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Don't Play Small: Brand Voice and Confidence for Founders | Do Small Business like a Big Boss · Do Small Business Like a Big Boss Podcast

• speaker-0: I was super energized, I was beyond excited and had a really healthy dose of holy shit. speaker-1: mixed in. What were some of the things going through your mind? speaker-0: Jumping off this cliff speaker-1: you have to have that confidence to not let fear grip you in this entrepreneurial journey. speaker-0: Don't play small. And that means just show up and show up with confidence and don't apologize for who you are. speaker-1: Welcome to Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, where we explore the real stories, hard-earned lessons, and game-changing strategies of entrepreneurs who've moved beyond the side hustle and build businesses that scale with confidence. This show is proudly sponsored by Project Icon. I'm your host, Aisha Jorge Massingil, your small business legal guy. Let's dive in. What up, bosses? Welcome to the latest episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss. I am your host, Aisha Jorge Massingill, your small business legal guide. And today I'd like to welcome Becky Fremall to the show. Our guest today has spent 25 years chasing stories as an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and then walked away from that stability to build her own thing. Becky is the founder of Market Exec, a fractional CMO firm that helps founders and leadership teams uncover their brand voice and turn it into real, measurable growth. She's also the best-selling author of Brand Voice, People Plus Data Drive Results. And these days you'll find her on stages and in boardrooms helping tech, SaaS, and finance companies break down complicated ideas into stories that actually connect. Please welcome Becky to the show. Welcome Becky. speaker-0: Thank you, Aisha, for having me. I'd love your energy. It is on point, my friend. speaker-1: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You know, I d I try not to be boring because I don't want people to be bored with my stuff. So listen, this is the first time that I can say I've had an Emmy Award winner on my show. So this is a big this is a big get. This is a big get for me. So I appreciate you taking the time. I'm an attorney as most people know, and this is my thirtieth year practicing and like you, did it for decades and decades and decades and just decided to walk away. We're gonna bounce around a little bit, but take me back to like What was that moment where you said, newsroom stuff, not for me anymore and started at least even thinking about doing something different? speaker-0: You know, I had been in the business world or I'm sorry, the news world and broadcast journalism for about twenty five years. And I know this might sound crazy, but 'cause it is an exciting job and I will always say it just wasn't that anymore. And after twenty five, thirty years of doing it, I felt that the challenge was the biggest thing that was missing. I kind of started to feel like I had done the same story, maybe just in a different market. kind of the same interviews. And you know, every now and then you definitely would get a really interesting story. And you always met interesting people. But I just felt like there was more I could do. And so I decided to get out of the television world and went into marketing and communication more in the corporate world and really was starting to help people tell their story that in that regard. And I just had a a couple good friends, female entrepreneurs who are just wicked intelligent, smart individuals in my life. And I'm very lucky that I've had the opportunity for them to cross my path and And call them friends, who kept pushing me and were like, Hey, I really think you should do the thing, Becky. You should go out as a fractional CMO. And Aisha, I don't know what it was, but it was scary. And I'm like, my gosh, do I do this? Don't I do it? And and I did and I haven't looked back. I'm four years in and it's just like being a reporter in a way. Like I'm meeting new people, different businesses, different industries that have different challenges. Every day's different and almost brings me back to my journalism days. speaker-1: So you you led nicely into into my next question, which has to do with that, you know, safe job, but then you got this scary dream. And you know, it sounds like you had some really good supports. When I hear people say things like wicked I went to school in New England for a lot of years. So I've always think about my New England days. It's that's wicked good. What was that, you know, like for you navigating those emotions of, hey, like I'm in in this space, I am an Emmy Award winner. And now I'm about to do something totally new and leave that comfort and that success. Like what were some of the things going through your mind? You know speaker-0: Tell everybody at the time that I started this, and even now four years later, that you know, kind of my pitch or my one line of explaining that process was I was super energized, I was beyond excited, and had a really healthy dose of holy shit mixed