Talks With SaraNoSocks

This week I sat down with Diego Diaz, founder Reflow, an Unlimited Webflow Development agency and former founder of Ammo Studio , which was acquired in 2022. This is the third interview with Diego who shares how he built and sold Ammo Studio, what he did as an exit founder, and what he's building now with Reflow and what he's learned through the process. We last sat down together in October 2021 when Ammo was just starting out and our first chat was in December 2020 when he was a social media manager. From security guard to founder exit, Diego's story is one that shows what's possible when you embrace the fails along the way.

Connect with Diego:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/the1diegodiaz

Reflow: https://www.reflow.live/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reflowlive

Indie Hackers Post: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/from-1k-a-month-to-35k-in-a-month-for-my-agency-within-6-months-251b083d2b?commentId=-MjC0CVKJpWu7toAYikv

Business Insider Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-security-guard-amazon-delivery-start-web-design-agency-pandemic-2022-2?utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social

This week I sat down with Tom Ross.  Tom has an impressive background including Founder and CEO of Design Cuts, CoHost of, Biz Buds with Mike Janda, author of The Community Manual and he's helping community builders through his new community, Learn.Community.

He is a passionate community builder and committed to helping inspire others to embark on their own community journey. The founder and CEO of Design Cuts, a community-driven startup which has generated tens of millions in revenue over the past 8 years.  With the Design Cuts community now has over 750,000 members globally, and broke through within its industry largely due to it’s tight-knit community of like-minded creatives.   His book The Community Manual has been downloaded over 6000 times since release in early 2021.  Even with all that he has going on he still finds time to mentor hundreds of fellow community builders, including in Learn.Community, his new private community for community builders.

Connect with Tom: 

Here his full story: http://bizbuds.libsyn.com/episode-2-how-tom-ross-got-started

Website: https://tomross.co

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tomrossmedia

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tomrossmedia

This week is a solo episode where I share a HUGE milestone in my journey.  I shared it on Twitter and thank you to all the kind words and support.  Matching my old monthly corporate earnings working for myself was a milestone that felt so far out of reach just 6 weeks ago that it shocked me when it happened seemingly so quickly.  Like most stories, this wasn't fast, easy or without a lot of work from me and support from so many others.  I break it all down and walk you through how I got here.

Links mentioned on the show:
Hire me as a Circle Community Expert
I'm exhausted: The Hidden Truth Behind being a Full-time creator a blog from October sharing my journey thus far
SuperCharge Your Productivity - Khe Hy

This week I sat down with Max Pete, Community Manager for Freelance Founders.   Former digital marketer turned freelance web designer, turned freelance coach, Max has had a lot of pivots in his career.  We we last sat down with Max his coaching career was just getting started. He shares how he found community and realized that was the fit for him all along!

Connect with Max:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Max_Pete

Website: https://www.onehandwonderman.com

This week I sat down with Abtin Masseratagah, founder and CEO of Northrn Mo.  A digital marketing consultant for over 10 years specializing in influencer marketing, social media, brand and business development.  He's been featured in an impressive list of publications including Forbes, The Huffington Post, and Entrepreneur. He's focused on cultivating community through a personal level to create something genuine and meaningful.

Connect with Abtin:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbtxnTV

Work with him: Northrn Mo

Email: abtin@northrn.com

This week I'm talking about transparency when it comes to interviewing and reflecting on finding enough.  What is enough for you?  

Mentioned on the show:
Rad Rads - 5 Why's

Follow me on Twitter: @saransocks

This week I sat down with Erica Moss, who is a Sr Manager of Community Engagement at Atlassian.   Former marketer to community builder and mentor, Erica has worked for some amazing teams, including Bitly, Trello and Atlassian.  A speaker, mentor and award nominee, she's no stranger to the community space.

Connect with Erica:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericajmoss

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericajmoss/

Follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angrigoryan__

Website: https://communityweekly.co

Communities Show: https://www.communities.show/about

Stick with me, even if you aren't job searching this episode breaks down why this helps bring you clarity in what you're truly seeking, what's a non-negotiable and what is just a nice to have.  From what you want to do to how you want to do it taking time to put it all in front of you can help bring you closer to the right role for you.

Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

This week I sat down with Danielle Manveal who by day is Chief Community Officer for Burb and by night she's a community builder, founder, consultant, and writing Community Feelings.  Danielle has an extensive history in the community space with over 15 years of experience working at big names like Etsy, AirBNB, Lyft and BarkBox.  From selling her own jewelry on Etsy to a career in community Danielle has had a fascinating journey.

