After working in the advertising industry for over 15 years and helping many Fortune 100 companies succeed, Silvana Massolo decided it was time to do it on her own.
Like many women, Massolo experienced misogyny in the workplace—an experience that isn’t foreign to women in the corporate world. Suddenly the long hours that came from working from home during the pandemic put things a little more into perspective and she said to herself, “enough is enough.” She was done with giving up her personal time and missing personal events, all while being disrespected in the workplace.
Massolo realized it was time to trust instincts and catch herself in the process. Though a scary leap, it has been one that proved to be the best decision for herself. Though she gave up a comfortable corporate salary and perks like vacation time and a 401k, in a short time she’s met that and exceeded personal goals.
How did she accomplish this while the world was physically shut down? We’ll let her share her story with you.
Q&A
Tell us about your business?
Massolo: The Bloom Agency is a boutique social media marketing agency helping small businesses and brands use social media and digital marketing to find, connect and convert audiences into followers, clients and customers.
It's hard for me to do a trust-fall but then I remembered, that's because I'm counting on someone else to catch me. I reminded myself that I was who was catching me and I was in control of my life and future.
How did this idea come about?
Massolo: I wanted to help others be successful in their business. I knew I could do it and I’m happy I committed myself to launching The Bloom Agency. Now I have the flexibility and time to help businesses and my community, without having to skip an important date in my personal life.
What prompted you to starting your own business?
Massolo: I watched businesses around me fail and some others bloom into amazing companies. Those that failed had one thing in common, lack of a marketing expert in their corner. I spent my career in advertising agencies contributing to the growth of many Fortune 100 companies. I knew I could do the same for small to medium sized businesses. I wanted to give them the same advantage large corporations have—access to award-winning professionals that care at prices they can afford without hurting their overhead.
What drew you to starting your own business in the middle of a pandemic?
Massolo: The last straw was experiencing misogyny. After dedicating myself to the business and bringing my best to the table every single day, I couldn’t bear to be disrespected anymore. Minor things like disgraceful comments, my name being mispronounced on multiple occasions, and speaking over me, without ever expressing a thank you. It was time. I had thought about it in 2017, but then the long hours that came from working from home during the pandemic, having very little personal time, and being disrespected were enough to help me go full time at The Bloom Agency.
How was starting a business as the world was mostly shut down?
Massolo: As it pertained to the social and digital space, I leaned on social media to help spread my message and become personally connected to friends, family, and potential customers. Starting a business in the middle of a pandemic and during the lockdown phase was also very lonely. It was filled with many long nights of me and my computer, with my loyal companion always by my side, my sweet rescue pup, Enzo. Many nights were spent reading, researching, testing, building, and creating.
What challenges did you face? What challenges did you face that were particular to starting this during the pandemic?
Massolo: One of the challenges was the lack of human interaction, but I think we all tried our best to stay connected via social media and platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and FaceTime.
What did you learn about yourself during this endeavor?
Massolo: I learned I can do whatever I set my mind to. I believe this for everyone. If you have an idea research, draft a plan, and stay focused. Take breaks but don’t give up. You got this!
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Massolo: The biggest challenge was learning to balance my business and my personal life. The many long hours spent in front of my computer consumed me and derailed my personal relationships and my health. I gained weight and became obsessed with my business. It’s now something I’ve learned to manage better, though I think it’s a challenge many entrepreneurs face in the first couple of years after launching their business.
What was the toughest thing you had to do?
Massolo: The toughest thing I had to do was quit. I said “no” to my very comfortable six figure salary, paid vacations, company perks, 401K match, and much more. But I knew it was time. It was my time. For someone who likes to be in control and loves to plan, this was both exciting and a little crazy. It’s hard for me to do a trust-fall but then I remembered, that’s because I’m counting on someone else to catch me.
When I went off on my own after working for Fortune 100 companies for 15 years, I reminded myself that I was who was catching me and I was in control of my life and future. If I wanted success, I would achieve it. If I wanted work, I would get it. If I wanted to help my community, I would do it. No one could stand in my way and no one could question a vacation request again. All eyes on me. So I let go, caught myself, and now I have worked with multiple businesses, I have built friendships, and am bringing value to them and their customers.
What has been the most satisfying part of this experience?
Massolo: Knowing I can achieve whatever I set my mind to. It’s empowering and it fills me with strength and joy. It’s different and it’s beautiful.
What are you most proud of?
Massolo: From a professional standpoint, helping others win. I love seeing my clients happy and growing.
From a personal standpoint, surpassing the six-figure salary I left behind and being on my way to paying off my debt, while building a plan for retirement with the help of my accountant and financial advisor.
What advice would you have for other women thinking about starting their own business during a pandemic or even during regular circumstances?
Massolo: Start now. Stop delaying it. If you have the experience and are confident in your superpower, do it. However, don’t quit your full-time job right away. Give yourself 2-3 hours to work on your business everyday (try to give yourself a day or two to take a break—this will help you bring new ideas to the business). You’ll learn so much during this time. You’ll test and optimize. You will meet wonderful people who will want to help you and you will learn a lot about yourself and the business you are creating. When should you go full-time? You’ll know. Spread your wings and fly. You’ll catch yourself.
What goals do you have for your new business? What do you want to accomplish with your new opening?
Massolo: The goal is to double our earnings by December 2023. This will give us the opportunity to help more people, more businesses, and contribute to the communities we are a part of even more.
Remember to reinvest in your business, to learn something new every single day, and to get yourself a great accountant and financial advisor. Don’t forget to surround yourself with incredible people. Having the right hype-team is priceless.
Massolo has been a voice rallying for Hispanic businesses, while helping them reach their goals with years of experience under her belt in the industry. She is also an expert in how to leverage social media to grow your business. But, that’s not all she’s passionate about. As a graduate of Florida International University, Massolo has used her gains to give back to her community making a quarter-million dollar commitment to support FIU alumni-owned businesses for those who graduated under the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (formerly the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the College of Architecture) through the Silvana Massolo Entrepreneurs Grant. Alumni will soon be able to apply for grants that they can then use to invest in their startups or small businesses—a preference will be given to minority-owned businesses.
To contact The Bloom Agency, check out their website, or follow them on InstaGram and Facebook.