in. And that combination kind of lit the fire under my back end to get things moving down the track. And then come full circle to a coffee that I just had about two weeks ago and I was talking to this individual, Tom England is his name. He does coffee catalysts all over the Southwest Virginia area where I am. Great guy, loves to connect people, loves to meet with people. And we just had a great conversation. And he said, you know, you said something early in our conversation that makes me realize that you've kind of figured this out. Or like you just that you're gonna find six but you have found success, but you'll continue to. I'm like, Well what's it? Like, tell me what I did. And he said you made a comment that you early on were a little bit nervous and and the the and I'm not not nervous now, but the roller coaster, the highs and lows were really scary. And that you've just learned how to ride that roller coaster. And that was everything. And to give you an example of how I've learned a few years ago, when my clients might be lower, I'd be like, my gosh, batten down the hatches. I told my kids and my family it's the year of ramen, you know, everyone's gonna eat ramen noodles and mac and cheese out of the box, and that is it. And I will give my earlier self grace. I also didn't have four years under my belt at that point. And so what I did is I was very wisely. hoarding money where I could, spending it where I needed to, and that's given me a little bit of a nest now to be able to ride that wave. And so this summer, summers tend to be a little slower. And I was lower on my client list. And three years ago I would have been like, my gosh, bat down in the hatches, buy ramen noodles for the next six months. And instead I did the opposite. I was like, I'm gonna be just fine. I know this is the sales cycle. And I took my eldest son on a trip out west while my husband and our other son went to Denmark for a soccer tournament that my younger son was participating in. And I mean it was like the yin and yang of Raman to international travel and and I loved every minute of it, Aisha, and I was like, Y it's gonna be fine. It's gonna be just fine. And that was when Tom said, I he goes, That's the magic. It's knowing and learning, and everyone does it differently, but how you ride that roller coaster. Wisely so. I'm not like, you know, making it rain or anything right now, but you know, I'm still being careful. But yeah, so I think that's the biggest advice is you've gotta go through it to come out the other end. And so I had to go through the fear and the scare and the my gosh, what's gonna happen next, to now realize in my heart, in my brain, I think I always knew it, but in my heart I was like, I got And that really was everything. speaker-1: One of my mentors who's in the financial investing space, he will always tell people as he's teaching, I can't decide for you what your reaction is going to be when you see red in your ledger. Like when your investments start going red, like I can't tell you how to manage through that emotion. I know for me in this season that I'm in, I'm very much like you. Like it's gonna be okay. I was telling my best friend recently, I'm like, man, You know, I've got some really good things lined up. I'm not sure what Q four is gonna look like. Like what what's my pipeline? And then all of these things that I was planting seeds for just started coming in. And there is you have to have that confidence to not let fear grip you in this entrepreneurial journey and knowing like it's not gonna be perfect all the time. But like you said, riding the wave that the wave is actually normal. And I guess that's that's really the takeaway that The wave is normal. It is not a sign that you're not being successful, especially when you know you're doing all the right things. But before you know that you're doing all the right things, I want to hear about what those first few months of market exec looked like that were not the polished version as you were making the transition. What were you doing to build it? speaker-0: You know, it was systems that I didn't have at that time. You know, you hear a lot of people say it's not always and I don't know if it's and I don't know if it's true or not, I really don't, but it makes sense. Like, you know, it's not the best ideas that succeed, it's the ones that have the strongest systems and processes behind them and you know, that repeatable aspect, which is from a marketing standpoint, I do agree with that 'cause I tell my clients that all the time. But you gotta look at the long game. It's not just about what's right in front of your nose. And so we need to build that sustainable marketing plan and what's r a repeatable process. But it's great to give that advice and it's great to understand it in your field, which for me is marketing and business strategy. But I was like, wait a minute, Becky, you gotta take that same advice for yourself and From an entrepreneurial standpoint, build out those systems. I think one of the biggest things for me was knowing where and when to invest, because to your point, you don't want your ledger to go red, but you you're gonna have moments