Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Perlstein.
Kayla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s definitely not a straight path, which is part of what makes it fun to share.
I originally went to college for restaurant and hospitality management because I thought I wanted to be an event planner, specifically a wedding planner. During school, I interned at a music venue, and that experience completely shifted things for me. I fell in love with the live events and entertainment side of the industry.
After graduating, I went back home and managed a music venue. I learned a lot there, but I also hit a moment where I realized if I wanted bigger opportunities, I needed to make a bigger move. So when I was offered a raise, instead of staying, I decided to move to California, with no job lined up and a plan to figure it out along the way.
The original idea was to pick up a bartending job while I searched for something more long-term, but that didn’t go as planned. Most opportunities I was getting weren’t aligned with what I wanted, which forced me to rethink my approach.
Thankfully, a former boss connected me with someone at APA, where I landed a role as an assistant in the tour marketing department. That role gave me real exposure to marketing in the entertainment world and helped me start connecting the dots between events, audiences, and strategy.
From there, I moved into a VIP ticketing company, where I spent the next several years. During that time, I got deeper into operations and client experiences and eventually started to see opportunities beyond my role.
At one point, I was exploring other jobs, but I kept running into the same roadblock: no one was willing to take a chance on me in the way I wanted to grow. So instead of waiting for someone else to give me an opportunity, I decided to create one for myself.
I started freelancing on the side, took on a few clients, and slowly built what has now become my business today.
Looking back, none of it was linear, but every step played a role in getting me here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges was learning how to handle being told “no,” over and over again. Whether it was job opportunities, clients, or people not seeing the vision yet, that rejection forces you to make a decision: do you stop, or do you figure out another way forward?
For me, it became about learning what to do with that “no.”
When I was building my business, I took on projects for little to no pay just to build a portfolio and prove what I could do. There were a lot of late nights, early mornings, and moments where I was living paycheck to paycheck, trying to make it all work.
And mentally, that’s a challenge too. You’re constantly thinking about what you could be doing better, what you need to fix, what’s next, it’s hard to turn it off.
But those seasons taught me some of the most important lessons. They forced me to get resourceful, to build confidence in my skills, and to keep showing up even when the results weren’t immediate.
Looking back, the struggle wasn’t just part of the journey, it’s what made everything I’ve built actually sustainable.
We’ve been impressed with Goldenbird Marketing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Goldenbird Marketing, we specialize in organic social media marketing, but more importantly, we help businesses build a strong, consistent presence that actually supports their growth.
Organic social media marketing is all about brand awareness. It’s the foundation of your marketing. Before someone buys from you, they need to know you, trust you, and understand what you offer, and that’s exactly what organic social is designed to do.
A lot of businesses know they “should” be posting, but they either don’t have the time, don’t know what to say, or don’t have a clear strategy behind it. That’s where we come in.
We handle the entire process, from auditing existing social media channels, to building a strategy, creating content, planning and managing a content calendar, posting consistently, engaging with the audience, and providing monthly reporting so clients can clearly see what’s working and how they’re growing.
But what really sets us apart is how we work with our clients.
Our clients aren’t just accounts to us, they’re partners. We work closely with them, understand their business, and tailor everything to their goals. There’s a level of communication, care, and attention to detail that you don’t always find in this space.
We’re not here to just “post content.” We’re here to help businesses show up in a way that feels aligned, intentional, and effective.
What I’m most proud of, from a brand perspective, is that we’ve built a business rooted in both strategy and relationships. Our clients trust us, stay with us, and grow with us, and that says everything.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think risk is a necessary part of growth, especially in business.
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was leaving my full-time job to run my business full-time. On paper, it doesn’t always make sense. You’re walking away from stability, a steady paycheck, and something predictable… for something that isn’t guaranteed.
But for me, the bigger risk was staying comfortable.
I had built something on the side that I believed in, and I knew that if I didn’t fully commit to it, I would always wonder what it could have become. At a certain point, you have to decide whether you’re going to keep one foot in or go all in.
That doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary, it was. There’s a lot of uncertainty that comes with that kind of decision. But I’ve learned that growth doesn’t really happen in comfort. It happens when you’re willing to take calculated risks and trust yourself to figure things out.
My perspective on risk is that it’s less about being fearless and more about being willing to bet on yourself.
Because if you don’t take those chances, you never really find out what you’re capable of, or what’s possible on the other side of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goldenbirdmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldenbirdmarketinginc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldenbirdmarketinginfo
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-perlstein/
