BBB Blog

Social media–you either love it or you hate it. There are few in the middle of this one! Starting a business is already a huge endeavor: perfecting your service or product, setting up financial processes, and protecting your intellectual property. You may already have been sharing your passion and small business story on your personal page. A fundamental part of starting that business though, is building a small business social media page. 

Why can’t I just keep using my personal page? 

Well, you can–to tell your story and your personal journey, but there’s a glass ceiling there. On a personal page, you won’t be able to dig deep on audience interactions beyond the like, tag, and share functions. On a business page, you can:

• Target an audience for advertising
• Test ideas for products or services
• Build a strong brand with a loyal following (that’s right, y’all–ask those friends on your personal page to like your business page)
• Schedule posts ahead of time so can have a stronger work/life balance

Those are just a few of the advantages of using a small business social media page. Start by picking one or two social media platforms that you are the strongest in, and start small. Build a page with a few great pictures and then commit to a realistic schedule. If posting once a week at first is what you can do, then go for it! 

Be sure to include all of your information. For example, fill out everything on your About page on Facebook including your website, phone number, email, hours (if applicable), etc. On Instagram, use that link in your profile to showcase your website. If you have multiple links, use a service like Linktree to showcase multiple links, such as your website and other social media platforms. You do not want someone to look you up on social media and be unable to find any information about you. 

Maintain consistency so that people know you are a reliable brand-a dependable company. You can schedule posts on some social media platforms, or you can use a scheduler like Buffer (it has free options!). You can even set an autoresponder for your messages in some apps.

Be playful but professional. Encourage your audience to interact with your posts, but maintain a polite, professional demeanor, even to the occasional internet troll. You can hide or delete a rude comment, but do not engage in rude behavior on the public page.

Finally, have fun with it! Test ideas with videos and reels and remember that shorter is better. Have a friend that has a small business, too? Share each other’s posts and double your network. The possibilities are infinite!

 Welcome to the 2022 Business Byte Video Series! The Business Byte videos consist of experts from the Oxford-Lafayette County community providing tips and tricks for entrepreneurs opening or starting their small businesses. Meet Rhes Low, Director of Strategy, at Red Windows Communications here in Oxford, MS. In the video above, Rhes will be discussing branding, why it is important, and the top three things to remember while creating a brand for a small business. Sign up for the Big Bad Business letter to receive biweekly updates on upcoming opportunities and events at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Figuring out what content to share on social media accounts can be tricky. What times to post, what platforms to use, and how to best reach your audience are all questions that are pertinent to being successful on social media. To start, establishing what your personal goals are for your business is key. Are you trying to sell a product? Are you trying to find new collaborators? Do you want to connect with other local entrepreneurs? Answering these questions will answer what content you should be posting. 

Fractured Atlas, a free resource for artists and entrepreneurs, offered advice on what angle you should be thinking about social media content. ‘I think that one of the first mistakes is misunderstanding the goal of what marketing yourself means,’ [marketing expert Jolie Higazi] said. “Businesses, individuals, organizations, artists [sometimes] think that the goal of marketing is to get everyone to like you and want to buy your stuff. You don't want to appeal to everybody. You're more niche. Who are the people that actually would like what you're offering? To do that, you also have to be honest with yourself about who's not a good fit; who would not enjoy [your work].’”

Once you have established your content, scheduling posts is crucial. Buffer is a free website that offers social media services. Once you have linked your social media accounts, you can schedule posts for certain times, dates, and customize captions for each network. Along with all of these great features you can also link websites and tag other social media accounts. Taking the time to schedule out social media posts for the next week or month will engage your audience, take the pressure off, and greatly benefit your business!

The Big Bad Business Series is excited to announce the release of the Business Building Blocks workbook for entrepreneurs to kick start their small businesses. The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council facilitates an Arts Incubator as part of the Big Bad Business Series. Andrea Drummond the 2020-2021 VISTA for the YAC compiled recurring topics that emerging entrepreneurs have questions about. Interviewing mentors, conducting research to available resources, and applying her own experience owning a business Drummond created ten workbooks that will be free to the public. 

