Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana McGee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began my marketing career working at a small ad agency in The Woodlands, formerly known as Wright’s Printing & Marketing. Looking back, I believe that was the best experience I’ve had in my career in such a short amount of time. I often refer to this phase in my career as “marketing boot camp” since it was extremely challenging and fast-paced but this experience helped me build a strong foundation as a marketer.
In just 2 years, I had the opportunity to work for clients in over a dozen different industries. Because the creative team was small, I had the role of about 3 people. Oftentimes, marketers aren’t just marketers, they also have to know design, SEO, social media and copywriting.
After the agency shut down, I began working in local government for The Woodlands Township as their Social Media Analyst. The team I was a part of, the Community Relations department, functioned similarly to an ad agency in that we handled all internal requests for marketing projects. The team I worked with was even smaller than the last, had the same rigorous workload and the same fast-paced environment. More than anything, we all became well-versed in Crisis Communications.
In my 4 years at the Township, I worked through 3 hurricanes, a winter storm and the pandemic. Sometimes, we had more than one crisis happening at the same time. From a communications standpoint, this meant we all had to work overtime on nights, weekends, and holidays to keep the residents of The Woodlands informed.
Even though my title was Social Media Analyst, I also created ads, wrote press releases and magazine articles, oversaw conference and event planning, handled some website updates and was heavily involved with video projects – including writing scripts, making storyboards and filming Facebook Live videos.
I had enjoyed the work/life balance of 2020, so when my employer announced that we had to return to the office, I knew I had to make a change. I was going through a lot in my personal life that made it difficult for me to physically show up to work.
I had been undergoing a spiritual awakening where I began questioning everything; my old beliefs and habits, who I was and what my purpose was.
I was at a crossroads. Do I keep going down the safe path with my stable 9-5 job that pays well or do I chase my dreams and start my own business and see where that takes me?
I chose the latter and sold my house to fund my business. I was longing for freedom in every aspect. Freedom to express myself creatively, freedom to work whenever and wherever I wanted and free from obstacles standing in my path to success.
I founded Space City Creative in 2021 to fulfill my purpose of helping people on a grander scale. If I could help businesses that I felt truly aligned with and passionate about finding more customers, and those customers’ lives changed because of the business’ product or service, then I feel that I am fulfilling my mission. I strongly believe that technology and social media have the power to connect communities.
Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from moving forward. It’s part of the process. Believe in yourself, forget limiting beliefs, and create the reality you want to live. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome? It’s been as smooth a road as Memorial Drive (If you’re not from Houston, it is one of the bumpiest roads around.) There were many setbacks along the way and it was especially challenging since I work alone.
I had an attorney help me with the business formation and she misheard my business name over the phone and I had to wait for the correction documents to be processed to begin setting up my business bank accounts. Then, my business mailbox shut down so I had to choose a different location and fill out more paperwork and correct the formation documents AGAIN.
Meanwhile, I had a client I was waiting to bill but couldn’t do so for the first 2 months until I had all the proper paperwork.
Learning Quickbooks was also a struggle. Accounting wasn’t my strong suit in college but luckily I had YouTube tutorials and a friend help me out.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I help organizations with marketing strategy, social media management, graphic design, paid advertising and live stream video production (Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Live).
I take pride in thinking differently, providing quality work and measurable results. My brand is quirky and I believe that being different is exciting. Think of advertisements, what are you more likely to remember? The bland, serious commercial or the weird and goofy ad?
I started this business to make a real difference in the community and that means doing meaningful work. I enjoy humanizing brands and engaging with people or other brands online. Without engaging, you’re missing the “social” component of social media.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe in taking calculated risks. It takes courage to try something that’s out of your comfort zone but that’s where great things happen; that’s where the rewards are. Many of us fall into the trap of thinking a salaried job is safe, but that’s an illusion. There is nothing riskier than feeling comfortable because when you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.
We grow complacent with decent pay, health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans, and we forget the bigger picture. Many times, we sacrifice our happiness and well-being for these “perks”. We live for the weekend and not in the moment.
I would say entrepreneurship is a huge risk in and of itself. Your success doesn’t solely depend on your work ethic anymore. Some factors, like market conditions, can be entirely out of your control.
Was I scared to take the leap into entrepreneurship? Sure. But what scared me more was having the same monotonous routine for the next 35 years just because it paid well. Money isn’t my ultimate reward anymore, it’s freedom.
Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from moving forward. It’s part of the process. Believe in yourself, forget limiting beliefs, and create the reality you want to live. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
