Check Out Vanessa Rao’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Rao.

Hi Vanessa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from UCM, I taught middle and high school English and journalism in a small district north of Kansas City. I have a passion for education and learning that continues through my career changes – after teaching, I worked in Hospitality at many popular Kansas City spots, including Manifesto, Ça Va Champagne Bar, The Classic Cup, and Afterward Tavern & Shelves.

I was also secretary for the local chapter of The United States Bartenders Guild and managed social media for all of the bars and restaurants I managed. After the start of the pandemic, I wanted to have more control over my hours and creative processes. This led me to start Social Kansas City in April of 2021 – an independent business focused on assisting small local businesses with administrative and creative tasks that often fall through the cracks.

I am very organized and enjoy the bookkeeping aspects of running small bars. I am honored to help with administrative tasks like tracking invoices and expenses and sales and labor to help owners with taxes and financial understanding. My background in English and Journalism, as well as my 11+ years of working in social media, lends itself well to managing social media for small business owners.

I’ve recently expanded more into photography and creating short-form videos for TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook – it’s a nice compliment to the writing and scheduling that I enjoy managing. I also do bar consulting, real estate home tour videos, copywriting and proofreading, and event planning. I wear lots of hats, but they suit me!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is any road really smooth? While my career path has been dynamic, there have certainly been struggles. Managing my own expectations and anxiety is one of my biggest struggles, especially in the face of unexpected unemployment and pandemics.

Right now, the self employment taxes really take a hit! When I’m feeling frustrated by setting aside 40% of my income for taxes, I remind myself that I get to do what I enjoy doing and work for myself.

Sometimes, that helps ease the sting! Another struggle I find is it can be difficult in this town to be taken seriously as an unattached young(ish) woman. I’ve lost out on plenty of gigs for which I was more than qualified for someone in “the boys club” or someone willing to be dolled up on camera.

I love so many of our local influencers, and I absolutely love partnering with them – that’s not a dig at the great work they do sharing local gems – but my passion lies with sharing the vision and voice of others and sharing their business with the world, rather than my own.

I think the greatest gift, though, is perspective – without losing out on jobs or unemployment staring me down – I would never have had the opportunity to get creative with what I do.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
Primarily, I would say that I create content for social media, schedule it based on analytics, reports, and trends, and monitor responses and inboxes. What started out as creating social media content for bars and restaurants I worked for has blossomed into my own creative endeavors with photography, video work, copywriting, and editing.

I specialize in food and beverage photography – and I’m definitely known for that and in the service industry as being a big nerd for social media. I’m most proud of the networking I’ve done – I have met so many incredibly skilled, talented, and creative people, and being able to collaborate and work together to achieve our goals is such an incredible thing. There is really nothing better than getting to work with friends and colleagues you admire – it makes the creative work so much more meaningful in my experience.

I would say the thing that set me apart the most is my unique experience, professionalism, and quick turnaround time. I always say that I’m not an influencer because I don’t have any interest in promoting myself – I love stories, and I love using the stories and voices of business owners to create an online narrative that speaks to their desired audience. That’s definitely what sets me apart the most in this fledgling industry.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I started my career as an English and Journalism educator, which always really threw people for a loop when I started out in the service industry as a host at Manifesto in my mid-twenties.

The further I get from that career, the more odd I think people find it. To me, it makes sense – managing parents is not very different from managing guests! Being a teacher requires a lot of organization, planning, and self-motivation – all skills that have served me really well in my own business.

Pricing:

• Mini Photo Shoot $80
• Standard Photo Shoot $150
• Event Photography $300
• Ready Made Reels (1-3) $80
• Home Tour Videos $200

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.social-kc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialkansascity
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialkansascityllc/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@socialkansascity

Image Credits
Jenny Wheat and Vanessa Rao