Afton Brazzoni always had a deep passion for stories. From journalism to marketing and PR, Afton's storytelling muscle has had ample time to develop. But when she launched her own B2B content writing venture Scribe National, she soon learned about all of the other stuff that she had to grasp. Management. Budgeting. Leading. By embracing the unpredictability of entrepreneurship and building a fierce team, Scribe National scaled to a six figure company in its first year. The year after, their revenue doubled. And they're set to grow some more. Despite many challenges, Afton never abandoned her passion for telling stories. In our conversation, we discuss how she dealt with the immense pressures of learning about the business side of entrepreneurship. We also cover how she and her team were able to successfully scale so quickly, and the many secrets of effective content writing.
Afton Brazzoni always had a deep passion for stories.
From journalism to marketing and PR, Afton's storytelling muscle has had ample time to develop. But when she launched her own B2B content writing venture Scribe National, she soon learned about all of the other stuff that she had to grasp. Management. Budgeting. Leading.
By embracing the unpredictability of entrepreneurship and building a fierce team, Scribe National scaled to a six figure company in its first year. The year after, their revenue doubled. And they're set to grow some more.
Despite many challenges, Afton never abandoned her passion for telling stories. In our conversation, we discuss how she dealt with the immense pressures of learning about the business side of entrepreneurship. We also cover how she and her team were able to successfully scale so quickly, and the many secrets of effective content writing.
Afton talks about:
SPECIAL OFFER for our listeners: From now until October 31, 2023, get $250 (10% off) a 3-month private coaching package with Scribe National: 1-on-1 Marketing Advisory for Service Businesses. Email Afton (afton@scribenational.ca) with the code ANDSOSHELEFT to claim the discount, or if you have any questions, or want to book a meeting about it.
We're nominated for a Signal Award! (click here)
It's like the Emmys of podcasting. Remember when someone helped you in a small way, yet it made all the difference?
Your vote matters. It will take 30 seconds, and help us to grow the show. Thanks for your support.
Hosted by Katherin Vasilopoulos. Made by Cansulta and Ethan Lee.
Music by © Chris Zabriskie, published by You've Been a Wonderful Laugh Track (ASCAP).
Songs used in this episode include: "Air Hockey Saloon," "What True Self- Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X," "Chance, Luck, Errors in Nature, Destruction as a Finale," "Short Song 010923," "Short Song 012323," "Short Song 021123."
Used under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:00:00]:
Your first venture usually comes from passion. You're skilled at something you love, so you start a business around it. But that can only get you so far. You quickly realize that the entrepreneurs who thrive bring more to the people. On top of their core competencies, they know how to manage teams, how to deal with pressure, how to budget, things you not have considered at the outset.
Afton Brazzoni was once in the same boat. When she started Scribe National in 2019, she was fueled by a desire to help B2B companies market their content through writing and storytelling. Her journalism and marketing background served her well, but she needed to learn a lot. With assistance Afton put together an all star team and scaled Scribe National to a 6 figure company in their 1st year. In their 2nd year, their revenue doubled. And they're projected to grow even more. In this conversation, Afton shares the lessons she learned about operating a small business, things she had to absorb in real time. She goes over the careful balance between scaling and maintaining high quality work, getting comfortable with inevitable learning curves, and how she stays passionate about storytelling in her new leadership position. I'm Katherin Vasilopoulos, and this is And So, She Left, a podcast about incredible women founders and the wisdom they uncovered beyond the corporate world. Afton always wanted to tell stories. When she pivoted out of journalism in 2008 after graduating from journalism school the previous year, PR was a natural fit.
Afton Brazzoni [00:02:06]:
And so that kind of sent me on a new path where I was still telling stories, you know, just in a different way, but eventually that translated into marketing and fast forward, obviously, to describe national and where I am today. We help B2B Companies primarily in the technology and leadership space, tell their stories so that they can better connect with their customers.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:02:30]:
For Afton, passion has always been at the forefront of what she does. Her journalism skills helped her to excel in the world of PR. And today, it's a big part of what sets her apart in the content marketing space. Tell me about the differences that you saw going from, you know, a journalistic background to then being more in marketing and then in in PR. How are those all different from one another?
