Welcome to the Breakthrough Mastermind show. I'm your host Jen Argue, and I facilitate masterminds for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses to help others and create financial independence.
I'm so excited to have Heather Heuman as our guest today, she is a social media marketing consultant and her company is called Sweet Tea Marketing.
Her niche is in helping Christian businesses excel in what they do by helping them get the word out about the products and the services that help bring a positive impact into the world.
Hi, Heather. I am so excited to have you on today. Oh, thank you so much, Jen. It's awesome. I'm really excited to sit down and talk with you today.
Yes! I have loved connecting with you and getting to know you just through social media and... all the different groups that we've been in. I feel like we've been in various groups at the same time and every time I see your name pop up, I'm like, oh, I just love her. [laughs] Oh! The feeling is mutual cause [laugh] I feel the exact same.
And I was like, we're going to meet face to face one of these days. Oh yes we are. We are for sure. So one of the things that I love to ask people, because when I look at you, I see you as such a go getter and really knowledgeable about what you know, and something that I love about seeing you as a knowledgeable person is you have this calm.
And sometimes people who are really knowledgeable are like, um, almost. Too in your face about it. [laugh] And when I see you, you just like roll in as this expert and you're calm about it. And you're very connecting, um, which just speaks volumes to me as somebody whose more mature. Some... someone who's been on the journey for a while.
So can you share with me, tell me about your journey and how you got to this point where you're at right now. Yeah, absolutely. So, um, I love that question. And sometimes depending on people, like it can maybe feel like it's too much all at once, but if I were to kind of give you like a condensed, like two minute version, I used to be a special education teacher.
And I ultimately through a really terrible time in my personal life, about 22, 23 years ago, pretty much was... had been married for four and a half years was told in a two-minute conversation that I wasn't good enough that they wanted me to move out. And I suddenly found myself 25 divorced living alone and not knowing what God had for me.
And so in the midst of that really personal hard time, I found myself relocating living at the beach, working 65 hours. I ended up getting a great job in retail, but I ultimately, I didn't... love it. And for me at that time, normal man, I needed to work nine to five and I was not working nine to five. And so I literally ended up meeting the owner of a digital marketing agency who said, I'd have a job as an office manager Monday through Friday from nine to five.
And I was like, where do I sign? So I took about a 15, $18,000 pay cut. I started working in digital marketing and that was really. How I got where I am today. It was like a stepping stone, but I ultimately over about a two and a half year window became the office manager, the project manager. And then I went to become an apprentice and the graphic design and web design department.
So fast forward, there's a lot in between there, but that is really how I got into this digital marketing space. And then I ultimately just really felt that my gifts were in that area of just connecting people through the means of this online world that we live in. And I ultimately came to just build and grow two companies and just leaning strongly into.
I am highly analytical with, I'll talk to you maybe a little bit more later, but I love the details. I love strategy. I've been in the weeds, growing brands myself, and helping clients. And it's just been awesome to be able to say, I love marketing. I love this social media platform that we have, and it's just been awesome to be able to grow and build a business around the life that I want for me and for my family.
Um, that is an amazing journey that really seemed to kick off with a huge life event for you. Um, but I see your resilience in it that you were able to, you know, pick up and jump right into work, and somebody noticed your... ability to work really hard and invited you into that space, the digital marketing space and what a great fit that was for you at the time with those work hours.
And that just goes to show like it's not always about the money, yes, sometimes. Yes. It's about the other factors. Um, one thing that I'm curious about in your story is how did you make the transition from working in that company to starting your own. So, yeah, so I didn't mention one of the factors in there, but in 2002, I got married again to my husband, Wayne and I, who are about to celebrate 20 years of being married.
And we were living in Hilton head while we were engaged. And we felt that we were spending tons of time on the weekends, driving to Columbia, which is about three hour drive to go visit my family. And so what ended up happening was we moved to be closer to family. Then a year later, my husband joined the army and we moved to Germany, Texas, Tennessee, and lived in lots of places, but ultimately...
it was, it was again, life circumstances. I mean, the job was lovely, but I was at the time, not at a stage of going Hilton head though, it's a lovely place to vacation. It wasn't where we were imagining that we wanted to live to raise a family. So we ultimately ended up moving and on that journey of being a military spouse, um, and then a tele went to graduate school in 2010.
