“I didn’t know this VA world, but what Emily is offering is so much more than that.”
Lisa’s former career sounds fascinating. After studying photography at university, she spent nearly 20 years working in visual content, websites, copywriting and content, metadata, and streamlining processes, and most of it was at Canada’s largest newspaper.
I know I’m not the only one who looks at that list and thinks… that’s someone who belongs in digital marketing.
Lisa Harmatuk not only had a career that kept her busy, but she also had a toddler and infant twins! Work-life balance was a struggle. In Lisa’s words, “We were not great.” She took time off with the intention of going back to work, but without a clear picture of what going back would look like. She hadn’t planned to retire and her family couldn’t afford for her not to work.
When COVID hit, Lisa took the opportunity to get a post-grad degree in food media. Previous to that, she had started a food-focused mom blog as a side project.
Are you starting to see that Lisa is a doer? She’s the kind of go-getter I’ve talked about who becomes a successful digital marketing assistant. Thanks to the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School, Lisa discovered a world she didn’t know existed, leading her to a life and business she loves.
New town, new challenges, same goals.
Right before COVID, Lisa’s family had moved to a small town two hours away from the large city where she had always worked. She made the most of the limited opportunities available to her, doing some work for local small businesses – streamlining processes, content and copywriting, and social media.
Lisa knew she wanted to build a business from home to give her the control over her schedule and the work-life balance she needed. But she didn’t know how.
A mutual acquaintance told Lisa about me. This was the first time Lisa had heard the term virtual assistant or digital marketing assistant. She felt like a whole new world opened up to her.
“I was a successful professional for years, but this was a different world that I didn’t know how to enter.”
As Lisa researched this new world, she found some of what was out there sounded like “get-rich-quick schemes.” She was leery of coaches and “experts” who made promises of a lot of income with very little work.
I first met Lisa when she joined my Digital Marketers’ Workgroup. Inside this exclusive membership, I provide the training, support, and job opportunities to build experience and command premium rates. Lisa’s varied experience meant her application was approved quickly. Success requires identifying and understanding your strengths and weaknesses. By reflecting on her abilities, Lisa could pinpoint where she excelled and which areas needed development, setting a strong foundation for her growth. I knew she had skills that could transfer into the digital marketing world.
As Lisa observed conversations happening inside the Workgroup and reviewed job opportunities, she discovered holes in her digital marketing knowledge. What did “launching” mean and what was “Kajabi?”
She realized my Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School (UDMA) was the missing piece she needed to gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to transfer what she already knew into the online world.
Lisa likes to know how things fit together. So do I. That’s why I built UDMA the way I did – my students get to see the big picture of how all the pieces of digital marketing work together. And like Lisa, they learn the skills to make it happen.
“I took the course and it’s been a game-changer for me!”
Prior to taking UDMA School, Lisa had been doing some web design work. She liked the flexibility of project work and her ability to work from home, but her income was unpredictable.
One of Lisa’s goals was to have a consistent monthly income and the ability to take on extra projects only when it worked for her schedule. Kids out of school for the summer means no extra projects.
Lisa graduated from UDMA in the spring and had what felt like an ambitious monthly income goal. She was thrilled and a bit surprised to hit that goal only a couple of months later.
“I was surprised at how fast I was able to have that base income that was my goal for year one.”
Beyond “woo” – for digital marketing assistants, mindset matters.
Lisa doesn’t describe herself as “woo” and she told me she would not have sought out training on mindset. Imagine her surprise when she realized just how valuable the mindset components of UDMA would be to her business success. (Lisa may have been surprised, but I wasn’t!)
Mindset in the UDMA School world is more about owning your role as a business owner. It’s about learning how mindset ties in with everything else and gives your goals direction. Lisa joined UDMA because she wanted to learn more about how to transfer her existing skills into the online world. And she did that. But she learned so much more than just skills.
After UDMA, Lisa “understood how to position myself and put what I wanted to do into a pricing and services guide. That thing was a game-changer!”
Lisa took the pieces of what she did for clients – website design, website updates, SEO and blogging, and newsletters as well as some automations and design work – and created packages that serve her clients and her business.
In addition to meeting her income and work-life balance goals, Lisa was able to truly partner with her clients and help them reach their goals.
“I love being a right-hand woman. When I mean a lot to that person and they know I’ve got their back.”
Leaning into her role as CEO of her digital marketing services business.
UDMA School taught Lisa how to set up and run her digital marketing services business. And that mindset piece? It helped Lisa lean into her role as the CEO of her business and own it. Lisa knew she had valuable skills her clients needed. What she didn’t know was how to run a business.
“I take myself more seriously as a business owner. It’s a partnership… I always thought of myself as just a worker and not a business owner, but if I wanted to do this for the long term, I had to see myself differently and see my business differently.”
UDMA took Lisa through this transition, identifying her why, setting her goals, and building her business in a way that works for her. And she is smashing her goals and continuing to set new ones.