Afton Brazzoni [00:02:57]:
They certainly do have their differences even though I do think that storytelling is the commonality through them all. It's quite funny because in my experience in the journalism industry, And no offense to any journalists who are listening, but it always seemed to me, like, journalists viewed the folks in PR and communications as sort of the enemy or someone that was trying to pull one over on them.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:03:23]:
Right. Right.
Afton Brazzoni [00:03:23]:
And when I switched into PR, the idea was very much like, journalists, are your friends? Let's make their lives easier. And so that was just a funny shift to see going from one side of the industry to another when really both are so integral to working with one another and they can really do amazing things when they team up. And and so I I kind of appreciated more the viewpoint on the PR side of you know, let's work with journalists. Let's let's be let's be in a mutually beneficial relationship, I guess you could say.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:03:56]:
Yeah. Yeah. And you it you're lucky that you got to experience both sides. Some people will never know what it is to do PR or journalism. So You're lucky, and you're I think that has also shaped, this, like, more well rounded version of yourself.
Afton Brazzoni [00:04:12]:
It very much has. And I think that a lot of the times in the content marketing industry, you'll see people speaking about the importance of bringing that journalistic perspective to content. Afton that's something that I'm really glad that we can do because it, again, just lends that really strong storytelling and research angle that sometimes if you don't come in with that journalism background, you know, of course, it can be learned. But I think that there's such an advantage there. So, yeah, I'm I'm glad you mentioned that because it it really has been something that's been able to serve both our clients and ourselves really well.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:04:48]:
And so you never planned to be an entrepreneur from the get go. You were really into the in the content and the journalistic side of things and communicator. And so what created that shift in you for you to wanna go in that direction?
Afton Brazzoni [00:05:04]:
Yeah. It definitely wasn't planned. I don't come from an entrepreneurial family and prior to starting Scribe National, I was actually working at a ninety year old institution with a pension plan. And that was kind of my idea of stability in my idea of, you know, what you do. I had moved, you know, from journalism to communications to marketing. And at that time, I was working in marketing, but not doing a lot of writing. And so, therefore, not doing a lot of that storytelling that I really wanted to do. And I think that's what sparked it for me. I had always been a freelancer off and on for the 10 years that I worked for other companies. But I was really looking to get back into it and just hone my craft more, you know, and work on that craft more because at my core, I am a writer.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:05:58]:
I guess writing for you has always been a a calling and a passion then, if that was something that you truly wanted to get back into. So can you tell me why then it's important for you to tell those stories? What's the importance of that in your life?
Afton Brazzoni [00:06:13]:
That's such a great question. I think creative people. I think a lot of creative people really understand this, but it's almost like this drive where you...You can't not do it. You know, like, I love connecting with other people, learning about them, hearing their stories. I think it's part of the reason why having conversations on podcasts is so interesting and, you know, just kind of exploring that human element, right? And and especially now that I work so much with business to business companies, you know, we always say in the industry, like, at the end of the day, it's still human to human. And so I just think there's always been something there about a curiosity about the world writing happens to be the medium because that's how I'd love to communicate. But at the core behind it, I think it's really just that interest in the world and in in other people and what they're doing.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:07:12]:
I like that. The human element. It's it's always about that. People like to learn about other humans. We want to and that's how we connect, really.
Afton Brazzoni [00:07:21]:
Absolutely. Yeah. It's never just about a company's software, It's about, you know, the person who is using that and what their day to day life is actually like, even their hopes and dreams. Right? And how something playing a role in their life helps them reach a goal or or solve a problem or get closer to where they wanna be.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:07:41]:
Yeah. What are some of your favorite stories that you've encountered?