where you're gonna dip. And I'm like, Where do I dip? Like where where's this money wisely spent? And I would tell you my book, and I did that one with this group called Big Idea to Bestseller. I had just kind of run across them in things like this, multiple conversations, and this guy named Jake who owns it, and I was like, I have so many books in my brain, but I have no time to get them out of my brain. and they were great because they helped me get it out of my brain and on paper. And I would tell you, that was a marketing game for me. I'm not I am not paying the mortgage off book sales. I hand them out, I give them to people, you know. I mean, if I meet someone, I always have books with me on my care. You want a book? If I mean if they if I think they do, I'm not gonna just say it out of nowhere. But the book has helped a ton and I also joined a fractional CMO like accelerator cohort. This organization called CMOX and Casey Stanton, the guy that owns that, he had a system and pro and and a menu of ideas and it really helped. It really did. And it it was not the least expensive thing I'd ever done. And originally I'm like, my gosh, do I have this kind of money this early on? But Aisha, that was it. Like that those decisions were not inexpensive ones to make, but the ROI on both of those decisions, I would do it. all over again. You know, I mean you don't have to write a book or join a CMO accelerator, but you know, you might find something that you're like, my God, girl, am I really gonna spend this kind of money? Like start talking to yourself. You know? and then I did and it worked out. And I'm sure there's gonna be things that I do that I'm like, that's not the best choice. But you know, it's all right. That's how you learn. Like I said you gotta go through it to come out the other end. speaker-1: Yeah, I mean so many good points that you made there, processes and and that's been discussed a lot of times on the show, but it bears repeating. It's almost like physician, heal thyself. Like you have to take your own advice. I'm also in the business of giving advice, giving advice, but like you also have to to do it and I have a wonderful fella that helps me with all of that and keeps me honest when I'm off track with our processes 'cause left to my my own devices, I'm like So so and it it doesn't hurt my feelings when he gets me back on track 'cause that that's what I need. So I think, you know, your point about the processes are really important and and then the investing in yourself and knowing how to to measure that against the potential ROI. But also knowing sometimes you'll fall short. In the sense of it doesn't it's not the home run that you think it's going to be. I will tell you, I have spent amounts of money that I'm not proud of joining all the things because I'm like, and this is the thing that's gonna be the difference. And I'm gonna I because I would fall into the like, you're gonna make that money back in no time. Yeah. So you do have to be careful about that. I've been guilty of that. But I always say like whatever program I've done, I ask myself, was that time well spent? And did I get something out of it that's actionable in my business? And if you can Do that, I think you're good. We're gonna take one quick pause because I want my bosses to know that if this conversation is giving you something, please do me a favor, hit like, follow, do all the things, subscribe wherever you're listening or watching. It costs you nothing. It takes you two seconds, and I would really appreciate it. All right, we're gonna get back to it. Some of the hardest things is like trying to get credibility as a journalist going into a marketing. you know, situation. So how did you go about bridging that gap? You talked about writing the book. Where did that figure into like building authority as you transitioned? speaker-0: No, I would say that authority happened much sooner than the book. The book was I guess it's an authority ploy, but you know, more so when I first got out of broadcast journalism and I moved into higher ed was the first place I went. I worked for a research institution that had, you know, people with fifty-two letters after their names, PhDs, MBAs, all the things, research scientists, I mean, you know, fifty-two syllable words and all of the content that we had to push out that I needed to understand and also needed to break it down in a way that helped other people understand it. And in that process, I would tell you that I learned a couple of things. I learned from other people that the smartest people I've ever come across are the ones who already know and already have the confidence in their expertise and and their intelligence that they're not out there trying to prove it. They break it down for you. They're not trying to throw fifty two syllable words at you because they you can just feel their confidence. They're like, Yeah, I know that. I don't even need to tell you I know that. I'm just I'm gonna break it down and give you the two syllable word. And then, you know, on the other end I also noticed, you know, you can pick up people's vibes. Like one of the things I talk to my clients all about is the