Get to Know Digital Strategist Selena Conmackie

And she's dedicated to helping small and medium businesses thrive in the digital landscape , and when I asked her what she loves most , she said it's WordPress design , though she can and she does help clients with other things like website analytics and email marketing .

And if you go to her website , it says that she's your tech bestie , and I could see why she could easily be your bestie . We met on Instagram , we had some cool conversations and I was like you need to be on the podcast , selena , say hi .

that would help them in their marketing efforts . And before I ask you this next question for the listener hi there , I'm the new host of the Art of Online Business and if my voice is new to you , head down to the show notes below and you will see a link to two episodes .

One will explain to you where Rick went and what he is doing , because he was the former host , and the other one is where Rick was interviewing me and kind of sharing his thoughts on why I would make a good host to carry the baton of the art of online business .

Info that I can give you as a Facebook ads manager into Facebook ads so that you can scale your online course or online membership up from low six figures to high six figures . And with that , we'll continue on with this session . Selena .

You're helping people grow and scale their digital marketing strategies , and so I wondered how do you marry those two ways of serving people with , like website builds , google Analytics , all the tech things , and also website design ?

And so you're fine , super , and so she's like . I helped her with her website . But here's the thing , and this is why it came to fruition . People just say , oh , I just need a website , just build it .

So I think , because I love to design , I can and I love to strategize and I love to say is it working after ? Wherever they need me to fit into their part of a website , I can come in . So it's not necessarily just about building the website for them , but it's like hey , have you thought about this and why this page matters ?

And where you're leading them down the page . So that's where Techie Bessie came in and because I realized like , oh , I'm not just a website builder . As much as I love building websites , I really kind of love strategizing about the before or the after just as much , okay , well , cool , that's where Techie Bessie came to play .

And they say when you lean in , sometimes that's where you're just so interested in the conversation . So I'm going to try really hard to stay back , so you're going to have to .

I married a military guy that was stationed out there in Hawaii and it was . You know it was out there in Hawaii and it was . You know it was a second marriage and it was . I'm not going to do .

These were my no's on the list , like I don't want a first responder because I don't think I can handle the stress , no military , because I don't want to leave , and wouldn't you know it . Yeah , and so we've been to a couple of places and now we're here in Texas and I never would have thunk , you know .

Yeah , then I remember you know , nationality wise , foreign languages wise yeah , I don't know , but she has everything I want as far as like her passion for traveling and her character and we're Christians , so I would say , like her love for Jesus and I was like I need to marry this girl , and so we did .

And you know , I , and I think like , okay , I not to segue it to marketing , right , but I kind of feel like when you don't look at the other opportunities , you really miss out on something great . And so if we had stayed with the list , can you imagine if you and I stayed with our list and the life we would not be having ?

in book , or maybe it's hearing things on YouTube that you know it's it's really the quality of the person and their character and their interests that that matter , because , especially like , if you just choose somebody based on , like , how they look , well , like our looks , change we as we get older and we're all going to dust , you know , and so and so for me

that really , I think that made that made the difference .

But my intriguing theory tell me what you think about this one is that some people believe in soulmates , or the one soulmate , and I believe that there are many people that you could be compatible with , that you could come across with , but you come across with one or two and then you make a , a choice , and that is the person who you're choosing to be

compatible with yeah then like maybe later on in life , other these people come across but like yeah you know , I chose , so I stick with . How do you , how do you see that ?

But I know for me I've had a couple and they've served me what I thought . I thought soulmates mean forever , kind of like how you just said , because that's what we learned growing up .

But I realized they've been a soulmate like they've really just touched me to the core , for the time that we had and I realized , I realized that moving forward , they were not going to be for the next phase of where I was going or where I wanted to go , and I've kind of stepped away from them , right .

So I but I do honor that they were a soulmate because to the core I loved them . I , we did everything . You know my ex husband , I , we had my beautiful daughter . She was the reason . You know what I mean .

You know , I would hate for somebody to just sit there alone and because they went off the list and then they said this was the only soulmate for me and just be lonely and not get to live life to the fullest to the very last day , you know , oh , geez , what a transparent , like slice of life and packed with wisdom like that you shared with us .

Bless you guys with the younger kids .

Like it just it's , it's their hormones changing , so I , I have to , but I just was like just want to , just want to arm wrestle her and take her to the ground , you know , and be , like , do you know who I am ?

But then there's these moments that I just love and I just watching her evolve into like this adult is so interesting and she recently got a new job at a grocery store , so it's interesting even watching her , like , be in the workforce and kind of talking about customer service and how to talk to people and this aspect , so .