There was just like this time where I felt that I was being grown internally of I've got these skills. And while I was in graduate school, I just had this fire in me of like, I love business, but I was like, it's so important for me to be able to create a life on my terms that I knew. And this was really before I even knew, like the words I wasn't saying mompreneur I wasn't saying any of those things, but I was like, I need to make money for my family on my terms.
And I can't go into this cookie cutter world of having to. Go out and leave my kids. So that's kind of like was the pivotal moment of like, all right, I've got this demeanor of wanting to have a business. I want to make money. Okay. I'm going to have to just create my own thing. That is such a beautiful story.
And I feel like that is why so many women do start their own businesses to make money on their terms and to be able to stay home and be near your kids. And not have to leave all the time. And work somebody else's hours. Yeah. And I mean, it's like the thing I love and in sometimes if you're talking to other women that work and they have like these very awesome careers in corporate America, and I'm just like, that is so cool.
But I literally knew from like the moment I was like 15, like my number one is I want to be a wife and a mom and I wanted like, I wanted to stay home with my kids. Like even when Wayne and I were dating, I was like, um, I want to stay home with our kids. So if that means that I need to work second, third shift at Panera to make ends meet, like, that's like a non-negotiable for me.
And so, as I felt like my skills were up leveled and I got open to this world of business, I was like, oh, I can actually... like make sustainable, awesome, really great money and work on my terms. So again, that's what my passion and that was, that's probably one of my biggest drivers as my why or my motivator. And so I feel like I just really embrace that and it's been just like a fun journey, just seeing like new doors, just continue.
Mm... mm... That's so good. And so I'm curious, did you start off doing social media marketing or did you okay? No, it's a great question. So while I was in graduate school, I literally was like, I love to bake, but I don't like to bake for like lots of people. I don't want a catering business. And I was like, I don't even know what, I don't know.
What, what kind of business can I create? So I was a mom at the time, so I had a one-year-old a two-year-old and a five-year-old. So kids were, wow, baby young while I was on graduate school. And I all through those military moves for fun. I would create a Yahoo group and I would bring women together and I would tell them how to get places.
And I would tell them where there were fun crafting classes. And so, as I found myself, you know, here in 2010 and remote random Kentucky is... I said, there's a need for there to be a digital resource for busy families to find fun stuff to do. The chamber of commerce has nothing. The tourism department has nothing.
The newspaper has nothing. Well, I'm going to go and create this. So I just began. That was my company. I created a model of content marketing advertising, and I used Facebook and Twitter at first, but then evolved to also using Instagram to grow that from nobody knew it, except for me to it becoming like the number one digital resource in that town.
And so I personally was using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, just literally like, how does this work? I'm a social person, but I need it now for business purposes. And what was so cool is it evolved into businesses reaching out to me? Saying, can you help me? And then I ultimately ended up getting a position as the relationship manager for the chamber of commerce.
And they're like, we want you to help us grow our membership. We want you to help us with our marketing. You can advertise and grow your company at the same time. And so it was like this crazy mix of. Really, again, being able to put into practice for a different business. And so it started out with that in doing consulting.
And then in 2014 we moved and relocated. And so I kept that business number one, running. Remotely from 10 hours away. And then that's when I launched my Sweet Tea Social Marketing brand. And I literally said, I love this and I no longer want to be limited to this 30 mile radius town in Kentucky. So that is where it evolved into me helping people with social media strategy for their business, both service and products base.
Oh, see, there you go. [laugh] That is, was like a stepping stone. It's a stepping stone out of meeting a need that you saw needed to be filled. Yes. Which is the best way to start a business is to see the need and to already be doing it in a sense. And having other people asking you to help them. This might be an understood for a lot of people listening, but I will say this, I didn't just go, oh, this is cool.
I want this. Let me create it. I got on Google and I was like, does this exist in other cities? Like, is this, is this a thing? And so I didn't go necessarily. To do that, to copy what others were doing. I was going, is this a sustainable business model for me to try to like go after? And again, I just made connections and I reached out to other people in really large cities that didn't live anywhere near I did.
