Sophie Robertson: Sophie Gets Social

"There are no qualifications required to start your own business but you need to be committed to learning new skills"
 
Sophie, Founder of Sophie Gets Social shares her experience of starting her own business in the Creative & Cultural sector.

When did you decide that you wanted to work within the Creative and Cultural Industries and what influenced that decision?
I knew I was destined to work in the creative industries from about 8 years of age. My mum and her whole side of the family are passionate entrepreneurs and this had a huge impact on me. My mum worked for a magazine while I was growing up and I used to help proofread the articles and deliver the magazines. This gave me a small taster of what it was like to work in the industry and I loved it.
 
What did your career path look like?
I attended college and university in America obtaining an Associate’s Degree in Mass Communications. A family tragedy brought me back to Scotland in 2016 at the age of 21 before I could complete my bachelor’s degree. I then decided to start a magazine with my mum in 2017 which I still run (17 Degrees Magazine) and I also founded my own social media marketing company, Sophie Gets Social, in the same year. I now have a huge variety of clients from various sectors.
 
Describe a typical day in your working life...
On a typical day I wake up, check my emails and respond to those accordingly. I manage social media accounts for 10 plus clients, so I check on those, making sure all messages are replied too. I might then work on creating posts for the coming week and scheduling them so that they will go out automatically. Or I might spend some time creating some graphics. In the afternoon, I might meet a client over zoom and brainstorm social media posts.
 
What qualifications and experience are necessary for your role?
There are no qualifications required to start your own business, but you need to be committed to learning new skills every day and working extremely hard! I have taken courses in social media, marketing, email marketing, design and PR. Sophie Robertson Founder of Sophie Gets Social
 
Advice
Practice makes perfect and there’s so much you can learn from the touch of your phone. Start listening to podcasts or YouTube channels about the industry and you will learn so much!