Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jo Ann Herold. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jo Ann , thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have had the idea to write a book since I was seven years old. As a young girl, I kept a journal and documented my daily life with the goal to someday be an author.

As an adult, I also kept a journal, documenting goals, dreams, thoughts and feelings. I studied Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and used the Franklin Covey planning tools. Every year, I had as a goal to write and publish and book, but it never happened! I would just push this goal to the following year.

Finally, I said my goals out loud. I was encouraged by a friend and mentor, Jeff Hilimire, to first, put my purpose and goals on paper. And I did this. Through this process, I decided to publish my yearly goals on LinkedIn and Facebook. In doing so, this it made my goals public and I felt accountable to accomplish the goal of writing the book.

Writing a book is so easy and so hard. The first step I took was to decide on the idea and the theme. Once I did that, I created a “mind map” and from that, put together an outline. The outline was guide that I used to ultimately write the book. Jeff Hilimire, who has also written four books, was my accountability partner. He was writing his 4th book, while I was writing my first book. He and I would text daily on our word count. My average was approximately 1000 words a day. My book is 40,000 words, so it ultimately took 40 days to write. I’d wake up at 5:30 am and start plugging away. I wrote it during the pandemic and the writing process was a respite during a very trying time.

If you ever write a book, and want to publish it, I strongly encourage you to hire a pro for the editing and launch. I hired a professional editor and publishing company, Ripples Media. The smart team at Ripples worked closely with me to make the book more enjoyable to the audience. They cut words, and had me go back and explain areas in the book so that the reader would be better understand the story. They were more than a publishing company, they were also coaches and my shaman as was climbing into the very new territory of publishing.

The book is launching in August, 2022. I feel like I have birthed a baby and it’s truly been a labor of love. The book a celebration of family, friends and colleagues and is called Living on a Smile, and it’s 16 Ways to Live a Big Life and Lead with Love. I am looking forward to sharing it with you!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I never imagined when I started as a frontline worker at McDonald’s as my first job when I was 16 years old, that this would spur my love for serving others and working with iconic brands. I was a STAR–and what that meant was that I was a Store Area Representative and I wore the Hambugular costume and sampled chicken nuggets at the drive through window! Certainly a humble beginning, but McDonald’s really trained their associates and I still love the brand.

This early training encouraged me to get an undergraduate degree in communication with an emphasis on public relations and journalism. And the story comes full-circle, when I get my MBA in international business, I studied in Hong Kong and met with the supply chain team from McDonald’s to learn how they entered China.

I have served as the chief marketing officer for The Honey Baked Ham Company twice. I was also the chief marketing officer for Interface, Inc and helped them globalize and harmonize the brand and marketing. I loved working for such a purpose driven organization. I also served as the VP of Brand and Communications for Arby’s Restaurant Group and loved being the vice chair of the Arby’s Foundation.

I am a big believer in purpose and community. I give back by serving on the board of Covenant House Georgia and am a mentor for LEAD Atlanta. I also love volunteering with Leadership Atlanta. Am humbled to be lauded by the National Diversity Council as Most Powerful & Influential Woman and recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Marketing Association.

Mostly, I love being a mom and wife and am about to become an empty nester when my daughter goes off to nursing school at Auburn University this fall.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe Proverbs 22:1 in that, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.” So much about building a reputation and trust is to help and serve others. Most of this can accomplished by saying yes, and… when someone asks for your help. However, that doesn’t mean saying yes to everything–it does mean figuring out how you can help someone at work or in the community. I love Adam Grant’s book called Give and Take.

As a marketer, there are so many ways to build your brand’s reputation or your personal reputation. I believe in having a strong purpose and mission and then delivering on that everyday. It’s important to articulate purpose/mission/values and share within an organization and celebrate small and big wins. Social media is a great brand tool to showcase your brand’s work and give insights about culture.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Hard work and tenacity are critical to a marketer’s success. Early on, I wanted to learn everything I could about marketing. So much about marketing happens “on the job” and not in the class room. I sought out mentors, such as Dr. Ken Bernhardt, Regents Professor of Marketing Emeritus at Georgia State and Hala Moddelmog, chief executive officer of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. And I found these mentors by cold calling them and asking them to be my mentor (Sheryl Sandberg would not approve). These two mentors became key to my career and early success. I text, e-mail or talk to Ken almost every week. Hala ended up hiring me when she was the President of Arby’s Restaurant Group to serve as the Vice President of Brand.

The lesson learned for me with resilience is that other people are rooting for your success and they are often happy to help guide you along the way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jo Ann Streiff Herold
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joannherold
• Twitter: JoAnnSHerold