Haravian communication model. But it's a communication model where fifty five percent of your communication comes from body language, thirty seven percent comes from tone and seven percent comes from words. And so It's a really important aspect. And I think that is something that I do well, which is reading rooms and trusting my gut. And I got a lot of vibes from people kinda like, Pat, Pat, that's cute. You're a storyteller. And and I was like Yeah, I am. I mean in journalism, even today, even though I know it's getting put through the ringer, is you know, it's a fourth estate for a reason. It's such an important aspect of I could go hold down that's a whole nother podcast, my friend. But you know, it's really important to me. And As I moved forward, when I was at the research institute, they were telling me I should get my MBA. My boss did. And the first time she said it, Aisha, I laughed. And she was like, No, I'm serious. And I'm like, so is my laughter. I was like, I don't you know, I have got two small kids at home. I just changed c you know, made a huge pivot in my career. You know, how am I gonna move forward? Anyway, long story short, we went back and forth. I did it, I got my MBA. And you know, d did I have to go that far down the path to to prove my worth to myself? More so probably than to anyone else, I guess. Maybe the answer's yes for me. But you know, I went through that process and what really all of that did was only build my own confidence, and that's why I think it was most important for me, was to come out the other end and now if I I don't really get it that much, and maybe it's because of the way I carry myself, but you know, I still get every now and like, you're a storyteller. I'm like, That's right, and you are lacking that. Like that is now how I strongly feel with a lot of corporations and a lot of businesses. They think about the data which they absolutely have to have. They think about the brick and mortar and the shiny tall you know, high rises. But at the end of the day, it's the people that you build trust with. And, you know, you always hear that people do business with people they know, like, and trust. Never have you heard people do business with people in the shiniest, tallest buildings, you know, or that thing. And so I feel very strongly that at the very beginning you have to build that strong brand voice that then shares all of your stories that launch from that brand voice so that you can start building that trust and then start building the marketing channels and tracking the data. But there's a I'm gonna slaughter Daisha, I know I am, but there's a quote out there from Abraham Lincoln, something along the lines of if I had six hours to cut down a tree, I would take four hours to sh sharpen my axe. Yeah. And that's the gist. That's the gist. And I think it's really important to really make sure you know what your purpose is. how you're gonna connect with people. If they ask a question, know how to answer it. You know, don't be like, I don't know hey Aisha, what are we supposed to say here? Because then you've lost speaker-1: Yeah, and the communication, I I love what you said. Number one, if I I were the human embodiment of vibe coding, I go off of like the good energy that I get from people. And and I always say, For me, I can give you a ten dollar ten dollar word if you want, but what I pride myself on in the seat that I occupy is being able to break things down so that people can understand it. You have to kind of meet them where you are. And I always say I can flip it either way. Like if you want me to prove that I'm a girl from the Bronx, if you make me do it, I'll do it. I don't like to but I'll do it. Or if you want me to s you know, help you feel comfortable at the board table, I can use all my ten dollar words if you'd like. But I y you also have to be nimble enough to recognize what room you're in and that storytelling piece is so important because it's like otherwise why do people care? No one w no one cares if you're not pulling them in. And so you already Talked about the beginning, maybe the key communication and and maybe like getting the words and the people right. Was there a time where you felt like you had to prove that you belong there? 'Cause you got the the MBA, you talked about all the people with the fancy letters behind their names. Was there a time where you felt like, I gotta prove that I belong here or was it w did it come naturally to you? I think speaker-0: Both and always is gonna be my answer, which is I think it comes naturally to me, but I don't think there's ever a time that's in a completely go away. That you know, you're gonna find yourself in rooms still to the day you die, that you're gonna be like, oof, like someone just throws you off your rock, you know, throws you off balance just for a hot second. What I do have though is the experience a poker face and that I mean it gets to really break it down, fake it till you make it. Like if you're in a room where someone throws you off. I'm not really faking it. I actually do know what I'm doing, but like fake the confidence until you can get back on both feet. Like if they kinda knock you