Karen De Amat is the founder of a Houston, Texas based social media agency, Social Behavior. Recently celebrating its six year anniversary, Social Behavior has gone from a home based, single person agency to a seven person, brick and mortar agency. With locations in Houston and Miami, Karen has a few gems to drop surrounding entrepreneurship and building a business.
Q: At what specific moment did you know you wanted to become an entrepreneur?
Both of my parents are business owners, so I guess it was second nature. However, we grew up as lower middle class and growing up with financial limitations was a wake up call for me. I knew I had to work hard to get the most out of life. I have always been a big dreamer with extreme confidence, so if I want something it’s already mine!
“I have always been a big dreamer with extreme confidence, so if I want something it’s already mine!”
Karen De Amat
Q: Can you describe an event where you had to make a sacrifice for your business? (Friends, Family, Finances, Relationships?)
“Over the years, I’ve had to re-evaluate and make changes to my work-life balance.”
All the time, even today. When you’re an entrepreneur, you are married to your business. It becomes your number one priority. Over the years, I’ve had to re-evaluate and make changes to my work-life balance.
I have missed birthdays, anniversaries, and family gatherings that I wish I hadn’t. Although, I stay connected to everyone on social media, it’s so important to be present and connected to friends, family, and relationships.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an entrepreneur?
My biggest challenge has been managing employees and leading my team. As a business owner, we are filled with ideas but when it comes to the business of people, it’s a totally different dynamic.
Q: What problem does your brand solve?
We help business owners tell their brand story on social media, so they can focus on their business! We cover the three pillars of social media: content, engagement, and ads. Social Media is an ever evolving landscape, we keep up with it so our clients don’t have to
Q: Can you describe your biggest victory as an entrepreneur?
I celebrate victories daily, whether it’s closing a big client, or promoting someone internally that has outgrown their current job role. For me, every day that I’m in business is a WIN. It’s important to celebrate that.
Q: At what point within the business did you KNOW you had to enlist the help of others? How did you go about it?
I started off a solopreneur servicing a handful of clients from a home based office. To help my growth, I enlisted the help a few part-time contractors. Once I reached my threshold of how many clients I could help alone, I was overwhelmed because I had so much demand for work. This might sound crazy, but I kept manifesting work and an angel investor fell on my lap. He’s a successful businessman who helped me scale my business with a payroll fund. We went from 1 employee, to 2, to 4, and now we have 7 team members!
Q: What is one resource that would help you grow your business 3x it’s size?
Financial cushion and a strategic growth plan. I rely on coaches and business strategists or social media agency owners with proven track records to help me strategize from the outside. Social Media Agencies are still a new type of business, so the scalability is still a bit foreign.
Q: If you could do one thing differently, what would it be and how would it help the business today?
Fire fast, hire slow. Good people will stay on and grow with you, bad hires will suck the life out of your business.
Q: What is one piece of advice you have for women wanting to take a leap and start a brand of her own?
Make a plan and commit to it, there will be setbacks, do not be discouraged. Do not stop until you’re living your dream. YOU GOT THIS!
Karen De Amat
Awesome piece, truly an inspirational story.
Thank you for your kind words. We are happy you enjoyed the article.