Going All In: Two Agency Owners on Year One of Solopreneurship

Presented by:
Susan Jensen, Susan Jensen Marketing
Mika-Tache St. Fleur, Saint MGMT

Thinking about going out on your own—but not sure where to start, or if you should?

This workshop is a candid conversation about what the first year actually feels like. Not the highlight reel. The real version.

Two AMA Richmond board members took very different paths to get here. One left corporate and started from zero. The other spent years building a side business before going all in. Different starting points, same reality: year one is uncomfortable, uncertain, and full of decisions you have to make without a clear playbook.

We’ll talk through what that really looks like—the mental shift, the doubt, the freedom, the tradeoffs, and what changes when it’s all on you.

If you’ve been thinking about making a move but keep hesitating, this is a chance to hear what it’s actually like before you decide.

Limited to 30 seats to keep the conversation open, honest, and useful.

Key Takeaways

• What year one actually feels like—day to day, not just in theory

• A clearer sense of whether this path is right for you right now

• Real reassurance that uncertainty is part of it (not a sign you’re failing)

About the Presenters:

Susan Jensen is a Richmond-based Fractional CMO and marketing strategist who helps businesses bring clarity, structure, and momentum to their marketing. After years in corporate leadership roles, she was laid off and used the moment to build her business from scratch—stepping into full ownership of her work sooner than planned.

She moved to Richmond 2.5 years ago and has quickly immersed herself in the local business and marketing community. Her work today spans industries, with a natural pull toward home and design brands—shaped in part by her long-running blog, Your Home Only Better.

Now in her first year of solopreneurship, Susan is building in real time—navigating the same questions, tradeoffs, and growth moments many marketers face when they decide to go out on their own.

Mika-Taché St. Fleur is a brand and creative strategist and the founder of Saint MGMT, a Richmond-based creative agency focused on styling brands, content, and visual storytelling with intention.

With over 15 years of experience across marketing, media, and brand strategy, she spent nearly a decade building her agency alongside her full-time career before making the decision to go all in.

Her work spans fashion, music, regional media, and government, bringing a refined, strategic lens to brands that don’t fit neatly into a box. Now fully committed to Saint MGMT, Mika-Tache’ is navigating the shift from side hustle to full-time agency owner in real time, offering an honest perspective on what it takes to build something of your own.