Episode 80: Building a Winning Marketing Strategy with Alicia Branham
In this episode of The Pursuit of Badasserie, we welcome Alicia Branham, a marketing powerhouse whose journey to success is anything but conventional. Alicia shares her story, beginning with her early years, which included a move to Uruguay, and how these experiences shaped her into the creative force she is today.
The episode dives into Alicia’s approach to marketing, emphasizing adaptability, automation, and the power of artificial intelligence. Alicia shares insights on how to build a strong personal brand, create engaging marketing content, and leverage AI to enhance business operations. She also talks about the importance of having a marketing budget and how crucial it is for small businesses to invest in their marketing efforts.
Alicia’s story is a testament to taking risks, embracing change, and betting on yourself. The hosts highlight the unique perspective Alicia brings to the marketing industry and discuss the benefits of having a diverse team and a customer-focused mindset.
The conversation is filled with valuable advice for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone looking to build a brand in a challenging industry. Alicia leaves listeners with a key takeaway: don’t be afraid to take risks and invest in yourself. If you fail, get back up and try again. The journey to success may not be easy, but it’s worth it.
Let’s get after it!
In this episode, we discuss:
- Introduction of Alicia Branham: Lynn Howard and Amanda Furgiuele introduce Alicia Branham, a marketing powerhouse who has a unique journey from her early life to becoming a successful marketer.
- Alicia’s Background:
- Grew up in the United States, then moved to Uruguay during her formative years.
- Early interest in art, despite limited resources at Catholic school.
- Transitioned to graphic design after discovering the potential of computers in the 1990s.
- Alicia’s Career Journey:
- Started as a file clerk and moved into graphic design.
- Worked for a valve manufacturer, learning the ins and outs of the business.
- Eventually started her own marketing business, focusing on industries like HVAC, pipes, valves, and fittings.
- Built a successful business serving small business owners, emphasizing the importance of niching down in marketing.
- Challenges and Opportunities:
- Navigating a male-dominated industry as a woman.
- The importance of having a marketing budget and investing in marketing efforts.
- Using AI and automation to streamline business operations and marketing processes.
- Building a Strong Personal Brand:
- The impact of building a personal brand and staying top-of-mind on platforms like LinkedIn.
- The importance of creating unique and engaging marketing content.
- The Value of Teamwork and Delegation:
- Alicia’s approach to business, emphasizing teamwork and delegating tasks based on individual strengths.
- Avoiding dilution of focus by ensuring that people are working within their zone of genius.
- Key Lessons for Entrepreneurs:
- The importance of taking risks, embracing change, and betting on yourself.
- The need for adaptability and learning from mistakes.
- The value of asking for help and putting yourself in environments where you can learn and grow.
- Final Thoughts:
- Encouragement for entrepreneurs and small business owners to pursue their goals and not be afraid of failure.
- Insights into the significance of having a supportive team and a customer-focused mindset.
Find Alicia:
Visit her website https://www.getbran.com/ , book a call, and talk about her offers and services!
Instagram: @the_real_aliciabranham, @branmarketing
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Read the full transcript of this episode below!
Lynn Howard
hey I’m Lynn
Amanda Furgiuele
and I’m Amanda welcome to The Pursuit of Badasserie: the Podcast we are back with another incredible guest Lynn tell us all about her
Lynn Howard:
Let’s welcome Alicia Branham, the marketing powerhouse with a story beyond business savvy her journey reflects adaptability determination cultivate traits cultivated during her
Formative years when her parents uprooted her to Uruguay. I can’t even talk it’s so late It’s one of those days, but she is a marketer and creative director on demand and we are super excited to have a nice shot Thanks for joining us
Alicia Branham
Thank you ladies for having me on I’m incredibly excited to be on your fat show So tell a little bit how you got started in this world that you’re in now Sure, I Since birth have always been hugely creative person always wanted to paint draw always just that kid In high school when I was still living in the United States I I had my first art class I was finally away from Catholic school and a published school and they had an art program because it wasn’t a Catholic school with a limited budget And I really loved it and then I got uprooted to Uruguay and then there was I did was fortunate to have an art class There that allowed me to pursue my interests and study different art
and styles and I remember wanting to go to art school and being told I couldn’t and got laughed at and saying who’s going to pay for that when I asked my parents about it.
