Irma Found Her Niche - and the Confidence to Say ‘Yes’ (and ‘No’) With Clarity

Q: Can you share a quick overview of your business — what you do and who you help?
A: My business is called IB Solutions. I started it in 2022 and then after a long pause for personal reasons, I decided to jump back in and pick up where I left off, but also restart in March of this year, 2025. I signed up for the cohort, and it helped me determine the niche I want to do. It’s still transitioning and developing, but it helped me determine the type of work and the kind of people I want to interact with.
I had focused a lot on dentistry and dental offices, then I went into the dental students and helping students figure out how to get into the dental practice arena. I thought maybe creating a portfolio because everybody has a resume, but a lot of times it doesn’t really showcase who you are. So I thought building profile websites. The cohort helped me really drill down further. I don’t really want to build a website for dental practices because that can get really big and convoluted. I said, “Let me simplify it for my needs too because I want to give quality work.”
My focus now is on building profile websites for business professionals, with the aim of college students entering the career world who need to show who they are and what they offer. In the future it can change — if they get involved in different opportunities they can update it to showcase what they’re doing, publishing work, or collaborations. That’s where I’m going.

Q: Do you have team members or subcontractors?
A: No, I’m not there yet. I’d like to. I’m trying to recruit some of my family members to help with some of the ins and outs of the business. It’s just me right now and I’m doing organic outreach and word of mouth. I’ve been getting some interest and I have to take it slow because if I jump in, then my imposter syndrome kicks in and I’m like, “Nope, just kidding. I’m going to go back to doing something not related to any of this.”
Gradual, and hopefully more consistency down the road. So far I’ve had three: one client to completion, one that’s ready to start but not till the first of the year, and one that we’re still negotiating and discussing to drill down into what they really want. It’s just me.

Q: What problems were you hoping to solve by joining the GeekPack + Verizon cohort?
A: Consistency in my processes, and direction on what resources are available for me to learn. I don’t put myself out there a lot. There’s an abundance of resources — that’s a given — but my problem is there’s an abundance and I don’t know how to drill down into what exactly to focus on. I’ll start this, start that, start a bunch of different things and then I forget where I left off.
The cohort — the fact that everything is there, the specific Verizon courses I could take — really helped. I signed up for Verizon back in March and was trying to take courses here and there, but I didn’t know what direction to follow. The cohort having it all outlined for me really helped: follow the courses and the lessons. It made a difference capturing a little bit of each step of the way and then which one I could put more energy into.
Having the two times a week live sessions gave me structure: “I have to get these done before the next live session.” I was able to prepare, understand what was being covered, and define a lot of terminology I hear all the time but didn’t understand — like “content calendar.” Covering that made a big difference: “Oh, okay, that’s what I’m supposed to do. That’s the purpose of it.” Helping me define those terms was helpful.

Q: Had you tried improving your digital presence before?
A: I tried, but it was inconsistency. I have an issue with boredom. Because I didn’t understand the terminology, I didn’t know what exactly I was supposed to do. I would do it for a little bit and then it’s exhausting to focus on a digital presence all the time because I still want to work on my skills — that’s even more important for me.
I was posting on Facebook, but because I didn’t really know, it was too broad. I didn’t have a defined process I wanted to follow. Now it’s helping me figure that piece out and understand: I’m updating my website (which now I have to do again) and I want to be consistent with the messaging. I’m trying to make sure I’m working on my skills and researching opportunities because now I have a better path to follow.

Q: Have you seen tangible returns from implementing what you learned (customers, engagement, confidence)?
A: Because I have more definition of what I want to do, it’s given me the confidence to say yes. I’m not the type that will say yes to everything because my nervous system is important to me. I had a client opportunity; they were nice and had a good website, but we didn’t mesh. I get frazzled with certain energy types. I turned it down and she thanked me for the honesty — we weren’t a good fit. That was perfect.
I have someone who reached out and liked my logo. She said, “I need a logo.” I said, “I can help you with that. I’ve never worked on a logo for anybody else.” I planned to help as a kind gesture, and she said, “No, I’ll pay you.” I produced something she loved. I loved the creativity.
I have confidence to say yes to a couple of other people making inquiries. It’s slow, but we’re seeing if we’re a good fit — that’s my priority right now. I don’t want to say yes to everything. When I’m more confident and able to handle the responsibility from beginning to end, I will say yes. Right now I’m going slow and being conscientious. The cohort gave me the ability to realize I don’t have to follow one set path. I can make adjustments along the way.
Something Glenna mentioned in one of the first sessions: “Your business is a living thing.” I never thought of it like that. Anything that’s alive, you have to nurture it and take care of it and make sure it has the ability to grow. I was like, no wonder I’ve been stagnant. Now I can make adjustments. It gave me permission to be more flexible and think outside the box.