over. Because you know, that's just life. You're always gonna come across people who are empowering and can't wait to collaborate. And you're gonna come across those people who maybe do have a lack of confidence and are always gonna be using the fifty two syllable words to try and knock you off your game. And I think the importance is just knowing that they're coming from a place of insecurity themselves. And it's not probably a great idea to bounce back at them with another fifth fifty-two syllable word, but instead to kind of like envelop into you know, it like include them and let them feel like they belong. Because then they tend to collaborate a little bit better and you can kind of get through that rough patch that you might come across. But I think there's just gonna people be people like that always. But you know, I don't know where my confidence comes from and I don't think it comes from, I'm smart. I just feel like in life I am who I am and life is too short to mess around With bad clients that don't like you and they're bad because they don't like you, you don't like them. I mean they're gonna be a great client for someone else. They just may not be the right client for me and vice versa, I might not be the right fractional CMO for them. But why waste time and energy and money on that? I just show up authentically 110%. This is who I am, this is Becky Fremall. If you like it, let's cruise. If not, that's good. There's like how many millions of people on this earth? You know, so I mean you're good. Yeah. speaker-1: Yeah. I think that that's one of the best things about being a more seasoned entrepreneur is that you just realize like I I just been in this space of saying what's for me is for me. If that client is for me, if that customer is for me, it's for me. I don't have to because then you give off desperate energy anyway, which is a a turn off to people. So it's just like I stand in knowing the experiences that I have. So an example for folks out there is I've served on a number of boards and one of the boards I served on bunch of like millionaires. I am not a millionaire. And so they sometimes use their money as a proxy for their knowledge. And after many years of sitting around this table, I'm like, they don't know what I know. They haven't done what I've done. It's just the money. And then I'm like there was like one person every time that person opened up their mouth, I'm like, they are dumb as all get out. speaker-0: Ha ha ha. speaker-1: But they think because they're rich that that actually gives you know, gives them agency. And so I would just say that as an encouragement for folks out there is like, know what you know what you know. And walk in the confidence of that. And then, you know, combining that with your lifetime of experience. That's why I always say we'll never ultimately lose out to AI. Like AI helps empower all the things that we do, but AI it's never sat across from a table from someone who's just been terminated and is spiraling and you know, how do you talk to them and and that kind of stuff. So that's my big sermon about that. But it's not about me. We're here to talk about you. And so what have you found to be the most challenging part of standing up the market exec over these last four years? W it maybe some things that people didn't warn you about. speaker-0: You know, you might go back to that roller coaster. And again, it's not that no one warned me about it or even I don't know if it's a warning, but just like a hey, this is gonna happen. You know, you might go in the red, you know, you might have those issues. It goes back to experience. People can tell you all day long, you gotta prepare yourself financially. Make sure that you have some savings. Some people re recommended and I'm doing this now, have two bank accounts where every time you get in money you push them to the side for taxes. So when tax time comes around, you're not like my gosh, I don't have I spent all my, you know, income, I don't have enough for taxes. So, you know, just very tactical and like and smart and good advice that I've appreciated. But no one can do it for you. You've just got to do it. And I am in my MBA class, we had a risk taking a class that involved risk taking. I'll put our hands in the air. And then we went through different scenarios. And every time somebody felt like, I the risk threshold's been touched, they put their hand down. And by the time it was done, I was the lone survivor in my class and my MBA class with my hands still in the air. Like things that just, you know, didn't rock my world like they might have with other people. But what was interesting is when it came to entrepreneurship. Don't ask me why. I guess 'cause I grew up in a family where everyone had a W two and they worked for somebody and they got a paycheck every week or two weeks or once a month or whatever it was, but on the regular and I just something about it. And when I finally made that leap of faith, it was kind of just like, you know what? Was it planned? Did I think, overthink, research, all the things? Yes. But in the same breath, it felt like I was like, I'm just jumping off this cliff. You know, so in a way, just