We were lucky to catch up with Tollisha Joseph recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tollisha , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

Having previous job experiences molded me for my journey in business ownership. I’ve worked in many industries before deciding to take the plug and become my boss, and the common thread that was revealed to me in all those experiences was the importance of handling people with care. In my final employee role, I was a training expert at a popular restaurant chain. In this position, I was responsible for teaching the newest team members about the company’s policies and procedures and ensuring they had explicit knowledge of the menu items. This position was quite different than any other training positions I’ve held in my previous jobs because there weren’t any benefits from taking on the responsibility. This was a labor of love and care, and those who understood the value of teamwork would appreciate the opportunity to grow valuable team members.

My first lesson was the value of having a good team, even when working independently. Being an employee in the restaurant business is similar to being a subcontracted worker. Although you have a schedule and assigned tasks, you are solely responsible for your production and performance. This level of independence can easily cloud your view of the team and create a sense of selfish ambition. This voracious ambition can create an unhealthy work environment resulting in low production times and low-performance ratings. Having a first-hand view of the importance of having the right people on your team inspired me to think about how teams are developed and what factors should be considered when organizing a productive team.

My second was the value of having good systems in place. During my time at this restaurant, we had a shift in management, and when these changes occurred, the operational systems fell to the waste side. It seemed as if the new managing staff wasn’t working within the systems developed by the company once the rule followers left the building. This lesson has taught me to empower my team to take ownership of their role within the system. That old saying that the system is only as good as the people who follow them rang true in this job experience.

Finally, I learned that taking care of yourself is crucial. The restaurant environment is fast-paced and often comes with a solid start time but a not-so-clear end time. There were many days that I would work three 18 hours days back to back, and I would only have two quick meals throughout the shift. Failing at trying to cope with extreme stress and lack of sleep, I found myself in the bathroom one day, experiencing a major panic attack—this past Nov. I was allowed to share the details of this experience in an anthology titled Sacred Spaces 2: Subtle Shifts for Mind, Body, and Home Transformation, where I broke down how this experience with anxiety changed my life and made me value myself more. Money isn’t the most valuable thing in the world, and having this terrifying experience put things into perspective very quickly.

Now that I am running my own business, I often reflect on these experiences and am so grateful for all the lessons learned. If it weren’t for my time in this industry, I wouldn’t have had the courage or know-how to run a successful creditable business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am The Founder and CEO of The Official Glue, as well as a best-selling author and professional speaker. I began the company with a passion for creating connected communities that truly understand the value of having an effective professional network. The Official Glue is committed to rewriting the rules of networking and adding our Glue to our client’s brand development process. We teach individuals how they can create brand advocacy and affiliations by building a solid referral network.

The Official Glue’s founding purpose is to assist individuals in mastering the art of networking to create more “YES” worthy opportunities for their business. The company specializes in drawing out the natural flow of curiosity within its clients’ prospective audience while removing the need to sell services or products. We offer our clients the opportunity to create curated experiences that will be sure to get their clients stuck to their every word. Through applying our sticky networking strategy to our client’s business development plan. We allow them access to gaining qualified referrals resulting in a reduction in multi-step processes and opening more space to make authentically engaging connections. We’ve led small business owners and organizations toward an increased understanding of how implementing an effective networking strategy can create professional leverage and become the foundation for increased resources and career advancement opportunities. The Official Glue has stuck in the hearts and minds of many since it was launched in 2018 and continues to impact our online and offline communities.

As the founder, I’ve leveraged the brand by using my voice to advocate for The Official Glue’s message of effective networking. With a following of +9k on the #1 social audio app Clubhouse my tremendous efforts on this platform and using my masterful networking strategies I’ve gained multiple “YES” opportunities such as features on numerous podcasts features, speaking engagements for multiple organizations, and a spot in the award-winning book series Sacred Spaces.

The Official Glue is offering the opportunity for others to learn how they can create these types of results through various interactive solutions. In response to the dire need for a “No Fluff Zone” within the Clubhouse community, The Official Glue has officially opened The Biz Playhouse within the app to provide private access to a well-curated selection of industries ranging from financial professionals to social media experts.

I am continuing to spread our valuable message of the importance of creating a strong effective networking strategy on Instagram, LinkedIn, and of course, Clubhouse.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When thinking of all of the “YES” worthy opportunities I’ve been able to experience throughout this journey in business. I can’t say they would have been available without the foundation of a creditable reputation. It is important that The Official Glue and anyone associated with it lives by a standard of care. I’ve built a caring culture that prides itself on providing a high level of service and creditable referrals. Building a business on the sole principle of networking hasn’t been easy. Pre-pandemic, the idea of networking wasn’t as critical as it has become more recently. I recall when I would share my business with people, and they would say how necessary it was for someone else or how the younger generation needed to learn this skill. Times have changed, and more and more, we are concluding that we need to brush up on our networking skills. Since the branded message has remained consistent, we are conscious about leveraging all the opportunities we’ve taken advantage of over the years. Knowing how to optimize even the smallest opportunities allows others to trust us more, and with trust comes a trusted reputation. Consistency is definitely the key to building a solid reputation and recognizing what areas consistency is needed is the glue that locks in the key.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

In this wave of building digital networks, engagement takes president when building brand loyalty. We’ve maintained visibility throughout our social media platforms by engaging with our audience and providing valuable content that sticks. We’re focused on increasing our online communications while providing timely responses and thoughtful replies. Gone are the days when posting pictures and hearting accounts are enough to maintain brand loyalty. We rely heavily on the messaging options built into the spaces where our clients are most to keep our connection current and active. Part of our networking strategy allows us to optimize these built-in systems and utilize them as a CRM. We apply these same strategies to our in-person community within our private messaging portals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theNetworkingStrategist.com
• Instagram: @the_official_glue
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/theofficialglue
• Other: https://sociatap.com/TheOfficialGlue

Image Credits
D.Joseph Photography