We were lucky to catch up with Dre Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dre thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
The first step you need to take to be successful is defining what success means to you. Many of us get in trouble because we let outside entities tell us what success is and what success looks like, and then when we don’t meet that standard, we feel like we have not achieved success. Success is truly standing on whatever mountain top you have been trying to climb, knowing that you worked to achieve whatever goal you were trying to achieve. Once you determine what success means to you, it then comes down to putting in the work. You set the destination and then devise an action plan for getting there. The truth is the plan can change along the way; however, most successful people are not successful by accident. Lastly, all successful people learn from their mistakes. We all start with theoretical or book knowledge on a subject, but in order to have the wisdom it takes to be successful in whatever you are doing, it requires marrying that theoretical knowledge with experience. And during that time of gaining experience, you will make mistakes, but you will never be successful if you continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly. So, if you set your goal, devise your action plan, work relentlessly to execute that plan, and learn from your mistakes along the way, you have the formula for living a successful life.
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?
Dre Smith, a Relationship Coach, Serial Entrepreneur & CEO of Relationship Restored Podcast Network. Dre is a PG County, Maryland native who has gained notoriety for helping launch the acclaimed podcast network Breakbeat Media and producing the hit show on the network, which was awarded Spotifys best new podcast of 2021, the Don’t Call Me White show. Parallel to his success in podcasting, Smith became a well-known relationship coach. Over the past five years, he and his wife Breanna amassed a large following as they took people on their journey of waiting to have sex before marriage and offered advice on building happy, healthy relationships. With the evolution of technology and dating, sliding into DMs on social media, and swiping right on dating apps, dating and relationships have become more complicated compared to generations past. Smith saw a demand among Gen-Z and millennials wanting advice on navigating this new digitally inclined world of relationships. Embracing this need and paring it with his existing skillset, Smith launched Relationship Restored, a relationship-focused podcast network, to share content that helps promote happy, healthy relationships in all forms– friends, family, spiritual, and business relationships. The network launched three relationship-focused shows, with more shows slated to be launched in early 2023. Smith’s mentorship by his parents, who are marriage counselors, coupled with his experiences navigating relationships, has led him to have a unique and powerful voice in the Relationship advice-giving space, and he actively speaks all around the world, sharing that perspective.
The network currently will feature three audio/visual podcasts:
– Worth Thee Wait podcast hosted by Dre and his wife, women empowerment and mindset coach, Breanna “Bre” Aponte Smith is available to stream every Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. EST.
In this podcast, this married couple shares their personal relationship experiences to give practical advice on preparing for your forever person, identifying your forever person, and maintaining a happy, healthy relationship. Dre and Bre abstained from sex for 3.5 years until they were married in April 2021. Now, they are excited to share their personal perspectives to help their audience find someone worth waiting for.
– Real Love Scenario podcast hosted by Relationship Restored CEO and founder, Dre Smith and friendship expert Rhonda Mclendon is available to stream every Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. EST.
In this entertaining advice based show, listeners write in their real life love scenarios and the hosts give their expert advice, offering a man and woman perspective, and how to solve real life love problems.
– For The Gurls podcast hosted by Bre Aponte Smith, Cierra “CeCe” Coston and Angela Hannah is available to stream every Thursday at 6:30 a.m. EST.
This show consists of three married female best friends on three different journeys in their marriages. In this show, the hosts discuss all things marriage, dating, friendship, and family and offer their perspectives on working through specific problems to get the best out of life.
All podcasts are available to watch on the Relationship Restored Youtube channel and you can listen anywhere you stream podcasts. More shows coming in 2023.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Although my focus is on Relationship Restored, my first business with my now wife was a social media and branding company called All About It. My wife now runs the day-to-day; however, doing social media full time for 6 years has allowed me to understand what does and does not work. With that being said, three major things are key to thriving on social media. Great Content, Consistence & Patience. Content is King is a common cliche but it’s true. And the goal of creating content on social media is to create content that people want to share. That is how you grow on social, with people sharing your content. Next, you need to continue to post that content consistently. So many people start off good for a month or two but then fall off. Consistency is key. My wife and I had a Youtube for a year and only reached 2k subscribers. Then in month 14, because of one video, it jumped from 2k to 12k in one month. This example perfectly leads to my last point, which is patience. We hear the term viral all the time, which makes us think that we can have success overnight, but the truth is growing on social media takes time, so be patient. And lastly, as a bonus, batch create. It is tough to remain consistent if you always try to post in the moment. Schedule a time to create a lot of content at one time so that you can schedule it out to post consistently.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think the key to my success is producing great work while remaining professional and pleasant through every experience. One thing I learned is that no matter how good you are at something, more often than not, someone else can do what you do. But at the end of the day, although people want someone who can do a fantastic job, they also wish for someone they feel is a pleasure to work with. So every interaction I have, whether with a CEO or custodian, I give them the same amount of respect. Coupling that with great skills will always keep you employed!
Contact Info:
- Website: relationshiprestored.com
- Instagram: @itsdresmith
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4JqJRD2d6D0X3TqddN9trw
Image Credits
Yogi The Shooter https://www.respectheshooter.co