Those new goals include scaling. When Lisa learned things like Looker Dashboard and UTM Links inside UDMA, it opened up another new world she hadn’t known existed. She plans to add these complementary services to some of her packages. This is exactly what I teach inside UDMA – “sistering” your services with other things as a way of growing your business. 🦄
When you take the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses, it gets so much easier to focus on what you’re really good at and work on areas where you want to grow. This kind of clarity can give you the confidence to scale your business and create packages that truly wow your clients.
⚡️Related Podcast: A Day in the Life of a Digital Marketing Assistant #221
Listen to my Unicorns Unite Podcast bonus episode that’s a replay of our live stream: A Day in the Life of a Digital Marketing Assistant. I’m joined by seven freelance marketing service providers, each with unique backgrounds and experiences.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Amazon
Why the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School?
When I asked Lisa what makes UDMA School different from the VA courses she researched and what she would want other people to know about the course, she had a lot to say!
“I didn’t know this VA world, but what Emily is offering is so much more than that.”
Lisa was someone who liked to hide behind the scenes. (Umm… I can so relate to this and you probably can, too). Inside UDMA, we talk about the idea of fit and that it’s okay not to be for everyone. Lisa needed to hear that. She needed to understand that some things would go her way and some wouldn’t, and it was all part of finding her way.
Lisa wants you to know something important:
“ is about building something for yourself, not just working for a few hours and checking a box.”
If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you already know I don’t believe in sugarcoating— I like to tell it like it is. And it turns out, Lisa really appreciates that about me! 💖
“I really love Emily. I think she has a lot of integrity… she’s very fair… you have to do the work if you’re going to be successful and she says that.”
Connect with Lisa:
- Instagram: @tukhansen
- Website: https://www.tukhansen.com/
- Facebook: Tuk Hansen
Read Other UDMA School Student Stories:
>> From Corporate to Confident: How UDMA School Helped Me Build a Thriving Digital Marketing Business
>> My Journey From Employee To Full-Time Business Owner
>> Upleveling Digital Marketing Skills to Provide Premium Services to Premium Clients
>> How I Transitioned from a 9-5 Job to a Booked-Out Freelance Marketing Specialist
>> From Corporate Finance to Small Business Consultant
Not a course. A collective for marketers already doing the work.
Our Digital Marketer’s Workgroup is a vetted peer community where marketing specialists get real business support and talk shop with people who actually get it. Applications are open now ⬇️
The Takeaway: “You have to want it and you have to put effort into it and you have to make it happen. And Emily is going to do everything she can to help you make it happen.”
Lisa’s story is a familiar one. A busy mom – with so much experience and so many skills – who needs to earn income but can’t make a 9-5 work for her family. She didn’t give up on finding a solution and when she found me and UDMA, she discovered a whole new world. Lisa took all she learned and put it to work for her. She’s growing in her role as a business owner and has plans to scale. I’m so proud of her and can’t wait to see what’s next!
UDMA School isn’t for everyone. You can’t sign up and expect to work a few hours a week and make a lot of money. But if you’re willing to put in the work and put yourself out there, you’ll be amazed at what’s possible. And I’ll be here for you.
-Emily, Digital Marketing Consultant and Implementer
Emily Reagan is a mom of four, board game pro, freelance digital marketer and Marketing Assistant Mentor who has helped over 450 go-getters, including military spouses, stay-at-home moms, and professional women learn in-demand skills and find flexible remote work as digital marketing assistants and specialists. She’s shared 3,000+ job leads with her freelancer community The Digital Marketer’s Workgroup.
Ask her any questions over on IG @emilyreaganpr
“I help smart women learn the in-demand digital marketing strategies and profitable tech skills to get hired as a unicorn digital marketing assistant.“
3 ways we can work together:
1. Join the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School. My signature course on digital marketing implementation will give you the confidence and teach you HOW to do the work that’s in demand and highly marketable. This is the secret weapon to getting booked out. Start learning digital marketing services and building your digital service business right now.
2. Already doing marketing work and have a few clients? Want a stronger referral network? Apply for our Digital Marketer’s Workgroup—a tight-knit community of freelancers just like you. Inside, you’ll get behind-the-scenes support, advanced trainings, and troubleshooting that every solo marketer needs. Plus, I’ve shared over 3,000 job opportunities with this group—exclusive leads you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re ready to grow your business and connect with a supportive network, join us here!
3. Looking to hire a Digital Marketing Assistant? If you want to expand your team & grow your business, submit your job opportunity here. I’ll share it with the skilled unicorn marketing assistants inside my workgroup totally free.
Yes, you really can work online.
Feeling overwhelmed about how to start working from home or build your own digital marketing business? Take a deep breath — you can do this!
Start with my list of 10 in-demand tasks that online business owners are constantly asking for help with. These are the exact skills clients look for when hiring a virtual assistant. Grab your free download now, update your VA toolkit, and see where you might want to grow next as you build your freelance business with confidence and purpose.
