Meet Anna Cummiskey | Creative Director & Brand Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Cummiskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, how do you think about risk?
I grew up in Lancaster, NY a town right outside of Buffalo. Buffalo is filled with so many amazing hardworking people who dedicate their lives to their small businesses and careers. I wouldn’t change a thing about the way I grew up, my parents taught me the value of hard-work at a young age and I will always be thankful for the way they raised me.

My life has been all about taking risk, in fact I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the high risk choices I’ve made. One of my mentors in High School told me that “The bigger the risks you take in life are, the more success you’ll find along the way.” This quote has stuck with me for a long time. I remember when I took my first Internship in College in another state, the opportunity just came to me and it sounded so amazing I just couldn’t pass it up. An entire summer working at a 5 star resort in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I accepted it so quickly I didn’t really have time to think about it.

It wasn’t until I started sharing the news with my friends and family that the response was “Wow, that’s so brave. I could never move away from my support system.” That’s when I first started to question myself, I was 19 years old and moving 10 hours away to a place I’ve never been. It wasn’t that I thought I wasn’t qualified, in fact this was an opportunity people in my Major would have died for. I remember I almost dropped out of the internship. While my friends and even family weren’t 100% supportive, I turned to my mentor. Again he left me with the greatest advice that still rings in my ear “If it scares you, do it. It’s normal to be afraid of change, but when you throw yourself out of your comfort zone, you will discover a part of yourself that you never knew was there. You are young and now is the time for you to take chances, you have nothing to lose.” Needless to say I took that internship, and it changed my life in so many amazing ways.

I remember my Dad giving me a small down payment for my first car, I decided to put it towards a loan on a Cherry Red Chevy Spark and for those of you who don’t know what that it is TINY! I think a lot of people will always remember me having this car because this car has taken me across the country at a time when I wasn’t who I am today. It was a reminder of where I started and I had a hard time parting with this car.

Without risk I don’t think my life would look like it is today. That summer was the best summer of my life. I was working in a fabulous resort meeting celebrities, going to the beach everyday, and living the high life. It’s something I had never experienced before and that experience opened my eyes to what my life could be if I worked hard. I remember coming back to Buffalo, and I just felt different. I got invited back another summer and they even promoted me. This job on my resume would open up a world of opportunity for me and I didn’t even realize it at the time.

While this sounds like rainbows and sunshine, it wasn’t easy. Yes, my office was a gorgeous resort on the ocean, but I was a broke college student with a lot of stressful responsibilities. I was making just enough money to cover my rent, feed myself, and have a little bit of fun but it wasn’t a high glamorous situation. It was challenging, I was on my own and financially supporting myself to prove myself in the Luxury Hospitality Industry. While I’m not really pursuing that anymore the skills and life lessons that the industry taught me has taken me a long way.

By the time I graduated college I was offered 7 jobs all across the country in major cities and I settled in Florida. The world was my oyster, and again even after the success of my internship my closest friends and family were still not really supportive. I’ve come to realize that when I shared what was going on in my life with others it was their fears and insecurities that I was hearing not mine. Every-time I took a leap with an internship or a job, I just did it. My life has been constantly changing because I have made myself uncomfortable with being comfortable. My biggest fear was always if I fail I’m going to have to move back in with my family. That fear has pushed me to work hard and my dreams have been reaching new heights each year. Risk has challenged me constantly, and that uncomfortable feeling of not knowing if I’m going to survive has brought out this incredible independence in me.

I’m now 25, still in Florida and I started my own company last year while working in marketing for a huge Private Country Club. It started as little side hustle to make extra money because during covid things got rough for me. I was working full-time and trying to catch up from not working during the shut down. This part of my life was rough I was working super hard to try to get a raise and working even harder outside of work to try to sustain my life in Florida. I’ve always loved marketing and the creativity I felt from taking photographs and videos made me happy. I didn’t realize at the time that this little side hustle would launch itself into the opportunities that have come my way.