But I , yeah , I don't know it's , it's different . It's different Like I love how independent she can be , where I don't have to constantly be making things or doing things , but I also miss that too , on the same . So I don't know , it's a bittersweet kind of thing as they get older . So really embrace those littles that you have and enjoy that time .

They really are there . I don't know , they're special and I love , like as a content creator that you are and I you probably do . I just I hope you film everything and record everything , because I look back at all these memories and they're so great and they just kind of remind you of , like those times with them .

You know , and I think at the end of the day , right Like we , we work , we hustle , we do all the things for the kids . But at the end of the day , it's nice to kind of make sure we create those moments with them . And and if you're like , why are you recording it ?

And Saturday both Saturday and Sunday we went to the park together because my wife was she's on the worship team at church and so she was practicing and then singing the next day and we my so after the park , because I know my kids . I don't know why my voice is all raspy right now , but I know my kids like Because we're talking about our kids .

So I wouldn't hate it if coffee went away and I had to do tea only .

I was like , oh , I do not like you because all of the girls in the dorm liked him and his accent and I was like you're taking too much attention away from us , regular American .

It's like fruit juice with some sugar , sometimes milk , and they call it like an aguita . Me too . It sounds like it could be water , but it's just like this flavored drink , but pretty natural , and so they love sugar , like many kids what kids right ?

and so , like my son , my daughter , are sipping on these and I remember it's just , it's just the three of us , right ? But I got four drinks the first day because why not sample different flavors , and five the next day because why not do more ?

And my son's like sipping on his drink and he's like I love spending time with you , dad , and I'm like how did this come out of like the mouth of a five-year-old and I'm like tearing up and like I don't know what you do .

.

Like you know , I've tried to get my daughter to start to edit some videos you know short form videos , right , and I try to talk to her a little bit about business , because I do hope that one day she does do something like that .

So I was wondering if you could give me any insight , like how that dynamic works between you and your daughter , or your husband and your daughter , because you said she is what sounds to me like the quintessential teen experience , like working at a grocery store , and she was talking about customer service and this sort of thing , and yet here you are with your

making your living online as a website developer and a tech bestie . So , like what , what have been some of those conversations , or maybe the process , if you had like ? How does that work ?

You know , that's kind of like what I'm doing with this business , right . And so I sat her down , like two years ago , when she was like 16 , 15 . And I said what do you think about ? Like you think , because she's in digital art at school , and so I was like there's a creative part of her that I just love .

And I asked her like do you want to be part of this ? Do you want to be part of this business ? Do you want to take over ? Because my business name is haole , socially inspired haole is actually my dad's name . In hawaiian it means happy , okay , and actually my daughter has . I gave her his name .

His full hawaiian name is pohaku haoli , so I told her , I know , and that means like happy , like pohaku is stone or rock , but you know , can translate to strength and then obviously haoli is happy you'll see that word all the time not to be with haole , which means white person or foreigner .

And you know , my dad was in the restaurant or the hotel business and so articles would be done by him in the 70s and they would actually write it Hauoli Smith . Smith instead of his proper way , because they did they just , you know what I mean , and so I laugh when I see that and it's , it's such a common thing .

But , um , I don't think it's wrong to ask because I think that's the whole , the whole point of learning our culture is to know . So , you , you know , but I've had , I've had , I've had to say that , and I think that's why I said that is so many clients that do know of Hawaii . When I say my name , they're like she named her , her name white .

And so we hired her last year and she works with my team , who I also employ a sister and a cousin right , they make up my team and they're a big part of why we have as many clients as we do and she played really nice in it and she's kind of started on graphics and video editing because these kids nowadays on the TikTok they're so much faster Like her

and I can sit there and do the same thing , but it takes me two hours and she's like boop , boop , boop , boop , boop , boop , boop , and you know . So she's done great . And you know , at first I was like a little irritated at my husband's like he encouraged her like go get a real job , and I was like , excuse me , my job is a real job .

But he was meaning I want her to get out and just know what it's like to work in a location with other people and adults , you know , being managed by other people and seeing what she likes .

And so the reason why I mentioned that she works worked me too is so we come home and we talk about that , where she talks about the difference of having an online business versus wow , I got scheduled , I have to go in when I don't want to , I'm tired .

She loves working there , but she says the big thing for her was the flexibility of being able to work , make money and live a fuller life , and that's what she really kind cut and I thought , wow , that's pretty big for a 17 year old .

But that's what we conversated about for my online business versus her working in the grocery store and how she works for me , because she does stuff at school . When we task her with things , she'll do things at the park . You know what I mean . It's really where she goes . I can be anywhere and make money so then tell me what .

