We recently connected with Danielle Tucker and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

A recent study revealed that in the speaking industry, white speakers make up to 78% of voices being seen on stages, while only 22% of experts identified as Black, Asian, and Hispanic/LatinX decent. (Source: SpeakerFlow)

This discrepancy has led to some of the world’s most gifted individuals to be unseen, unheard, and underpaid.

Being a woman of color, I’m always inspired when I see men and women in the media who look like me. It became very clear to me that the lack of representation in the speaking industry had to change.

It’s one of the main reasons why I love doing what I do: Running my agency at ProfessionalSpeakerWebsites.com, to magnify the voices of black and brown thought leading entrepreneurs and speakers, by strategically designing luxury brands, websites, and visibility strategies that take them from unknown expert, to booked and highly paid to speak.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2015, when my husband and I got married, sold everything we had, and booked one-way tickets to South Africa to pursue a life of location independence.

Living abroad as a new entrepreneur, I was exposed to the harsh reality that if you’re not intentionally building trust and influence with your personal brand, you won’t attract right fit clients and opportunities.

Hence, I got really good at learning the ropes of online brand and website strategy.

Over time, I began to see patterns that led to more influence and visibility and decided to use these methods to help my clients grow their brand and business too. It didn’t take long for me to transfer these skills.

Now, I run my agency at ProfessionalSpeakerWebsites.com, where I strategically design luxury brands, websites, and visibility strategies for thought-leading entrepreneurs and speakers who are ready to elevate their personal brands, so they can get booked and paid to speak too!

I firmly believe that when you position yourself as a #1 expert in your industry, you greatly increase your potential to attract more right-fit clients and secure highly paid speaking opportunities.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In order to grow my business, I had to unlearn being comfortable with doing everything on my own.

When I first started my business, being scrappy with my resources and time became the norm. I was the marketing department, the sales department, customer service, accounting, and CEO all at the same time I was doing it all.

But as time went on, I quickly discovered that the very skills that helped me get to $5K months, weren’t the same skills that would help me expand to $10,000 months and beyond.

In order to put my business on a trajectory to grow beyond 6-figures, I had to learn that even though I could do everything on my own, it didn’t mean that I should.

Letting go of my PRIDE was the first order of business.

In order to receive the help that I needed, I first had to recognize that I wasn’t the only person who could do what I do. The skills that I learned were transferable. And as CEO, it was my responsibility to prepare my business and future team members to succeed in their roles.

The moment I learned how to delegate effectively, everything changed.

The biggest lesson that I learned from this experience is that you can get pretty far on your own.

But if you want to scale your business to 6 and 7-figures, you must embrace the process of working with a team!

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

Since launching my business, I’ve become widely known as a leading Personal Brand Strategist in the Speaking Industry.

There are a few things that I think really helped to build my reputation.

First: Prioritize your client’s experience!

Word travels quickly when clients have a memorable experience. As a designer, I’ve heard many client stories about less than desirable experiences, while working with other professionals.

I began to ask… Why were clients RAVING so highly about working with me?

It boiled down to one simple thing: DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO.

• Deliver on time.
• Maintain Proactive Communication.
• Truly listen to your clients.
• Do work that brings results.
• And make them feel like a VIP!

People will always remember how you make them feel.

Make them feel like a VIP, deliver outcomes that bring real results, and they will always be your biggest fan!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.professionalspeakerwebsites.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/professionalspeakerwebsites
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielletuckerr/

Image Credits
Nathaly Puma West Elm