Afton Brazzoni [00:07:45]:
Oh my gosh. There have been so so many good ones over the years. I used to, tell stories for an agricultural college back in Nova Scotia where I'm from and just learning about all of the interesting different things they were doing to you know, create, like, more environmentally friendly fuel and just some fascinating things. And and that goes way back. But an interesting story that we recently told for one of our tech clients was about how one of their customers actually use their software to build an app to assist with the earthquake relief in Turkey. So again, yeah, you know, it's not about software, right? Like, this is about people. Mhmm.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:08:30]:
They're not developed for the sake of the development. They're they're developed to help people ultimately. It's to help a process. It's to help an emergency. It's to help in in growth or education or development. Based on her humanist view of the world, I could immediately tell that Afton wasn't just passionate about storytelling. She radiates positivity, a quality that served her well during the most challenging moments when she started Scribe National. So tell me about your, your struggles. And I I don't mean to make it sound into, like, you know, it's it was all hard. I'm sure there were great moments too, but we that as entrepreneurs and we start, there's some things that just don't go the way we think. Do you recall moments of difficulty or challenge when you first got started with, with Scribe National?
Afton Brazzoni [00:09:16]:
Absolutely. I think you're so right. It's If it's one thing, it's certainly never boring, and it it doesn't always go to what you think. That's for sure. It's, it absolutely is how people will say, like, the entrepreneurial roller coaster. That's very, very true. I think that, you know, one of the things early on. And I and I don't know if this ever really goes away, but people refer to this as the feast or famine in entrepreneurship, but it's it's trying to navigate that balance of getting the right amount of business, but still being able to manage and deliver high quality work.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:09:54]:
Right.
Afton Brazzoni [00:09:54]:
And that's something that's always been so important to me is, of course, you wanna grow, but you never want to grow at the expense quality at the expense of customer service, and I think it can be quite difficult to strike that balance. And one of the biggest things I think that makes a difference in that area is just having the right team to support you. And I've been really lucky that I've been able to find that, but it's not always easy, and it sometimes takes you know, some false starts. Sometimes folks might not be the right fit, but it's absolutely critical because you can't do it alone.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:10:30]:
Yeah. We're not self made. We are people made.
Afton Brazzoni [00:10:36]:
Oh, yeah.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:10:37]:
Yeah. Yeah. You you can't sacrifice quality for the sake of volume, especially in the 1st couple of years. Can you describe what the 1st few years look like for you?
Afton Brazzoni [00:10:47]:
Yeah. It all took off pretty quickly. So I first started the company when I was actually still working time. This was about 6 months before the pandemic had happened. And within 2 months of starting the company, Then I I was kinda faced with that decision that I think, you know, we all have to make that choice of when is the right time to just sort of throw away the safety net, so to speak, and dive full time into the business, especially if it is looking like it could really be something. And at that point, it was sort of my own time that was the biggest inhibitor to that. And obviously, you know, things just kinda went wild for everyone in the world shortly after that. So when the pandemic hit, the organization I was working for laid off 3 quarters of staff, I was part of that. And so the decision was really made for me at that point that, yes, you are gonna go full time into this business. So luckily, that worked out quite well. And I you know, the the business really, again, just kept growing, kept growing by that summer. I needed to bring on some help going back to my earlier point. Like, that's what you have to do, but it can be very scary. It's very uncertain. All of a sudden, like, it hadn't even been a year since I started the business. And all of a sudden, you're thinking, oh, well, Now I'm gonna bring other people into this venture. It just kind of gets away from you. A good problem to have, of course, but it kinda gets away from you. You know, you have to make these decisions. You have to sort of take that leap, do things you haven't done before. Embrace unknowns and things like that.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:12:29]:
You you just mentioned something that created a vivid visual for me, which is throwing away the safety net and in your situation, you're kind of lucky and unlucky, but, I mean, mostly lucky that the decision was made for you. But if you hadn't been laid off, How would you have known when to throw away the safety net?