Connect with Danielle:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daniellexo

Website: https://www.daniellexo.com

Burb 

This week is all about finding balance, how to ask hard questions and the reality that sometimes there isn't an answer.  It's a rambling episode but I think a lot of people can relate.  Here's to more of these discussions.  If you're interested in learning more about Khe Hy and Rad Reads, be sure to check out the links.

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ungatedcreative

Ungated: https://ungated.media

Stand Out and Connect: https://ungated.media/stand-out-and-connect/

https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Have a spare $5?  Consider supporting my journey
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks/e/12912

This week I sat down with Diego Diaz, founder of Ammo Studio, an Official Webflow Expert Partner.  A lot has changed since we last sat down with Diego in December 2020 when he was a social media manager.  From security guard to social media manager to founder of a growing a Webflow Development studio but it wasn't an easy journey.  Tune in to hear how he went from no clients to a $35,000 month and continued growth.

Connect with Diego:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/the1diegodiaz

Ammo Studio: https://www.ammo.studio

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ammo_HQ

Indie Hackers Post: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/from-1k-a-month-to-35k-in-a-month-for-my-agency-within-6-months-251b083d2b?commentId=-MjC0CVKJpWu7toAYikv

Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

This week I sat down with Daren Smith. By day Daren is a film and television producer, by night he's working on helping creatives build a profitable business through the Craftsman Creative.  A collective of courses, and an upcoming book, the Craftsman Creative is teaching and enabling creators to earn a living.  A fifteen year journey as a creative has led to finding his why and with it, success.

Books mentioned on the show: 

The War of Art

The Artists Way

Connect with Daren:https://twitter.com/darentsmith

Read the book: https://www.craftsmancreative.co

Follow along on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Work with me: https://www.saranosocks.com

This week I sat down with Khe Hy.  Khe has been called Oprah for Millennials by CNN and the Wall Street Guru by Bloomberg. You may know him from his course SuperCharge Your Productivity, known to former students as come for the productivity, stay for the existential.  Really SYP is showing us how to do the $10,000/hr work and the importance of asking and knowing your why every step of the way.  Khe left Wall Street and today is helping us all transform our how we think about ourselves by asking the tough questions, like what if it was easy.

Connect with Khe: https://twitter.com/khemaridh

10K Summit: https://radreads.co/10k-summit/

Supercharge Your Productivity: https://radreads.co/courses/

Support my journey: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Recommend a guest for the show: https://www.saranosocks.com/talks-with-saranosocks

This week I sat down with Rosie Sherry, a lifelong community builder.  Rosie is the co-founder of Ministry of Testing, bootstrapped to 7 figures, former Community Manager of Indie Hackers, Founder of Rosieland, & currently runs community for Orbit and Indie Women.  When she's not busy with all things community she's unschooling her 5 kiddos and sharing all her thoughts on how to build amazing communities.

Connect with Rosie:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosiesherry

Rosieland: https://rosie.land

Orbit:https://orbit.love

Let's face it, having a traditional job is easier. You just need to show up, do your job and go home. I miss that feeling. I've been feeling like I can't keep my head above water for the last few months drowning under the weight of having to do it all.  When I was asked last week about whether or not I miss corporate, naturally my honest answer is at least once a week.

Do you miss the ease of not having to do it all?  Share your thoughts on the Twitter thread

Support my journey: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ungatedcreative

Ungated: https://ungated.media

Share your thoughts on this Twitter thread  

This week I am joined by Janet Yen, who by day is building Athena a new way to engage with video.  By night she's sharing her founder journey, thoughts on mental health and the journey to unlearn 15 years of corporate as you become an entrepreneur.

Connect with Janet:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janet_yen1

Athena: https://www.joinathena.co

Have a guest you want to hear on the show?  Drop it here

Connect on Twitter: @saranosocks

This week I'm sharing more about what I've been going through over the last few months and what's next for me.  I am taking a pivot (enter Ross Friends scene here), but it's a pivot back to what I initially thought I was going to do.  Fractional COO for soloprenuers.  I want to thank Ali and Lisa for supporting me on Buy Me A Coffee.

Follow me on Twitter: @saranosocks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/harryton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harryringtone/

This week is a heavier topic, happiness.  Are you happy is a loaded question with lots of tiny facets.  I'm breaking it all down this week and what happened once I realized that I wasn't happy trying to monetize my new skills.  I thought I had to reinvent myself to become a successful creator but what I really need to do was lean further into what I am naturally good at.

