Meet Jackie Murphy of Queen Bee Jackie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Murphy. 

Hi Jackie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a teenager, I sold my art to friends and family, as well as designing my very first logo for my dad’s friend’s business. I always knew I wanted to have my own creative business when I grew up. The joy of creating something that people wanted to purchase was exciting and rewarding. 

I attended college as a fine arts major for 2 years before taking a break and working multiple jobs. I worked primarily for print shops, where I was able to build and use my design skills, and eventually moved on to the non-profit world, wearing many hats in marketing, events, and development. 

My first business The Queen Bee Paper Company (2003-2016), started after my second child was born. It was my first official business AND a creative outlet while raising two children at home. I designed and produced my own line of personalized stationery goods–notecards, invitations, notepads, calendars, and labels. I exhibited at the Stationery Show in NYC several years, was able to employ fellow stay-at-home moms to help and make extra money, and I had the flexibility to do all the fun mom things. 

During the latter part of my 13 years running the business, I started helping small local businesses with their social media. I really enjoyed Facebook and Instagram, and with my background in graphic design, I was able to post and create graphics. It came easy to me. 

I decided to put the stationery business on the back burner since I was burnt out and transitioned from a product-based to a service-based business. I started freelancing social media and design, as well as worked part-time for a boutique ad agency for a few years. 

After a brief stint (one year) as Creative Director at a video production studio in 2017, I decided to go back to freelancing and being my own boss again. 

In 2019, I went “all in” with marketing/social media services & design with a more formal plan and quickly built my client roster. I was surprised to find that I had grown a large network over the years, plus local small to mid-size companies were in desperate need of social media strategy and someone to take the reins of their marketing-related projects. Most of those clients are still with me today. 

My full-service clients cover a wide range of industries, including real estate, construction, hospitality, graphics, specialty food, and distillery. During the pandemic, I expanded my services to include social media coaching so I could further help small business owners learn how to effectively use social media to grow their brand. 

Since 2019, I’ve more than doubled my number of retainer clients, and gross sales will have increased by almost 60% by year’s end. I also have hired two contractors to help me with my business–a virtual assistant and social media support for client accounts. 

I have no goals to have an agency or a larger team, but I love to help people, and hiring support has allowed me to be a strategic partner for more businesses. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been fairly smooth, but there have been a few challenges. 

It has taken several years to build a business where I am no longer considered a ‘freelancer” and am an owner of a business. Knowing your own worth, when you offer services that are offered by just you and based on your skills and experience, has been difficult to put a price to. I still struggle with pricing of services since I offer such a custom partnership, but I have streamlined it over the last 1-1.5 years. 

Another challenge I have been working on has been developing and implementing business systems. I grew so quickly, and demands for special projects increased at such a rate that I knew I was not working efficiently and I was falling behind. I wasn’t using email or proposal templates, batching my work, or using an appointment booking system like Calendly. This is a work-in-progress, but I now have a lot of templates for correspondence, proposals, and onboarding, and even have an organized share drive for clients. 

Lastly, hiring and managing others takes time. I started working on systems when I knew I was going to eventually grow my team. My VA and social media support work remotely, so corresponding and ensuring I get them the tools and things they need to do their job has forced me to be more organized and plan even further ahead. This is still a work-in-progress! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I offer marketing support & consultation, social media strategy & management, 1:1 social media coaching, and graphic design services. 

Most people initially contact me for social media management. I specialize in strategic organic growth on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. For full-service management, I create a majority of the content, including taking photos/video, designing graphics, writing, planning, publishing and engaging. I manage a lot of Google Business Profiles as well since I have the library of images that can be uploaded. I enjoy the engagement part of Instagram and starting conversations with the community on behalf of the company. This has led to very successful collaborations. 

While social media might be the reason companies contact me, most of my retainer clients need full-service marketing support, which includes social media. Since social media is not in a vacuum and part of a marketing strategy, I often develop and maintain other parts of the plan. I will manage and coordinate marketing-related special projects such as email marketing and templates, website refreshes and ongoing management, client appreciation events, connecting with other organizations, and launches. I am like their mini marketing department. 

For the entrepreneur or small business that wants to improve their Instagram skills or needs marketing consultation, I offer 1:1 coaching and consults. People may book a 60-minute session as needed for coaching or consulting or commit to monthly coaching for additional guidance and accountability. While there is no contract, I recommend a minimum of three months to develop better habits, shift your approach to social media, and gain the confidence to do it on your own. I especially love this because it is rewarding seeing the transformation in how Instagram is being used and seeing the results. 

With graphic design, I work with a lot of non-profit organizations designing event marketing collateral and signage, impact reports, and logos. And even though I use my Adobe design programs, I love using Canva to develop custom, branded social media graphics and other templates for clients to utilize and update themselves. It’s easier on their budget and empowers them to flex their own creativity. When I have the opportunity, I enjoy teaching in-person beginner Canva workshops and have even done 1:1 Canva lessons. 

What sets me apart is that I become a partner to a business, not just a vendor or expert that’s hired. I consider myself part of the team and am always thinking of collaborations and connections that can be made. Even if I am managing the social media, I am usually bringing non-social media-related ideas to the table. My clients know they can come to me with questions and consider me a valuable resource. If it’s not in my wheelhouse, I try to connect or coordinate with others who can help. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The pandemic made companies and people realize even more that they need a digital presence with intentional messaging. Brands will continue looking more at how they are communicating with their followers and online community and nurturing those relationships. 

Video content will increase as we’ve seen on Instagram and LinkedIn, but still, images will always have a place and a need. The demand for content creators will grow. I am always looking for professional photographers and videographers. Consumers want to get the message quickly and be entertained, so the short-form video trend is here to stay. 

I think recruitment for older companies is going to be a challenging issue in the coming years. All industries who have not yet should consider what they are doing for branding, recruitment, culture, and education. Social media and video can play a huge role in this. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.queenbeejackie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenbeejackie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenbeepaper

Image Credits
Brooke Bentz Photography
Ian Alexander
Emma Murphy