For Hailey Hastie, success is loving going to work.
The 24-year-old CEO and founder of The Social Soulpreneur started the marketing business in her basement in 2019 while she was still in university, but it grew quickly and she soon opened an office in New Sudbury.
Against the trend of working from home, she and marketing strategist Daniela Valle moved into the office at 1251 Fairburn St. in the middle of the pandemic.
She said she finds creative synergy working and bouncing ideas off Valle and a recent hire, Makayla Desrosiers.
"It's nice to have different brains to pick on a daily basis," she said.
Social Soulpreneur is a full-service agency with a fresh take on marketing and branding using social media, something that can be confusing for people familiar and more comfortable with traditional methods such as print, radio and television.
"There are just different approaches to reach different audiences," she said.
As many businesses and non-profit organizations find out, quickly updating a website and navigating Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and Tiktok are not as easy as they may seem. Using social media effectively and getting measurable results requires a certain level of expertise and panache.
Hastie's agency also manages social media influencers to promote products. Social influencers or product ambassadors "is the new take on word-of-mouth advertising," Hastie said.
Influencers get paid to promote brands and are given trips and products to review. They have thousands, sometimes millions, of followers and it is estimated three out of every four customers who use social media check out their reviews on products, accommodations and restaurants.
Hastie has an Instagram account, @haileyhastie, with almost 6,000 followers, and a Facebook page with 1,400 "friends."
"We are typically managing from 20 to 25 clients. from start-ups to local businesses in Sudbury. but we do work for some national and larger brands as well."
Social Soulpreneuer clients include Twiggs Coffee (Sudbury), Adventure365 and Freelandt Caldwell Reilly LLP. Hastie has personally done social media campaigns for clients like Levi's Canada and Lululemon.
"One of the most recent campaigns was Paul Lefebvre's mayoral campaign, which was really fun. It was our first political campaign. We used social media a lot to connect with community members and to do things in a different way with video content on Instagram and Facebook."
This fall, Hastie spoke to an entrepreneur class at her alma mater, Laurentian University, about her experiences.
"It was an honour for me. There were some great questions such as what my typical day looks like and how I balance work and (personal) life."
Pretty and poised with a smile that lights up a room, Hastie was Miss Teen World Sudbury in 2013.
She loves animals and planned to become a veterinarian. She enrolled in zoology at Laurentian, then changed her mind.
"After one year, I decided that was not the route for me. I grew up with a single mom who was an entrepreneur. It was kind of written in the stars that this was the path I would take. As soon as I switched to business and marketing, I quickly felt I was in the right lane."
Her mother, Karen Hastie, owned and operated AKFIT Fitness for 32 years before retiring from the business last year. She is now a business strategy consultant.
Hastie helped her mom at AKFIT as a teenager and she relies on her business advice.
"My mom instilled in me the importance of supporting local, giving back to our community, and always putting my whole heart into everything I do.
"The experiences, connections, and opportunities I have made since I was a young girl have given me the confidence and support to become a next-gen girl boss," said Hastie on The Social Soulpreneur website.
A mother herself, she is taking a modern approach to motherhood, as well, and brings her six-month-old daughter, Indy, to the office and business events and meetings.
"Success comes down to loving what you are doing. I am excited to come into work every day in this beautiful space. The work we do is helping other businesses. When I see them succeed, we succeed,” she said. "I am learning new things every day."
You can find the Social Soulpreneur on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer in Greater Sudbury. Success is made possibly by our Community Leaders Program.
