The most successful entrepreneurs have a team of advisors that they trust. The advisors may be their board of directors, a mastermind group, or even a group of like-minded individuals. When building your business, it is important to continually surround yourself with positive individuals striving to reach new heights.
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the Cox Media Group, WOKV Business Expert Forum hosted by Rich Jones. The forum provided the perfect opportunity for local business owners to learn from and share with each other.
The Business Expert Panelists included:
- Mike Lester owner and CEO of Talon Wealth Management – Financial
- Paul Astelford from Visit Jacksonville – Local
- CC Underwood from the Sellin’ With CC Team at Keller Williams – Realty
- Kenny Harper from Rock My Image – Marketing
- John Keeley from Community First Credit Union – Community
Top 5 Takeaways from Thought Leaders on Vision, Branding and Image
(all mentions below are paraphrased and not actual quotes.)
1) Leveraging Modern Marketing Works – Mike Lester
Traditional media still gets a large amount of eyeballs but digital marketing can be more targeted, it is easier to measure and can be quickly optimized. If you are not leveraging a digital marketing strategy you are missing a great opportunity to grow your business.
2) Real Change Begins with a Strong Vision – Paul Astelford
Many entrepreneurs put the cart before the horse by starting to execute goals before defining a clear vision. A vision is the blueprint to whatever you are conceptually building. When it comes to developing a vision, the more you can define what you’re aiming to achieve the better. Business owners should lead their company to fulfill a well thought out vision.
3) You Must Be Bold and Different – CC Underwood
If you do not differentiate yourself in a crowded market, you may be viewed as a commodity. You must take the time and energy to work on defining what makes you unique and why people would want to choose you over your competitors. Be yourself and authentic but also be sure to highlight what makes you unique.
4) Your Mindset is Paramount to Success – Kenny Harper
There are a lot of statistics showing how the majority of small businesses fail. You must keep a positive, abundant mindset to reach success. If you expect to fail, you most likely will. Your decisions will be affected by your mindset and bring to fruition whatever you are expecting. Be diligent, be proactive and keep faith that it all will work out and you will increase your chances of success.
5) The Experience Matters – John Keeley
In a world where people have multiple options at their fingertips, it is more important than ever to have a quality and consistent experience for your customers. People will not necessarily remember everything about your business but they will most likely remember how you made them feel. Make them feel good and chances are you’ll earn their repeat business.
(Kenny Harper, Rich Jones & Wally Conway)
Are you implementing the thoughts and advice of great business leaders? Where do you need to put your attention and focus?
Personal note:I found it very rewarding to hear the top business thought leaders in Jacksonville echo some of the core principals that I’ve been sharing on vision, branding and image. Great minds think alike! Special Thanks to John Showalter, Rich Jones, WOKV and the panelists for putting on a great event.
