I meant to write this post last month. June marked 15 years since I launched my company. If you know me, you know anniversaries usually come with some kind of reflection—and usually celebration.
This one was supposed to be a big deal.
I’ve looked forward to this milestone for years. When I hit 10 years in business, I discovered that only about 25% of businesses make it to 15 years. That stat stuck with me as a goal I was determined to beat. And I did.
But all sense of joy in that success was eclipsed by the loss of my mom and other challenges. When 2025 arrived, I was feeling depressed. I wrote a blog post admitting my struggles. It was scary to share that, but I believe in transparency.
The truth is that running a social media management company (that truly does it all) for 15 years is no small thing.
It's not glamorous. It’s not always fulfilling. And it’s certainly not easy.
So, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to celebrate my company’s milestone. Not because I’m ungrateful but because it’s a strange and pivotal time in marketing right now.
I’m feeling the weight of it.
The Weight of 15 Years
I've seen a lot throughout these 15 years. Clients have come and gone. While that’s a part of doing business, it doesn't get easier.
I can say with confidence that no client has ever left because they were unhappy with our service. Not one. They’ve left for other reasons—taking things in-house, shutting down, pivoting, trying to cut costs, or because their internal teams had different vendor preferences.
It stings when clients are happy with your work but fail to recognize the full potential and value.
At #Strella, we don’t offer a “cheap” version of social media. We never have. We’re built for brands who want to do it right. We exist to serve companies who understand the value of consistency, creativity, and quality.
We’re not a vendor you bundle in. We’re a true partner in helping you achieve your goals. A creative force. A full-service team that handles strategy, editorial planning, content creation, graphic design, video editing, community engagement, analytics, and more.
I hesitated to use the phrase “full service” because people toss it around too easily. However, it fits us; what we do takes real thought, real time, and real collaboration. We don’t phone it in. We obsess over the details—from the strategy behind every post and the tone of every caption, to the way your brand shows up on every platform. That’s not just social media management. That’s brand stewardship.
Some clients get that. Others don’t. And in 2025, I’m seeing that divide more clearly than ever.
This year hasn’t just felt emotionally heavy—it’s been slow. Eerily slow. Not just for us, but for many of the agency owners and marketers I’ve spoken to. There’s a collective pause in the air. No one can quite put their finger on it, but it’s there. That uncertainty—combined with the sheer weight of 15 years of navigating client transitions, evolving platforms, and shifting expectations—has made this moment in time feel heavier than most.
What Makes Us Great (and Irreplaceable)
Despite the challenges, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built. Strella Social Media didn’t make it to 15 years by accident. We’ve lasted and evolved because we are rooted in values that go beyond trendy marketing tactics or flashy campaigns.
Our core values are the bedrock of everything we do:
- Commitment to Excellence
- Communication
- Service
- Relationships
These values are woven into every aspect of our company—who we hire, the clients we serve, and how we show up every day. We’ve even broken them down into actionable fundamentals. For example, Commitment to Excellence includes things like “Practice fanatical attention to detail” and “Take initiative,” while Service entails “Go above and beyond” and “Be a problem solver.”
That kind of clarity has created alignment. And that alignment is what makes our team work.
We may be remote—with team members spread across the U.S. and Canada—but we are tight. We’ve built a culture that thrives on collaboration and mutual respect. From weekly creative meetings to our virtual Lunch Connects, there’s a real bond here. And when a team is that connected, it shows in the work.
That’s what people overlook when they hand over their social media to a virtual assistant or have another department handle it. They don’t realize they’re not just swapping warm bodies to execute some work; they’re actually cutting the cord to an entire ecosystem of creatives, strategists, editors, and communicators who are aligned on a common mission.
Strella Social Media is built for brands who are serious about using social media to reach their business goals. Not the “just post a few times a week” kind of serious, but the business owners and marketing professionals who understand that social media is the front door of their brand. It’s the gateway to building trust and the gathering place where conversations happen.
Proud of Our Evolution
We’ve kept up with every shift in the landscape. From static graphics to Reels and blog strategy to TikTok trends, we’ve mastered it all. We’ve remained curious, creative, and agile—consistently new adopters of new technologies, including AI.
We’ve embraced AI’s potential, using it to work more efficiently and brainstorm more creatively. It hasn’t replaced us—it’s amplified us. While AI is changing the way marketing works, it hasn’t changed who we are or how we show up for our clients.
Facing Uncertainty With Openness
I’d be lying, though, if I said it didn’t feel a little uneasy right now. I believe nearly everyone’s feeling it—not just in marketing, but in life. The economy feels shaky. The political environment is unpredictable. Technology is moving faster than ever.
There’s just a general air of uncertainty hovering over us, and I’ve heard it echoed in conversations with other agency owners and business leaders across industries.
But uncertainty doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
I don’t like to use words like fear or worry because they carry a heaviness that drags us down. Instead, I choose to look at uncertainty as an invitation: an invitation to stay open, stay curious, and stay grounded in what we know to be true.
We can’t control what’s coming next, but we can control how we prepare for it. We can keep expanding our knowledge, stay agile, and embrace what’s new without letting go of what matters.
That’s how I’m leading my company into the next season—with eyes open, hands steady, and values intact.
Fifteen years is no small feat. Instead of clinging to the past, I'm walking toward what's next with gratitude, inquisitiveness, and confidence in the people who’ve helped us get here.
We're here to boldly advance into the future and meet it prepared, grounded, and open-minded.
What does staying open to possibility look like for you right now—in any aspect of business and life?
