We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cleo Franklin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cleo, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I feel very lucky to have been born to very supportive parents. My mother and father were extremely supportive of my pursuits and aspirations, as well as my brothers and sisters. They always provided leeway for their children to figure out on their own the answer(s) or solutions from school-related, personal development, personal spats, and life, in general, growing up in our household. For example, my father had a quote that resonates with me today that best illustrates this philosophy and it is, “You may be my dependent. But I will be damn if you will be dependent!” For some, that would be seen as cold, or hardcore, but for me, his real-talk perspectives helped me cultivate the power of resourcefulness, independence, and grit. From his teachings, I learned the powerful skill of “self-support first” which is something I have passed down to my children. In my executive coaching and mentoring business, I also share these learnings as well with leaders (and aspiring leaders) who work with me in my businesses. My parents taught me to be supportive and to assist as best when someone is seeking help. However, they also taught me the difference between helping someone versus providing them the solution to their problem, as the goal is to assist others to help them solve and find a solution for themselves. The magic in this process is to assist, support, and more importantly, empower, and once someone is empowered, there is no stopping them in the pursuit of their goals. “If it is to be, then it is up to me” a quote my mother often repeated to us growing up…crystallizes this lesson and epitomizes a powerful lesson that my parents did right in my upbringing.
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?
I developed my global business and brand consulting business, “Franklin Strategic Solutions” from the thirty-three years of international business executive experience I acquired working for three major agriculture companies – John Deere, Case-New Holland, and Mahindra. My experience took me across the world developing business growth strategies, marketing, branding initiatives, launching new businesses, and turning around struggling units with a focus on taking these business operations to new levels of performance. This extensive background and exposure to many businesses at different levels and growth stages help set the core of my current business focus and the value that I promise to my customers and partners. That focus is to develop and deliver business strategies that include purpose, performance, and profitability you and your customers will be proud of. This approach is backed by my ability to identify not just the right things to move the needle of a business, but to build a strategy that is based on doing the right things right…and that is what differentiates me from other consulting businesses I compete with. From sales operations excellence, marketing, and brand strategies, to organizational development and professional development training…my services are made to fit your need, and the customers you serve by providing them with what they need, and more.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
My two business leadership books “Coffee with Cleo” and “Lessons from our Mothers and Fathers” are filled with stories of personal and professional resilience from my personal and professional life experience. However, there is one story that is based on a quote I subscribe to in life and that is, “It is better to be directionally correct than precisely wrong.” I have found that many business leaders and owners often will not move until they have all of the answers to a problem before and will not make a move or take a risk until this happens. They will do this regardless of the time and sometimes money to feel comfortable, which I understand. But, what I have found over the years with my business experience is that it is okay to have not all of the information. The key is to have the right information about the right things that matter for you to move on. Time waits for no one. It is a valuable commodity we can not keep and is lost when we wait for the best conditions, and often for all the data. The goal here for business is to take what you have, start a pilot, test the market, make a purchase, or expand into a new market. This allows you to control and manage risk(s) on a smaller scale, but also amass big learnings for you to move forward and scale up bigger and smarter! Waiting for all of the information takes time and the window of opportunity will not wait for you. Windows of opportunity never get bigger, as they only get smaller as you wait! That is why you need the vital few elements and do all you can to avoid “boiling the ocean” for a solution because this takes time, and resources, as the ocean, is too vast. Just focus on the key elements, scale your risk downward, and take action. And from there, learn as you move with what you have and adjust as you go. The goal is not to become stagnant and to keep on moving forward with what you have, while learning at the same time…which teaches you resilience and the ability to apply your new learnings while you build on your journey toward success.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My reputation is based on not serving a big market of consumers. Yes, I would love to have more customers, but my goal is to have satisfied customers who are excited to do business with me. My brand is built on serving a smaller number of consumers…that I can provide them with exactly the services and business solutions they are looking for. But more importantly…something more than what they expected and that is the basis of my business approach. Why? Because the result builds a small customer base who will speak broadly, loudly, and boldly about my services. This provides more than a segment of satisfied customers and the benefit for me is an advocacy and amplified voice that will not just do business with you, they will also share their business experience with Franklin Strategic Solutions with their family, friends, and business colleagues in their network! It provides my business an extension of my business that is backed up by their personal experiences with doing business with me…and that is something I am passionate about and proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://franklinss.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleo.franklin.75
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleophus-cleo-franklin-jr-b351b82/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CleoFranklinJr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqPuyFomq0_IhnfqdwGDpw
- Other: www.coffeewithcleo.com https://www.morningside.edu/campus-life-and-arts/campus-activities/leadership-development/franklin-leadership-foundation/