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Sonja Dyess, Gielow Marketing


After 15 years of working in the


corporate world of marketing and public relations, Sonja Dyess decided to start her own company. In 2009, Sonja founded Gielow Marketing, which specializes in marketing and public relations with a focus on social media. “I took things into my own hands and started providing a service that wasn’t available at the time. I started managing social media for companies—there were tons of people out there that would tell you how to do it, but no one that would actually do it for you,” says Sonja.


Sonja runs her business out of her home.


Her children know when the door is closed that she is working and unless it’s an emergency to let her work. “Te great thing is that when I was done working, I could open the door and be right there with my family. If need be, I always have the option of running back into my office to get more work done.” Tis has been helpful and much easier for her to balance work and family time. Her two teenage children have helped out in different aspects of the company. Her daughter has a passion for photography, so she has gone to events around the First Coast to take photos for social media purposes. If the graphic designer is backed up with work, her daughter steps in to help in any way she can. Sonja’s son assists with sorting mail and stocking supplies the company needs on a day-to-day basis.


In addition to her business, Sonja leads


presentations and workshops about social media for companies and the PTA at local schools. “Even if there is a privacy setting, there are ways to get around them. I tell people to be careful when posting to social media because of that reason,” says Sonja. “A great way to look at it is that if you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it…you shouldn’t have it posted.” Besides educating others about social media safety she has also warned her children about how important it is to watch what they post online.


With technology advancing more each


day, Sonja continues to encourage her children to use social media safely and positively. Having her children exposed to social media each day allows Sonja to show them that making responsible decisions is important. Tis idea is one of the bases she uses when building a social media presence for a business or individual. By combining different aspects of marketing, Sonja’s business builds social media, marketing and public relations with creativity and safety for individuals and companies.


56 | Family!


HERITAGE PUBLISHING, INC. © 2014


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