Updating the Office

Regional businesses like Hello Social Co. find today’s office spaces (like those at SpringBoard) are far different from their predecessors



MATIS

MATIS

Ellen Matis is highly organized. She has to be.

As the owner of Hello Social Co., Matis does it all: finds clients, manages their social media and much, much more.

Pennsylvania Business Central recently sat down with Matis to discuss Hello Social Co. and the modern office.

PBC: Tell our readers a little bit about your background? How did you get started in this industry?

Matis: My interest in social media started when I was really young, and even in my early teens, social media was never about just connecting with friends for me – I always had a purpose for using it. A few years into college, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was studying journalism — my third major at the time — at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a professor of mine told me she thought I’d be a good fit for an internship as a social media manager at the university. That internship really shaped where I wanted to go.

After graduation, I got hired at The Indiana Gazette, a daily newspaper, writing obituaries. A few months into working there, I told my editor that I [thought] I’d be a good fit to help manage their social media accounts. Soon after, I was brought on as the newspaper’s digital media coordinator. When the newspaper decided to launch a digital agency division down the line, I was part of the team that built that.

PBC: You came to Bellefonte via Indiana, Pennsylvania. What was appealing about Centre County and Bellefonte?

Matis: I actually grew up in a small town that made towns like Indiana and Bellefonte seem huge – Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, right on the New York border. After living in Indiana and being so close to Pittsburgh with a lot of friends in the city, I knew that a bigger city wasn’t right for me.

When my boyfriend and I started touring apartments in Centre County, I was sold on the house that we were looking at in Bellefonte before I even saw it. Just driving through the downtown area, I knew that this was the town I wanted to live in. Almost a year later, I’ve really put down roots here, getting super involved with community, and we actually just bought a house here.

PBC: What exactly is Hello Social Co.? How did you come up with the name?

Matis: Hello Social Co. is a social media marketing agency that focuses on small, local-based businesses. When I say local- based, I mean that in a sense of their frame of mind rather than their geographic location. Essentially, Hello Social Co. strives to help small businesses in towns just like Bellefonte and other small communities connect with their customers on a more community-oriented level.

I honestly can’t say that a lot of thought went into the name. I was playing around with different names and different logos, and Hello Social Co. stuck.

PBC: Can you tell us about some of your clients?

Matis: While I don’t want to name names, I will say that I work with a really interesting variety of clients, which makes what I do even more fun! They range from a bed and breakfast, to an organic farm, to an art gallery and everything in between.

PBC: Describe an “average” day?

Matis: I can’t say that I’ve had an “average” day since starting my own business, but my day typically looks something like this: coffee, a few hours writing content for clients — I do this in the morning when I’m feeling most inspired — coffee, meetings either in person or virtually with clients, more coffee, then, at the end of the day, all of the boring business admin stuff.

PBC: We’re guessing it’s very cool, but sometimes stressful, to run your own business. Is that accurate?

Matis: I think that I’ve always been very entrepreneurial-minded, so running a business came pretty naturally to me. But that doesn’t mean that it has been easy. It can be hard to juggle clients while getting the day-to-day business tasks completed. But, this year so far, I’ve been able to hire some people that have really helped make that easier, like a new team member for Hello Social as well as a financial coach that helps me set and focus on my goals in that realm.

PBC: What is SpringBoard?

Matis: SpringBoard is Centre County’s newest small business incubator and co- working space, based in Bellefonte. It’s a really fun space right downtown that gives entrepreneurs and remote workers a place to have desk space, have a place to meet with clients and get out of the house. It also connects entrepreneurs with a lot of local resources that can help them level- up their business.

Hello Social was SpringBoard’s first member, and we moved in during October of last year. In February, the advisory board for SpringBoard made me the director of the space, so I’ll help with recruitment and connecting members to resources.

PBC: What made you interested in SpringBoard?

Matis: When I first toured SpringBoard, it was because I was going crazy working from home. When you’re a new business owner, it seems like it’s going to be the best thing ever to work from home. After a couple of months of working in yoga pants, I realized that working from home isn’t for everyone — I needed a space to feel professional and to have social interaction outside of the conversations I was having with my dogs.

Plus, my vision for my business includes regular workshops for local business owners. Having access to SpringBoard’s conference room gives me a place to do that.

PBC: How many businesses are using SpringBoard?

Matis: As of February, there are four total businesses in SpringBoard. We have room for eight businesses with permanent desk spaces, and then a few seating options for co-working as well.

PBC: What do you do for fun when you are able to unplug?

Matis: The importance of unplugging is something that I actually focus on a lot. When you’re on a computer or device all day, it can really mess with your mind and body. I make a solid effort to take time off every day by hiking in one of the gorgeous parks in the surrounding areas, walking my dogs through Bellefonte’s historic neighborhoods or by focusing on some task unrelated to technology. .

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