Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaina Mitchell.
Hi Elaina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved to St. Pete to start over as a single mom. I came here with nothing, literally. I was craving a fresh start and a new environment to figure out who I was. The art, the small business vibes, it all called my name. I’ve been an artist my entire life. Murals, canvas art, graphic design…art is my passion. So finding St. Pete was literally like finding a “home”.
I moved here at the drop of a hat and sold everything I had. I didn’t even have an apartment lined up. My son and I lived in a hotel for almost a month while I bartended at night to make money for a place to live. I interviewed to be a bartender at Five Bucks Drinkery and met the owner, Josh Connell. During the interview, I mentioned to Josh that I could help him with his social media as well as bartending. And, that’s how it all began.
Josh gave me the opportunity to do the social media marketing for Fivebucks Drinkery, and then he made plans to open a new bar/restaurant called Salty J’s and asked me to design their logo and do all the branding and social media for that location as well. He even let me design and paint the murals for Salty J’s.
Once Salty J’s opened, one of their customers saw my website on the menu designs (because I designed those too lol) and emailed me to ask if I could do their branding and social media as well. That customer opened Toss Salads and Wraps in downtown St. Pete, and I designed their branding, painted their murals, built their planters on the patio, and managed their social media.
From there, it began to snowball with opportunity after opportunity for social media marketing, and St. Pete Social was born! I quickly realized that so many small businesses couldn’t always afford the prices that most agencies charge for marketing, so I made a promise to myself to always offer affordable options and no contracts for those small businesses to be able to thrive.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. When I was at the height of my momentum attaining clients and providing social media marketing services, COVID hit! Because all of my clients were restaurants and bars, they all closed down…and I PANICKED! I lost pretty much all of my clients in the blink of an eye. I offered free services to clients that couldn’t afford to keep paying until I couldn’t afford to stay afloat myself.
That’s when I decided to begin working with businesses outside of the hospitality industry, grow the St. Pete Social brand, and build a solid team.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been an artist since I was really little. My dad was an amazing artist, and I would sit and watch him paint for hours, wishing I could do it as well as he did. I could barely even draw a stick figure. I forced myself to keep practicing, and over the years I got better and better (I don’t believe anyone is a “natural” at anything) I fell in love with PAINTING, more than any other type of art. Something about the flow of the strokes, the ability to always fix a mistake, and the connection from my heart through my hands as I’d sit and paint, that really really captivated me.
I eventually graduated from canvases to walls and began painting murals. I’ve painted murals in schools, homes, and businesses all throughout Florida.
I love to create art that inspires. Art that portrays emotion that can’t always be put into words. My style is “interconnection” making everything in the piece, connect in some way. We’re all connected in ways unseen, and I always strive to remind others of that through my art.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes, I certainly have. I’ve learned that we really are all in this together.
The success of others around you is a light and force to inspire success in you. Just as equally though, the downfall, setbacks, and sadness of others around us, greatly affect our outlook on life. It’s so important to surround yourself with the “glass half full” crowd.
Pricing:
- Starting at $1,799 per month.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stpetesocial.com
- Instagram: @stpete.social
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stpete.socialmediamarketing
Image Credits
Justin Harder
