3 questions to: Social media consultant Dominika Rotthaler

Social media consultant, cultural scientist and blogger: Dominka Rotthaler combines all of this in one person. Born in Poland, she has almost had her affinity for the digital world in the cradle, because her father is a computer scientist. She has been blogging since 2012 and has turned her passion into a career.

1. What challenges have you already faced in self-employment?

I have now been self-employed since the end of 2017. Before that, I had worked primarily as an employee and had to relearn everything related to self-employment. Even the form of incorporation has given me many unanswered questions — should I register a business? Or work as a freelancer? Or maybe start a solo business? Without personal tips from friendly female entrepreneurs, I would definitely be Lost 😉 They helped me make the right decisions and set me up professionally right from the start.

The first 2-3 years were really tough. I had to build my customer portfolio from scratch. Fortunately, I still had a lot of contacts from when I was active as a blogger and so the assignments gradually built up.

The pandemic has helped me to implement my business completely online. Digital tools and video conferencing have enabled me to reach many customers across Germany. However, after five years of intensive working from home, I am now in the process of renting my own office. I've even found suitable premises. Only a few formalities prevent me from the final move. I am really looking forward to this step, as I hope it will result in a better separation between private and professional life. The fact that I leave home every day and surround myself with other people also gives me new energy and motivation!

2. Which topics in the area of social media marketing do you like to deal with the most and why?

What I like most about my job is the variety of tasks! There is no routine in everyday life, so every day looks different. On some days I lead a course or conduct seminars (more and more often in person). On other days, I prepare presentations, social media concepts for customers or postings. Sometimes I develop new ones GIFs or stickers or search for suitable examples and case studies. The feeling after a successful seminar or consultation is truly unforgettable. I love to see how the transfer of knowledge takes place and how the participants of my courses grow and develop new ideas for their social media presence. Your progress is a real reward for me!

I also love getting creative and developing new digital projects. For example, when I edit videos, add music and sound effects, and then upload them to a social media platform. I like to compare it with manual work — a whole is created from many individual elements. Very satisfying for me!

3. What are your next career plans and goals?

The next big step is moving into your own office as mentioned above. Since I have the opportunity to use a conference room there, I would also like to offer training and workshops for local companies. In general, I will try to get more involved professionally in my region over the next few years. To do this, I network with potential business partners from the Wetterau or the Rhine-Main region to implement new project ideas. The mix of online and offline working environments makes my job complete and really diverse.

I am also studying online marketing B2B and B2C as a supplement to what I already know about social media platforms. In this way, I can also advise my customers on wider marketing measures and campaigns and help develop their entire online strategy. I really like this type of continuing education (the course lasts two semesters and the lesson blocks take place online 1-2 times a month on weekends) and I'm already thinking about which degree I could start next. 🙂

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