The Ms. CEO Show

Alicia Ingram, founder, President and CEO of ANI Creative is Ms. CEO of the Week. Her Atlanta based firm has carved out a niche in marketing and business services to create success. Visit her company online and check out our interview with her below for more about this week’s Ms. CEO!

What is the nature of your business and how do you increase revenues year over year? ANI Creative is in the results and communications business often known as “effective marketing”. We help my clients deliver hard-hitting messages, execute creative strategies and implement practical marketing solutions that make them stand out in the marketplace. As far as our revenues, we achieve growth in several ways: 1) Always maintaining existing relationships while building new ones at the same time; 2) Creating multiple impressions – also known as branding; and 3) In this economy, having sheer determination and constantly responding to my clients most pressing needs – that old fashioned concept generally referred to as “customer service”.

Have current economic conditions had an impact on your business—how so? Like for many, business is slower than normal, but this is also a time for re-tooling and new service offerings based on client needs.

If you weren’t running the business you are running what kind would you have—or what would you be doing instead? Hmm…I was in St. Thomas and I thought the guy who rented paddle boats on the beach had a pretty good job. So yes, I would be renting paddle boats on a beach; but honestly, I love what I’m doing now.

What do you do to de-stress? Work out, work out and then work out some more.

What businesswoman (women) do you admire and why? Shelia Johnson for her authenticity; and all women in politics or business who are trailblazers.

You have political aspirations—how will you balance between politics and business? Do you see them as contradictory or collaborative endeavors?
Very collaborative, business and civic leadership go hand in hand and require the same skill set of building relationships in order to drive results. In business, results are often revenue where has in politics, it’s often sound policy.

Are you in a relationship? If so, how does your significant other support you in business?
Currently, I’m not. However, from past experience, support from your significant other is essential. It’s important to have someone who understands your business in your passion and is flexible when it comes to having to pull late nights.

Do you think image makes a big difference in a business woman’s ability to succeed—and what kind of image do you try to project? A good friend of mine and I were discussing this very topic yesterday. Image makes a big difference and yes, for women more so than men. As business women, half of the battle is managing other people’s perceptions of you. This can be your image or your brand. Physical appearance is a part of that package. People make assumptions based on your image.

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in business and how did you recover? So many, but most memorably, not wanting to pay attention to accounting practices…it makes or breaks a business. I hired an accountant.

What’s your favorite food; color; song; vacation spot?
Food: Pizza and Oatmeal
Color: Blue all day everyday
Song: Too many to pick just one but anything by Beyonce’
Vacation spot: Toss up between St. Thomas and Capetown

The most popular question I’ve gotten lately is, “How do I fund my business since bank loans have dried up?”  Well, there are only two ways to fund your business—with your money or someone else’s.  A combination of both—unless you’re an entrepreneur with a solid track record—is best.

Having some of your own money (or “skin”, as they say) in the game proves right away that you have a vested interest in being successful, that you believe in your ideas and ability to effectively execute them, and that you are not asking others to take a risk when you haven’t risked anything yourself.  So, the first part of funding your business is pulling together all of the personal funding that you can put toward the venture and having it ready to launch and progress your company.  Next up: Finding ways to tap into other peoples’ money.

There are a few options available when it comes to getting money from others to start or grow your business.  Here are three:

1. Microlending Community — Check out an online peer-to-peer or person-to-person microlending community.  This kind of service makes it simple and easy for mass numbers of people to lend a little money individually—and a larger sum collectively—to help people take care of all kinds of financial matters, including starting or growing a business.  The primary concern of people on these sites if you are seeking a loan for business will be whether or not you will earn the income to then re-pay the loan.  Everyone knows the pesky statistics on business failure so you’ll need to make a convincing case for why they should support your loan.  Entrepreneurial enemy number 1 when it comes to this is the tendency to talk about how great your product or service is, how cute your company name is or to talk in general about your brand.  Not convincing.  These things are important and worth mentioning.  But your main spiel should be a general overview of how you plan to make money in your business day in and day out and how your skill set, or your team’s skill set, lend well to your ability to do what you say you plan to do.  Bottom line is, whether it’s a financial institution or a fellow hard working citizen, a lender wants to know how you will make the money to re-pay the loan.  Make that clear in your pitch.  A site where you can get started is www.lendingclub.com.
2. Investment Clubs — When the stock market was flying high there were all kinds of strategies people used to take advantage of initial public offerings (IPO) and stock purchasing, in general.  One way was investment clubs where friends got together, researched companies and pooled money to purchase stock for the club.  This cooperative approach yielded great results for well-organized, goal-oriented, properly managed groups.  With times being the way they are investment clubs are not flooding the stock market with dollars but you could get a few friends together to use the same approach to fund your business.  This isn’t something you can do with strangers because of securities laws and other governmental regulations that require people to be “accredited” (have a certain networth) before they make risky investments but it is certainly something you can do among family and friends.
3. Bootstrapping — If you can muster enough personal finances to get your business off the ground then you could always grow it through boot strapping, which basically means getting the money from your customers by focusing on sales every day or every week.  This focused activity brings money into your business that you can then re-invest to keep the business growing. This isn’t the most desirable, glamorous or easiest way to grow a business but many companies have started and made it to the next level on this concept.  Despise not humble beginnings.  With good old fashioned work ethic and laserlike focus, bootstrapping could be your funding strategy for success!