And I was like, yeah, this is a thing. And I was like, all right, let's full bore. Let's do this. Yeah. And you were in grad school at the time, right? Yes. So you were probably like, yeah, you were applying what you were learning. That's such a rich way to learn. Yes. So it was great by applying what you're doing.
That is great. So what I love about your business too, is that you have Jesus in it, like the name of your podcast is business Jesus and Sweet Tea. Yes. So tell me about that. Yeah. So, I mean, I feel like I've always just the way that I'm wired is I've always just been very like... I would just say open about my faith, not hesitant to say what I'm thinking.
Always wanting to say it in truth and grace and kindness. But, um, when I first started my Sweet Tea Social Marketing business, In 2014, if I were to go and find a business card today in my drawer from like when I first started, it literally says I help businesses, churches, nonprofits, chambers, and I was like trying to do everything for all the things.
And I, I do believe I have resources and experiences. To help all of those, but as a marketer and wanting to be able to talk about my faith, I felt it was like, the language is just different. Like if you're saying ROI and return on investment, like that's not the same language that a church uses when they're maybe trying to talk about like growing their congregation or what not.
So I would say after about a year and a half, I really just... felt God calling me to boldly say that I wanted to serve and help Christians. And then again, I was like, well, there's Christians everywhere. What does that mean? And I just literally went cause I, I am someone who likes to follow the data and not just my feelings.
So I got a piece of paper out and I was like, no, I want to help the churches. And I want to help the nonprofits. But when I looked on paper, 95% of all of my experience had all been in business. So I was like, I do have a passion and a heart to help churches and nonprofits, but my experience lies mainly here, my languaging, that I'm probably most comfortable like giving an examples and scenarios and case studies is in business.
So I'm going to go with what God has already given me. And so that's when I went more into, I want to help Christian CEOs in businesses that are looking at... life from a Christian worldview. And I really see myself as a digital missionary, like I love and geek out on marketing, but all amazing business owners, they tolerate marketing, or they want to know how to be smarter in their marketing.
It's not like their passion. So I kind of see it as when I align with other beliefs. We're looking at life from the same worldview, whether they incorporate their faith into their business outwardly or not. And then I feel like by me, helping them with their marketing, I am then helping them like shine their light for Jesus in what they do. Uhm...
So that's really just kind of the why is I really just felt God was like, this is where you need to be. And I have had churches. One of my most recent clients is a huge non-profit and I still get to work with those clients. I am like, Hey, I love to help you. And here's a great fit, but I would just say from like a marketing standpoint, I found it easier to just be like business because that's where the majority of my experience had been. Uhm...uhmm...
Okay. I love that. It's so authentic to who you are and when we're doing business authentically, we show up more energetically. Um, so what I love to get into is the behind the scenes of what has helped you be a successful business. And one of the things we don't think about too often are the soft skills, mm... but they're so important.
And I'd like to know for you, what do you think is the soft skill that has moved the needle the most in your business? When you are asking me that question, I've got two things that pop into mind. I think of empathy and I think emotional intelligence. And so this could be just my... opinion, but I think a lot of times women in business are either thinking or they are taught to think that empathy is a negative thing, but I see it as allowing me to be able to just be more able to connect with people by really just trying to just constantly put myself.
In their shoes in their position. So I feel that having that empathy has allowed for me both with potential clients, as well as just my audience, or if I'm speaking at an event, I feel like it just makes it easier to make that connection. And I, as a marketer, and I know you probably know this too, people buy from people that they like, they know and they trust.
And so I feel just that... The natural way of me being someone that is empathetic. I don't see that as a weakness. I actually see it as, as a strength. Uhm... uhm... It is a strength and when you think about being empathetic and about how the empathy helps you connect with others, what way are you demonstrating that empathy?
You know, I think for so many conversations I've had with clients, sometimes it's literally like, if you're feeling this way, I just want you to know it is okay.
Like, I mean, you know, I'm a pretty straight shooter, so it's very interesting, like this empathy piece with like being very Enneagram, a direct straight to the point like... It's an interesting mix. But what I find is when you can let people, whether it's a client or just whom ever you're talking to know that you get where they're coming from.
