At only 30, Kelly Rocklein found herself at a turning point in her career. She lost her six-figure marketing job, today she owns a successful business which has helped her to settle and flourish in Bend, Oregon. In 2024, her business, UGC Pro, closed out the year with $233,000 in revenue. They did all of this while enjoying an extraordinary profit margin of nearly 95%! This amazing recovery is a testimony of the power of entrepreneurship and the demand for UGC (user-generated content).
It wasn’t until 2020 that Rocklein found her passion for video come roaring back to life. This was the beginning of her fantastic adventure into the world of UGC. With only $100 of startup capital, she used her creativity and marketing know-how to cold-pitch potential clients on social media. This forward-thinking move paid off immediately, giving her the ability to form deep connections with brands looking to implement UGC strategies.
Rocklein said that she felt very sure about making her decision. Now that she’s moved from conventional employment to self-employment, she’s more secure in her chosen vocation and monetary prospects.
As the founder of UGC Pro, Rocklein spends an average of 15 hours a week scripting and editing content for her clients. She prides herself on producing exceptional work that achieves their goals. The firm works exclusively with tech companies to help them succeed with user-generated content. Their video courses and mentoring services are purpose built for the next generation of content creators.
Rocklein’s business has since expanded to a staff of four, including her fiancé Shane Murphy. Their main source of revenue is consulting with brands who want help maximizing their UGC strategies. While overall for UGC Pro labor is their biggest expense. Rocklein considers this to be an investment that fuels future growth and improves quality service.
Rocklein’s past experience set the stage for her present success. After being laid off in August 2023, she quickly fell into financial distress. She came out of the experience with $25,000 in personal debt from her first startup’s failure. Instead of giving in to misfortune, she leveraged her expertise and community connections to carve out a different way forward.
It’s interesting that, especially in the early stages of my career, I really had no choice but to reach out and make those connections. It was either establish connections or I’d have to go back home with my tail between my legs,” she remembers. This intentionality has been very helpful in growing her client work and developing connections within the industry.
With UGC Pro flourishing, Rocklein lives by the principle that personal relationships matter in business. “Whether it’s a prospecting client or a team I’ve worked with before, I just try to leave everyone off better than when we started the conversation. You just don’t know where life is going to lead people. That’s why being very well connected is such a lovely thing to have,” she goes on to share.
Rocklein’s philosophy around the creation of UGC is both liberating and inspiring. You betcha—so read on to learn more. I truly think anyone has the opportunity to be a UGC creator. It’s a big task, but it’s not an impossible one. It’s a straightforward undertaking, but challenging nonetheless. You’ve got to be prepared to do that heavy lifting upfront—long before you start collecting any revenue.
With new advancements in the technology of digital marketing, authenticity has become a significant demand. Rocklein’s approach is a great example of leading with authenticity and storytelling. More importantly, it inspires all those who want to follow in its footsteps and forge their own path on the growing creative economy.
I believe the more personable you are, the more people are drawn to you. The takeaway Share your true interests with people and they’ll engage. And don’t forget to quiz them on their interests too find potential areas of alignment that you may both benefit from. Everyone wants to open up about themselves, just so you know,” she tells budding creators.