I found some old pictures and videos at random! It took place when I started recording my social media videos 3 years ago. I had fewer conferences/ camera appearances at the time!! My voice was low as I was a little embarrassed and nervous! I hired two guys, an audio specialist and a cameraman. To help me achieve my goals and my main goal was to be well known in my industry.
- I knew this journey would take years, so I had to practice almost six days a week, 2 to 4 hours daily, reading and watching videos, taking courses. So I paid each one $60k plus Health and benefits, not including tools, cameras, and recording equipment. I traveled with my crew everywhere. Acquired expenses along the way, hotel rooms and travel tickets. It's not cheap to brand and market! Certainly, failure was a possibility! I could have easily failed or lost my patience and my money to say the least. I thought about using an alias name that sounded friendlier than "Ahmed". I was no spring chicken when I started, 47 years young lol, Can I really pull this off? Do I sound ok? Comprehensible? All of a sudden I’m more conscious of my accent! Is my Pronunciation ok? Meanwhile, I’m hemorrhaging money! However, I know myself! I know I will not do things half-ass, that’s just not me! Looking back, I did a quick calculation of total expenses. $150k to $175k was spent per year for 4 to 5 years on personal development, branding and marketing. A total of 700k to 850k, basically close to a million dollars in that time frame! Meanwhile, Im not getting paid. But, I saw the value and for that it was worth the journey! Then I meet other business owners who still believe that it's not important to market??? And may think $2000-$3000 a month is a bit excessive to spend on marketing, branding, and advertisement? it's the other way around. Its more expensive if you dont advertise
- A typical scenario goes like this! When business slows down, fear sets in! Business owners stop marketing and pull back, and that is wrong. In my case, if things slow down, I spend more and more until things get back to normal. I won't stop marketing, in fact I push more ads. At one point, I was spending an additional $4k to $5k on more ads, while rethinking strategies and creating ways to revive my plan. Bottom line is, marketing should never stop. If a business doesn't have a budget for marketing, they need to create one.
- This is your lifeline, your livelihood, the invisible employee that never sleeps, never takes a vacation, doesn’t come with a package of benefits and 401K, the employee, marketing is always in communication with your client 24/7! Rain or sunshine, holiday or work day, pandemic or not, war or peace, marketing is always working for you!! Make room, create the budget, I’m going to go as far as saying borrow money, sell your car, downsize your house but don't kill your business! I say this to say if my business goes down, I will lose my business, my car, and my house. Few people understand what I'm talking about, so the question is how far are you willing to go to protect your livelihood! Sometimes I feel like slapping owners on the face to wake them up haha Believe me, it comes from a place of love! I may not have been the youngest when I embarked on this journey, but I do bring a wealth of experience to the table, and I’m on a mission to share, educate and empower!
Marketing is the cure of any business to thrive and grow, and branding is what your end goal. You will be unbreakable once they recognize you as much as they recognize their close friends.
I believe in myself and my ability in helping others, so now there is no stopping or turning back.
I'm not done yet, Im learning more and having fun helping others everyday.
#branding #marketing #grind #personalbranding