And so it just was always a gnawing thing at me and so I started my journey just in the business world as a files clerk and then realized when computers came out that there was a thing called graphic design and that you could go and kind of like do things on a computer and not have to like do the old style linodate and all the crazy things that used to happen back in the old school days and I took an interest and so I went back to school in the 90s to be a graphic designer and then from there I started acquiring jobs in different industries that gave me more and more industry knowledge and what I do so my highest position which started me and my career was I worked for a really large valve manufacturer okay.
in the PVF industry pipes valve and fitting. I know it’s obscure, but I niche down. This is a really lucrative market.
These people are super nice. I learned so much because it’s what makes America go around. So I landed in an industry that taught me so much about running an entire marketing department that I built from scratch, that I took all of that marketing savvy and knowledge that I gained in that industry.
And I had to learn about all these products, what they did, where they weren’t our customers. took it all and I created a business that served people inside that lane.
So right now I got really tired of working for someone else. And I saw the need inside of the industries that I was working in.
And so when I parted ways with that company because they kept changing managers like they’re underwear. And it gets unpleasant when you’re in that corporate space, right?
And I said, you know what, I’m going to take a bet on me. I killed myself for these folks.
They don’t. seem to appreciate it. I’m going to go and serve the small business owner and my best capacities to help them crush, win, game market share in the areas that they’re working because I work all over the country.
And it’s been a winter, chicken dinner, and I’m going on seven years. I have three US employees born contractors and I just keep growing.
Lynn Howard
So that’s kind of why I started and where I’ve been going. I love that when we were reviewing your bio.
We were talking about it because I have trades background. I own a security company and was in the alarm industry and so having and being a woman in that industry and I own the company, like it’s very unique.
And so when I saw that you were HVAC and the pipes fitting and whatever PVF, PFE, you know what I mean.
I’m like, oh my god, she’s like from my hood essentially. And I love that you niche down as well because it makes it super unique.
You stand out and you absolutely are because you do have all of that knowledge and you were one of the originals, obviously, from your story of like learning that kind of that world, the marketing and the design world, I know that you were like killing it for your clients because you just bring a unique taste and it is a male dominated industry and really with marketing, I will say, please my fellow male marketers out there, take this with a grain of salt.
I definitely feel like women’s touch in marketing is very different than a male’s touch. For both female and male dominated industries and I feel like overall generically women are more creative, they have a different eye than men and so I can only imagine the value that you’re bringing to your clients.
Alicia Branham
You know, it’s funny that you actually bring that up. So when people land on my calendar, they know me because they know me for my job at the Big Valve Company.
because they would all come to me and need support or because I would do the co-op programs. My marketing budget was $2 million.
I’ve read a lot of lines and so I can’t say no to people that are trying to help sell our products and if they’re making money on commissions that isn’t at my job to serve and such, I’ve always had that mindset, know, and that, so like when you work with me in my space, it’s like I’m like Kevin Bacon, except it’s like maybe two layers of how you get to me.
So if somebody knows me that’s working with me or you know me because of where I worked, it’s one or the other, honestly, because I work for high-profile major factor and these men that I serve, what they’re realizing more and more is that women crush it in their lanes and they tell me women have one client, this is a quote, women just get done.
That’s a quote from a client because he just hired himself and assisted finally after like, I’ve been working with them for like four years, right?
Because I’m your mom, So for the clients I serve, if you need like a website, creative or branding, you need 3D automation, need 3D graphics for your products and you can’t do a photo shoot because it’s just different.
It’s just, anyway, I bring all of that to the table to save you time, energies and monies. And it’s just really honestly the way I approach serving my clients and every lane is really paying off from me.
And they’re seeing the benefits more and more of the industry is chipping away at elevating the ladies in all honesty, but I’ve been in it since 2009.