Afton Brazzoni [00:12:48]:
Oh, that is such a great question. And I really don't know because I am a cautious person. Although I will say, like, starting a business and being in business has actually really changed me. And so I'm I'm definitely far less afraid of risks and things like that than I used to be, but I don't know when you would know I honestly I honestly don't know how different my journey would look if it hadn't unfolded that way.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:13:17]:
I like the the risk aversion, point that you brought up because, until you do it, you don't know. Because when you're a worker, you're basically busy working. You're not busy managing or leading, the pack. And so, how do you develop better risk taking skills?
Afton Brazzoni [00:13:36]:
I really think it's just something that you learn through experience. I mean, I never tried to consciously develop it, but I think that as you go along, you realize that, okay, even though this is a new challenge, I haven't dealt with this before. You'd always learn from it. Always always. You find a way to overcome it. You I mean, in an ideal world, you kind of sit down and and think through everything that happened leading up to that and how you would handle it. And then, of course, your percent with a completely new challenge the next time, but I think it's just learning on the job, right, learning on the job of being an entrepreneur. And then you do become more comfortable with the fact that it's not necessarily a predictable ride and being in business for yourself. Is in and of itself a risk, but at the same time, and and especially with my experience, And when I started my business, I had people in my life say, like, why are you doing that? Right? That this is the safe thing to do. You should focus on your job. And then it turned out that that wasn't the safe thing. And so I think the whole experience has changed the way I look at risk, and I now believe that if you own your business, that actually is the safest place to be because you're in control.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:15:01]:
Right. Right. You if you work for one employer, all your eggs are in that basket. And when you switch into a more on entrepreneurial role, you start to realize that clients will come and go, but if you're good at what you do, things will just keep rolling in. I just feel that there is more control by being a business owner. If one basket fails, you've got 10 others to rely on.
Afton Brazzoni [00:15:25]:
Exactly. And I think that that brings such a sense of self assurance, I suppose, that I certainly didn't have before, and it just gives you this belief in yourself and this confidence. And I think that's a beautiful thing.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:15:56]:
I like also that you mentioned your team, and all the people who are helping out and surrounding you because that is the community of people that we need in order to get things off the ground and help us with the complimentary skills that we don't necessarily have, and how did they help you scale up in the 1st, few years?
Afton Brazzoni [00:16:15]:
Well, that's been absolutely critical. So I think there are always two things that I really look for when it comes to team members. And of course, that's a commitment to excellence in the writing because that's something that's, you know, just inherent to what we do, and it's one of my core values. But then it's also that whole idea of, like, be pleasant to work with, you know, be easy to work with.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:16:39]:
Yeah.
Afton Brazzoni [00:16:39]:
And and so I've been really fortunate that my team members are, but for us, it's really the way that our business works. It enables us to take more volume, take more clients, can have, you know, multiple writers supporting different clients and working on different projects. And without that, I mean, there were just only so many hours in the day that I could spend writing. So the business wasn't gonna grow beyond that. With the team, then there's a whole other layer of meeting systems and processes and things like that, which for me, I truly don't love the administrative side of the business. But it's so important to be able to scale because without systems and processes, you can bring on team members but then you're reinventing the wheel every single time. And suddenly you're spending all day communicating things that could be documented and don't need to communicated. And so that was a big learning curve for me was how to do that well. But once you have it in place, it definitely unlocks those levels of scale that you just wouldn't have on your own.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:17:41]:
Yeah. And and from what I understand, you were really successful in scaling up. Do you wanna discuss that a little bit?
Afton Brazzoni [00:17:49]:
Yeah. So we were really fortunate to be able to grow into a 6 figure company in the 1st year and then double that revenue again in the 2nd year. But it goes right back to what we were just talking about, like, without the team that wouldn't have happened. And I think, of course, you know, just a love for writing, you're gonna naturally be more passionate, more engaged, more interested in something when you love what you're doing. And I really think that for us, long form content writing is where we truly shine. And so there's an element there too that I think is worth touching on is that when I started the business, our scope was much broader. We don't really have a focus. It was still writing, but the industries we worked with were much broader and the types of content we created. Were kind of all over the map and around the same time this kind of scale was happening in my business. A big part of that was that we did get more focused about what we were doing and what our core offerings were. And so I would just say for anyone who's kinda newer in their business, I think it's really important to give yourself the room at the beginning to see what you like to do, and I don't think that you need to be worried about niching too quickly. And, you know, everybody talks about meeting, but I I don't worry about it right away, but I will say that it was definitely one of the things that enabled us to quickly scale was when we honed in that focus.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:19:14]:
Mhmm. Yes. The beginning phases are always let me try everything and be everything to everybody. And then you quickly realize, maybe not. And so you start to focus in on what you're really good at and what could be highly profitable or what can have a quicker turnaround or how you can serve your clients better. What kind of mindset shifts had to happen for you as an owner? Tell me more about that.
