felt defeated because I hadn’t gained a single client, aside from them. It took me until January of 2022 to gain my first real client, which is actually Gabrielle from White Sails Creative. She took a chance on me and has stuck with me ever since. After she signed with me, I started gaining more and more clients. It still hasn’t been easy from losing clients to not charging enough to make a living. I didn’t start paying myself until July of 2022. With all of that being said, I wouldn’t change any of it because it has led me to where I am today and I have learned so much from everything.
What’s it like having a job where you work remotely?
Being able to work remotely has been the best thing for me. Ever since I graduated from college in 2020, I knew I wanted to be able to work from home. The pandemic might have had something to do with it as most jobs were forced to go remotely. I love the freedom to work wherever I want to, when I want to, and in the comfort of whatever I want to wear.
What has it been like starting a business alongside moving into a new chapter of life (getting engaged)?
Having my own business while recently getting engaged hasn’t been any bit of a struggle really. My fiance and I had been together for 6 and ½ years when we got engaged in May of 2022, so he was very aware of my goals and what I wanted. He has always been very supportive of me and that hasn’t changed since getting engaged. We even moved into our own apartment a month after getting engaged, which was a bit of an adjustment as I wasn’t making an income at the time. Since then, we have learned and grown even more as a couple. Moving into the apartment and out of my parent’s house, I felt has been so helpful in my career. I have fewer distractions when I get to work and with my fiance working late nights, I tend to have more time to work on business things as well.
What is a piece of advice you’d give to another female entrepreneur?
Stop thinking about all of the ways starting your own business could go wrong and start thinking about all of the ways it could go right. I am a big overthinker, so it comes pretty naturally to me to think about all the pros and cons of everything. This sometimes ends up making me feel overwhelmed or like I shouldn't do something. I have learned to push through all of those thoughts, and my advice to any other female entrepreneur would be just that. Start creating the life you want, without thinking of all of the consequences.
How can other women like us take advantage of a social media manager as they’re starting their businesses?
All businesses can benefit from having a social media manager, not just photographers. In this day and age with everything being online and digital, it’s super important to have a place to market your business where all the eyes are. Photographers have to think about where their target audience is and where that audience is searching for services like yours. Instagram is the top social media platform for photographers and their target audience right now, so having an excellent online presence there is crucial for your business, whether you are just starting out or you have been doing this for 10 years.
A social media manager will help market your business and services, while allowing you to have more time to spend on other business-related tasks or to spend with your loved ones. I assist my photographer clients by researching hashtags specifically for their business, thinking about what their target audience is searching for, creating captivating carousels or Reels of their work to attract their target audience, writing engaging captions that are going to hook their audience in, and more.
What’s your favorite part about owning your own business?
My favorite part about owning my own business is the freedom. The freedom to do anything I want to do, whether that be just getting to work from home and making my own schedule every day, or if I want to add an additional service to offer to my clients, I can. There is so much flexibility and freedom when it comes to working for yourself.
What’s your favorite daily routine that you *cannot* miss? It can be anything, it doesn’t have to be business related.
The one thing I have to do every day is wake up early. Early for me is 7:00 am, this gives me enough time to do my morning routine without feeling rushed. It helps me start my day off on a productive foot. My morning routine is a crucial time in my day when I get to make my coffee, cozy up on the couch, read the Bible, and just relax before I start work. I feel very overwhelmed when I don’t get this time in the morning.