Q: Do you feel more confident with digital skills and decision-making now?
A: That’s the one thing that has meant more to me — the confidence I have in my decision-making process. It’s not just saying yes or no; it’s how I get to it. There are a lot of tools and resources, but if you don’t know the direction to go, it’s like a toolbox with a bunch of tools — which screwdriver do I use?
I followed the course and let the process see it through. I’ve left a trail of courses I never finished, but this one — the accountability of meeting every week and the two short lessons each time — helped. My attention span is short. It gave me the ability to have more confidence in what I’m doing and the deciding process to get to the end result I want — or even know what I don’t want. I recently told somebody, “No, I don’t work on that platform, but I can help find somebody for you.” I have a community I can reach out to. That made me feel good — not like I failed.

Q: What were your biggest challenges during the cohort?
A: Me. I start a lot of things and don’t finish them because I get bored with an abundance of information. It gets overwhelming. My biggest challenge was keeping my attention. Before joining, my goal was to be consistent. The way it was structured helped with consistency and accountability — it kept me on task. Anxiety was another: starting something and not sure if I could finish it.
When I took the first two lessons in Verizon, I said, “Okay, these aren’t that long. I think I’m going to be okay.” I felt more comfortable and confident: this is something I can do. Even the live sessions being like 45 minutes — that’s doable. Thirty to 45 minutes is my max depending on the topic. The way the information is set up helped me feel comfortable and able to accomplish it.

Q: Any other skills or topics you want to learn next?
A: Accessibility — understanding it better, because offering that to clients would be beneficial. People hear about it but don’t realize the urgency and significance it should play in their digital presence. That would be good to explore more.
SEO has always been the bane of my existence. I get it but I don’t — there are so many details. Google My Business overwhelms me. It would help to break down the essentials: key elements needed to make sure the business is set up right and the website integrates correctly.

Q: Did you feel supported by the cohort community?
A: I did. I wasn’t very active in the chat. I went through most of it feeling intimidated because I was still processing what direction I wanted to go. I should have just jumped in and said, “Hey, I don’t know where I’m going with this.” That probably would have made a difference.
I was never made to feel bad about anything I put in there. The information is always really helpful. Somebody else is always going through something I have gone through or never considered, but know I might go through at some point. It’s good to see the communication around that. Working from home can be isolating — it was nice to know I’m not alone. There’s no such thing as a stupid question.

Q: Did the cohort help with your progress in the Digital Ready (Verizon) courses?
A: Oh, yeah. For sure. I have some I want to look into more. Knowing the platform exists and that there’s an abundance of resources helps — but it’s about timing. If it’s two hours long, it’s not going to happen. If it’s 30–45 minutes, I can take it. I like the handouts — I print them and handwrite because that’s how it sticks to my brain.

Q: What was your most impactful takeaway?
A: That first live session — hearing that my business is a living thing — set the stage for me to go through the course. Marketing is another bane of my existence. I hate putting myself out there on social media. Business is business and you have to advertise. I feel more confident in how to go about that — creating a content calendar and making it structured.
Touching on topics I’m not familiar with — content calendars, marketing, understanding SEO a little better — made a difference.

Q: What was the most valuable part of being in the cohort?
A: The community — having others involved and knowing there are others in the same or similar situation and wanting to grow and learn. The way the cohort is structured and providing which digital classes to take made a difference.
The live sessions and slides helped — I like visuals. Glenna did a nice job explaining things and communicating what that means. “Okay, that makes sense. That’s clear.” Visuals are huge for me.

Q: Any final thoughts?
A: It was a good experience. I’m glad I was able to participate. The courses in Verizon were really helpful. The fact that they’re short, not super long, makes a huge difference. They hit the key points. The little quizzes help — sometimes I retake them. The whole thing was really nice and I appreciated it. My goal is to participate more in the chats and share more — participating makes a big difference.