From my experience “risk taking” just means that you’re about to start a lot of hard-work with very little pay at the beginning. You are going to struggle, but from those struggles comes great inspiration to do bigger things. Without risk I would still be struggling and working a 9-5 making just enough money to get by and feeling trapped. The reality is that I think many people are afraid to step outside of the comfort of their 9-5 stability. What I mean is that we were taught this from a young age, right? Go to college, get a degree, so you can work a 9-5 until you’re ready to retire. My biggest risk in life so far was quitting that job that I went to school for and praying that it would be ok. I started Society Social Palm Beach and I didn’t leave my 9-5 until it hit a point where I was making the same salary and ready to pursue this full-time. That fear held me back for a long time, and without taking that risk I don’t think I would be sitting here working with multiple businesses today helping them with social media and doing what I love everyday. Risk is beautiful and without it, I don’t think I would have realized my full potential in being able to build a business on my own at this age.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Society Social Palm Beach is a local digital marketing agency a world apart from what you see online. Brands are nothing without community, and if you aren’t interacting with them online chances are you’re not doing it as well as you could be. When I came up with the name Society Social, I imagined a digital marketing company that helps business take their marketing to the next level. The Social Media Realm as we know it is constantly changing and we’re here to set a new standard. Not everyone gets a cookie cutter plan, and a lot more goes into digital marketing than putting up pretty pictures and running campaigns. We’re here to help bring your brand into society and make it stick, online and in person.

Working in Luxury Hospitality for 9 years prior to starting Society Social made me realize the importance of online reputation. When I was in the industry we were always responding to feedback regardless if it was negative or positive. Often times creating a strong relationship with guests well after their stay. I have been Forbes 5 Star Trained twice in my career and the customer service standards I have walked away with are some that I have realized set apart good businesses from great businesses. My career has put me in front of a lot of high net worth individuals, and they all say the same thing “You are nothing without a proper brand image.”

We build a custom brand strategy approach with every business we work with. Our main goal is to help you build an online community of your most loyal customers while interacting with them. While I don’t want to give away all of our secrets, we’re really changing the game. People don’t want to interact with a corporation online. Imagine you walk into a store and you say hi to the person working the desk and they just stare at you. Not gonna fly, and the same goes for online. Customer service is now highly transforming online as we approach this digital era. People want to interact with PEOPLE! Businesses are missing the mark in their marketing by not using their best assets, the faces that make it happen. Our goal is to not only highlight your business but the people who put in the hard work everyday. We come to your business and help set you up for success online.

When I finally fully launched Society Social, I was so stressed out and determined to make this work. While we help run the day-to-day socials for a couple of companies we also assist with marketing events to help push out brand awareness. My favorite so far has been the Wheels, Wings, & Fashion (WWF) Charity Gala! The founders of the event reached out to me looking for some sponsors which I extended out to some of my clients. Events have to be my favorite part of the job, I spend a lot of hands on time in each business I work with. I get to know the owners and their employees, and building relationships with them is important. Often times we all work together and I get them involved in our marketing efforts. Let me tell you we have a lot of fun! Two of my clients ended up attending the WWF event, and we stepped in to organize the event and capture marketing materials for each while making sure their booths ran smoothly. The event was a huge success and both brands received amazing exposure online and in-front of over 1,000 guests! I was pretty nervous about this event as it was my first big test with society social but everyone had a fantastic time, and the event was a huge hit! Luckily I have had a lot of experience managing large scale charity events in the Private Club Industry and it was a challenge I was ready to take on.

I can proudly say that Society Social Palm Beach is growing more and more each day. Our team is expanding and we’re here to help your business grow. We’re not just another remote marketing agency, we come onsite and work with you, host your events, get the community hyped about your business, and constantly put you in-front of the customers eye organically. We are unlike any other marketing agency I have ever seen or worked with and I can say our success comes from the amount of work we bring to the table for our clients. We know what we’re doing when it comes to marketing and it shows.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The beauty of Florida is that every town has a different vibe no matter where you go! However Palm Beach, is my place. I would first start out taking by taking my bestie down Worth Avenue to go shopping. It’s always amazing to check out the gorgeous clothes, bags, and shoes. Then pop over to the breakers for lunch and wander around the gorgeous property.

After a long shopping day we’d have to go to my favorite restaurant Buccan or Imoto for dinner. Luckily they have the same owner and you can order off both menus on either side, and yes she’s trying the Watermelon Martini. I’m a big dinner with a huge group of friends family style over partying so chances are 10 other people are with us to! I like to surround myself with nice people over a great meal and engaging conversations.

While my crazy party day are over, I’d still take her over to Le Bar a Vin for a couple night caps after the cocktails are great and music is fun to dance without it being over crowded. (for some reason the invisible margarita is always calling my name).

Website: https://www.societysocialpb.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/societysocialpb/