Support my journey: buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jerinenicole

Writing Templates: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jerinenicole

Goal setting is incredibly difficult and during burnout, well you can forget about it.  Today I'm breaking down why I have never met a goal and that's okay and how I am dealing with goal setting during burnout.  Shoutout to Ali and Lisa for supporting me on Buymeacoffee!

Follow along on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Website: https://joywithjas.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joywithjasvideo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joywithjasvideo/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joywithjasvideo

When I'm in a transition I often feel like I am not where I am supposed to be.  I've been going through a very long transition over the last 7 weeks and I feel more behind than ever.  The fact is, I'm right on track, I just can't see the end yet.  We're all on our own journey figuring it out as we go along.

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Support my journey: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

This week I sat down with Edmund Amoye, Founder of The Orbit which includes all things community with I Want This to Exist and Locus and podcasting with Codeless, Katalast and Makrs.  When he's not working on all things community for himself, he's consulting and busy build products, most recently LaunchStash.  Tune in to hear how he went from working with luxury brands to becoming a chief of community.

Connect with Edmund

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edmundamoye

Join The Orbit: https://jointheorb.it

This week's quick episode is all about why and how I am approaching this 100 day challenge and how you can do it too!  

Follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

This week I sat down with Alina Serebryany, a fellow podcast host of Lane Change and helper of others changing careers.

A background in design and co-founder of a previous startup called Echo Echo.  She is a community builder and playbook shipper, Alina is passionate about supporting creators.  This was a transparent discussion about all things creator economy.

Connect With Alina

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alina_thinks

Website: https://alina.work

Podcast: https://www.lanechangepod.com

Support my journey: buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

My guest this week was Kacie Brennell, an extrovert who by day is a Manager at Mission Edge and by night is a recovering side hustler who completely ditched all social media in February 2021. Her story is raw, powerful and a cautionary tale of what happens when you ignore your instincts.

With no social media, Kacie is intentionally difficult to get in touch with.  If Kacie's story resonated with you and you want to get in touch with her, head on over to Talks With SaraNoSocks and submit the contact form for me to connect you with her.

Follow along on twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahtravelista/

email: leah.milton@gmail.com

Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks

Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

This week I sat down with Yolanda Stephens, who by day runs Operations at HBCUvc, and in her spare runs a productivity studio called Sprint as a Service offering Agile and Notion consulting and is the founder of Women to Done, a training agency dedicated to supporting Women-led, socially impactful businesses.  A wonderful discussion on how to run side ventures while working full time and why entrepreneurship isn't for everyone.

Connect with Yolanda

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FreshVestor

Website: https://freshvestor.com

This week I'm giving a bit more context to my story of going out on my own.  Many go full time freelance using the same skillsets they built up during their traditional role, I didn't.  I left all that behind and truly started over.  Here's a quick thread about this story.

Follow along on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saranosocks

Support the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks/e/12912

This week I sat down with Marc, founder of PowerImporter a no code tool to easily update your Webflow CMS.  When he's not indie hacking he's co-hosting the Startup to Something Podcast about building bootstrapped businesses.  From employee 3 at a startup through IPO turned indie hacker, Marc offered so much insight into how to embark on this path.

Connect with Marc:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudoHacker

Sean Wes - Overlap - https://seanwes.com/book/

Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks/e/12912

This week I sat down with Lachlan Kirkwood, a prolific maker and most recently founder of Building With Bubble.  Lachlan has talked openly about his failures since venturing into the world of indie hacking in 2018.  He's written extensively about his failures and his journey on his blog which is why I am excited to sit down with him and share his journey.

Connect with Lachlan:

Twitter:https://twitter.com/LachlanKirkwood

Website:https://lachlankirkwood.com

This week I'm sharing an in-depth answer to one of the questions that hit home, "What are you doing now", in this month's Twitter AMA Thread 16 months into this journey. The short answer, building my dream life and figuring it out as I go along. It took me over a year to get to that phrase.  I'm breaking it all down on this week's episode.  Check out the full thread - https://twitter.com/saranosocks/status/1383850030780485641?s=20

Want to support the show? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/saranosocks/e/12912

Special thanks to these supporters: Ali 

This week I sat down with Carri Craver, the creator of Find Vaccine USA.  Carri is a digital product designer who has built multiple communities, including the Co-Founders League, Open Coffee Clubs, Womentum Now, and most recently Build Squads.  This was a great open discussion of how community, listening to yourself and the power behind just starting lead to her current success.

Connect with Carri

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccgirl

Website: https://carricraver.com

Products: https://bldr.bio/i/carri