“My work schedule has more flexibility now. I love that I have the capacity to help more clients.”
Have you ever seen someone surprise themselves by discovering a new talent or passion? Often it’s something they never considered or may not have even known was possible for them. I’ve seen this a lot with my kids and my digital marketing assistants.
Janelle’s story is a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons. She discovered the world of online business and where she fit in it almost by accident. As she pursued her corporate career and then a passion project, that surprise kept showing up. It would not be denied.
But taking a love for the back end of online businesses and turning it into a thriving business of her own? Well, Janelle needed a bit of help getting there. That’s where the Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School came in.
The road to digital marketing success started with a… trumpet?
Janelle Harlan worked for a retail chain of music stores for more than 20 years. As the company grew – from 15 stores to more than 400 – so did Janelle’s roles. One of her favorite special projects – and one that led her in a roundabout way to the world of digital marketing – was bringing the company’s school rental instrument program online. So if your middle schooler decides to join the band and you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a trumpet, you can rent one instead.
The instrument rental program allowed Janelle to dip her toe into the online business world. She loved it and continued to work on more online projects.
After nearly 24 years, Janelle got burned out. She left her corporate job to focus on her love for health & fitness. She got certified and focused on growing her group fitness, personal training, and health coaching business. The part she enjoyed most? Running the back end of her own online business.
“I loved learning about running a small business online.”
Are you starting to see a trend?
Discovering a new world in the back end of online business.
When Janelle and her husband moved to a rural area, there weren’t many opportunities for personal training. It was the perfect time to pivot and follow her passion for working with online businesses.
Like so many people who want to work online but aren’t sure how to start or where to find clients, Janelle turned to Upwork. She quickly found clients working as a general admin virtual assistant. Janelle’s business gradually grew through referrals. She spent four years working for steady clients.
Janelle enjoyed her clients but found herself craving more interesting work that reflected what she knew she was capable of.
But how could she transition from an admin VA to a more specialized digital marketing assistant?
The answer to Janelle’s question unfolded gradually. It started when she found me during an online search for an answer to a question about Kajabi. Her search led her to a video on my YouTube channel.
When she found a clear answer to her Kajabi question, Janelle started consuming more and more of my free content. She took a free, high-touch course and learned about some tools she wasn’t aware of. Her reaction makes me smile – “This is so cool!” 🦄
“The more I dug in, the more I realized (Emily) knows her stuff. She knows the super nitty-gritty details of the back-end things. Plus she’s got the chops of the marketing side of things that don’t come second nature to me.”
⚡️Related Podcast- Janelle Harlan’s Freelancer Story: Corporate Sales to Tech Specialist #178
Listen to my Unicorns Unite Podcast episode with Janelle. She shares how she enrolled in UDMA School, where she gained confidence in her skills and received invaluable support.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Amazon
Is Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School right for me?
Janelle wanted to offer premium services to premium clients but knew she needed help to get there. She learned about Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant School and reached out to me to see if I thought she would benefit.
I was honest with her – of course. That’s the only way I know how to be. I told her it wasn’t for her if she was a serial course taker. But if she wanted to gain the skills I taught – and I shared what was inside the course – she could get where she wanted to be.
Janelle took the course. She gained the knowledge and learned the skills to take her business offerings to the next level. Things like UTM codes, setting up Google Analytics, and designing and populating tracking sheets to show clients how their funnels are performing. Things that make her look so smart and are hugely beneficial to her clients.
One of Janelle’s favorite things about UDMA School was my straightforward approach. “(Emily) tells it like it is. I don’t ever feel like she’s putting fluff into anything and she knows what she’s talking about.” – fist pump! 💖
Setting up a digital marketing assistant business the right way.
Janelle knew she would learn specific digital marketing skills and tools inside UDMA School. What surprised her were the soft skills she learned, too. How to show up confidently on discovery calls. The importance of mindset to business success and how to get hers where it needed to be. And so much about setting up her business – the right way.
It was that last piece that Janelle really needed help with. She had been working with clients for four years but didn’t have contracts with them. This is something I talk to my unicorns about a lot! They need contracts to protect themselves and their clients.
I helped Janelle create contracts that reflect her skills as a digital marketing back-end specialist.
“It was a game changer because it reduced the number of hours I was working but did not reduce my income.”
Janelle increased her hourly rate to match the services she was providing. She restructured her services to add in a mix of project clients and hourly retainers. She loves it because it gives her a mix of steady income and new, exciting project work.
Finding flexibility and community as a digital marketing assistant.
Upleveling her skills and the service she offered weren’t Janelle’s only goals. She wanted flexibility. She didn’t want to have to sit in front of her computer every morning answering someone else’s social media comments and DMs. She wanted to be able to take a day or a week off when she needed to – or even just because she wanted to. Now she can.
“Before (UDMA School), it was definitely an everyday slog and I was bored. (Emily) helped me get to a place where I’ve actually increased my income… and I have more time flexibility.”
Another benefit of UDMA School?
The community. Janelle found what so many of us discover. Working online as a digital marketing assistant can be lonely. Janelle had worked in a corporate job, with a team, for more than two decades. Being a solo business owner working with clients left her craving camaraderie and feeling like she belonged to something. The UDMA School cohort she was part of and then the Digital Marketer’s Workgroup available to graduates filled that gap.
As a digital marketing assistant running her own business, Janelle knows there will be times when she has questions or doubts. It helps to have the Workgroup and me as a mentor to bounce things off.
“Emily really cares as a mentor. She’s invested in us doing well. If you’re willing to put in the work, she’s going to be right there beside you… guiding you.”
Connect with Janelle:
- Instagram: @janelleharlan1
- Website: https://janelleharlan.com/
Further Reading:
>> How to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant
>> Finding Fulfillment as a Digital Marketing Assistant
>> Create a Services Guide with Virtual Assistant Packages to Book Better Clients
>> Earning Six Figures: How to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant
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: Increase your value to increase your income.
Janelle came to UDMA School with clear goals. She wanted to uplevel her arrangements with her existing clients, doing higher-level work for them. Janelle understood their businesses and knew they could benefit from her new skills.
This is exactly what it means to be a valued member of a client’s team. Bringing value. Showing clients how you can do more to benefit their business. At the same time, you’re growing your own business, increasing your value… and your income.
Janelle is a perfect example of what UDMA School is all about. She was a smart woman with a lot of work experience and a knack for working in the back end of online businesses. She was also someone who wanted the freedom and flexibility that comes with working for yourself. She just needed someone to let her know what was possible – and then show her how to make it happen. Janelle did the work and continues to do the work.
“I’m closing in on 5-figure months while working the same number of hours I was before.”
Fulfillment, flexibility, and increased income? I call that winning! 💖
UDMA School isn’t a magic bullet. You can’t sign up and automatically gain skills and increase your rates and monthly income. But if you’re willing to put in the work and put yourself out there, well that’s where the magic comes in. 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.
