Let me tell you the story of how chronically oversleeping in high school led me to a $33.6K contract 15 years later.
No, seriously. 😂
A little back story - ya girl could NOT wake up for the life of her in high school. And honestly, this trait holds firm - if you want me up and functioning before 8:00am, there better be a damn good reason for it.
But alas, that trait didn't go over too hot in circa 2009 when it meant missing the school bus (I was the first stop on a very long route), and that made my mom responsible for driving me to school.
So mom did what any other time-saving mom would do...we chased the damn bus. 🚌
Basically, there were side streets it had to go down, which gave us opportunities to get ahead of it, vs. having to drive the full 30 minutes to high school.
Allowing me to find my secondary bus stop - like 6 stops after my real one.
And because I missed the bus a lot (sorry mom), I ended up becoming friends with some of the kids at that bus stop.
Fast forward to early 2024, and one of those kids from my secondary bus stop that I hadn’t seen or talked to in over a decade shoots me a DM that basically said, “Hey! Long time no talk. I just passed your name to a friend who needs marketing help. Hope that’s cool.”
Uhhh, yes. More than cool (!!!) That intro turned into a $33.6K project. Then that contract turned into even more work.
So you may be wondering how the HELLY does this happen??
Dun, duh, duh, duhhh....CONTENT!
Content is how this happened - and no, this type of "content connection" isn't a one-off coincidence (it's honestly how my whole business keeps growing) lemme 'splain 👇
Five and a half years ago, I literally launched my business with a bare bones website and made a post on my personal social accounts that I was starting a lil side hustle. That was it. That was the launch. There was no business plan, no huge strategy - just “hey, here I am..here’s what I do and what you can expect”
Then I posted on Instagram...a lot.
I did all the things I now advise you not to do (because I learned the hard way).
I posted sh*t content. I did SO many trends and cringe-worthy sh*t just because someone said “this gets you views,” and I figured that’s what I needed to get hired.
But alas...I was not getting hired with those sh*t posts, and I got frustrated so I did what I do best. Yap, educate, and connect dots.
And you guessed it - the content that got people to lean in? The content that got people to inquire about my services? It was when I shared my knowledge, past work, and POV through stories that synthesized my brain chaos in a way that only I could share.
Once I stopped posting hot garbage trends and focused more on brand-led content, the caliber of projects I attracted was night and day.
Once I said f*ck the algorithm and stopped caring about creating content that "might go viral" and instead focused on serving my people...
- More leads came my way
- Bigger opportunities opened up
- Referrals came in hotttt
When I say referrals, I’m talking about things like my bus-stop buddy sliding into my DMs 15 years later after silently watching and observing the business I was building via social content for the last 5 years.
This is what brand-led content makes possible.
It builds trust in the background even when you don’t know it’s happening.
Because yes, people are watching.
People from your past. People you met once. People who’ve never publicly engaged, but have seen enough of you to think, “They’d be perfect for this.”
Your network is SO much bigger than you think it is.
And if your content actually says something - meaning if it reflects your depth, shows what you care about, and makes it clear why someone should pay attention - then your network comes in clutch because they can clearly see you're the obvious choice to hire if they need XYZ services (no sales pitches or cold calling required).
I see this play out over and over again:
→ I've had a wellness client lose her mind the first time a dream client booked a session with her after stumbling on one of the social posts I created for (she was in total disbelief that this was possible before this moment)
→ I’ve signed dozens of contracts with people who’ve never once commented or 'liked' a thing publicly, but had been quietly following for months (some even years).
→ I’ve seen myself and my clients tagged in "does anybody know a good XYZ" referral threads by people we didn’t know existed, because the content we produced proved our value without us having to be in the room.
When your content reflects the real value of your work, it doesn’t just attract views; it earns trust.
And trust is what drives action.
So let me say this a little louder: Your content is already getting seen by people who could hire you, refer you, or open doors you didn’t even know existed.
It’s not a matter of “why isn’t anyone listening?”
It’s a matter of “is what you’re saying giving them a reason to act?”
Because if your content isn’t doing that for you yet... It's time we fix that.
If you want to build an online presence people trust - one that's clear, credible, and working for you around the clock - I'm taking on a handful of new clients in 2026 and would love to support you.
Click here to review my service offerings + apply.
And of course, if you have any questions - just hit reply!
Catch ya next week,
Marissa
