We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nisha Patel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nisha below.

Alright, Nisha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

I believe one of the biggest challenges we face in the Public Relations and Marketing industry when it comes to profitability is the fact that many business owners don’t understand the value it brings to their company. We have all heard the saying that “Marketing is expendable,” but it’s simply not true. Without PR and Marketing, no one would know that your company exists. I cannot tell you how many times I have quoted for a PR and/or Marketing project and have heard – “oh, that’s too expensive – I mean, how long does it really take to post to social media or draft a press release.” It does get quite infuriating that business owners know they need it, but don’t want to pay for it. Marketing translates to sales which essentially translates into growth for the company.

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?

I am a PR and Social Media consultant based in Greenville, South Carolina. I focus on helping busy entrepreneurs dominate their industry by positioning them as the experts in their industry through storytelling. This way they can get back the freedom to enjoy what they love most. I believe my experience as an on-air reporter for a decade puts me in a unique position to help entrepreneurs tell their story. Most small business owners and entrepreneurs in general are busy focusing on working in their business because it’s their expertise that they don’t understand the power of storytelling. I am most proud of the work I do for women-owned businesses. I believe every woman has a story to tell and more need to get that out there. If a client decides they want to work with me, I will be with them every step of the way and help them grow their business!

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

One lesson I had to unlearn is that growing a business takes time. While some part of me knew this, I guess I truly believed that if you build it, they will come. Well that was the case for the first few years of business, but then business dropped and I had to figure something out. So, it’s been almost a year since I built my website and started my social media channels. And while growth isn’t as fast as I want it to be, I know that it’s working as engagement continues to grow. What’s funny is that I tell my clients that all the time! Growth takes time, but of course when it comes to your own business – you want it to happen overnight.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

As I mentioned above, I actually only started building my social media audience less than a year ago. I had zero presence on social media even though I was offering social media services to clients. But, I feel great about how my audience continues to grow. Of course it is slow growth but I’m okay with that. I would rather have a small audience who is engaged versus a big audience who just follows me for the sake of following me. My advice to those who are looking to build their presence on social media is to consistently post! I cannot tell you what a difference posting at least 2-3x a week can truly help you grow and be seen. There is something about that algorithm that affects the way folks see you or even find you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.npatelcommunications.com
• Instagram: npatelcommunications
• Linkedin: npatel-communications

Image Credits

Ian Curcio