Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Stone.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a small business owner for 20 years, I’ve learned that building connections with your customers is vital. It’s easy to focus on our passions and talents; it is often what got us started in our businesses, but when we focus on who we can serve and why, it hits a different chord for our work and the people we can make a difference for.
Bootstrapping my businesses often meant I had a limited marketing budget to help my customers find me. Still, word of mouth and personal connections, one by one, eventually grew my business and me as a person. I started my first business before social media, but when Myspace came about, I was one of the first to leverage it to connect with others quicker to share what I did. Connecting with ten new people daily became a part of my daily routine. When those connections became clients, I then made an effort to learn more about them and together share life stories that turned into long-lasting and loyal customers but, more importantly, some of those people shaped so much of who I am today. Along the way, I also profoundly impacted some of them. That is where the magic happens. Before you know it, you build a network or what I like to think of as my community. They not only refer and trust you, but you, too, can do the same.
After the pandemic my world was flipped upside down. My community and my businesses completely changed within a few months. I moved from Connecticut to Texas to start life over, not entirely by choice but primarily out of a need in many ways. So many people were in the same position of needing community more than ever but at a loss where and how to connect while things were turbulent in person and on the internet. I leaned into my ability to story tell, focus on positivity, and build a community for me and others, one person and post at a time, in a Facebook group I called Kickin’ It In Keller, the new town I had moved to. As I was meeting new people and rebuilding my life, I found a disconnect for many people, including the small business owners, whether they had been in the community a long time or brand new. We were all in the same boat, struggling to survive after 2020, so in 2021, I made it my mission to thrive together. Our core pillars are Community. Connection. Collaboration.
I developed partnerships with small businesses committed to these same pillars as we grew and launched Kickin’ It Media Group. We create affordable and accessible media for small businesses that help them connect their story, their business, and the community around them in one curated place as a resource to stay connected but, most importantly, develop relationships as a thriving community. We also showcase local events, non-profits, and facilitate a group where others can join the conversations and share their stories.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Have I mentioned that I started over after the pandemic? Though there was no smooth road ahead, there was still a path to follow, eventually leading me to Keller, Texas. Upon arrival, I fell in love with the town’s small-town charm and the ambition of its people, who were ready to serve, recover, and have fun doing it. Some of us were starting over, and some were still trying to survive, but the business community in Keller was supportive and united. At first, it was exciting and refreshing, but as time passed, the lingering pandemic and many changes facing just about everyone made it difficult to stay positive. Social media and in-person interactions became toxic, leaving me and other business owners feeling discouraged.
However, I wanted to create a solution that addressed these issues while empowering and equipping people to focus on what really mattered. I envisioned a space that would allow for the opportunity to see the great things happening in our community and be inspired to be a part of making great things happen too. I genuinely believe in planting the seeds and being the change you want to see.
Being a driving force for change in a time when everyone is facing challenges can come with pushback and be incredibly discouraging. However, I live by a saying and mindset to double down on positivity, and eventually, you watch those seeds planted grow. It takes a level of dedication and passion for a mission or goal to stay disciplined and focused on the outcome. Though obstacles will arise along the way, staying consistent will produce the best results. Plus, as you work towards your goals, you will inevitably develop yourself too!
As you know, we’re big fans of Kickin’ It Media Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Kickin it media group
We create high-level user-generated content from experiences at events, small businesses, travel, and more.
This organic way of creating marketing pieces captures an in-the-moment perspective from your guests, clients, and attendees.
We not only create content, but we CAPTURE it.
This is not a big production. It’s a unique view of the real moments happening every day. From an aerial view with our docudrone to our on-the-ground exploration, let us kick it and capture from a new view.
Our love for supporting small extended itself to how we show up and share everything we create in our own city of Keller, Texas. We built a. platform called Kickin’ It In Keller where we capture the stories, events, and conversations on a visual level that generates excitement, conversation, and connections. Our Facebook group has over 9,000 locals sharing in the connection and love for our city.
Our community is the reason why we launched this business, derived from our unique skillset and passion to serve. So, community, connection, and collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We hope to continue to make an impact in Keller while also expanding our service offerings outside of our platform to help support other communities and small businesses looking to do the same.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
Risk-taking is a part of the entrepreneurial journey. It is always scary to start something new or put yourself out there for people to critique or criticize something you are passionate about and want to share with the world. They may love it, or they may hate it! The unknowns are often what holds us back from discovering the what-ifs.
I am a big believer in taking the chance anyways. The reward is far too great if the what-ifs happen. If it were easy, everyone would do it. That is the challenge in itself. Everyone isn’t doing it, so you feel the nudge to go for it! Going for it comes with the risk of failure or success. Both, in my eyes, are a win. If you fail, you learn, and you try again. You are that much closer to knowing something where someone else gave up. If you have success, you learn some more… Because with success comes more challenges.
You have to be active in the journey that will always teach you and grow you beyond measure. So, take the risk, and live a life with so many great stories to tell! Then, document them and start telling them!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kickinitinkeller.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kickinitinkeller
- Facebook: facebook.com/kickinitinkeller
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kickinitinkeller
Image Credits
Kickin It Media Group
Docudrone Media