Afton Brazzoni [00:19:38]:
So many. So many. And I'm and I wasn't even prepared for that. I think that when I mean, this may or may not be true for others, but certainly it was for me. When you start the business, it's all about sort of the the craft or the skill. And so I knew, like, I was confident in the writing ability, and I had already had 10 years of experience before that, and that wasn't the problem. You realize there's this whole other side to it, which exactly what you said. A lot of it is around that mindset. You know, I remember there were some sales calls that were really hard for me because I just didn't have the confidence and I just that just wasn't my area of expertise, and that was a really big learning curve for me. I think that this kind of buzzword, but I think scarcity mindset, you know, that whole concept, that was a really big issue for me. Everyone also talks about imposter syndrome. And again, these things, I think sometimes we feel like maybe they're cliches, but they're true for so many, and I think that's why. So a lot of those things I absolutely dealt with. And I wasn't necessarily equipped with the knowledge or understanding to overcome those my self. And so one of the things I did was seek out coaching. You can be the best writer, but if you don't have those other things figured out, that's not necessarily gonna come through to your clients, and it's also gonna hinder your business even though the technical skills are there.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:21:10]:
We have to constantly be in the mindset of lifelong student, especially if you wanna be running your own business because things evolve. Things change industries. Come and go and and rotate and there's revolutions and everything and evolutions. So you did the right thing. I applaud you for that because it's easy to just sit back and say, nope. I know everything, and you don't. Afton's gamble clearly paid off scaling to 6 figures, doubling revenue, and landing major clients like WealthSimple isn't easy. But with such different responsibilities than the job she had originally intended to pursue, how does she feel now? How do feel now being a founder and, and, and a leader in what you're doing.
Afton Brazzoni [00:21:58]:
I absolutely love it. Like, I truly feel blessed. To get to do the work that I do, and my business turns 4 at the end of, this month. So Katherin, another 4 years, you'll have to check-in and see what the answer is. But right now, you know, I can certainly, with 100% authenticity say, like, I am loving every minute of this. Why? Well, I think it comes back to I get to do what I love doing. And because I am still involved in the writing aspect of my business, and this is something that I I think it's important for entrepreneurs to really think about there's a lot of advice out there, but you have to pick and choose because there was a time when I was really following the advice that I needed to completely remove myself from client delivery and As I moved closer toward that because I thought it was what I was supposed to do, I started to feel like I was disconnected from the thing that made me wanna start the business in the first place. And so it wasn't the right choice for me to move completely away from it. I think one of the reasons why I do still enjoy the business so much is because I am still writing.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:23:22]:
Yes. You're getting to do the thing you love and you get to administer in the way that you think is the most appropriate.
Afton Brazzoni [00:23:29]:
Exactly. Yeah. And, again, I think coming back to that storytelling, because I'm involved with many different clients, and my writers are involved with many different clients, you're telling such diverse stories and you're not simply telling, you know, the story of the company that you're working for, which even if you're really it in that, I just like to have the variety. And so working with multiple clients, I think, keeps it really fresh and keeps it really interesting.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:23:59]:
Yeah. You have, like, a broad perspective of what's happening out there and you're always at the cusp of the technologies and the companies and the people running them. I I agree with you. I think that's wonderful. Place to be. You'll never be bored.
Afton Brazzoni [00:24:12]:
No. No.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:24:15]:
Let me ask you, who's your biggest supporter right now?
