Amy Margolin is the third-generation co-owner of M&M Lighting. She joined her family business in 2013 after graduating with an English degree from Columbia University working as a manager for an international clothing retailer in Austin, Texas. She was also a food photographer for Zagat, a national restaurant review guide, and spent time as a freelance celebrity stylist at red carpet events in Los Angeles.

Combining her background in writing with her innate sense of style and relentless work ethic, Amy is working hard to bring M&M Lighting—a company with 56 employees that specializes in residential and commercial lighting—into the social media age, and overturn the adage that the third generation ruins family businesses.

We dive into the value of social media as far as how it helped her in building her business and how it has grown her client base as well. She talks about how you can successfully integrate your social media into your business while building a network with architects and designers at the same time.

Listen in as Amy discusses how she uses social media to build her company’s brand, her Instagram content and engagement strategies, the challenges and rewards of working in a family business, and working with lighting architects and designers in an industry that is always evolving.

Topics Discussed:

• 05:21 How Amy is able to effectively use social media to establish M&M’s brand
• 08:48 Why Amy began to do more video home tours
• 12:41 Amy’s experience with TikTok
• 15:12 Building a following on Instagram
• 17:57 How much time Amy spends on social media
• 20:39 Getting better engagement on social media
• 23:18 Amy’s content strategy on Instagram
• 24:41 How using social media impacted Amy’s business
• 27:39 How having a large audience keeps Amy accountable
• 32:26 Justifying higher prices for your products or services online
• 35:34 How social media has benefitted M&M’s relationships with stakeholders
• 39:33 Amy’s experience working on her own projects
• 42:31 Amy’s favorite architectural style
• 43:50 How Amy’s eye for design evolved over the years
• 45:28 Becoming a stylist for celebrities
• 43:50 How Amy’s eye for design evolved over the years
• 48:14 Moving from California back to Texas
• 49:20 What Amy learned about the lighting industry since joining M&M
• 50:51 Lighting architects and other partners that Amy works with
• 54:03 Staying current in an ever-evolving industry
• 56:00 How COVID-19 affected M&M
• 58:47 What Amy is looking forward to in the near future

Connect with Amy Margolin & M&M Lighting: 

• Website
• Instagram
• Tik Tok
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Houzz
• YouTube

Connect with Brad Leavitt:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Houzz
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Resources & People Mentioned:

• Insights on Instagram 
• Nolan Miller with Riverwood Building Company 
• Instagram Reels 
• Wayfair 
• Crate & Barrel 
• Jason Roehner + Dan Ryan Photographers
• Columbia University
• Gucci 
• The New Yorker
• ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) 
• Lightfair 
• Dallas Market Center 
• Ashley Leavitt
• Shea McGee 

Key Quotes by Amy:

• If you want to stay on top with the content you put out and the engagement you get on social media, follow the algorithm.
• It’s “social media” for a reason: You have to be social.
• If you’re not communicating with your people and the customers at every stage of the process, you’ll run into problems you’ll later regret.