Messy in the Middle- Episode 2: Megan Baker’s Messy Middle
Episode 2 of Messy in the Middle brought me my first guest! I had the opportunity to chat with Megan Baker. Meg (she/her) is the CEO and founder of Meg K and Co, the hiring agency for socially conscious online business owners who are ready to amplify their impact. Meg helped me hire my first employee back in 2020! I am so, so lucky to call her a friend and fellow entrepreneur!
The Breakdown
In this first episode Meg and I recorded, we talked about Meg’s experience in entrepreneurship and navigating her own messy middle. Meg’s journey, like most people’s, is a unique one. She started her career as a teacher, life happened, and her family picked up and moved for her husband’s job.She started working as virtual assistant in 2017 and noticed a gap in the hiring processes of many companies.
Meg started to feel like she was being hired in roles that didn’t necessarily suit her because of her privilege as a nice, educated individual these bosses knew. Business owners didn’t know how to create the right roles within their companies, they were just hiring VA’s to fill the holes. She started dabbling in project management doing some hiring projects for businesses, and now she has an entire agency that does just that and educates businesses on the hiring process!
Meg knew she had graduated from the beginning stages of her business about four year after she went into business, when she hired her first employees in 2021. She noted, she felt like a beginner in the new intermediate stage. There was a sense of relief, she wasn’t overworking herself, and was excited about the possibility of what could happen next. It felt nice to no longer be a beginner but was still accepting of the fact that we are not all knowing. Acknowledging this as business owners helps us all find togetherness.
“Beginner” Mistakes
Even when you’re beyond that beginner point, what seem like beginner mistakes can still happen. Meg shared that her “fuck this” moment came with looking at her expenses. In her highest revenue year, her cashflow was a disaster and she was in the red. This left her feeling like she wasn’t leading from a place of confidence. She noted, so much of our identity and self-esteem as entrepreneurs is tied to making business work, and it’s hard when you mess up.
She also talked about how easy it is to look at a business with a great brand and assume that they’re doing great. People often think she and her business are thriving because their brand is on point, but that isn’t always the case- not just within her business but any online business you might come across.
Her business, like Propegy, has been entirely self-funded and built from the ground up, so the way we show up for our business and our clients is extremely important. There’s a way some people show up to sell their businesses or programming online that can feel unethical, but Meg noted that she is not one to sell something to someone if they aren’t ready. Being ethical isn’t always sexy, but you have to maintain integrity.
Not every aspect of a “traditional” business is for everyone. Sometimes we end up resenting the coaches and “gurus” we see online, but it’s up to us to decide who we listen to. The balance between holding others accountable for what they are spreading and holding ourselves accountable for what we choose to be persuaded by is something Meg really values.
Megan’s Wins
What is Meg’s business win right now? The fact that she has two amazing employees on her team. Without taking the risk of bringing them on, She wouldn’t have those wonderful individuals as pioneers of her company. In her words, “they made me a CEO!”
Follow Meg on Instagram and check out her website and hiring course that’s amazing for people early in their business. She’s also got a team of people who can do the hiring for you!
