SPONSOR - ELLIE REDCLOUD (ERC DIGITAL

“I’d like to empower other spouses by showing them that they can actually build a legitimate business and make actual money. If I can do it with my husband, my kids, deployments, having to move to four different time zones, and dealing with all sorts of other unforeseen challenges, then anyone can. ”

- Ellie Redcloud

Colorado Springs, Co EllieRedcloud.com Proudly serving our military community

Ellie Redcloud

Marketing Consultant

Ellie Redcloud is the founder of ERC Digital and lead social media strategist. Her background is in business development, strategy, and digital marketing. For the past 5+ years, she has worked with businesses in various industries to develop strategies for sustainable and scalable growth utilizing a mix of organic and paid methods paired with innovative social media strategy. She is also a mother and military spouse currently based in Colorado Springs.

Why do you think it is important for businesses to seek consulting?

I believe it is important that everyone focuses on their own specialty. As a business operator, it can be difficult to focus on digital marketing and the overall business strategy, so consulting can make your job a little bit easier.

Often, small businesses do not get access to the resources that larger businesses have access to. Consultants can provide a small business with the opportunity to get the tools that they need to take the business to the next level and, most importantly, make it sustainable.

About 65% of small businesses close within 10 years or less. Business failure could be from failed marketing, not having the finances managed properly, or many other things. If you have a consultant specializing in those areas, you can create sustainability for your business.

How do you manage running your own business, being a military spouse, and managing a family all at once?

At first, I didn’t manage it at all. It was insane, and I felt like I was killing myself. There are a few things that have really helped me get on track. The first thing is working with other independent contractors and freelancers for things in my business. I can outsource for an admin, social media manager, and other team members to help me manage client accounts. I don’t mind paying people to maintain my sanity, and I believe that you have to pay people to grow.

The second thing is to prioritize my family time and set boundaries for my work schedule. Sometimes I work from home, and I would want to work at nine o’clock at night because there was always more work to be done. It’s important to me to find boundaries and set aside time for my work and not overlap that with time for my family.

Lastly, one thing that I always advocate for is using automated systems to help with your business. One of my favorite automated systems is Monday.com. It’s great for project management and scheduling. It helps me stay on track with what’s going on with my business to not interfere with my personal and family life.

What are some challenges that you faced with running your own business?

One of the greatest challenges has been being a military spouse because we move every three years. I originally started the business we lived in Germany. That was a challenge because I worked with US clients, which meant that I was working on an overnight schedule based on the US Eastern Time Zone.

Then we moved from there to Missouri and from Missouri to Colorado. I had to learn to set my business times, so even though I’m in Colorado, I still work based on the US Eastern time zone. When I move, I’m not always having to change up the schedules of my clients.

It can also be difficult when my husband is on deployment because I am the only adult in the house when he is gone. He may be gone for two weeks, thirty days, or more at a time. I am grateful for all my husband does, but it can be a challenge because sometimes you do feel very alone.

Even though there is a large community that has been extremely welcoming in Colorado Springs, as a military spouse, there are times when I do still feel like an outsider. It’s like you’re always the new kid.

How do you hope to inspire other military spouses?

I hope to inspire them by showing them that they are not limited to just being your husband’s wife. I think many times in the military, you can fall into the stereotype of just being the “Captain’s wife” or “Sergeants wife” and get caught up with all the things that come with that idea.

I’d like to empower other spouses by showing them that they can actually build a legitimate business and make actual money. If I can do it with my husband, my kids, deployments, having to move to four different time zones, and dealing with all sorts of other unforeseen challenges, then anyone can.

Visit www.ellieredcloud.com to schedule a consultation. There are 10 hours per month reserved for free consultations for My Black Colorado members and subscribers.