know that you're smart enough to do it. I teach, I'm an adjunct at Virginia Tech in the fall, so I'm teaching right now. Yeah, it's it's so much fun, Aisha. I love it. And one of the things that I really share with my students, a couple of things is one, never let one person define you, because I've had bosses, I've had coaches. I've had colleagues who have been so kind and wonderful, but I've had a few that have not been. And it's funny, the human nature tends to like go right to the negative. And why did you say they don't like me? Why don't you? And then you zero in on this one person out of a hundred. So I always make it very clear that they're smart and they're here for a reason. They have something to contribute. And then not because I just want them to come to class. But over the years I have learned that people are going to take promotions from you. There are gonna be layoffs that happen when there's mergers. I mean, there's so many outside forces, but the one thing that no one can ever take from you is your own knowledge and your own motivation and your own confidence. So and I say, Yes, I want you to show up for class, but not just because I want you to show up for class because you should, because these are the things you're gonna take f away from your four years in college or even if it's not a four year college degree, whatever it is that you're learning. From day to day touch points with people, it's in here. No one can take that. And so that is really the biggest thing that helped me early on. When I went through mergers and acquisitions and and one of the the research institute I worked at, they were shutting it down. And I usually there were people there that were lifetime employees. They graduated from high school and just went right into that and had no idea. I mean, just walloped them. And I had come from a news world where mergers, acquisitions, and layoffs happened on the regular. And so that was when it really hit me. I was going through the same thing everyone else was, but I was I always felt better. I was always a little bit of a layer above them when it came to positivity or confidence or motivation. And I realized it's cause it's all in here. Like I just knew I could survive it. And I knew they could, but I can't make them know that. You know, and so I think the biggest thing is the confidence in yourself and making sure you show up for whatever the thing is. Show up for those professional development moments, show up for your mentors and know that you also mentor your mentors. You there that's a constant back and that was the biggest thing I think is making sure that you learn always. And I know it's such a cliche to say I'm a lifelong learner, but I really do believe in that. And I think it's really important to never stop learning. I had a ex boyfriend, can't believe I'm about to quote that said, You're either ripe and rotten or green and growing and I was like, Yeah, that that's a great yeah, I know, right? I just gave it more value. But he's a nice guy. Yeah. We just weren't meant for each other. Just like that bad client, he and I were just not meant for each other. And that was decades ago. But I love that phrase. I love that ripe and rotten green and growing. I just always want to be the green and growing. speaker-1: Yeah, that doesn't mean he's he's not a bad person if he's got some valuable things to share, clearly he has. so that's wonderful. speaker-0: Exactly. speaker-1: you talked a little bit about, you know, process and making sure that some of your foundations are strong. Is there another big business habit around the brand or the storytelling that a a solo founder who has a very small budget might have that they could like steal for the week? speaker-0: Yeah, mean I think the first thing is to know what your purpose is. Your passion is gonna come through and I think that's gonna be something that really helps you sell. And to really know what your own motivator is. And this was another one, Aisha, when I was early on, you know, I've been so overly speaker-1: I've had those. speaker-0: obsessed binders, Myers Briggs. But one of the things that always popped up as a motivator or has popped up over the course of these assessments was that my motivation is altruism. And I remember thinking, Great. I'm not running for Miss America. I'm trying to start a business in a capitalistic nation. Like how do I make that mine? Like how do I own that, lean into it? Because i i it is true. I mean I'm and I will, still will, give away free IP all the time. If somebody wants to know something that I got in my brain, I'll have coffee with them any day, maybe like virtual or in person. That's not gonna change. But you know, I got to thinking about it and I don't know what it was. It finally just clicked one day and I'm like, Becky, this isn't a sales call. You're not like hey, you know, like it's just not me. But it is still a sales call, but from a different motivator, which is I know I have knowledge and expertise that can help you who need these know that you're you're missing this puzzle piece and I can help you. And so I kinda thought about it like, you know, if you see a fish flopping out of water, you know, we've all been given the opposable thumb. Why would you not walk over, pick it up, and throw it in the water? 