Inspiring Conversations with Tamara Smith of Studio Three 49 Digital Marketing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Smith.

Hi Tamara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In March of 2020, I felt like I’d hit rock bottom. A few months prior, I’d been laid off from a high-paying executive-level sales position and was starting to bounce back. I had a new job, and a new apartment, and my ex and I had decided it was time for us to try again. I was hopeful. Things were looking up, and then the world started to shut down.

I, once again, found myself without a job, this time the result of a COVID-19 layoff. My relationship deteriorated, and, at the same time, my 86-year-old Dad was hospitalized for what should have been a fairly straightforward outpatient procedure. My apartment complex graciously allowed me out of my lease, and at 46, with no job, no prospects, and in the middle of a global pandemic, I relocated back to my childhood home of Jackson, MS, to support my Dad’s care and figure out what was next. I was sitting in the hospital with my Dad, Googling ‘How to make money working from home,’ and stumbled upon the idea of becoming a virtual assistant. I’d never considered the option of offering contract business support services. Coming from the corporate world, that was a new term for me. And that’s how the business started.

I decided on the business name on a Friday — Studio Three 49, inspired by my Dad and a combination of his birth year and month — cobbled together a website between Saturday and Sunday and launched the business the following Monday.

I’d always wanted my own thing but had been looking for something outside myself, thinking it had to be some external product or service. It wasn’t until that moment in the hospital with my Dad that I recognized, ‘Oh, wait, I am the product and service!’ I have over 15 years of experience across various industries wearing every hat at one point or another. That had to count for something.

My first job out of college was in broadcast production, writing, shooting, and editing commercials for local advertisers on small-market TV. As a result of my strong background in advertising, marketing, sales, and new business development, most, if not all, of my early work was done supporting my clients’ email marketing and social media efforts. It’s funny that my career came full circle after more than 20 years. I was doing the same thing, using a different platform. And I discovered that’s the work I loved to do. So in October 2021, almost 2 years in, I decided to pivot and relaunched Studio Three 49 in January 2022 as the boutique digital marketing agency it is today.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth? {insert me laughing here} Oh, no. The journey to this point has been filled with much trial and error. We’re building the plane while flying. And that’s the magic. I’ve always thought of myself as this big risk-taker, and I might be a little less risk-averse than some of my peers. Still, my risks have all been very calculated, which more or less guaranteed my ability to succeed. Studio Three 49 is the first thing in my life I’ll have to say, I had no idea what I was doing.

Usually, with all of my ideas, I at least have some basic plan and then launch. This was the complete opposite – launch and then figure it out as I go. It’s been a powerful lesson in learning to surrender and trusting the process. I’ve had to let go of expectations and outcomes and stop trying to force things to go a certain way. Instead, giving myself the space to try, fail, learn and fail better. It’s the thing I wish I’d allowed myself the freedom to explore much earlier in my career. There’s this false sense that we think we have to wait for the ‘right time’ or to be ‘ready’ before trying to start and grow a business. The truth is, you’re never ready, and there’s never a good time.

If I could rewrite the last two years, would I have chosen to launch Studio Three 49 in the middle of a global pandemic, my third move in less than a year, and a family health crisis? Absolutely not. But I’ve learned that clarity comes from action, and what ST49 has grown into is not something I could have ever planned for or imagined – it’s so much better. The key was just to get started.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Today Studio Three 49 has evolved into a full-service boutique digital marketing agency specializing in copywriting, content creation, email marketing, and social media management. We provide smart digital marketing solutions for entrepreneurs and small businesses and help emerging brands build superfans.

As marketers and business owners, we’ve gotten good at talking at people but have often forgotten how to talk to people. Our approach is highly personalized. We’re mindful that there’s a person with fears, pains, and goals behind every like, comment, and share. We’re focused on helping our clients make real, personal connections with their ideal clients. Connections that start conversations and create opportunities for conversions. It’s the same strategy we’ve used to grow ST49, and I’m proud that we’ve become our own case study to inspire our clients and prospects that they can do the same to grow and scale their businesses.

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
I call myself a digital marketer, and yes, that’s true. But it’s just the tool that I use. I’m most passionate about helping people achieve big goals and rethink what they previously thought impossible, myself included. I have some big goals for Studio Three 49, and I’m excited about our future growth as we expand our team and broaden our service offering to support our clients. Life is short, and if the last two years have taught me anything, it’s that happiness is a choice and to value progress over perfection. Continuous growth and forward momentum are my two metrics for success. I count every day a win that I can get up and put in the hard work to keep making it happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiothree49.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiothree49
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiothree49

Image Credits
Alicia Leigh Photography