I’ve been in the valve space since 2009 and started in 2017, right? So I’ve got some time here and these people in this industry are lifers.
So when I work here, I have more calls. There are more calls for me. They’re never a cold call.
They never are. It’s it’s been a blessing. I’m feeling very blessed to build what I’m building right now.
Lynn Howard
No, I love that. You also have that. I mean, we’re having the conversation. before, but you also have that and Amanda and I do too, like that, I’ll call it the edge about us, you know, it can be somewhat generational, but also like the get the done, like the lifestyle, what we were talking about earlier, like we earned our life, we put in the work, we didn’t have somebody coddling us, we didn’t have that to back up our lives, like we didn’t have the home to run home to, and so we had to make it, right?
And so I have always found that and Amanda does too, is like a true asset, like that hustle, that grind that we really learned to do, to really make a name for ourselves, you have that.
And especially in this industry, in the trades industry, it is uber important, in my opinion, to definitely show up with that, and I’m sure it just adds to the success and the reliability of your business direction.
Alicia Branham
It does, I feel great. I feel really grateful that I can offer really great solutions to any crazy problem or something that any of my clients are doing whether it’s like packaging design, because I do that too, my team does not too, so even if it’s packaging design and you need to be one color, you need to be as badass as possible, right, because you want it sticking out on a shelf and a warehouse.
I’m so forward thinking and all the things I do, because I know that marketing and investing money and building your systems, processes and procedures and your brand inside of your business, it’s an investment.
It costs money, but I’ve learned from experience. If you try to cheap out, if you try to do it for yourself when you don’t even really know what you’re doing, you’re doing yourself and your business and your clients, you serve at this service by trying to wear all the hats, right?
mean, we know that, right? We all use professionals for specific areas inside of our businesses because we just know that you’re better
or getting assistance from a pro, right? know, that’s just the way it is.
Amanda Furgiuele
They always say like it costs money, but it costs money because it saves money. It costs money because it saves money.
It saves time. It saves the headache. And that’s what you’re paying for. You’re not just paying extra dollars. You’re paying for the convenience, for the expertise, for all the things that come with that.
So if you, as working in marketing, what do you think are like the top things that every small business should be considering when they’re looking at their marketing suite?
Alicia Branham
Sure. First and foremost, I believe that everyone needs to, one, don’t be afraid to just start your online marketing conversations.
Two, I really want to stress this enough. AI is going to take over a lot of things that we all do and fish is laughing.
So I, as a business owner, am fully, have been embracing AI and all the different, levels of it, because I want to be on the forefront of using that to serve me and my clients to the best about my ability so we can make it work for us versus it taking away our job.
So I feel very, I’m very compelled in this lane and right now inside of my business to talk about this.
So I’ve made a, I’ll give you a crazy example. I made a commitment to myself as a business owner this year that that was putting two blog posts up on my website a month.
Every image that on my blog are going to be created by AI. So whatever image that I choose is 100% AI and then I know tape where I made it from, whether I did it through, you know, chat, GPTs, GPTs that you could pull up dolly or if I did it through like mid-journey, right?
Because I’m really, you know, I’m really, I’m really embracing that. So I can now take that to the issues I serve that I’m sure
for you understand, some of the issues you serve are maybe our industry, five years behind in tech. So if I’m getting on it now, and I’m mastering it now, and I’m embracing automation and how it can serve and create that personal touch inside of your business, whether it’s through having a role bus CRM program, or using all these automations or these AIs to create all these different wonderful things for you, help you create coffee for your emails, for your landing.
Oh my gosh, it could take your terrible text, your terrible that you think is terrible. You can plug it into your GPT and create something beautiful and not have to stress about it.
There’s just so many ways that us as business owners, I guess that’s my biggest thing, is like, don’t be afraid to embrace the new.
And if you don’t know, go put yourself in a circle where you’re going to learn and hear about it, because that’s how you’re really going to win, right?
That’s my big focus right now is all of about embracing automation in the AI in my business so I can grow and scale myself to be a $15 million of your business and you’re not going to do that by not automating your processes because I don’t want to have a hundred employees.