“As a small business owner myself, I thought about when I was first getting started. If I would have had a resource on paper to answer my “what is my next step” question the process would have been much smoother. I hope by sharing these workbooks with my past experiences can be of use to someone who is trying to either start or expand their business.” Andrea Drummond

The Business Building Block workbooks cover the topics of Beginning in Business, Writing a Business and Financial Plan, Securing Capital, Money Management, Building Your Brand, and Brand Management/ Marketing. With these topics being broad, each workbook is dedicated to answering all of the questions you might have combined with quotes from Drummond and other local entrepreneurs from their experiences in business. Catherine Smith is featured in Book One discussing the topic of “Is It Viable?”. The workbooks will be accessible to the public for free at www.presentmississippi.org

With the release of the workbooks, The Big Bad Business Series will host monthly workshops with local businessmen and women to guide the public in starting their small businesses. The topics will coincide with topics featured in the workbooks to further every individual business. To know more about these events, sign up for the Big Bad Business Series newsletter by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Taariq David is the definition of a true entrepreneur and has excelled as a 2021 member of the Big Bad Business Lab. David owns David Hospitality Services and is the Co-founder of Hospitality Bruhs. These are restaurant consulting businesses and also focus on cocktails. These businesses teach locals how to make restaurant quality at home. David is most excited about his small business because it focuses on empowering others while being something that he has created from start to finish. 

“I joined the lab for very specific reasons. First being I needed help knowing what steps were next for me. Should I create an LLC, how do I establish an LLC, where can I do this? The Lab helped me step by step registering my LLC. Second, I had legal questions that the Lab helped me answer and find resources that eased my mind while trying to start my new business. Lastly, the Lab gave me access to resources like equipment such as lights and computers,” David said.

The Lab is funded by Yoknapatawpha Arts Council (YAC) and in part through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town program and the Mississippi Arts Commission. The Lab offers entrepreneurs a place to self-define their goals and professional development support to achieve these goals. 

“The Lab brings entrepreneurs together to create a sense of community. Each person decides for themselves what they want to achieve and then the arts council staff see where we can help them connect to resources in North Mississippi. We want people to feel that they can start a business, make a living here without moving to a larger city, and that we all benefit from the creativity and passion that person brings,” explained Wayne Andrews, executive director of YAC.

“I enjoy expressing creativity through teaching people how to create craft and classic cocktails, it is my passion. Cocktails that I like to focus on are pre-prohibition style.” 

Taariq started his own business due to restaurants shutting down during COVID. Creating his own vision through cocktails and food was a dream of his he wanted to do for a while and covid gave him that opportunity. Another reason for starting his own business was so that he did not have to continue living paycheck to paycheck. Taariq is currently working with Fox Sports Center and is being featured in their segment Ultimate College Roadtrip. Check out Taariq’s latest cocktails and cuisine at @Taariqdavid or @hospitalitybruhs on Instagram!

To learn more about Taariq and his business watch the video below! 

Cecelia Moseley graduated from the University of Mississippi in May of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Sculpture. Over the next year, she spent time in Oxford, MS, working on public art pieces and building her portfolio through the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Meridian, MS, and the Yokna Sculpture Trail in Oxford, MS. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Fine Art in Sculpture at Louisiana State University.

Cecelia’s art is inspired by her personal journey with dyslexia. She wanted to bring awareness to others through her work that might be struggling with the same learning disability. At an early age, she recognized that as her peers excelled in traditional subjects, she had to learn these differently. Her artwork is an expression of the frustrations she overcame, and through it, she has created a new form of visual communication. Moseley expressed, “My struggles with dyslexia have strengthened my art in thinking of ways to explain how a young dyslexic child feels. I reflect on my past experiences growing up because I have learned to cope with the difficulties of reading since then.”

Cecelia collaborated with art councils, museums, and her art school to get her work out to the public. When asked about her future plans Cecelia explained, “Upon finishing school, I will continue to make public art pieces as well as pieces for galleries. Currently, she has work on display in Fondren in Jackson that people can purchase. 

“Getting my masters is going to prepare myself as an artist in the real world. Doing undergrad in MS and grad in Louisiana I have two different art opportunities which has given me double the exposure and introduced me to two different networks. Without the arts councils and museums, my work wouldn't be the same. My networks would not be nearly as strong because they have reached more people than I would have on my own.”

Aside from networking, Cecilia explained how important social media is in connecting her art to the public. “Social media is important for the aspect of connecting with others to be an artist is to fully express yourself, but it's something different when it impacts others. For my work personally, social media is the best way for me to spread my mission as an artist in a personal way.” Networking is great for artist calls, exhibitions, etc are posted on social media from other states, so it's a great way to learn about opportunities to sell my art. Also, a great way to build your community of artists because once you are an artist you are in your own space, and it's important to be inspired through others' work- almost like a mentorship. It's awesome to see others ahead of you in their practice and that there are opportunities to be an established artist rather than a starving artist.” A recent project Moseley is working on is at Mud and Magnolia’s located in Tupelo, MS. She got connected with this project through her use of social media.

To keep with Cecelia’s journey check out her website and social media accounts!

www.cmoseleyfineart.com

https://www.instagram.com/cc_art_design/

https://www.facebook.com/cmoseley.fine.art