Running a social media business can be hard. You are constantly courting new clients in the hopes that you connect with the perfect ones for you. That constant business courtship can start making you question everything you knew about yourself if you are not strong in who you are going into all of this. And who really is confident in who they are?

I’ve seen it time and time again as people bend and twist themselves into a box that is easier for others to take. Then they start offering services that they maybe don’t really know or they don’t really enjoy doing. So you are stuck with a business owner who isn’t at all being themselves and is totally miserable as they take on work they’re not confident in. It’s a recipe for getting the heck out of dodge and back into working for someone else.

Don’t get me wrong. Not everyone should be working for themselves. But there are some who maybe could but are getting lost at the beginning by trying to be everything to everyone.

Know what you’re good at

I’m really good at getting people to talk to me online when I’m posting as a business. I’m really good at connecting with fan needs sometimes even before they know what those needs are. There is an excellent chance I have a social media news addiction. I love to tell a good story. And I can write better than most. These are just some of the things I know that I’m very good at.

One thing I’m not good at is being a graphic designer, but I do play one on Canva. So if a prospective client were to come up and they needed tons of graphic design work, I would say, “That’s great. I know someone who could help you out with that.” It’s just not my weird to go down that rabbit hole. By knowing that and referring a potential client to someone who can do that, I’m earning their trust and they are more likely to connect with me on a project that is in my specialty. Whereas, if I lied and said I could do it, the relationship would quickly sour and that could potentially wreck future work opportunities with them and others.

Sitting down and being honest with yourself about what you’re actually good at will get you so much further. Yes, you can add to that list in the future, but leave that for the future as you’re building a solid client base.

Know who you are

Years ago, a friend I really respect came to me with an opportunity to work with them. I was excited because I love getting the chance to work with people I admire. But then I looked closer.

My morals and beliefs didn’t align that well with the potential client. So despite my initial enthusiasm over working with a friend and getting a pay day, I declined. It affected the relationship, and it just sucked. But I knew I had made the right decision.

So I have no regrets. If I had taken that job, it would have hurt me. I would have been miserable doing work that went against what I stand for and having that on my client list could affect who I worked with in the future. I could have lost out on working with many of the clients I have teamed up with since, all of whom align with who I am so much better.

The pay day is always tempting, but you will miss out on so many better clients for you if you take on clients who don’t align with who you are.

Let yourself shine

I’m a weird person. A very weird person. There are some people who will not hire me because of some of my quirks. There have been many times I have said to myself, “Life would be so much easier if I wasn’t like this.” It probably would be but it would be a lot less fun.

Every time I have tried to change myself to fit into what I think a client might want, it hasn’t gone well for me. My real personality pops up at the most unexpected times. Like when I get really, really excited about a new social media feature and I’m giggling and bouncing in my seat. It’s kind of mind blowing to go from serious businesswoman to someone who can’t stop bouncing. It’ll give you whiplash. I don’t want whiplash and neither do my clients.

That is not to say I don’t sandpaper the edges down a little bit. I am very weird after all. There is a difference between an intriguing kind of weird and the weird person who wants to tell you all about her very specific knowledge on a topic no one cares about. I try not to do the latter. Anymore. I really like learning things, so please excuse me if I ever do this to you. Sometimes the sandpaper doesn’t work so well.

Showing up as your best, true self will help you make better relationships with your clients. That will, in turn, make them want to give you more work or refer you to other potential clients. It can be scary to just be yourself, but it’s worth it in the end.

In the end, this is your business, so don’t take the “you” out of it. Do your best work that reflects who you are. It’s just that simple and if you stick to that, you will be working for yourself for years to come.