We recently connected with Amber Owens and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
When I created BrandFelt Activation the only thing I was certain of was that I wanted people to really “feel” the brand and businesses I worked with. In the beginning, I did not have the “right” messaging and marketing but I had the drive to help brands get “felt” through their marketing to increase sales and awareness ( hence the name BrandFelt Activation). I started how any other person would start, I did random marketing services for friends or family that involved marketing. This helped me to figure out true market needs and what I was best at. I also at that time had been in corporate marketing and advertising for about 10 years so I easily transferred that knowledge over to small business. I believe I serviced about 5 clients for free before I started charging the low price of $1000 to plan a full event and market it. One thing to mention that I did that led to me scaling my business was doing various gigs to not only maintain bills but to also learn new skills and create opportunities.
Throughout this time I always changed my prices, service inclusions, processes, and other things because with each new client I would learn something that I can improve on. I encourage anyone who is reading this to be ok with daily improvement while you are building and scaling especially if you are a service-based business. With each client, they will unlock a gap within your business structure and it’s up to you to improve on it.
After going through this process for about 2 years I finally realized that I was the problem of why my business wasn’t growing. I kept trying to wear all the hats in my business, leading to fatigue and burnout. Once I decided to let go and ask for help things started to change. I hear many people say ( and I said the same thing) that they do not have the money to hire a team. Well, I challenge you to go through your phone, look at each of your contacts, and identify what they do at their jobs. Then, look at what you need help with within your business and match the two. This is exactly what I did. I looked at my current resources for leverage. Even as something simple as setting up my Gmail account or helping me update my website, my first team was people I already knew.
As I continued to ask for help my mind started to become open to new possibilities. I was able to be a high-level thinker and create opportunities to grow. Now, the building phase is not easy if you haven’t already noticed. I lost money, people, and sometimes even lost myself but what I never lost was my faith. My faith and trust that the business was going to work was my motivator to get through the hard times. I think some of my worst struggles had to be with onboarding clients that weren’t in alignment ( let’s be honest, I only took them because I needed the money) and not having true processes in place to run a smooth operation.
Now fast forward, my business trajectory is doing wonders! Why? Because one, I defined what success looked like for me and my business, two, I understand and accept where I am weak and I ask for help in those areas, and three, if I do not know something I begin to research before complaining. And last but not least, I always shoot my shot. I do not let opportunities go by. The worst that can happen is they say no and well, I’ve heard that all my life.
As a bonus tip, while you are scaling your business work on your mindset. Our minds for the most part are the true reasons why we may feel unsuccessful. If we don’t have the resources for something, let’s train our minds to create a plan to get the resource. Where there is a will, there is a way.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Amber Owens but I go by Amber the Activator. I am an entrepreneur, speaker, dancer, and all-around success activator. I am a living example of how a person can redefine success, defy all odds, and activate a life of their dreams. I am the proud founder of BrandFelt Activation, a company designed to take your brand center stage by creating revenue-driving and unforgettable brand experiences that help attract and retain customers and boost brand awareness. I started this company while working at a top marketing firm and noticed that small businesses are not being seen. They want to be that “go-to ” brand but are lacking an industry difference that will set them apart and will put the spotlight on them. We work with brands by auditing their current marketing efforts and developing marketing strategies with execution plans. We work hand-in-hand with your team to ensure you are equipped with what you need to get to the next stage of your success.
I am also the visionary behind ActivateLIVE, the only real small business one-stop shop where you can get direct access to brands and people who will take your business to the next level. This expo experience is for founders, CEOs, and everyone in between who is looking for tools and resources to scale. ActivateLIVE is also an opportunity to extend your knowledge in marketing, wellness, and business foundations.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In the 5 years, I’ve been operating my business, I believe the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been creating partnerships. Before I went full-time into entrepreneurship I worked in corporate marketing and advertising where I did some sponsorship/partnership opportunities for brands. I was blessed to see from the inside of major companies what the power of collaboration really brought to a company so I decided to leverage that knowledge. I remember I would go to coffee shops and take 30 minutes a day to brainstorm the type of people and brands I needed to be associated with that had direct access to my ideal clients. An example of a partnership I had was with an event venue owner. This particular venue hosted a lot of business-type events and I partnered with them to be a preferred vendor if people needed help with marketing. For me, this was more lucrative than posting on social media or sending emails because I got to leverage the brand loyalty of another company to increase my visibility and credibility. Whether you are product or service-based or online, adding partnership to your marketing strategy is a key factor to growth.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A hard lesson that I had to unlearn was the statement ” I can do it all and no one is better than me”. Whew! If you are anything like me I sometimes think it’s faster if I just do it. Well, that’s not always the case. If I am always doing something, that means my business is stagnant. I am focusing my attention on other things versus growth opportunities. I had to realize and accept that I need help to succeed. Yes, I can reach a monetary goal by myself but to sustain it while living in peace is a different story. I challenge you to dig deep into why you do things the way you do them and analyze if it’s helping you or hurting you.
Contact Info:
- Website: ambertheactivator.com
- Instagram: @ambertheactivator
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberjowens
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChIBF1rX_2HaIiCtiTcXW7g
- Other: FanBase- @ambertheactivator
Image Credits
Belle Rouge Photography