I don’t know many people that want to. It’s a big nightmare. The people that do God bless you. I want to count on a ten.
Amanda Furgiuele
No kidding. I think I stopped at 50. So one thing it cracks me up about this is you talk about embracing AI and as it’s changed I mean we’re not spring chickens.
We’re not 18 understanding AI but the first time I was introduced to technology you’re talking about how you started out in graphic design back in the 90s.
When I first took graphic design in the 80s and 90s I thought it was like never going to pick like never going to take off like oh who’s going to have computers in their home like you know we had a huge super computers back then like for all you young and people didn’t have computers in their homes or like carry them around with their phone.
So I didn’t think it was going to be a thing. It’s like this time around now that like GPT is taking over mid-journey.
talking about those. I’m not going to miss out on it the way I did back in the 80s and 90s where I was like, that’s never going to take off.
no, I think now we’re confirming established that digital technology has changed. And if you don’t get on the bandwagon with this, I mean, not saying you have to do everything that exists in the world.
That’s not feasible. But get your systems up to check and embrace automations, embrace some of these things that have come about.
And we were actually just talking about this last night about technology has changed. You don’t have to embrace everything, but you do need to embrace some things.
mean, there’s a reason technology exists. And we used to scrub our floors with dish claws. And now we have mops.
And now we have like automated robot vacuum. So like those things have progressed. And there’s a reason technology exists within your business.
Alicia Branham
And there’s a way to use it right. Exactly. I’ve been spending time investing in a robust around program that even will help me build up.
out my coaching community that I’m going to be doing later on, you know, in the fall. I’ve got some, I’m actually writing a book that’s also going to come out, but like, some of the things that I do, I want to create these automation and community, and I’m building all that through my CRM, and currently right now, it’s more serving, communicating with my existing clients, having that warm personal touch on like, hey, it’s your birthday, we’re, know, happy birthday, Yaviyada, where it’s your client anniversary with us, fight like a big, a big topic right now, because we do everything at my, in my business.
so a big topic right now is ADA, compliant websites. And so I’m trying, even though some of my businesses are, they’re small businesses, even though they do make some money, there’s that threshold.
And so I need to be concerned for them right now about that. So now I’m having conversations through my CRM, introducing them to, you know, really what this is, what it means, and that we want to do an audit of their site, and they should contact us, and I’ve got a whole thing built out for it.
that’s all automated through the system. And I can track who’s clicked on, who’s interested, the conversations that I’m having with my clients are all in this year round.
It’s on my cell phone. It connects to my social media channels. So if I’m doing a message, if I have a post and I’m marketing something and I say DM me for more information, it’s gonna pop up on my phone right here and then I can be talking to them while I’m up in Italy.
Because that’s the real plan, you see, for all of us. That’s to travel and still do our jobs no matter where we are, whether we’re in Bangkok or Utah.
Great.
Amanda Furgiuele
That was me the last couple of months, I was in Bangkok, I was in Japan, I was in Hawaii, was still working.
Lynn Howard
What would you say, because I know, obviously in Man and I, and congratulations, and I are award winning authors.
between us wrote four books in less than two years, actually in a year and half, we wrote our four books, two together, one each separately.
So congratulations, but I know, and Amanda, I’ve talked about this a lot, but back when I bought a franchise, when I originally got into officially coaching and consulting and training, 15 years ago, one of the things that we would ask our clients, or we were taught to ask our clients is what is your marketing budget, and they would ask us, and most people would be like marketing budget, like what’s that, even now today, like we ask our clients, like what’s your marketing budget, what’s this, what’s that.
And so how do you typically navigate that, because I feel like, especially a lot of new people, you know, to new entrepreneurship that don’t like understand where all the expenses could go, right?
So they’re learning entrepreneurship, small business ship, and they’re navigating this. They might not understand the value of a marketing budget, and really the biggest bang for the book that they can get.
So how do you navigate that typically?
Alicia Branham
So, first and foremost. Well, it is a challenge when I do work with the client. I literally, it’s funny.
