Page 24 of Center Ice
“Thank you,” I say. “What about you? Any promising guys on the horizon?”
“Well,” she says, a smile spreading across her face as she rolls her eyes, “there is a guy I was talking to last night. We ended up video chatting with each other, and he is really cute, and reallysweet, and we’re going to see each other next week after I get back from Las Vegas.”
“Yes! That’s awesome,” I say, and then we’re distracted as the waiter comes over to take our order.
Once he leaves, Morgan says, “So, I had an ulterior motive in asking if you wanted to grab lunch.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Now that I’m managing Petra’s social media for her, I’m looking to expand in that area a bit. Lauren already connected me with Sierra,” she says, referring to another of Lauren’s best friends who, along with Petra and their friend, Jackson, round out Lauren’s tight-knit group of friends from when she lived in Park City. “She used to run the social media accounts for the National Ski Team, and now she co-runs one of the most popular travel accounts on Instagram with her husband, Beau. She’s also talking about starting a Bookstagram account, because that girl is a diehard romance fan.”
Even though I’ve met Sierra a few times and knew she was a photographer, I didn’t realize the extent of her social media presence.
“So that’s been really helpful,” Morgan says. “Now I’m interested in taking on some more accounts, and I’m wondering if you’d be interested in me helping you manage and grow the Our House account?”
“Yes!” There’s not a moment of hesitation. Our social media accounts fall under my purview, and it’s one of my least favorite responsibilities, mostly because of my own lack of understanding about, or interest in, how social media can be used to help generate leads. “Please…can you just take the whole thing over?”
“We haven’t even talked about compensation,” Morgan says with a laugh. “What if my fee was ten thousand dollars a month?”
“Is it?”
“No.”
“Okay, so I’m sure we can work something out, but I absolutely hate managing our accounts?—”
“That’s what Jules said, which is why I’m making this offer. But Audrey, you and Jules are the face of that company, and if you want your social media accounts to be successful, you’re going to have to make an appearance once in a while.”
“Iamon there. I’ve posted pictures from the various articles that have been written about us. And the shots we had taken when we first launched the company.”
“That’s all completely scripted. People want to see more behind-the-scenes stuff, not just professional photos of completed projects or photos that appeared on other media outlets. You guys are selling Our House as the preeminent all-female construction company in Boston. But the thing people want to know when they hire a design and construction firm like yours is that they’re not only going to like the end result of what you create, but they’re going to like working withyou. Show them who you are, let them get to know you, and you will have more business than you know what to do with.”
“We already have more business than we know what to do with. Our waitlist is six months out.”
“So you may need to grow.” She says it like doubling the size of your business every year for the past few years isn’t enough.
“Wearegrowing. We’re just trying to do it at a sustainable rate. And we’re committed to only hiring extremely qualified people. You probably won’t be surprised if I tell you there’s a shortage of female subcontractors. Women are greatly outpacing men when it comes to going to college, but not when it comes to the trades.”
“Maybe because not enough young women know that it’s an option for them. What kind of relationship do you guys have with trade schools in the area?”
My jaw drops open. I had never considered creating the kind of pipeline from trade schools into our business that she’s suggesting. If we could help coordinate apprenticeships and then hire people full-time once they’re licensed, instead of having to hire them as subcontractors, that would help a lot with scheduling and costs. It would also mean a lot of additional business expenses, but in the long run, it might be the best way to expand our company while also maintaining the quality we’re committed to. “That’s kind of genius.”
“Thanks. I do have an MBA, you know?”
“Youwhat?”
“Yeah. My undergrad is in business, and I had a job all lined up in Austin after graduating from NYU, but I was moving there with my college boyfriend, and he broke up with me. So rather than move there and be entirely on my own, Lauren hooked me up with a job as Petra’s admin in Park City. I worked on my MBA part-time, and I just finished it last year before moving back to Boston.”
“Holy shit, Morgan. That’s amazing. And you’re using it how?”
“Well, for starters, I’m setting up my own social media company. Eventually, I may also work with companies on other types of growth strategies, but for now, this is what I can handle while still working for Petra. So, are you in?”
“Only if you promise you’ll also advise on some of these other types of growth strategies,” I say. “And if we can afford you.”
“We’ll work it out,” she says. “And my first post is going to be the picture I just took. I’m going to caption it,‘Quick lunch meeting to work out some exciting new business plans. Anyguesses what’s coming next?’People love the opportunity to engage; you just have to invite them to do so.”
“I trust you to handle this,” I tell her. And I do, even if it might mean that she wants me to appear on there a bit more. I really do hate the spotlight, but if it’s what’s needed for our company to keep growing, that’s what I’ll do.
Chapter Twelve
