Conversations with the Inspiring Krista Fabrick

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Fabrick.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have had a passion for teaching people for a very long time, starting with tutoring other students as early as 8th grade. Along the way, I also discovered a passion for marketing. But as proof that your career is not always defined by your degree, I graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in International Management. I had hopes of working in a job that allowed me to travel and use the multiple languages I could speak, but I actually began my career in business-to-business sales. It was from working with the marketing departments as a salesperson that I began to discover my interest in marketing. I started working in marketing way back in 2003, long before digital marketing and social media were really even a “thing” but now they are the types of marketing I work with the most.

Eventually, I earned my MBA degree and went out on my own as a marketing consultant, specializing in startups and small businesses. I also started dreaming of trying out teaching at the college level. It took me many years to get my break, but I finally taught my first college class – Principles of Marketing – in January 2015. I fell in love with college teaching and was excited to combine my love for teaching people with my passion for marketing! Then, in 2018, I launched a business that would combine my love for marketing, social media, teaching, and small businesses! This business was #CreatingYou and I launched it with a former student of mine, Alison Furno.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road! Being an entrepreneur is a job that never stops and I like to work, so I have struggled with taking breaks from work and I do work nights and weekends a lot. That’s also because I have two young kids and I generally spend my afternoons and evenings with them, then get back to work after they’re asleep. I have also had to readjust my business plan, marketing plan, and business goals many, many times. I’ve put way too much time and effort into a proposal, only for the client to not have enough budget to hire me or to decide to try and do it themselves. I’ve lost clients and I have certainly been taken less seriously by people because I was a young/young-looking woman.

For those of you who are just starting your journey, whether you’re 22 or 62, know your value. You are incredibly valuable and you are capable of doing this. Also, your age doesn’t matter. You can be successful at any age! Be sure to keep your end goal in mind so you stay motivated to keep going when things get hard. Find yourself a support system that believes in you, your dreams, and your plans. When mistakes or failures happen, take a little time to review what happened, see what you can learn from the situation, and then move on!

What should we know about #CreatingYou? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
#CreatingYou helps entrepreneurs and small business owners build their personal brands in a way that benefits their businesses. We do this through our podcast, It’s a Beautiful Influence, our social media content, workshops, a social media accelerator program designed for small business owners, an online course, and a membership club. We have worked with and helped entrepreneurs and small business owners from many different industries and specialties. We are proud of the incredible community we’ve built through our monthly workshops and social media. Our community has many entrepreneurs doing great things and supporting each other in amazing ways.

#CreatingYou is different because we focus on how building a personal brand can help your business as an entrepreneur or business owner. Also, we bring a unique combination of skills and experience to the table. Alison is a social media influencer, motivational speaker, and owns a fitness business. She has used her personal brand to grow her fitness business. Krista, on the other hand, comes from a more traditional marketing background and has worked with large, international companies to startups and everything in between. Plus she has taught marketing, social media, and personal branding to college students, business owners, and now other college professors too.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I feel like marketing, in general, is actually one of the better ones for women, simply because it has so many women in it. In fact, I had many female bosses and worked with many female marketing managers and CMOs as clients. However, there are plenty of larger marketing departments and companies where the marketing management and executive teams are mostly men. Since women now make up nearly half of the workforce, they should be better represented in leadership. I think the barriers that keep this from happening include many things. For example, many women need to be more confident in their skills and abilities and be willing to ask for what they want. Other women will not ask for enough money or charge enough for their services. And still other women will take a break or reduce their workload to have and raise children. But all of these barriers can be broken and women are perfectly capable of being in leadership in marketing and other industries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.creatingyouonline.com/
• Email: hello@creatingyouonline.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristafabrick/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristafabrick/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristafabrick

Image Credit:
Krista Fabrick, Alison Furno

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