And so she , she's like I'll just work full-time at the grocery store more with you . Excuse me , my dog's gonna be part of this podcast because that's my office manager .

you hear some okay .

So usually when she gets irritated , not that she nips , but she lets us know like it's time to move to the next , like when it's bedtime . She is not friendly . She's like let's go . And she stares and she's like if she had a lot , she would be doing this to me . I swear you know . But anyway , yeah , I think .

So I think my daughter's gonna , she's gonna work full time . I think she is gonna take a little couple classes just to kind of get those under her belt and still work with me and feel it out . I told her .

I said look , I don't want you to pressure , but I want you to know you have options wow , yeah and so I think you like showing your kids part of your business , I think can really open up . Like that they realize there's more than just this traditional like factory worker mentality that I think a lot of us right .

Okay , I get out of high school , I go to college and then I go into a nine to five job Not that anything's wrong with that , but I just want them to know there's more to that than that you know . And so I feel responsibility . Yes , 100% .

I mean , she's had an allowance for a bit and we do this thing where we have , like every week during like our family meeting , we have like three jars that her allowance , she , she has like a giving jar and a saving jar , and we put , like you know , a ridiculous amount of interest on the saving jar so that like we can hopefully ingrain in her that like

saving is the best thing to do and that will turn into investing later on . But other than that , it's like I feel like my kids don't understand work , but then , because I work at home and don't just disappear to some other place , they can very easily pick up on . Let's call it like the negative side of work .

You know , like to them , they're coming into my door or into my office , which is my guest bedroom , and wanting to play with me in the backyard , you know , and I'm like , oh no , I'm busy .

And so , like they get this , I'm busy or I can't right now , whereas I don't think they would get that , if well , they wouldn't get that if I was just at an office . And so I'm conscious of okay , if I hope that they can have their own business someday too , like , what am I doing to explain to them what's going on ?

Plus , I guess , make sure they understand the perks rather than , oh , dad has his own business and he's just always busy .

And she , she , she was used to and I hate saying that , makes me so sad , right that sometimes I couldn't get the requests off to go attend something at her school because we left . We left when she was eight .

And so there was times where I had to request and I I would either just make it to things , but I was always like like in a hurried state because I had to rush back to work and so I felt like I wasn't present .

When I left and became part of this military community and for military spouses , you know , we're kind of put into places that sometimes don't have like your skillset or you're really overqualified right where the military puts you , and so I had to create my own business .

It was totally accidental and I asked her you know , I know I work harder , but I'm always here when I get to see you go leave school , leave for school and come back for school . We get to cook dinner together . I never miss anything . We get to cook dinner together . I never miss anything . And so I thought I still was working hard .

So I encourage you to keep doing what you're doing , because my daughter even though we butt heads , she's my biggest hype girl on social media sometimes , and it's when they talk about you when you think you're not listening .

She's proud of what I do and how I help people , or that I come on and I talk about certain things , and I really she did not say that until maybe last year . So I always question myself , like you're saying like , um , what I'm doing is okay , right ? I think you inviting them in to be part of that too .

I've let her come into meetings so she can say hi to my clients , get to know them . Oh , I mean it's . I try to make it like I'm professional , but I let them know hey , I'm a mom . I appreciate that I'm also a military spouse , entrepreneur I'm . I really appreciate that you support that . It allows me to be more present in there in her life .

So I appreciate it and you know , and they , they've always been at . No client has ever said I don't want to talk to your kid , like they've loved it . Then they share something with me . They're like I'm a parent too and the conversation kind of you know . So I just encourage you to keep doing what you're doing .

I think they're going to be your biggest hype . People Like , really , when they get to that age , they'll be like you know what my dad ?

Like I think my clients are pretty cool and some of the things they're doing , you know , like Right , and you can give your kids official like titles for your company , right , your business .

That's a great title , and I feel like I should give that to my daughter now , because she definitely loves to share her perspective on all things .

So every client's like how's your kid doing ? Like it's almost a part of you know , so I don't know anyway I can talk about this all day and your kids . I mean this , I mean it's .

. And what will happen ? In case , like you , the listener are listening you You're like , oh wait , well , what ?

Well , look into the show notes below and there is a link to the second episode where Selena's going to talk about or we'll have already talked about , but you'll hear her discussing website analytics and how it can help your marketing efforts in your business . There's I've seen what she's told me and I'm teasing this episode now .

There's some good things to be learned in that episode , and for now , we'll say goodbye and then you and I , selena , will hop back into the next studio .