Afton Brazzoni [00:24:19]:
Oh, that's such a great question. Our clients are wonderful. Our team is wonderful, and I supported in in all areas of the business in that way. But one of the things that I would say throughout my entire journey is that my husband has really been my big border. Okay. Yeah. Like, we're very different, and that's been so helpful because there have been times where I've been hesitant to invest in myself where he has really been the one to push me, you know, like, you should do this. You deserve that. It'll be worth it. Kind of a thing. And that has literally had a very big effect on the trajectory of my business, and it would not be the same today without that. So I think that that's been just a huge level of support for me.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:25:06]:
Wonderful. And I I've hear I've heard this often from guests on our show how they've attributed a a large part of their comfort or a soft place of land at the end of the day to their spouse and because that is a constant source of support. And many times, we're like, I couldn't have done it without him or her. And it's just a it's a wonderful addition to what we have to offer, and it kind of gives us a boost to give back to clients, afterwards. But can I go back to one thing you mentioned earlier and it brings it back to this point? You said something about one of the anxieties or one of the initial mindsets is this concept of, like, scarcity. And then now you're talking about your husband, encouraging you to invest in yourself this investing in ourselves, may be tied in with that, you know, there's, like, not enough resources, not enough money. Why would I spend the money to go see a a coach or whatever it is that I need. Tell me about that. This, like, investing in yourself. Why is that important?
Afton Brazzoni [00:26:10]:
Oh, yes. This definitely rings true for me, and I think that those 2 things are absolutely tied as you mentioned. And so for me, the scarcity mindset was something that's you just stems from childhood and was just something that had been with me my entire life. And this is why I think it can be so great to be surrounded by people that are different from you because that is not something that has ever really been an issue for my husband. And so I think being able to have a perspective of someone else coming in and just showing you something in a different light. And then, you know, I began working with a a coach about this particular issue as well. It's like a forest that you can't necessarily find your way out of unless someone is kind of lighting the path in front of you, I think, sometimes. And oh my gosh. I might ever happy that I did make that investment because It just comes back to meeting people in your corner. And coaching is also one of the things that changed my whole business. Like, it would not be where it is today without that.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:27:12]:
What did you learn?
Afton Brazzoni [00:27:14]:
So just those fundamental things that when you're coming in, with the creative skill set that you have and knowing that you've got that dialed in, but you're not coming in with all of the other things. So those lessons around, you know, systems, processes, sales, all of those things that are fundamental to a business, but that you might not have. And then the mindset and being in a community with other business owners too, because it can be quite isolating when you're just by yourself as an architect.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:27:45]:
Right. Right. Yes. Finding that community of like minded people who are may or not be or may not be in the same industry, but still you need that that community support I'm just so, impressed. And I I just feel like you're such a sharp person. And and that's the kind of skill set that you need in order to be a good content developer. It's just this, like, ability to constantly evolve, to have passion for it, to love the human respect of of what the story is about, and being a good storyteller. And I feel like you have all those elements combined. So it's been really nice talking to you, and I love meeting you.
Afton Brazzoni [00:28:21]:
Thank you so much, Katherin. It's been an absolute pleasure, and that's very kind of you, and that is absolutely what I try to be. And and I think it goes back to what you said about how entrepreneurship is just constant learning. Right? And so that's as long as you're doing that, I think you're doing the right thing.
Katherin Vasilopoulos [00:28:48]:
Thank you so much to Afton Brazzoni. You can learn more about the Scribe National through the link in the episode description. If you like the show, please rate, review, and subscribe to And So, She Left wherever you listen. Your feedback helps us to better serve current listeners and reach new ones. You can also fill out our quick feedback form. It's just five questions long and your response helps us to make this show that you want to hear. And so she left is made by Cansulta and Ethan Lee. We'll be back next Wednesday with a new episode. Our music is by Chris Zabriskie, edited for enjoyment, and you can find a list of all the songs you heard here in the episode notes. I'm Katherin Vasilopoulos, and thanks for listening.