I had this conversation yesterday morning, probably in 20 for hours from like, it didn’t happen. I would be in the same, like I had this conversation.
I have a new client that got onboarded. They were a manufacturer, super nice company. I asked her, what’s your marketing budget to work with us?
Because they need a whole litany of their manufacturer that doesn’t have a marketing department at all. And a manufacturer that makes products and the industries.
I serve, you kind of need a proper marketing department. Most people can’t afford one, okay? So, and I know everything they need.
And for her, it was, she just did not know. And she needed to ask, because I know what my rate is.
And I know, and we can have a whole list of the things that need to get done. And I, as a smart educated business person, can work inside of someone’s budget to achieve all their goals.
If I know here’s your hot ticket items, here’s your future goals. And even like, they don’t even have. product imagery, right?
Like their stuff is old, they don’t have any 3D models, even have AutoCAD drawings of their products. I’m thinking, and I just, I just know so much.
So, you know, sometimes you need to spell out black and white and people need and sometimes they don’t realize like what would go inside a marketing budget.
It would even include kind of software fees that you use. So say like, you want to try to do it yourself and you’re going to volunteer your executive assistant or your marketing assistant and whomever inside your business self, you achieve these goals.
You know, those software fees, for the Adobe software creative fees, those alone go into your marketing budget because those are the costs associated with developing anything.
So, even if you’re like, I don’t need any money for marketing, well, you need the basics and the basics are software and there’s only so many freebies you’re going to get online and there’s only so many Canva templates you’re going to be able to use that are going to work for you because you’re going to look like
Everybody else? Right? And so even those are the basics and then, you know, understanding how much time’s involved and the benefits of, like the benefits of why you would want to do that and spending time researching what your competitions do is and how they’re doing it and how you could do it and what those numbers look like, even if you start off small, even if just make commitment to one post a week, you’ve got to start someplace with your online conversation for the algorithm, even know who the heck you are.
You can’t post every three months that you’re, anyone’s going to see you. I’ve got two interactions. Well, no, no, so the heck you are because you’re not investing any time and energies and money.
And as you’re thinking, because I encountered this a lot, people that own investing marketing, don’t think about having a marketing budget, thinking that your salespeople are going to do your online marketing for you.
Can I see this? Wouldn’t you want your salespeople to be closing these half million million dollar deals like in the lanes I am?
You know what I’m talking about. Don’t you want them closing that? What? Not that it’s a waste of time But it is It is and I think that people don’t see things correctly And they think they’re gonna save money by having another team member do an action Do a job that’s really frankly beneath them not because we’re not all too good to roll up our sleeves But it’s because their time is better served going after and chasing the bigger sales And I think that is as business so does they all were on a quest to save money And we’re think we’re doing it And we’re not gonna have a marketing budget because we don’t need one But even if you just even if you don’t understand it and throw two hundred dollars a month in your marketing budget to start and you don’t use it You got to start somewhere because everybody no matter what it is
Even if you’re you don’t have a marketing budget and you’re on LinkedIn and you have their upgraded like premium subscription That’s my two cents, yeah Good points and one of one of the main ones and Amanda and I talk about this a lot is you you have to have a basic Understanding you don’t have to but it will it would be beneficial for you to have a basic understanding of certain aspects And a lot of times people lump things all together and what happens is it muddies the water You don’t understand where your efforts are going.
Lynn Howard
You don’t understand where your investments are going time monies effort whatever and I think you that’s one really good point and I do love that you said actually literally just Put a pause with one of my larger clients Because I was working with their business development their new business development people and essentially they were
like giving the new business development people all of this additional stuff including marketing including design like designing the the power points designing all this other stuff and I understand that it needed to be done however you’re diluting the efforts you’re taking away their energy you’re distracting them they’re not able to focus in on exactly what you’ve hired them to do which is sales business development is sales it’s a fancy word for sales let them go out there and just sell do not give them anything else and being a seasoned salesperson like I understand the the power of like being just unleashed and being able to sell and not have to worry about you know doing this or doing that or trying to even find leads even though I was a door knocker and all the other stuff I didn’t mind but still like you brought up two really really good points understand what marketing is and kind of don’t bento box it all together and then also like
Alicia Branham
Utilize the resources that you have in the smart way and marketing is an essential part to help build the sales department But if the marketing is being done by the sales department, you’re diluting the sales efforts and that What I haven’t even worst case you know if you one of my clients that I built they insisted on a word press site Their sales guy is managing it and I’m like What And he’s like I used to use I’ve done wordpress before it’s been years, but I’m fine, and I’m like So that’s the worst case scenario Why would you take your best sales tool and have them dilute their time on something so beneath them I Think it’s lack of understanding You sometimes lack of leadership, but also like you know all
Lynn Howard
All hands on deck kind of mentality like that like linear leadership or that that flat leadership type of or flat flat um Workmanship kind of mentality.
