We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jae Baldizzi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

Great question.

After pursuing my degree in Business Management & Marketing, I landed an incredible opportunity with a serial entrepreneur who owned a conglomerate of businesses in the Tampa Bay area. They had their hands in everything from a shopping mall to restaurants to theaters to sports teams. As Executive Marketing Director, it was my responsibility to manage all aspects of marketing across the organization’s businesses and work with a small team to execute the vision.

After a few years in the office, the spark turned to a flame that burned a desire for more.

It wasn’t until I was talking to a successful businesswoman who was helping me with accounting stuff. I mentioned I wanted to start my own business, but was scared to take the leap. Her words?

“Once you have the tools in your toolbox — take your toolbox and run… I wish I would’ve done it sooner.”

It wasn’t really the *right* time in my life, but her words resonated and the universe followed, laying the path complete with a guiding star. A short time later, RELI was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Jae, Owner of RELI Marketing.

RELI’s mission is to help small businesses navigate the digital landscape with ease. We specialize in providing strategic marketing solutions centered around consumer psychology and data-driven decision-making. From social media management, photography, advertising, website design, SEO, and more, we’ve got you covered!

My journey began behind the scenes at a production company, where I had the opportunity to collaborate with an amazing team and put glorious time and effort into what boiled down to a 30-second commercial… I was hooked!

As I moved on to pursue a degree, I picked up some gigs working with small business owners developing marketing strategy, designing websites, and building a following on social media.

It wasn’t long before I was swept into the tide — Now, I’m grateful I get to spend every day helping business owners establish their digital presence, build trust and credibility with their audience, and bring their brand vision to life.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Build meaningful connections — Connect with other professionals on social media, join your local Chamber, and get involved in your community.

Building relationships helps you build trust with others, which can lead to referrals, partnerships, and access to opportunities you would not have had otherwise.

Fear gets you nowhere. Just do it! The worst that could happen is you get a few “no”s.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

All of the above! Though I mix a little bit of everything into my practice, there are a few main things that have significantly impacted my entrepreneurial philosophy and helped me progress:

1. Build meaningful connections
My mom used to quote motivational speaker Jim Rohn and say to me, “You are an average of your closest five friends.” So, I’ve always surrounded myself with people who are going to motivate me, support what I am doing, and lift me up.

2. Consume the right content
This isn’t just true for the people I surround myself with, but also for the content I consume. Think about something as simple as your Facebook or Instagram feed… What does this look like? Is it giving you value? Or are you just mindlessly scrolling? If it’s the latter, think about a spring cleaning of your socials!

When I want to learn more about something, I join Facebook groups, follow Instagram pages, and tweak my algorithm to show more content that features what I want to learn more about. After a while of consuming this content, you’ll notice a difference in your day-to-day life.

3. Read a book or two
There have been a few instances where I am feeling room for growth in a particular area. Whether this be general entrepreneurship, marketing, communication, or anything else…. I find a book to brush up on my skills. It gives me the confidence (and provides the extra boost of motivation) I need to get the job done.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://relimarketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeywithreli/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JourneywithRELI/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/journeywithreli/

Image Credits
Pictures: The Molloy Hotel photoshoot for social media content, BTS for photoshoot to capture headshots for the City website and social media, Event for Sundial St. Pete, Great American Teach-In 2022.