And sometimes it's just a journey of like, well, here's why I think you're feeling this and you're not alone. Lots of other people experience it, but here are two things that if you're willing to work with me, if you're willing to do these two things, you can go from feeling this way about your marketing or about your social media.
And you can begin getting this result or this type of engagement. Are you willing to, are you coachable? Are you willing to try this? And so I think that it, it gives people hope that if they might feel like... Uh, this isn't something I love. They see it as like this could work for me and Heather's gonna like help me get there.
So I feel like it just makes them feel, seen, understood. They're not alone and they're not in a silo for like really feeling the way that they have maybe felt. Uhm... And they're more willing to trust you to get them there than if you didn't empathize with them. Exactly. Cause I mean, sometimes by nature, whether it's like exercise or fitness, I'm just like stop complaining, just like do the thing, [laugh] just do it right. [laugh]
But we all know whether it's a fitness thing or if it's a business thing or if it's a marriage conflict that when we just feel that people are hearing us. And that we're like able to just articulate our why... we're more open to being able to be like, okay, I want a different outcome. So let me be willing to try a different effort to see if I can get there. Uhm... Little side note to people who are listening. [laugh]
Third, I have a little inside thing going now, I'll share with you. We both are in the same fitness program and I'm in it because I saw Heather in it and the results she was getting. And I was like... Oh, sign me up for that. [laughs] I've got the quarantine 15 I'd like to address. So, [laugh] so we are in this program and one of the motto's is trust the process and it worked.
And I hear that's what you're saying, you know, with your empathy is if people understand that you understand them and they feel that they're going to trust your process. Yes. And it's so funny that you mentioned this [laugh] because as much as I am just like, do the thing, like stop making excuses, like just do it when someone's like, but I want to know the why I totally respect that because I'm like miss high analytical person of like, I'll do anything, but I want to know like the why, mm... The reason I should drink water.
Well, it's good for you. And it doesn't have all the toxins and it doesn't have all the things and like, oh, by the way, your body's made up of this. And when you deprive your body of this, like, okay, okay, now I'll put my, I hate water, you know, 46 years [laugh] version of myself to the side and I will try something new because you've explained it to me and you've kind of like appease that part.
So yeah. Yes, it's awesome. [laugh] And as a fellow Enneagram eight, [laugh] I can add to that, that we often come across as very convinced and maybe immovable in our beliefs about something, but we are easily convinced otherwise with a good reason why? Yes. So we can, we can move that Titanic around in a second. If we have a good reason, why?
And I just kind of like quickly share that, you know, the empathy piece I feel is not just separate, but I feel like it's aligned with that... Just that emotional intelligence. And I don't, oh, want to get like... all like trendy topics here in marketing, but I just think that when you are able to go, it's not all just about the data.
It isn't just about the numbers. People, people buy or make decisions for like emotional reasons and they want to feel that connection. And I just feel that when people just allow themselves to just... Make decisions or operate in their business from a place of, I am wanting to just genuinely let people be seen, be heard, be a good listener, which is really a hard skill.
Not everyone's great at it, but we can all, I feel be evolving at being better at those things that it allows for the relationships that we're having. In business, I feel to be so much stronger. Mm... mm... Yeah. I agree. And being a good listener is really rare. And I think when other entrepreneurs gather that from somebody else, the trust just skyrockets. Yes...
Yeah. Yeah. So tell me about the hard skills. So when we look at successful entrepreneurs, um, And it's success doesn't always mean, uh, you know, a certain dollar amount, but I, I know that you've had two businesses go into the multiple six-figures. Tell me about what has made the biggest difference for you as far as the hard skills.
Okay. So the one thing that I'm gonna tell you first... Is something that I don't know that I would have articulated it's... it's years and years of people telling me this is what they like most from me. And so I'm almost like, oh, let me, let me, let me embrace that. Let me include that into my messaging. Let me talk about that, my marketing, but it is the ability to take something.
High level what may very well sound and feel complicated and break it down into simple. Clear actionable steps for someone to either understand what they need to do next, or to just simplify it and just say, okay, this is the high level version of what we're doing. And here is a fourth grade explanation of this.
And so whether you don't love marketing, but you realize it's necessary for your business. You're like, I embrace this and it's so helpful to go, okay, here's what I need to do. So it's really just taking complicated things and making them like simple, easy, actionable. Mm... And then the Heather version answer to this is video marketing.