I don’t know.
Amanda Furgiuele
do you think, Amanda? I mean, I think that We’ve fallen to this idea of oh, I can do it.
I’m going to do it to save money And just because you are capable physically of doing some just because they could do word press and had done it before It doesn’t mean that’s the best use of their time and the best use of the money that you’re putting into them because A lot of people can do can wear a lot of hats, but should they be When you’re thinking about the efficiency of your business Maybe as the ceo and the owner there are our hats you have to wear but when you hire somebody and you’re delegating and you’re outsourcing Are you going to get the most for that?
That’s employment if you are diluting what they’re doing just because they have more than one skill set doesn’t mean they need to use every single skill set they have in your business because it can backfire on you and have less of a result than what you were hoping you would get from that delegation from that outsourcing.
Alicia Branham
I agree. Inside of my business in particular because we handle so many different types of work. I call them liens so you know I’ve got a creative lane where I’ve got a team that runs in that lane right website falls on the day because I have one team member that deals with web and she’s also creative so she’s dual but that works there in that space and then I have a whole different lane for social media and then as I build out training components that’s out of my business I’ll have a different lane for that too because I realize that it’s everyone we as individuals we do better doing a singular task we’re going to do that singular task really well and I don’t think we as humans anymore in our society have the ability to multitask as good as we used to.
I know I don’t, I used to be able to juggle 55 hats, not anymore, because I realized how much I diluted myself.
And so I’m not interested in offering any diluted versions of me or my team or the work that we produce for anyone that I serve.
So really good points.
Lynn Howard
My job. I love that. We are not serving diluted cells anymore. So, this is, it just, it just makes a lot of sense, right?
So, no, absolutely.
Amanda Furgiuele
It does. I think it’s not that you can’t, I mean, you’re saying it’s not that you can’t have more than one task within your business or give somebody more than one task.
It’s when you give them something that’s outside of the scope of what they really should be doing because, you know, if you give somebody social media and you say, I want you to work on Instagram, it’s not that big of stretch to say, I also want you to work on Facebook.
I mean, that’s staying within your realm with your zone of genius. If you’re switching around and being like, okay, you do social media.
Well, I also want you to run the marketing department. Oh, and then can you help with sales and the advertising needs some help too?
Like just because you have the skill set doesn’t mean that that’s going to really pan out for you in the long run.
And yeah, we don’t want to dilute our services ourselves. What were you doing? Because ultimately that isn’t going to showcase your business.
And that’s what you do.
Alicia Branham
Correct. Exactly. And another thing I learned too is being a small business owners. That we’re all eager to create new opportunities and lanes of income for ourselves and be of service to our clients.
I’m guilty of trying to try to do too new things at once. So I recommend anyone starting with your business.
you focus on the land, I know right. focus on the lanes that you that you’re making a lot of money in right now profitable is that I’ve had to put down some sorts of a couple of things that I read.
you may want it to do, but it wasn’t resonating or, and by the way, and it’s also okay to make a mistake and realize that, oh, then in working, it’s not a reflection on you or your failure any of those things.
just, you can’t, you can’t grow as a business owner unless you try new things and pivot and grow and be okay with making mistakes and leave your ego at the door and leave your emotions at the door, right?
You just, you just do better as a human being, right, 100%, 100%.
