On August 14, 2015, Brandon Poliszuk officially registered his business, The Social Butterfly, with the state of Minnesota at 20 years old. The Social Butterfly began as a project in one of his business classes, Introduction to Management Information Systems. The project required groups of students to start a mock company and design a running website with a domain name and working features. The majority of the class (200+ students) were taking the clothing company route. Brandon believed the clothing industry to be very saturated, so unless a business idea was unique, it would be hard to thrive. After brainstorming ideas with his group, he came up with a business idea that no other group was doing: a social media consulting company that bridged the gap between the company and their target market while giving them a style and identity that sets them apart from competition.
“My logic was that every company needs to have a presence on social media, and not every company has the knowledge or time to do so.”
For the first seven months of operation, the Social Butterfly focused strictly on social media management. After they realized there was a need for creating original company content to establish a personality on social media, they invested in professional-grade camera equipment to become a full-service media marketing company. They now offer professional photography, videography, social media management, social media consulting, website development, event promotion and graphic design.
“Our target market is any business that wants a strong online presence and to set the bar high against competition.”
The Social Butterfly’s mission is to give your business wings. We have a vision for every company, and with effective marketing combined with your collaboration, we give your business a wow factor.
“Everything we do, we do it in style because we believe in challenging the status-quo. Some people call it good marketing, we like to call it the #ButterflyEffect.”
Left: Jake Hoffman, Middle: Brandon Poliszuk, Right: Jake Froehlich, Bottom: Huy Nguyen
Q & A with Brandon
Her Campus: What motivated you to take part in becoming an entrepreneur at a young age?
Brandon Poliszuk: “Working various jobs before I started the company has always sparked the inspiration in me of how I would do things differently. I have always wanted to be the guy at the top and taking an idea and turning it into a finished product is something that I am very passionate about. I love being a part of something bigger than myself. Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try.”
HC: How many hours per week do you dedicate to your business?
BP: “I don’t know if I can even give you an exact number, I am working 24/7. I also go to school full time, and am helping Huy Nguyen build a fitness and lifestyle brand EXCD Clothing, as well. Between all of that, it’s a constant motion of just work. I always remind myself that hard work pays off, and that’s what keeps me going.”
HC: What has been the most rewarding part of starting your business?
BP: “Starting something that helps other people. Seeing young college students like myself develop personal growth outside of the classroom. Helping other businesses really grow and develop. I enjoy working with a variety of businesses and learning about different industries. Giving businesses a style and personality is something my team and I love to do, so a lot of the time we forget we are technically working.”
HC: What has been the largest challenge you have faced as a young business owner?
BP: “I could give you an entire list, but I’ll give you the biggest one, which was believing in myself.”
HC: Who are some of your clients that you have had the opportunity of building an online presence through videos, photography and social media?
BP: “To name a few, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Gustavus Adolphus College, Liquid Entertainment, Polito’s Pizza, Minneopa Golf Club, Hive Apparel, and Smith Lawn&Landscape.”
Testimonial
“We began working with The Social Butterfly in the spring of 2016. Since that time, we have seen a major boost in our online and social media presence. Navigating all the various forms of social media in this day and age can be a challenge. The crew at The Social Butterfly made things easy. Our goal was to expand our reach to the millennial-aged market. Since that demographic almost exclusively use social media on their cell phones, all of our marketing needed to be mobile-friendly and eye catching.
There are plenty of things to worry about when owning and running your own business. For me, having to create advertisements and constantly post things to our social media was something I didn’t have time to effectively do anymore. My time was much better spent focusing on the other aspects of our business. I handed the reigns over to the guys at The Social Butterfly and they ran with it and made it flourish. They came up with new marketing ideas, custom graphics specific to our business, created media that was part of a large new advertising push.
I would highly recommend The Social Butterfly to any business who is looking to expand their reach, increase their online presence, and get fresh ideas for social media and marketing. They will do all the work and work with you to make sure everything meets your high standards for your business.
– Brandon Smith, Minneopa Golf Club
Learn more about The Social Butterfly by visiting their website, http://www.socialbutterflycompany.com/