Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tameka Anderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tameka, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve worked in the children and family industry for over two decades. I have done everything from the nanny, after-school leader, summer camp director, Sunday school leader, specialty foster parent, youth facilitator, and court-appointed special advocate for youth in foster care. So it’s safe to say I have a little experience in the industry. I got involved in the child and family industry due to my traumatic childhood and my wanting to ensure no child would have to endure the trauma I did.

I started a summer camp one year because I had so many families I was working with.

My goal was to have 15 children and to my surprise, I had 35 because my families had told their friends to come to the camp as well.

The next year I doubled in size and by the third year, I had to have two different camps due to the growth. I was able to double and triple in size each year all without any form of paid marketing. My parents would pay for the next year in advance when camp ended to ensure they had a spot.

I remember one year I was sitting at my desk and I heard a familiar voice. It was the grandmother of one of my campers who had been in my camp the previous year.

I heard her say, “I need to enroll my granddaughter in the camp.” My staff informed her that we were at capacity and that they could put her on the waitlist.

She said, “Where’s Ms. Tameka?” And at that same moment, our eyes locked and she strutted over to my desk where she handed me a registration form and said, “Ms. Tameka, Harmony has always come to your camp for the past few years and I forgot to get here before the cut off time however she will be here next week so find a spot for her.”

She handed me her form with her card information and left the building.

After a brief chuckle, I got with my team and we made it happen.

That next year, I had a vendor spot in the Parenting Magazine Summer Camp Expo and I remember how nervous I was because I was in the middle of two large Montessori schools.

Because I was so new, I felt like people would go to their tables and I would be sitting there lonely.

So I pulled out a brand activation game and within the hour, my table was the most popular table at the event. So much so that the editor came over to me and asked me what I was doing because people were raving about my table.

My registration forms were filled to capacity and I had to put people once again on the waitlist.

This is when I knew I had a love for branding.

So in 2020 when the pandemic hit, I didn’t have a plan in place so my business shut down.

That was a blessing in disguise really because that’s when the concept for Branded: The Agency was born.

Tameka, 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?

My business, Branded: The Agency, specializes in buzz marketing to generate excitement, energy, and anticipation to help our clients make a lasting impact on the world.

We have a six-step process: helping our clients identify their audience, deciding which channels to target, finding influencers to partner with, creating buzz-worthy content, building a funnel then positioning teasers for buzz.

What sets us apart from our competitors is how we strategically place a brand ambassador at our clients’ in-person/virtual events to ensure maximum buzz.

We are all about helping entrepreneurs create a brand that people are excited to hear about and buy from.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We treat our clients like friends. We give them shoutouts on our blog and social media and have fun at their events. As a matter of fact, that is the name of our secret community, “Brand New Friends” where we share stories of what we are working on, hoping to gain knowledge, and just support each other’s journey. Our clients understand when they sign on to work with us, we are going to do everything to ensure they build a brand that others are talking about. We have a private community board and slack group where you chat and post.

When you think of your best friends what do you do together? You laugh, get together, sometimes travel, and most definitely share gossip. So this is what we do with our brands. When you lock arms with others and want to see them win, this automatically creates and fosters brand loyalty.

We have a slogan, “let us help you create good gossip for your business” so this is a way we do this.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

One of the things I feel I do really well is managing great teams who perform well and I believe the only reason I am able to achieve this is by constantly working on myself. I wrote a book years ago titled, “The Confident Leader: Enhancing Your People Skills to Increase Your Influence” because I believe a team is only as good as its leader. So that’s where I would like to start. When you lead a team, remember that you must be accountable for both the successes and failures. You don’t get to pick and choose which one you will own. A great leader owns them both.

So when you have the mindset to constantly work on yourself to be the best leader of yourself first, it makes it so much easier to lead others well. I don’t really like the term “manage” as it relates to others because I don’t think it’s our job to manage other people. Only lead them. Morale will always remain at the level at which the leader shows up for the team. My motto is to become a VIP leader, “Very Into People” and you won’t ever have to worry about morale because when people believe you are into them, they will show up as their highest self always.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brandedtheagency.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branded_the_agency/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HRJ42uu7hRHq5w44HTk6A