Meet The Owners of Heights Digital

Heights Digital

Meet the Co-owners of Heights Digital, Frank and Emily Sheffield, two true entrepreneurs at heart. The Sheffields started and grew their business from a spare bedroom pastime to a full-time career and bustling marketing agency. Let’s read on to hear how they got started, where they are today, and their advice to new business owners:

Heights Digital

Where it All Began…

A new year’s resolution started it all. On a cold evening in 2017, the couple told themselves that within the year they wanted to make their spare bedroom, content creation company, into a full-time job. One month later Frank was a part of company layoffs, the two took this as their sign to jump in. Once the kids were in bed they would brainstorm ways to expand their business. At the time Youtube was an untapped experience. Seeing the potential the two began to create comedic videos. This was where their first client found them. Shortly, the company took off, leading them to hire more creatives. This snowballed to new, bigger clientele, taking them all over the world.

“This business was a huge leap for us, especially with two kids depending on us,” Frank said, “The journey did not continue without its low points but I feel like overall this experience has been a dream come true.”

The two met at Liberty University and majored in marketing, both have always been creative. Before Heights Digital took off Emily worked in the Public Relations and Marketing field for authors and Frank in marketing and eCommerce. Frank quickly burnt out in the corporate world pushing him to seek out a new journey. Looking at the CEOs around him he continued to find himself asking “I know I am capable enough, if they can do it, why can’t I?”

Maintaining Balance

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A Piece of Advice

When asked how they balance work and life outside work, the two exchanged eye contact and laughed. Frank followed up with, “There will never be enough time for everything so make time for what you want.” To create boundaries between work and home Emily explained the schedule they try to stick to, “When I go home, it is time for my kids, they need to see me present with them.” They stay in the moment up until bedtime. On the weekend Sunday is kept a strict family day and mornings before work has become their independent gym time. Summertime presents its challenges with the kids being out of school but because of this, the business has truly become a family business. Their daughter started her own youtube channel as she follows in her parent’s footsteps.  

“We used to work all day and night but we found it drained us, our mental health, and indirectly the people around us. There will never be enough time in the day so make time for what you want.”

The Hardest Part

The hardest part about owning a business is knowing that you are solely responsible for everyone on your team. Your company’s success is what keeps families fed. Emily followed this with: “If you don’t get up and work, no one eats, If you want to be lazy, know you are still responsible for everyone’s Christmas.” This carries over to their clients as well. When they decided to leap into business ownership it was even more extreme. “You will not have a steady paycheck. It is either a feast or famine and you have to be flexible with that.” Having kids made the initial jump all the more difficult but both are so thankful for their children’s support. “It is a learning experience for them too. They have seen us cry and celebrate and hug us through it all.” Emily also came from a family of entrepreneurs giving her more insight into her children’s point of view.

“Our faith has brought us through all of the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. We’ve learned a lot and every day our goal is to create the best content possible and make our clients as happy as possible, using the gifts God has given our team of creators.”

A Piece of Advice

“If you crack under pressure it is not for you, you have to be flexible”

Family First

“I am from a family of entrepreneurs,” commented Emily. When she was 8-years-old I would sit at my mom’s cash register and she would teach me sales tricks in her store. Her mom immigrated to the United States with 5 languages under her belt and the American dream in her mind. Emily thanks her family but most importantly her mother for raising her to be thick-skinned and resilient.

Frank also holds his family in high regard. His mother was paralyzed when he was young, teaching him the power of faith, work ethic, and resilience. While his family is not the entrepreneur type, he learned from their support and work ethic. His grandfather and father are both extremely hard workers putting in 12-hour days in an intense work environment. In the beginning, they didn’t quite understand Frank’s content creation idea but today they see its value and the joy it brings Frank and his family.

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Always Improving

Frank and Emily work together as a well-oiled machine. The two are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished in their work life as well as in their personal lives. At work, they are incredibly proud of their employees, clients, and everything in between. They have built strong relationships with all of their clients often serving as more than just hired content creators.

“From a business standpoint if we see something they could improve on we are happy to consult with them. We aren’t paid to do it but our client's success is our success as well.”

Heights digital
Heights digital

The two are big on self-improvement at work and home. If it is bettering the workplace, working harder in the gym, or learning as parents they continue to push themselves to work harder and encourage those in their community to come to them with any improvement opportunity. They contribute their success to their team, faith, and ability to continue learning.

Heights digital

Heights Digital Media is a digital marketing company in Raleigh, North Carolina that specializes in web design, video production & content creation, social media management, SEO improvements, graphic design, and more. They help businesses cut through the noise through developing your brand and building your presence online.

For more information about Heights Digital and their services go to https://heightsdigitalmedia.com/ 

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