Be Encouraged,

Felicia Joy

I was on Good Day Atlanta on FOX 5 today to talk about hybrid entrepreneurship, the subject of my new book; and about focus! 

We’re almost to the mid-point of the year and I can’t believe it.  Time for a reality check for us entrepreneurs.  Looking at the business goals we were aiming for when we kicked off the New Year are we on point, ahead of schedule or behind?  Perhaps it’s time for a Mid-Year’s Resolution.

No matter which category you fall into remaining flexibly focused is key.  Flexible because things crop up—they always do and always will.  Focused because even as you navigate choppy and constantly changing entrepreneurial waters, the ultimate destination—your goal—must be the draw that keeps you moving forward.

I live to boost the success of fellow entrepreneurs—especially fellow women entrepreneurs—so no matter who you are, where you are, or what kind of business you have (or no matter what kind you are thinking of starting) use me as a resource to boost your success! I believe in you and the power of your vision and I’m only an email (felicia at msceoshow dot com) or tweet away.  Follow me on Twitter: @feliciajoy and @msceo.

So, check out the Good Day Atlanta video, listen to The Ms. CEO Show this afternoon (we’re discussing how to market your business for free!) and have a wonderful day!

Be Encouraged,

Felicia Joy

Social media is all the rage right now and with good reason. No, it’s not because Ashton Kutcher now has a million friends on Twitter and even Oprah is “twitterfied”.  It’s because these useful tools are FREE and super effective if you find an efficient and measurable way to integrate them into the marketing strategy for your business.

First things first: There are as many social media tools as there are alphabets and it is way too overwhelming, cumbersome and ineffective to try using all of them, most of them or even, in my opinion, more than four of them in your business.  Moreover, even once you settle on just a few of the tools, using them requires a planned approach and the human resources to make your social media strategy work. 

Making it work does pay off, though.  Ruthie Lopp founder and chief designer at Nature Girl Designs has found success with Facebook.  She posts “Friend-of-a-Friend” $50 off gift coupons on her Facebook page and she says these special discount links, which go back to a unique page on her website, quickly become viral within her 600 person network on Facebook.  Once people start to pass the link along Ruthie starts ringing up sales.  Not bad for a free tool that costs her just a little time and creative thinking (and the $50 off).

Here are a few quick tips for employing social media into your marketing mix:

• Use the tools that make sense for your customer base.  If the people you are selling to are not really on Facebook (or another social media platform you are considering), setting up a page and account there and trying to get your customers to sign up will not be that useful.  So select the tools and platforms that the people you sell to are already using.  That way, you simply have to conntec to the existing network and let them know you are there versus trying to build and attract them from scratch.
• Leverage the power of compound marketing by funneling your existing messages through the social media tool but adding another component.  If you give periodic customer appreciation discounts or share information with your customers regularly that helps them in life or business, then also disseminate that information via your social media tool and platform with a deeper discount or extended offer to incent your customers to join your social media network and pass the word along to others in their networks. 
• Be consistent.  Once you have followers, friends, connections or whatever the people in your network are called on your selected social media platforms be in touch with them consistently.  The brands, companies and professionals that people remember most are the ones that connect with them most frequently through as many channels as possible.  Make sure that’s you.  

Be Encouraged,

Felicia Joy

E, energy, equals assets.  Are you aware of your energy?

I started thinking about this much earlier this morning as I was exercising and briefly went into a “zone”.  I love that place.  In a zone, intense purpose, focus and results are as easily achievable as sitting on your duff in front of the television.

I have more “mind” days than “zone” days but it is part of my life’s work right now to figure out how to flip that ratio and share it with other people.  I’ve learned enough to know already that a big part of stepping into the zone is your energy. 

Approaching a goal with “mind” is better than not approaching it at all; but approaching it with “energy” can make all the difference in the world in the level and speed of your outcome.  For instance, when I run with “mind” I still get a great workout, break a sweat and finish with an average of 10 minute miles, which is decent.  But when I run with “energy”, I get an even better work out, am drenched with sweat and shave at least 1 minute off of every mile.  Quite a difference.

Energy is the reason why I — a lover of music and dancing — could be totally tired, worn out and sleepy but dance for 3-4 hours non-stop (literally) if someone were to play upbeat danceable music.  For me, music gives me massive energy — and it delivers me to a zone.

Ideally, as entrepreneurs, we wake up everyday with tons of energy, not just physical energy but a “knowing” energy where you feel deep down inside to your depths that you are going to absolutely achieve what you’ve set out to do in business.  When you believe something so strongly and you can tap into the energy of that belief at will, then you’ve found your “entrepreneurial achievement zone”.

The higher the quality of your energy, the greater the value of your assets. Here are a few quick steps to begin evaluating and calibrating your energy:

1. An easy place to begin is simply being more aware of your energy levels and the substance of your energy everyday. 
2. Notice your daily work (and life) results, or outcomes, in relation to your energy.
3. Begin to pay attention to what drags down, maintains and boosts your energy.
4. Eliminate energy drags, manage energy maintainers, build energy boosters.
5. Post a comment to this blog to share what has worked for you with others.

Be Encouraged,

Felicia Joy