And I had totally attributed this to like, I'm the girl that since the fifth grade, like have been making videos, pretending I was a TV person making commercials, pretending I was making the baby powder shower commercial and I just have always gravitated to video. So it, it literally is almost laughable and funny to me that what I was doing in middle school and beyond totally just for fun is a way that right now, in 2022, that businesses and people can show up in their marketing and make a real connection with someone so much faster.
Amazing. [laugh] I am so blown away by that. So you have actually two parts of your history that are really playing to your strengths and your business growth right now. The one being your love of when you're younger, pretending to be on TV and doing videos. And two your early days as a special ed teacher and probably having to be very conscientious about how you break things down and explain things and complicated things in a simple way, both have helped you so much.
Yeah. And the thing that's so interesting is... I got out of the classroom for again, multiple reasons. A lot of it was like a very quick, uh, look at, but I could have easily gone on to teach. I could have easily gone back into the classroom, but something inside of me was just like, I don't want to be in the confines of, let's say a traditional classroom.
But what I have learned over the last 22 years is that I do genuinely have a love to teach. It's just not looking like how I maybe thought that it was when I was in college. And I was trying to pick the boxes of like what degree I wanted to have in college. Uhm... uhm... Yeah. That's so good. So when you think about people who are growing their business, And it's probably, um, a natural outpouring for a lot of people.
If they're going to be good at breaking things down into simple steps and they can teach well, but the video aspect I hear is a bigger challenge for people and. How would you take that strength of yours that has grown your business and encourage somebody who is trying to get to that six figure mark? How would you encourage them to approach video marketing?
Okay. So I'm going to try to do this. This is not like prefigured out, yeah, but I'm going to try to do this. What I think sounds simple and yet is like honest and true. Number one, stop making excuses. [laugh] Number two, create a list of the top 10 questions that you get ask... over and over as it relates to what you do or your area of expertise, those 10 questions will be your next 10 videos.
And what I want you to do for simplicity sake is to say, I'm going to make each of these videos to be two and a half minutes or less. And I am going to literally start each video thinking about the person who's going to watch it and not put it. It's not about me. It's about them. And so I want you to just go, I don't need to get flustered.
I, I know my content. So whoever's listening to this. I'm assuming, you know what you're talking about and you are ready to just go find more people. So the visibility that video can help you get online is just wildly awesome. And then I would next say hit record and you start the video by saying, are you curious what you could do better on Instagram, starting today to get more clients?
Well, I'm going to share with you right now. My number one tip. Here's the tip. I hope that that helped you. My name is Heather with Sweet Tea Social Marketing. If you want more information, just click the link in my bio, but otherwise I look forward to sharing with you more tips. See, I don't start the beginning of the video.
Hey, my name is Heather. It's all about me. I just immediately, the first thing you want to say in your video is like... here's what the problem is. They have five seconds that they want to keep listening or not. So you're going to have a hook when you make the focus in the start of your video to be about what it is that they need.
And then just go through that for those motions. And I will say this also, if you are... an over thinker or you are a perfectionist is, do not allow yourself to re record each videos. 79 times, because those videos that I just told you could all be done in all be recorded. If you were just, if you were gracious and you blocked off two hours on your time. On your calendar, you went and grabbed about four different shirts and you literally sat there and said, I am going to record these right now.
I don't have to use fancy equipment, have good lighting, make sure that your audio is clear. Put your phone still standing up on something and don't move. And you can have movement while you're talking with your hands. But just do it and record it and then schedule them... because for everyone that is an over-thinker or they're like, what about the thing?
The thing is you're trying to make videos so other people can see them. So you recording the 10 videos and then just staying on your phone for 90 days. In zero way, is that going to help your business grow? You have to actually do the thing, get the thing out there and then lean into your confidence and get it out online for other people to see it.
And even if you don't have confidence, just still lean in and do it because I can promise you, I mean, the reality is I am. Um, I'm a, I'm a realist sometimes. And so your first video, if you've never made video, it's probably going to be bad. And if you're really fairly new to social media, I'm just going to be honest and not many people are going to probably even see your first video, but you keep going and I can promise you that by the seventh video, the eighth video, the ninth video.