Amanda Furgiuele
You got to leave some stuff at the door, emotions, we all know how I feel about those. However, yeah, I was just talking with a client just the other day and you do have to pivot.
Sometimes you’re going to have to take a risk and she was asking me, she’s like, oh, is this a guaranteed, is this a guaranteed marketing strategy?
this a guaranteed it has, it has a track record of working within your industry? tree, and you have a unique business.
you can’t expect that everything is going to be guaranteed. You can’t guarantee anything. What, death and taxes? That’s all the only thing you can guarantee.
So I think that there’s within the entrepreneur world, you have to pivot. You have to be okay with making those changes and those failures, because there is no such thing as a guarantee.
And if somebody is telling you they’re absolutely going to guarantee it, they better back it up with their own work, because if they’re going to give you something that’s all we do it yourself, I guarantee it.
Good luck with that. It’s not, I mean, run away very quickly, because if they’re not going to help you implement it, and they’re not going to see it through the, and pivot within that guarantee, because things come up, like you have to kind of change the tactics as you’re figuring something out, particularly with advertising and marketing, there have to be pivots in order to adjust to the market.
So be wary of those guarantees, and know that you’re going to have to make changes, and you’re going to have to fail, and you’re going to have to take risks.
Alicia Branham
Walk with us for ownership. I think in my clients, you know, some people will ask me that and I literally say to them literally the work that my team and I invest in creating your content because we do everything from A to Z in my industry niche and imagine doing all the technical stuff, these people that were a godsend and I’ll be saying, I’ll tell them literally, we’re only going to be as good as your interactions and your teams interaction with our content because that’s an easy way.
I just want to understand sometimes with these people, but this is an easy way to really get more bang for your buck and really get the algorithm and pick you up and give your team that you’re paying money to your sales team is engaging, sharing, liking and putting through that content that really helps you elevate you and I don’t get what people don’t understand that.
don’t even know why I said that, but I felt compelled to say it because I think that’s part of the success and so when people ask me these things, they’ll be like, it’s a two full thing one.
So I’m going to be as good as that into what you need to realize and I say this because it just triggered something in my industry.
the unlinked in particular where I do a lot of business. There was a lot of cyberstalkers like silent stalkers.
They see your posts if they don’t comment like or engage but when you see them at an event or you’re communicating with them on a meeting they know your whole life story and twice on Sunday and you’re like you never liked anything I post.
So and if you see them at any of the other social media channels that’s on LinkedIn too my friends that is a hundred percent on LinkedIn too.
You’re still seeing and that’s another thing that people don’t understand is to to build your business and to build your brand and essentially you the owner the sales person the the team member you are your celeb online you’ve got to build your personal brand that’s what’s going to bring business to the actual business.
So you’re the bait I was telling the team we’re on tour together. I’m the rock star y’all are my roadies and my job is to I’m the front man you guys are supporting me behind the scenes because that’s kind of the lay of the land.
when you want to business, you need a team, you need the right people, you know, he did not be afraid to take chances, you need to and appreciate the people that are on your team too.
I know that you need a team, I need a marketing budget, you need to be brave to take chances.
Lynn Howard
No, no one’s done it. I love that you say that too. I was just at a big event and you know, it always fascinates me when people come up to me.
like, oh, I know who you are because I see you on LinkedIn. like, I’ve never seen you like my post.
But but it’s true. And it’s like, and we have this conversation all the time. It’s like, you are, it is building the know, like trust.
It is staying in front of mind. And eventually, if you’re doing it the right way or have somebody doing it for you that knows what they’re doing, you absolutely, it helps with your conversion.
It helps with, you know, also PR stuff, right? especially like risk management, things like, you know, hits the fan and like you got
have to kind of like mitigate things or or minimize it. Like if you have a really strong brand out there that’s being marketed and even if people aren’t no liking trusting it, like at the end of the day, it is helping you in the right direction.
And so you are building, yeah, the web in which holds up those businesses, which is interesting. Love it. All right.
So I can’t believe we’re already almost at time. What’s one last nugget that you would love to leave with entrepreneurs and we have a global audience of entrepreneurs and small business owners and leaders.
