Please note this blog post is sponsored by The Hive Workspace. To read more about that, click here. If you are a Salem, MA or north shore based business interested in working with me, please click here. Please also note all images included are © Things to do in Salem, LLC and may not be used without permission. Thank you!

Hi everyone, happy Monday and welcome back to the blog. Today’s post is one I have been mentally cooking up for (literally) years now. Come behind the scenes with me to see what it’s like running ThingstodoinSalem.com and being a full time content creator, digital marketer and social media manager/influencer. I regularly get questions from you guys asking me about what I do. Is this my full time job? How did I get into content creation? How did I grow my audiences? Did I go to school for business? So let’s get into some back story.

I purchased the domain name ThingstodoinSalem.com because it’s super keyword loaded in terms of SEO. This means the domain name ranks very well organically in search because it’s what the end user is likely typing into common search engines like Google. At first, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with the website. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be just a blog, maybe a pamphlet or brochure…I didn’t really know how I wanted to present the information. When I was ready to build it out I began writing blog content simply sharing my experiences and thoughts, personal reviews of attractions and businesses here in Salem and more. I honestly had no idea what the website was going to become and how it would change my life path completely.

The content I create is super niche. I am speaking to a very specific demographic of people and serving a pretty defined end user. I am creating content on these platforms regarding visiting Salem, travel tips and tricks, event info and more to encourage everyone to enjoy all that Salem, MA has to offer. I think because I am so niche in the content I create here that’s how my audiences found me so quickly. My following on social media began growing and growing and folks were coming to me for advice and information every day. The website and social media took off and before I knew it, I had a sizable group supporting me and wanting more. So I began creating more. I began posting blog content every single day. I began networking with others in the area. I created digital guides that are available to download right from my website.

Did I go to school for business? No. I actually went to college for behavioral psychology. I am self taught as a marketer and digital content creator. I began my journey with this website and path about 7 or 8 years ago and taught myself everything along the way. This includes business, marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing, newsletter marketing and so much more. If you are interested in learning from me, click here for my newly launched online self-paced courses.

Is this my full time job? Yes. Many business owners in the area saw what I had built and began approaching me with questions, requesting help with their own platforms. As a natural result of honing my skills and becoming a marketing expert, I began working with businesses in the area. I began taking on clients offering content creation services, social media management, consultations and so much more. I still do this, to this day. I create content and manage the social media for my own platforms and do the same for my clients in and around Salem.

I live in Salem, MA, however I can work from wherever I am and I am super grateful for this. I have family in many areas of the country and being able to have the flexibility to work from wherever I am is a must have in my life. I am most often found in my home office, however sometimes my office is an airport, local coffee shops (current favorite: Lulu’s), workspaces and anything along those lines. So come to work with me for the day at The Hive Workspace located in downtown Salem, MA.

The Hive was kind enough to invite me in for the day to check it all out. They set me up in their (huge!) conference room to work for as long as I liked.

So, what exactly is The Hive Workspace? The Hive Workspace is a co-working community that has rentable private offices and conference rooms. In my situation, the Hive worked well because it gave me a change of scenery and a different setting for the day which was super helpful. I know many other business owners who are solopreneurs and the like also enjoy stepping out into a workspace or different environment from time to time, just to break it up a bit. If you want a permanent office space they offer long term office rentals that include a phone line, access to their fully stocked kitchen (bottomless coffee!), shared copy machines, common room, breakout areas and much more. This means that for all leases, day passes and conference room reservations you get access to printing, phones and Wi-Fi to streamline everything which is pretty cool and actually uncommon in the shared workspace world. There is also a community manager on hand in case you ever have any questions.

This was my view while I was working from their conference room. I brought my laptop and worked on editing a wedding I had photographed a few weeks earlier. Being in this environment that basically forced me to focus and removed the distractions of my home office was really helpful and I edited about half of the wedding while I was at The Hive.

The yellow booths to the left in the picture below are soundproof booths where you can make a phone call, take a meeting and more while ensuring privacy the whole time. There is a small work surface in there and a stool to sit on. They are super fun and sort of remind me of the telephone booths that Superman would run to when he needed to change.

Everything in The Hive Workspace is a bright yellow color and leans into the bee and beehive theme. It’s a fun element to the space.

Shown above are the office spaces you can rent long term on a contract. You have your own private room and space where you can come and go as you please. This would be a good option for business owners who sometimes struggle to leave their work “at work” or who have trouble setting home/work boundaries. This can be hard when home and work are the same place. Having a separate office that you go to can certainly help with that mental barrier.

The Hive would also be a great spot for traveling workers or business owners who need a temporary office space for the day. The Hive offers day passes! If you’re only in Salem for a short time for meetings or work but still need a place to run all of your operations from, that day pass option could be perfect.

Above is another one of the conference rooms available to you.

This space would be great for the meetings I regularly have with my clients around Salem. If we need some quiet and want to avoid the sometimes noisy bustle of meeting in a coffee shop, this would be an awesome option.

I worked from The Hive for about four hours total, edited half of a wedding, went through some mail that I had brought with me and kept up with my inboxes while I worked. It was a super productive chunk of time and removing distractions helped me focus.

So what does a normal day look like for me as a content creator and small business owner? I am normally up at 7:00 am or 7:30 am. I always start my morning with coffee and some journaling. Mindset work is so important in life and especially important when you’re a business owner. Once I am done with that I normally wander into my home office to begin going through my inboxes and checking items off of my “to-do” list for the day. At any given day I might be writing content for my own platforms, managing my client’s platforms or content, meeting with current or future clients, attending networking events and much more. I am a part of the Salem Chamber of Commerce as well as Creative Collective so I am often out and about networking with other business owners in the community.

How did I learn all of this? As I mentioned above, I am self taught. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and business owners so I grew up seeing those close to me venturing out and doing their own thing, starting businesses. I am very blessed to be able to say that my journey to self employment was always supported by my environment as I grew up. I have worked in many fields and industries before I landed in marketing and content creation and I am grateful to be able to do what I love. I am also grateful for the businesses like The Hive Workspace that support the entrepreneurs and creative workforce in the area. Having a space like The Hive within walking distance of my apartment and centrally located downtown is awesome. If you’re looking for a spot to set up your office and call home, The Hive is a great option for that.

Thanks again to The Hive for welcoming me in and hosting me, I had a great day getting work done. The Hive Workspace is located at 227 Washington Street Salem, MA 01970. You can reach them by phone at 978-306-7870 and find them online at thehiveworkspace.com. If you stop in, be sure to tell them that I sent you!