Meet Sani Field | Founder

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

Hi Sani, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I got connected with a local artist whose work focused on sustainable and healing installations; she asked me to run her blog and social media channels. I had no idea what any of that meant. I had a personal Facebook profile, but that was about the extent of my social media knowledge. I was a decent writer, so I knew that if I learned all the technical aspects of managing a blog/website, and posting on the social networks, I had a fighting chance at being remotely successful. I decided to take the job and teach myself the ins and outs of everything she needed from me as I went along. After a few months, now October 2011, a pilot television program discovered her feature project through her blog and reached out to learn more about her inspiration. That was the moment the light bulb turned on for me. If I could garner that kind of recognition through a blog, what else was I capable of? That event was the impetus for me to start SunnySide Social Media.

What should our readers know about your business?
My firm blends traditional and social marketing. We offer reputation/reviews management, blog direction and management, digital advertising, newsletter/email marketing, organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, and overall social media strategy and execution. We are also contracted for copywriting services, building websites, brand positioning, executing press releases, usability testing, and eCommerce marketing. This year we’ll be offering mobile and online app development, as well. We pride ourselves in working seamlessly with our clients’ teams to become a valuable asset and champion for their growing business. Getting to where we are today was not at all easy. Initially, it was just me bringing on clients, developing strategy, managing blogs, executing social posts, etc. I hired someone part-time to help me with the workload after about a year, so that was a big step. After about 18 months, new clients didn’t come in at quite the same clip as they did initially. And I lost a few. I had to let my one and only team member go, so it was just me managing and executing the work again. That wasn’t the hard part, though. It was scary not knowing if my business would survive. It was a real wake up call to how being a business owner is so unpredictable and risky. Like I did when I started this business, I approached local business owners who needed social media help and added some new names to my client roster. And since then, it’s been fairly smooth sailing. I’ve built a strong team, and each year we bring on more services that really fortify us as a full spectrum online marketing firm.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh boy, good question. To be honest, since COVID hit last March, I haven’t done much of anything except work, get all my grocery orders delivered to my home, learn how to be a better cook, order more take out, and generally avoid the public unless it’s work related or has something to do with my kids. I’m totally out of touch with anything new the city has to offer these days. BUT, I do have some favorites pre-COVID: 1. Hit up Le Bilboquet for the best mussels in town 2. JAX all night Monday happy hour 3. A RINO visit to check out Denver Central Market 4. Red Rocks hike and/or movie, concert if any are available 5. Gondolier take-out from Boulder – the best homemade spaghetti around 6. Downtown Boulder stroll 7. Botanic Gardens in Denver for a leisurely morning walk 8. Williams & Graham for a drink 9. Uber Chic in Edgewater for a mani/pedi 10. Avanti in LoHi for lunch on the patio 11. Nuggets game 12. Fast casual lunch favorites in Denver: Chop Shop for American, Kokoro for Japanese 13. Hinman Pie for dessert 14. Mici Italian in Denver for their white pizza

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Tyler, deserves a huge shoutout; he was there for me from business conception. About 10 years ago when I started this endeavor, we were living together – not yet married – so his commitment to help me build this company was very significant. He covered rent when I couldn’t, and he never once asked me to get a job that paid the bills. After all, he was the one who motivated me to think outside the box and build a new dream that didn’t involve my degrees in education. My parents were also a huge help. They loaned me money when I needed it to pay off my student loan debt and other bills. If not for these very important people, my business might not have thrived as much as it has.

Website: https://sunnysidesocialmedia.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunnyside-social-media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunnySocial

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

Image Credits
Nikita Kachanovsky (unsplash image)