Alicia Branham
What’s one small nugget you’d like to leave with them? If you’ve ever, so if you have a business reviewer considered starting a business, I just think that people should not be afraid to take that chance.
think a world is such a way that I think it’s more important than ever that we all try to embrace being an entrepreneur.
If you have a skill set or something that you’re really good at passionate about, you know, we we put our
Faith and so many other things in this world when we do things, why don’t you put that faith in yourself that you could actually make that thing happen for yourself or that you could take your business to the next level, right?
And if you don’t know how to do something, here’s the thing, that’s great, I want to start this business.
I have no idea what to do. am a current business owner and I really want to get myself out of this revenue hump and I want to double and triple my business.
You know, a lot of us are raised, especially as no plan beers, maybe we should have a t-shirt, I don’t have a plan B.
We’re raised that there’s like, you don’t ask for help, you do it yourself. Well, world’s a little bit different, ask for help, take that chance and take that chance in yourself and growing your business or starting that business years and ask for want to actually be starting that business doing that thing, you’ll get it, you’ll succeed and you’ll get the help you
need and you’re actually not alone out there anymore. There’s there’s there’s sources for you to happen so I just think that we all should not be afraid to better ourselves because people that are famous that we know operate better on ourselves.
John Stewart’s back on the daily show. That guy keeps betting on himself repeatedly, right? I’m just saying better on yourself, better on yourself, take that chance, you know, join the community, get in a coaching community.
I don’t know, buy the program, go back to school, start the business, do the thing that’s going to project you to propel you to the next excellent level of your life and just do it, man.
And if you fail, so what? Get up and do it again.
Amanda Furgiuele
You’ll fail differently for sure.
Alicia Branham
Okay, try at least, right? You can’t say wrong, oh, wish I had started that business. I really wish I went after my passion, you know, and then it’s too late because you’re like in your 80s, not thought it’s too late in your 80s, but you’re getting there, right?
– Lynn Howard
Just take the chance right now, man.
Alicia Branham
Just take the chance to do it now.
Lynn Howard
out that bandaid off. Love it. We’re all about ripping the bandaid off. love it and actually said something earlier too that is in alignment with what you just said and I want to repeat it because Amanda and I talked about it a lot and you said it earlier about put yourself in a room where you’re going to learn.
So put yourself in a room where there’s people who are smarter than you that know things that are different than you.
So as you know there’s so many people out there and it’s so accessible nowadays versus when we were growing up.
So because we didn’t have at home computers we had to like click rocks together you know all your youngins.
You know I mean? And the string with the cup yeah that was our. We’re not though but with that being said like put yourself in a room with people who because people love to share their knowledge and yes you will have to pay for some and some you’re going to get for free but if you if you’re not in the room you’re not going to get it so at least put your butt in the room so I really appreciate that.
Amanda Furgiuele
We’ve had such an amazing chat. We just, yeah. So speaking of reaching out to you more, how can people reach out to you and find you?
Alicia Branham
You can find me. LinkedIn is primarily me. So Alicia Branham, I’m on LinkedIn. You can find an Instagram under the real Alicia Branham.
then I am on my snarky experimental side on TikTok under Ally Toot. It’s where I take it on my childhood regressions.
Some people do that. I know I’m not the only one. So those are the ways to find me. I love helping other people.
And so even if anyone has a question about how I got brave enough to start my own business in my niche, right?
believe everyone’s trying to niche down in an area, especially if you’re an expert, because take the intellectual property, make money on that.
So I can’t stress that enough. Value yourself, bet on yourself.
Lynn Howard
Absolutely. It’ll all be in the show notes. make sure that you’re sharing. I’m like, you’re subscribing with all of your people.
Alicia Branham
And yeah, thanks again for being on our podcast to Pursuit About S3 today. Thank you, you ladies are bad .
Thank you, Lynn. Thank you, a man. I’m so grateful for your time today. It’s been awesome.
Lynn Howard
Absolutely. Till next time.
Amanda Furgiuele
Get after it.
