Meet Morgana LeBold | HBIC and Owner of Red Door Social

We had the good fortune of connecting with Morgana LeBold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my own business because I wanted to help business owners. I’ve always had a servant’s heart, and thought I had found my purpose when I was an Account Executive working with health, commercial, home, and auto insurance. It was so fulfilling to be able to educate people on the ins and outs of insurance, and I enjoyed helping to protect individuals, their families, and their livelihood. As I was working in the insurance industry, I volunteered to spearhead my company’s social media marketing, and found that the agency they had hired was charging an arm and a leg for weekly conference calls, but they weren’t implementing anything on our behalf. As I talked with other business owners at networking events, I found that most, if not all, had been duped by a marketing agency in the past. I knew there was an opportunity to serve this community of business owners in a more meaningful way; protecting them as fervently as I protected my insurance clients. So, I started building relationships and forming a small client list, working at night until I realized my passion for social media marketing had outgrown my passion for insurance. I put in my two weeks, moved in with my best friend, and was “all in” for this new adventure. Growing up around a family of artists has instilled in me the drive of entrepreneurship and a wild passion for designing beautiful things. Social media marketing was the perfect mix of my passion and creativity.

What should our readers know about your business?
Although I started my business as an overall consulting agency, I chose to focus on social media marketing specifically so I could become a master of the craft. Staying in my lane is extremely important, so I’ve spent the last five years learning everything I can as to best practices, getting Facebook Blueprint Certified, and remaining flexible to my client’s needs. Social media seems to change every day, so staying on top of trends, compliance, and best practices is my mission for my clients; which allows them to focus on their business. As a small business owner myself, I know that it takes a lot of time and energy to run a business, and marketing often falls to the bottom of the priority list in the day-to-day operations. I also know that many small business owners, especially solopreneurs, have to do everything themselves, and sometimes they don’t have any kind of marketing “budget”. A marketing budget is a fantasy when you’re just trying to keep the doors open. Something like creating a poster design, shooting a Live video, or launching a Facebook ad may take a business owner hours to prep and execute, taking valuable time away from operations. Since I live in this space, I can take these projects on so that an owner or solopreneur can continue to focus on their business, instead of the marketing tidbits. During the pandemic, I started pivoting my business model to teach business owners and social media managers how to “do” social media effectively. Launching free social media trainings on my Facebook page while we were in lockdown allowed businesses to learn marketing strategies on their own time, and my downloadable tools provided specific, easy-to-use guidance. Instead of my original business model of helping 5 or 10 business owners, I decided I wanted to help thousands. Going virtual allows me to do that, not only at an affordable cost, but at scale. Nothing about business ownership is easy. If I were completely honest, it’s not those happy, successful women you see on social media. Being a business owner means getting out of bed every day at 4 or 5am, 365 days a year, and owning the day. It means being vulnerable, spending money you don’t have, and hoping your message will impact others when you’re not even sure it will resonate. Being a business owner is a special kind of skill that requires a certain type of resilience and stupidity that (hopefully) pushes you forward each day. I feel lucky that I am surrounded by so much inspiration in my daily life. I see so many businesses trying to make it work, and I want to help them all. That’s why I’ve moved almost completely to digital, low-cost marketing options in 2021. I want to help.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is my favorite question — I LOVE Colorado Springs. I would take my friend on a drive to breakfast at Amanda’s Fonda, a hike in Red Rocks Canyon Open Space with my dog, a drive through Garden of the Gods on our way to Trinity Brewing for a beer and a snack. Then a nap (obvi), and reconvening for happy hour at a local gem like Tapateria, before a fancy dinner at Prime 25. If the weather was nice, we might even be able to squeeze in Cerberus, which has a fabulous dog-friendly patio to spend the afternoon on. I LOVE food and I love the outdoors, and anyone I bring to this fabulous city would be forced to enjoy fabulous local restaurants, beautiful trails, and the splendor that is Colorado. I’m not a native, but I guess that means I get to discover and appreciate everything this state has to offer even more. I love every minute in these mountains.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my friends and my boyfriend. My friends took me in when I was broke and building the business, as I was living off credit cards and just trying to survive for the first year. My boyfriend has become my mentor and biggest cheerleader; taking me under his marketing wing to teach me new things, pushing me to try again when initiatives fail, and reminding me that my knowledge is valuable and must be shared. He owns a marketing agency too, and though you’d think we would be competitors, we have actually complemented one another’s efforts and individual agency growth. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a person to be there, in my corner, when times get rough or I feel unsure about myself and my mission. Creating a business from nothing is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and it’s also been the most rewarding.

Website: https://reddoorconsult.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialmorgana/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reddoorconsulting/?viewAsMember=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reddoorsocial

Image Credits
Red Door Consulting