We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jackie “JP” Phillips a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jackie “JP”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe success is a unique formula for each person. I stand behind that belief because success is subjective and in some cases sensitive to people. My formula for success has been a combination of things based on my view at the time. Currently being successful is building other leaders who understand the importance of collaboration.

For me that means a combination of:
1. Praying about EVERYTHING
2. Waiting for God’s voice
3. Serving with enthusiasm while I wait
4. Taking care of myself from the inside out
5. Having business processes and procedures that are client focused while being profitable
6. Keeping those who work for and with me engaged and empowered
7. Being a life long student
8. Taking strategic risks
9. Being a good steward of my blessings
10. Leading with Love

Jackie “JP”, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a serial entrepreneur based in St. Louis, Mo for almost two decades. I am a Business Coach and Strategist across several industries. My journey began when I was no longer comfortable with the way I was expected to treat people who reported to me. That was a truly defining moment for me, set my soul on fire! I didn’t know it at the time, but that encounter shaped my leadership style and though I didn’t enjoy the moment I’m grateful that it happened. I use prayer, project management, and servant leadership as my primary tools.

I am the Founder and CEO of The Unheard Empire! The Unheard Empire consists of:
Unheard Media: Consulting

Unheard TV: Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Sinclair Broadcasting

Unheard Radio: Live365, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeart, Radio Public, Audible, and more.

Two Comma Society: Small business group coaching

Unheard Institute: Coming soon

I also have beautiful relationships with several brands like The St. Louis Trotters and STL Boxing Academy. I am part of some amazing organizations that include ForbesBlk, National Small Business Association Leadership Council (NSBA), Worldwide Women’s Association, and American Energy Society.

I provide Business Coaching and Strategy in several areas and industries:
-Project Management
-Leadership development and management consulting
-Televison
-Radio
-Real Estate investing
-Podcasting
-International Livestreaming
-Investment collectives/groups
-Government contracting
– Entrepreneurship and startups
-Corporate and executive coaching
– Business Partnerships
Covering industries such as logistics, entertainment, retail, compliance, renewable energy, and more.

My goal no matter what client or industry is to foster discipline, gratitude, collaboration, and growth into the day to day operations. I work closely with my clients to solve challenges that impact the client/customer relationship. I think it is important to build from the inside out no matter what industry you serve.
Everyone wants to be profitable and scale, but the HOW is where the magic happens from my view. I come in and tackle those areas that lead to the greatest impact, from my lens it starts with people. Over my career I have learned over and over again how people are the foundation to success, no matter their job title or position.

My coaching style starts with the mindset. Building a truly solid foundation starts with your mindset. How do you speak and treat yourself? What is your heart posture? How do you listen? How do you handle challenging situations? How do you learn and recieve? What is your relationship with money? How do you view collaboration?
Once we get those things aligned we can tackle the way the business, organization, or department runs…then we can grow.

This style isn’t always popular, especially when a person is failing to move forward in a business or in their career. It’s tough to tell folks to do mirror work and gratitude walk when the bills are behind, but the formula works. You have to shine from the inside out or you spend time chasing and not attracting.

I’m so proud of my career and the lives I’ve impacted. I realize how much of a blessing it is, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m trusted at a level that only God had planned for me, and I will continue to be a vessel.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

I sold a recruiting firm Unheard Recruiting a couple of years ago and the journey was amazing. So many lessons throughout the entire process. I purchased a list of companies from a gentleman who was retiring. He was old school too, which I enjoyed! The business was ran from a list of clients and index cards, that was the process for two decades! I purchased that business for $1,500 almost 8 years ago now. I built a small team, we got in there and made some changes, added some services to the recruiting process such as resume writing, business communication, leadership 101, networking, and a monthly skills focus curriculum. In 2021 we launched Unheard TV and Radio…I have to pause to shout out my Unheard TV Family!!! Once the channel was launched I realized I needed to pivot a bit and started praying about how to find harmony in all that I was doing.

I was coaching an investment group of women in Florida, and they were ready to jump into their first endeavor. After about 75 days of prayer I presented them with the opportunity to purchase Unheard Recruiters. We worked on the details of the deal to ensure we would all be taken care of and in the end I sold the business to them for over $3M. We are all still connected and collaborating! I want to celebrate that for several reasons:
1. Talk about a return on investment!!!
2. This sale was proof that my style/strategy works
3. I got to experience this with other black women
4. Everyone came out on top

I’m extremely proud of every one of us!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I run everything like a project! What can I say I love project management! Project management and a CRM are the tools I use to keep my client relationships solid. We have communication plans that include:

1. The preferred method and cadence of meetings
2. Notes from previous communication
3. We celebrate the wins of our clients, and roll up our sleeves when they need our support
4. We serve from a place of gratitude and forward movement. We treat every challenge and budget as our own. It shows up in our work
5. We become part of the business strategy to grow and innovate
6. We focus on the whole client not just the money making part
7. We show our appreciation at every level

I want to bring attention to items 6 and 7. We make it a point to listen actively and to make note of the things we learn. I mean everything we learn…if a client is starting a yoga class in 30 days we are asking about it. If there is a new safety initiative we are asking how we can help spread the word, and following up in 90 days on how engagement is going. We really listen. We show our appreciation by being proactive, communicating with solutions even if presenting a problem. We show up on time and prepared, yet we are flexible. We don’t take anything for granted, and when the human in us allows things to slip we focus quickly to re-align.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.UnheardTV.com
• Instagram: @unheardtv
• Other: www.Unheardmedia.biz www.UnheardRadio.world TikTok: @weareunheardtv

Image Credits
Lance Thurman Shay Robinson D Cannon Arts