The biggest mistake I ever made in business was…
When I ran my first company Quintessence Multimedia, I didn’t get niche focused until about four years into my business. I wasted a lot of time and money chasing clients that I never should have been pursuing. Once I got focused on a specific niche customer, my business really took off.
What I learned from that was…
People hire specialists. They want a company that specializes in solving their problem everyday. If everybody can use your product or service, no one will.
The impact social media has had on my business is…
I am a walking, talking social media brand. Being @SmallBizLady on Twitter was the best branding accident that ever happened to me. Social media has meant everything to my business. I have been able to leverage it very strategically.
The biggest lesson I learned about branding in the digital space is…
You must pick a niche up front and own your niche. Having an intentional brand is also very important. My Small Biz Lady brand speaks for me in a very powerful way. It tells people exactly who I am and what I stand for. I also think that convening my small business community live each week through my twitter talk show #Smallbizchat is another important branding position I utilized in the digital space. I’ve been doing it three years, and it’s been a great way to interact with my followers, attract corporate customers and grow my brand.
The best piece of business advice I ever got was…
“You can learn something from anyone.†My dad, John Emerson, taught me that.
In business you should never be afraid to…
Give and ask for honest feedback.
My advice for anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps is…
Know your niche target customer and develop content every day for that customer. Stay focused, pick one social media network to dominate first, get a professional copy editor, and use an editorial calendar.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on to BlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.