'Cause you can help it, you can do it. So why would I not help someone who needs marketing, business strategy and then all found it in that brand voice and and narrative and storytelling and so It really was kind of a moment for me. And so I used my purpose, my passion, what motivates me. And it helped my sales. It really did because I wasn't like, I don't know that I ever was like your tie, but I was still just didn't feel right. And now it does. Like when someone gets on a call, I'm like, Yeah, I can help you. Yeah, this is how you know, these are things I can do. And then if if it's the right fit, it's the right fit. I think you mentioned it earlier that lack of desperation. It's hard to get to not do that, but try and know that you've got something. to offer, not to get all woo-woo, but you do have something to offer this world. Know what it is and be proud of it and do it. speaker-1: Yeah, and and I think y a lot of people and I count myself amongst them always worried about I don't wanna sound salesy like that guy. so speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: it is really important to think about, you know, the value that you bring to a situation. But I I wanna just click down a little bit because we were talking a a bit ago about the importance of storytelling and developing your vr your brand voice. How, right? Like Mel Robins will talk about, you know, the five second rule to launching to action. If there's an exercise that someone could do that helps them to discover their brand voice or the key stories in their in their life that might help drive the story they're telling in their business, how would they go about doing that? speaker-0: The the most important aspect is to know that your brand voice is something that informs all of your stories. I think people are like, What's my story? Well, let's go one step below that. How do you wanna show up in the world? And start with that and make it simple, genuine, and consistent. Don't show up one way for this podcast and then go later today on a LinkedIn post and be all buttoned up and very serious. You know, like that you'd be like, I just talked to Becky. She wasn't like that during the podcast. So you gotta be true to who you are and be simple, genuine, and consistent. Those three pillars are the most important aspects. a brand voice. And when you're looking at it for the data, especially someone early in their career that doesn't have a lot of data, you almost can't not have data. It's almost impossible to avoid it. Like if you go to your social media channels, pay attention to who's listening. Do you have mainly men? Do you have mainly women? Do you have people from this geographic region versus that geographic region? Those data points will help you also in finding out exactly who you're resonating most with. Oftentimes it's going to be who you think you're resonating with, but there are times when you're going to be like, I didn't I didn't think about it. My book is a great example. I wrote my book to help people who are smaller. They can't have a full-time CMO. They're not even ready for a fractional CMO. For 15 bucks, you buy my book and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the other two options and DIY it. And so, you know, when I did that, all of a sudden I start getting all sorts of feedback from marketers who were like, I love your book, and I never thought about this. And this is helping me to kind of short my narrative to my C-suite or whatever. And I was like, Huh. I don't even think the marketers is my target audience for that. And it turned out that it is. So pay attention and listen. But I would tell you if anything to build it you've got to come up with a simple, consistent and genuine brand voice and it goes back to being your real self and what your company is. So what does your company do? If you founded a company, there's a reason you founded it. Why did you found this company? What is its purpose? Who are the people that need that? You found a solution, they got a problem. So now we gotta work on bridging it. So that's the biggest. You got a problem or they have a problem, you have a solution, and now you gotta find them. And that's a great way to find them and start looking at some of those data points on social media. speaker-1: Awesome. Okay, we're gonna take one more quick beat. Listen, every business owner who is listening knows that one contract, one client agreement, or one handshake deal can come back to bite you in the you know what. That's why Cedric Andrews has put together a free legal assessment, a quick way for you to spot the gaps before they cost you. Grab yours at smallbiz legal guide dot com. That's biz with two z. It's gonna be in the show notes. So please check it out. How do you think about go about protecting your own time. You've got all these you know, you said the book and the teaching and, you know, CMO or fractional CMO across all these different spaces, especially when you're trying to build and you have all the balls in the air. What are some of the things