Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Teanna Ross is the CEO of Kreative Eye. She partners with business owners who are ready to invest in their vision, in their brand and take both to the next level. Her no cookie-cutter approach to branding and marketing results in a sustainable Branding Experience. For more info: www.kreativeeyedesign.com.
SmallBizLady: WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT GROWING AND EXPANDING THEIR BRAND?
Teanna Ross: With so much competition within just about every industry and niche, that is imperative that your brand stands out from the rest. If you don’t set time aside to focus on growing and expanding your business, it won’t happen – I promise.
SmallBizLady: IN ORDER FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO GROW WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE?
Teanna Ross: In order for your business to grow and expand three things must happen:
- You must acquire new customers. The more people you service, the more money you make.
- Increasing your prices. Will allow you to make more money from each transaction.
- Increasing your conversions. Increasing the number of potential customers, you meet and/or getting your current customers to buy more often.
SmallBizLady: WHAT’S YOUR FIRST TIP?
Teanna Ross: Building a brand isn’t easy & doesn’t happen overnight. It takes blood, sweat, tears and years to build something that is truly amazing.
You must become an expert at your craft and have a point of view to create a brand that stands out and is one of a kind. It is imperative to become a life-long learner of your industry.
You will need to develop a routine where you are constantly reading, learning and implementing new strategy and processes that will allow you to create a brand you absolutely love, while serving your ideal clients.
SmallBizLady: BECOMING AN EXPERT IN YOUR NICHE IS TIMELY. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS WHO SAY THEY JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME?
Teanna Ross: Serving the right clients and delivering on your brand promises are the basics.
When your clients start to achieve success based the advice you’ve given, it solidifies you as an expert.
It feels good to know that your clients are getting results from working with you and telling the world every time. Doing so will allow you to become synonymous with your subject matter, product, service, industry, and niche!
When people think of a subject matter expert, service, and/or product they should think of you! Plain and simple. If not, you have work to do.
SmallBizLady: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS TO START CREATING ENGAGING CONTENT?
Teanna Ross: One way to grow and expand your #Brand is to flex your inner #BrandSlayer by sharing what you know and what you have learned… sharing is caring, right?!
SmallBizLady: TELL US WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS TO SHARE WHAT THEY KNOW.
Teanna Ross: There are five (5) areas:
- Sharing helps you deepen your knowledge on the topic.
- It invites a new conversation, it expands what you know, and allows you to also learn something new in the process.
- If you want to be known as a leader or authority in your field/niche/industry show up and show out.
- Sharing helps you increase your professional value.
- Last, but not least, take the lead. You don’t need permission, so stop waiting on someone to give you the green light.
SmallBizLady: YOU MENTIONED THAT SHARING HELPS YOU INCREASE YOUR PROFESSIONAL VALUE. CAN YOU SHARE MORE ON THIS?
Teanna Ross: I’m a fan of quantitative objectives to measure success; however, there are softer measures that are also important. To me, the ultimate success is that at your company is healthy and growing, your employees share your vision, are engaged in pursuit of that vision and feel ownership for achieving it.
SmallBizLady: IN DISCUSSING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BEING A LEADER AND BEING A MANGER, WHAT ARE THE FIVE AREAS YOU FOCUS ON?
Teanna Ross: Sharing your wisdom with the people around you, with clients, fans or followers
is not about bragging or making others feel small because they don’t know something.
It’s more about being of service. You must understand that it’s about them, not you.
SmallBizLady: TELL HOW BUSINESS OWNERS CAN SHARE WHAT THEY KNOW?
Teanna Ross: Currently, there is one important thing they can do:
Go LIVE!
Go Live on Facebook and Instagram. Just do it. Your business, brand and bottom line will depend on how visible you are in 2018.
SmallBizLady: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE SCARED TO GO LIVE?
Teanna Ross: Don’t be a #COPYCAT!
Too often we see other people in business killing it! They are where we hope to be… they have the client’s fans, followers, AND the money… the whole 9, right?
You may be thinking, “Why am I not where they are? We have the same skill set, expertise & business acumen, what’s the problem?”
One of the main reasons stopping YOU from playing bigger is your mindset.
SmallBizLady: TEANNA, YOU MENTIONED MINDSET IS STOPPING A LOT OF BUSINESS OWNERS. HOW SO?
Teanna Ross: They are scared of failing/fearing what other people may say. Instead, they don’t take the risk of doing business the way they want to and begin to mimic and implement what they are doing only to find that, that isn’t working for them.
The sales funnel, the email list, the webinars, the e-books etc… they’re not getting the same results… why is that? Possibly, their ideal clients don’t respond to those things in that way.
Lastly, they need to take themselves out of the box…they don’t need permission from anyone to be them!
SmallBizLady: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A BUSINESS OWNER WHO IS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULTS THEY’VE RECEIVED BY COPYING WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING?
Teanna Ross: Start implementing and capitalizing on your own ideas and strategies. To implement strategies someone else is using without knowing the story, strategy, the what and why they are doing business this way is a set up for disaster.
Don’t mimic another business because THEY were successful at doing it that way. THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT!
If you want to have a stand out brand be courageous enough to be original. Create something new that no one else is doing; STOP copying outdated business strategies that may no longer work for you or your business. Be innovative and a trendsetter!
If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.
Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz
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