We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Gaige a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I grew up in a family business. As a child – I had the opportunity to see first-hand the blessings and challenges entrepreneurship provided. I’m a third-generation entrepreneur. I grew up watching my parents and grandparents work extremely hard to provide for our family. They sacrificed their time, their health, and so many other aspects of themselves to secure the freedom and flexibility they desired.
My parents started their first business in 1983 and since then have founded four more. When I was working in the family businesses after college it was my job to oversee customer service and marketing. If I failed there were big implications. I think that’s what provided my commitment to excellence in every aspect of sales, marketing, and reputation management.
2013 I was given the opportunity for more business autonomy when I started my first marketing company. I was still working for my parents, but they provided the foundation for me to have an entrepreneurial journey of my own. Five years later, I was approached by a private equity firm who wanted to expand my company, and the condition of sale was that I serve as national President of the new business entity. So that became the springboard of leaving entrepreneurship and taking my same Texas family values to a multi-faceted conglomerate.
I did well in private equity but missed the freedom and flexibility entrepreneurship. My blue-collar roots held fast and I knew I could bring strategic marketing, data science and out of the box creativity to my fellow entrepreneurs and do so with transparency and white glove service. Thus, Far Beyond Marketing was born!

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

In the last question I shared about my roots. I’m most proud of the fact that as a marketing strategist I bring first hand knowledge of growing a business from the ground up, selling it, and scaling national brands. In my book, the Far Beyond Marketing Guidebook, and now my e course I get to share my unique approach to marketing with my fellow entrepreneurs. My team and I take the guesswork out of marketing by creating customized strategies and implementing collaborative tactics for our clients. We give real time insight, hands on delivery and collaboration every step of the way. I’m one of just six hundred people worldwide to hold a certification through Storybrand. So I get to coach businesses on how to set their company a part from the competition through clear messaging and authentic storytelling. In fact, clear messaging is the first in my “Four C’s to Effective Marketing” . – A process we follow with all our clients.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During my tenure as an executive over Marketing and Technology for a multi-state corporation I was instrumental in turning around a privately owned, family business that had not made a profit in eight years prior to myself and two other leaders joining the team. At the end of our first two years the company made a $1 million profit! Sadly, the board and owners laid off me and the President of that company despite our excellent results. To make it even more calloused – The decision came two weeks before Christmas and I had a young child at the time. Talk about a lack of gratitude! In that moment I knew my time in corporate America was over. I had a choice. Dedicate my time and efforts to building someone else’s vision. Or build a business for myself that lifts up the people I love most – hard working entrepreneurs. My husband supports my goal and at the end of my first year of relaunching my company – My business revenue was six figures. I’ve never looked back. I believe as business leaders our goal should be to leave a legacy, empower others, and strive to never stop learning or growing. The great Zig Zigler put it this say, “If you spend your life helping others get what they want – you’ll never have to worry about getting what you want.” That’s a principal I try to follow in business and I encourage my clients to do the same.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

Yes, I sold my first business in 2018. It was an educational experience. My advice is to take into account family dynamics. Work with a great lawyer you trust and don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you are approached to sell your business there is a unique acquisition opportunity seen by the purchasing party. Don’t be afraid to dig into why they want your unique business. And as always, think about what you want your life to look like after the sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.FarBeyondMarketing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farbeyondmarketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachambergaige
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-gaige-55880826/

Image Credits

Zoe Martin Photography