that you do to protect your own time? speaker-0: I try every morning and I've been kinda lacking lately to do a quick ten to fifteen minute yoga and a quick ten minute meditation. And I know we don't necessarily know each other all that well, but you probably can get an a an idea that sitting still is not something I'm good at. And that's probably the case with most entrepreneurs. That's why you're an entrepreneur. You have that entrepreneurial spirit spirit which is kind of move, move, go, go, motivate. But it makes me slow down and it makes me start my day It's exact same yoga I do, which is so not normally me, but I've just got the flow down and I like it because I'm not always having to like stare at my YouTube video and be like, What am I what am I what tree pose am I do you know, I I just know what I'm doing. But I like to hear her say it. So I go through that flow and then and it's from my lower back because we're all sitting here like this, hunched over, so it kinda gets me to stand up straight. And then I don't know a whole lot about the chakra world, but I found these chakra meditations on YouTube. All these things are free and it was ten minutes and it's all seven. I just pick one and it by time what is it, twenty-five minutes are past, I'm done. And it's a great way to start my day. Because then yes, once the day begins. speaker-1: It's so funny you say that 'cause I oftentimes describe that sensation as well that there I get up pretty early and that's like my time. And I do quiet things like a I do a gratitude journal and I try to get some reading done, et cetera, and then I gotta walk my dog. But it's almost like then everything accelerates like and I know what it's tied to. It's tied to when I open up my dag on email. and I open up a me email and you see the right, like the day just accelerates and you see all the meetings that you have and so for me that morning time is so critical. And I've actually learned I enjoy the quiet. I used to think like, I've always gotta have music going and I love podcasts and stuff, but that first couple hours of just like just walking around in quiet is just beautiful. So that helps me quite a bit. All right, Becky, your time is very valuable, but I gotta ask you the question. That I ask all my guests to answer. When you hear the phrase do small business like a big boss, what does that mean to you? speaker-0: Don't play small and I will tell you I have it over here. I've got a on my side note, I have a little thing that I heard a speaker give one time and she's like it was at a women's conference and she said don't play small. and that means just show up and show up with confidence and don't apologize. speaker-1: I love that. I love that. I remember when I started on my journey and I was like writing in my journal, I got a message and this will be my woo-woo and people can stop listening at this point, but I felt like I got a message from God that said, think bigger. And I actually wrote that in my journal. And this is before the podcast or whatever. Like I was I was like, I'm gonna have this little quiet practice and I'm tired from corporate and it's like, no, now I'm crazy and I'm doing all the things 'cause it was like, No, think bigger. I don't believe in the in the limitations. Any final words on your side about advice or just Words of encouragement for the listeners out there that might be helpful. speaker-0: You know, you just made a comment and it t triggered this thought about like, you know, you're tied in corporate. And I have sitting also to my right here. How and with whom do we want to be spending our time? And I think it is a really good reminder. I have two boys in high school. you know, clock is ticking so to speak. I don't really like to think of it that way, but you know, they're gonna be going away to college in a few years and doesn't mean I'm never gonna see him again. It's just gonna be a new way of redefining that relationship but and spending time with them. But I mean, why are we doing what all anyone, whether you're working full time for someone or whether you're working triple time like we are as entrepreneurs for ourselves, you're doing it for a reason and most of us are not doing it because we love to work twenty four seven. We love what we do and that does create us working quite a bit. But at the end of the day, who are you doing it for and who do you want to spend your time with? And that is what everything you do in your business should point to speaker-1: Yeah. Well thank you for that. As a boy mom, I appreciate it. My boys are a little older, but we still do fun things together. They're they're all out of the house, but I've made sure that I programmed them that they always have to spend time with mom, be with mom a little bit. Becky, this has been an amazing conversation. Thank you so very much for being so generous with your time and sharing some such great advice. Thank you so much. speaker-0: Thanks for having me. I loved it. speaker-1: Yeah. And hey, for my bosses out there, you guys gotta remember you build that dream messy, drill that be dream scared, but you don't ever build it small. We'll see you in the next episode. Take care.