Co-Owners of Just Liv Social, Olivia Ferney and Rianna Valvasori are a force to be reckoned within the digital marketing world. Based in Toronto, the female entrepreneurs have successfully skyrocketed sales for their clients all over the world. I had a chance to sit down with Olivia and Rianna to learn more about Just Liv Social’s operations and to discover their impact in the entrepreneurial space.
How did you two meet?
Rianna: Throughout my time at university, I saw Olivia and Just Liv Social’s content on multiple social media platforms and quickly became a fan of the team. After I completed my degree, I reached out to Olivia to see potential opportunities at the company and we immediately connected. We worked on our first project together and well, the rest is history.
What are the main industries that Just Liv Social works with?
Olivia: I started this company with the intent of specializing in the medical aesthetics industry. After helping a variety of medispas, surgery clinics, and doctors, we figured out that our strategy worked across the board. This led us to expand our clientele. Today, we work with companies from all types of industries. We represent everyone from day traders and influencers to catering and skincare companies. We get this question a lot, people are usually curious about how we could represent such a wide range of clients. We’ve simply created a step-by-step solution for growth that we can plug into any business.
What lead the both of you to entrepreneurship and what has been the biggest challenges being young female entrepreneurs?
Rianna: Every single person in my family is an entrepreneur. So it wasn’t a surprise to me that my family didn’t encourage university. But I decided to accept my offer from Queen’s University because I was initially interested in being a naturopath. I would say in my third year of university, I became extremely bored with being a student and wanted something more. So I took time to experiment with different businesses and soak in all the information I could. I started having larger conversations with my circle and trying to understand all aspects of business. Having my family’s continuous support and guidance gave me the confidence to start my own ventures, even at a young age.
Olivia: My story is quite the opposite of Rianna’s, yet we both have the same entrepreneurial drive. My parents are teachers, and I didn’t have an idea that I could have a job without a pension until I was 18. And although I grew up not knowing “entrepreneur” could be a job title, I have always had the drive to do things on my own. I owned a charitable organization when I was 15. I’ve launched and failed at least 10 businesses before this one, but now I understand that this is a lifestyle that you can have, and I love it! In terms of challenges, where can I even start… I’ve been so blessed to have the support of my team and family, but let me tell you being an entrepreneur is brutal sometimes. You will fail, and fail again, and maybe fail 45 more times. And when you have a boss they take the heat for your mistakes, but when it’s only you, you are responsible for everything. For Rianna and myself, being young females, means we have to fight extra hard to get a seat at the table. A lot of times, especially during the beginning, we had to really prove ourselves to be taken seriously.
Rianna: Yes I completely agree, but there is no stopping women like us, we love the barriers and challenges. It makes us want success for ourselves and our team of women so much more. In addition to what Olivia said, I would say that we’re doing something completely different from the majority of people our age. In my fourth year of university, everyone was looking for safe and secure post-graduate jobs, and we were worried about making sure we could pay our employees. It can be stressful and create a lot of doubt to be straying from the norm. Wearing a lot of hats can at times be overwhelming for business owners but I believe it’s given us both an abundance of knowledge.
Where do you see the company going in the next 3 years?
Olivia: We are now launching our partner company, the Liv Management Group, which is an international influencer agency that will be integrated with Just Liv Social. Many of our current clients work with us for influencer collaborations, and we think it’s the modern/digital way of “word-of-mouth” marketing. Having an in-house selection of collaborators removes any barriers that may arise. We’re so excited to share our roster, as we’ve signed some of the largest North American influencers. We want to continue to expand and help businesses all over the world.
Final question, if you were to give any advice to young female entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Rianna: I would say to celebrate your curiosity and embrace learning. Being an entrepreneur is often glamorized on social media with the perfect times only being published, while in reality, nothing is consistent. If a campaign does not hit correctly, don’t be afraid to look at different solutions and discover new strategies that might work better. Being open-minded and interested in elevating your skillset will only make your work better, as well as your relationships with your team and clients.
Olivia: I love everything Rianna said. It is all about believing in yourself and learning as much as you can from your surroundings. My biggest piece of advice for young female entrepreneurs; is don’t let others dictate your business moves. Don’t do things just to impress your friends, don’t brag on social media, and don’t be embarrassed to fail. These actions and feelings are all the result of outside forces, and they can cause you to make mistakes. Do things for you and your business. Listen to your mentors, harness the power of social media, and learn from your mistakes.
