We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Derricka Harwell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Derricka, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
My company services education to a specific group of people who would have otherwise never had the opportunity to receive this education. Financial Literacy has been put on the back burner in my culture and community. It hasn’t been taught in schools (middle school, high school or college level), however the expectation of being successful financially was automatically assumed. My company fills in the gap and provides education, and opportunity for growth from a financial perspective.
Dr. Derricka, 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 got into my industry after working for several major financial institutions in corporate America. Seeing both sides of being financially literate and not, was heart jerking, gut punching and shocking to say the least. It didn’t take me long to realize a lot of financial / credit related mistakes that occurred with most adults within a specific demographic were mainly due to lack of knowledge. I am proud to say my business fills that gap and creates that bridge for so many people. With my online academy Harwell Webinars.com we offer an array of webinar courses that include education on everything from credit education, investing educations, business credit and so much more… and our company BeautifyCredit.com also assist with credit restoration accompanied with it’s own series of education for each client.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
A time where I had to learn to pivot in business would definitely be defined as a time I’ve “failed” for lack of a better phrase. The great things about failure is that, it’s your greatest secret weapon to success. I remember a time where I had just started my business and I wanted so much to make sure I pleased EVERYONE. I would schedule a phone call with each and every single client during their onboarding process and go over all the things needed to get started on their credit restoration. Well, my service was so good that my next sale on my services led almost 100 new people to my program the very next day! When they came on board, it was too much to keep up with and schedule their calls, I easily lost track of who I already called and those 45 mins with each person consumed the entire day, which held up the production of the actual work that needed to be completed. People complained, and I heard things like, give me my money back,,, that;s why I don’t support black businesses and so much more. Very few people had grace with me as I got through the growing pains of being a business owner. I learned I needed to hire quickly, and I also introduced myself to the wonderful world of automations. So now, when my clients signed up, their onboarding process included a video from me (video because I learned many people won’t read the instructions) , that provides the next steps, what to expect ,and additional education to assist them on this repairing journey. Once they don’t open it, they receive a text message reminding them how excited my company is to work with them.. and if they open and they don’t complete it they receive and email and text stating the same. Now, I can reach so many more people and provide the experience that I know everyone deserves which is nothing less than excellence.
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
As a 100% remote company/ virtual company, we keep in touch with our clients using our software messaging system, emails, and our text/ email automated system that provided information and education to our clients on a weekly and biweekly basis. Because our clients have ” challenged credit” we assure that they are educated within this process so that they never have to be clients again. Fixing credit is one thing, but educating so you never have to fix again is another.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BeautifyCredit.com, www.HarwellWebinars.com, www.DerrickaHarwell.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/drderrickaharwell
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MrsDerrickaHarwell
- Linkedin: Dr. Derricka Harwell