Your videos are going to be better. And guess what? We all evolve, we're all growing and you will just like riding a bike. You will continue to evolve and you will continue to get more confident and you'll continue to know how to make eye contact in the camera and you will be better. That's exactly it.
That, wow. You just brought it. [laughs] You just brought it. That was so good. So good. So... a lot of entrepreneurs love what they do and they've, they find it hard to break away from work. How do you keep your sanity? How do you feed your soul? How do you, um, keep those work boundaries if you do? Okay. So that's a really great question.
And I can tell you that I would say. That I love what I do. And I would say that I naturally given my own, um, I'd say tendencies would say I lean in the direction of maybe easily being someone who could be like a workaholic. Like I love what I do. I'm passionate about what I'm doing. I'm wildly driven. I always want to like Uplevel and beat my last goal...
But that said, what has worked for me? I do have a home office, um, in our home. And prior to here, my home, my office was like to the left of my kitchen sink. So I've worked in all the environments of like different spaces, but what works for me... has always been, for example, my season currently is I work while my kids are at school.
So that means unless, unless it is Joanna Gaines, Or maybe Toby Mac that might want to be on my podcast. I am not doing anything. That's after 4:00 PM my family's time and I they'll the door. That's right behind my chair. As I'm talking to you, I walk out of that door at four and I take nothing with me and I'm doing nothing.
That's work related now because I love social media. I have opportunities to like, maybe not be on my phone as much, like while my husband and I are like watching television and like he's reading a Western book and I'm holding my phone and he's like, where are you on your phone? But I'm like, but you're reading a Western book.
I'm reading a blog. Is it really different? [laughs] But... I'm not necessarily doing work, so to say, I'm just maybe on my phone, some, but the easiest thing for me has just been to have clear boundaries to say, this is when I work and I am gonna give my work my all. And when I'm not at work, I'm going to give my family my all, because if I'm not, or if you're not, then that means you're giving your family or your neighbors or whomever.
I feel like you're giving them sloppy seconds. If you're just constantly letting your work invade into your personal space. So that's what it looks like for me. And I'm okay with it. And that's what, and even though I love work, work, work, when I leave at four, I genuinely am like, I'm in mom mode and, uhm... I'm making cookies and I'm like doing setups and I'm like checking the mail and I'm going on a walk and I'm cooking dinner.
And I'm like in that zone. Um, it's so good. It's so good. And I love that you leave your office at a specific time and take nothing with you. That is such great advice, right there. Yeah. So...
Heather, thank you so much for joining us today. If people want to get connected with you, learn more about you hire you for services, what's the best way for them to get in contact with you?
Yeah, so, because I do social media, I first would love to say, if you are online, I'd love for you to come and connect with me over on LinkedIn. And so you can just find me by Heather Heuman. But my website sweetteasocialmarketing.com is where you can learn about my blogs or my podcast or my book. And I would love for you to reach out, especially maybe we're new to each other.
If you heard about me through Jen, I would literally love you to send me a message and just say, I heard you today. I learned this and I can't wait or if you do want to learn more about any of our services, that be fantastic as well. That's so great. And do you have any resources for people that might help them as they're getting to know you or getting their feet wet?
A little bit more of a social media. Yes. So I've got two things one's free and one's less than 20 bucks. So my book is called a... The Golden Rules of Social Media Marketing. You can get free shipping on Amazon prime and then I have a free 31 day, social media content calendar, which is perfect for anyone that's like, what can I post that will get engagement?
That's more conversational. That's going to help increasing my analytics regardless of LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever platform. And you can get that by going to sweetteasocialmarketing.com/contentcalendar.
Love it. Thank you so much. Yes. And I will see you in the fitness group [laugh], some great and I can't wait to have you as a guest on our show as well. I would be honored. All right. Take care... take care...
I'm so grateful that we had Heather on the show today and all the links to everything that she mentioned will be in the show notes. So definitely go give her a visit and check out the resources that she shared. She really shared some amazing things, very practical things with us today.
And if you're looking for more support, challenge and inspiration in running your online business, I would love to have you apply to my mastermind.
Check it out! @jenargue.com
