The Exchange Podcast
By The Exchange
The Exchange PodcastApr 09, 2021
Avery Hicks | The Exchange Podcast #8
Married, Father to three grown adults. Managed automotive dealerships for 30 years before starting my own company. Ceo, Avery Hicks & Associates, Sales & Leadership Company, Co-founder, Get Your Ready On. 'Get your minds ready for a.c.t.i.o.n.
Marek Cornett | The Exchange Podcast #7
Marek Cornett is a wife and mother. From strategy to implementation, she guides her clients as they look to find their target markets. She specializes in social and digital media advertising, social media strategy, advertising strategy and social media training.
Show Notes
1:40 MIN The moment she discovered she was pregnant with triplets.
5:20 MIN Biggest changes in life with four children.
7 MIN Meeting her husband on Twitter.
8 MIN What it was like to grow up in Pawnee an only child. Small town life set her up for her career in social media management and building communities online.
10:30 MIN How her passion for spreading a message makes her an ideal social media advertising partner.
12:50 MIN How her education has always come from experience instead of formal learning. It's accessible for anyone. There's a lot of information out there on YouTube and I have blog posts available for anyone who wants to learn.
14 MIN Just hitting "boost" on a post is not going to yield as great of results as really digging in and targeting the right people. Ads manager is going to give better results. You can target specifically, like past customers or an email list or anyone who has interacted with your page in the past.
16:20 MIN You don't have to just take a shot in the dark to target the right people on social media with your ads. Lookalike audiences, for example, are a way to find people who are more likely to engage with your content or purchase your products.
20:50 MIN The process of moving from organic social media management to advertising.
24 MIN Breaking down a specific strategy to social media advertising.
26 MIN What to do if you don't have a budget yet for hiring out your social media advertising.
28:50 MIN How to consider the purchasing stage of everyone who sees your posts.
33 MIN Is it a good engagement goal or is it just your ego?
38:30 MIN An ad agency mindset can be tough for family life. But it doesn't have to be like that. It can be really meaningful work but at the end of the day spending time with your kids.
39 MIN Now being more than a year into owning a business, what kinds of things do I do to keep growing without spreading myself too thin?
42 MIN What specific services are offered by Alaine Digital?
Corey Patrick White - The Exchange Podcast #6
Corey White is a TEDx speaker and is the Partner and Senior Vice President of Future Point of View. In this podcast he sits down with Exchange host Heady Coleman to talk about the future of journalism, how saying yes can change the trajectory of your life and how our connection to information can make us better every day.
7:50 MIN The experience that ignited his interest in journalism (even though it was embarrassing).
10 MIN The state of local news is dire. There's a void that needs to be filled in journalism. The fourth rail of democracy is journalism and that's starting to crack. We must repair that so we can hold people in power accountable.
12:50 MIN A potential fix for the problems the news industry is facing right now.
14 MIN How Corey got involved with Future Point of View
16:30 MIN Future Point of View is a digital consulting firm. They help organizations use technology to benefit their customers, make them stronger and gain market share. They also educate leaders on how to use technology to strengthen their organizations.
17:45 MIN Journalism trains you to learn something and tell that story to others. That transitions to any job in any industry.
19 MIN Digital tools touch every area of your life. Everyone is a leader in their own space. Wherever you have influence, you lead.
23:10 MIN The leaders at Future Point of View are very community-minded. Being more involved in the community and saying yes to those opportunities can be transformative.
25:30 MIN Everyone enjoys sitting on the couch doing nothing. But when you begin to say yes and do things well, more people ask you to take on more responsibilities.
28 MIN What is algorithmic bias and how does it impact decisions?
31:30 MIN How saying yes to one opportunity led him to speak on the TEDx stage. You can start something and not see where it's ultimately going to go.
33:30 MIN The internet makes it easy to become an expert. You can research your way into a new opportunity.
36 MIN We have the unique opportunity to learn while we do almost anything else. Why waste time? Use your commute to learn something new.
https://coreypatrickwhite.com/
Josh Dean | The Exchange Podcast #5
Josh Dean is a photographer and graduate of "the school of YouTube." Even though his field is notoriously competitive, he believes strongly in helping other photographers thrive.
7:53 MIN I started doing photography back in 2011 part-time. About a year and a half ago I finally went full-time in my photography business. I primarily focus on high school seniors, branding portraits and a subscription for people who need social media photography.
11:07 MIN I was into music for a while but realized it wasn't really my passion. I was always intrigued with my ex brother-in-law's camera so I bought a Nikon in 2011 and just got started.
15:37 MIN I got my camera and went to what I call "the school of YouTube" and just learned as I went. I taught myself to use the camera, Lightroom and Photoshop.
16:52 MIN The most challenging thing about what I do, like many others, is marketing. Getting my name out there. Photography is competitive. It's hard to ask for help in the beginning because of that. As I grow, I want to help solve that problem by mentoring other photographers and help them grow. If we work together there's plenty of work out there for everybody. If you help someone else it will come back ten-fold.
20:00 MIN I used to be so shy that I would never consider networking. Reading "Do Hard Things" and learning about Mel Robbins' five-second rule has helped me to just get over my fear. Just count down five, four, three, two, one and just do it. I wanted to legitimize myself so I had to just join the Chamber, get out there and make it work.
23:20 MIN Most people join the Chamber or The Exchange or any community and don't put anything into it, it's not going to work. You can't just expect to get stuff out of it if you don't put anything in. You'll be disappointed if you go in with expectations. Just go and ask how you can help other people? That mindset is best.
26:43 MIN A 9-5 pace was never for me. I like to go to the gym, get some work done at a tea shop, go to a shoot and then probably get a little networking in.
27:50 MIN The hardest thing for me was getting started. You can Google but it's helpful for someone to hold your hand through that. To overcome that, find someone you trust and you can ask.
Rob Allen | The Exchange Podcast #4
Rob is a grateful husband, dad and grandfather. He is inspired by the impact of leadership and offers 30 years of insight as a pastor, counselor, non profit vp and community volunteer. He is COO and co-owner of Easy Time Clock Inc and passionate pastor of Harmony Community Church. He is zealous about helping organizations and people develop to be the best they were designed to be. As member of the USAF Auxiliary, The Civil Air Patrol, he served as the squadron commander for the Oklahoma City unit. In 2019, he was honored to receive the OKCYP Leadership Impact Award. He also loves painting in oils and playing his Taylor guitar.
2:30 MIN I was raised by a loving single mother. She loved me to death but it was a dysfunctional home. I grew up in poverty. I moved a lot and later joined the military, went to grad school and did seminary work. My early goal in life was to be middle class. That was my goal.
5:30 MIN I did a Bible study that ended up with me starting a church. I stayed in ministry full-time until I was 42 years old. I went through a divorce. I have an amazing story of overcoming. I'm remarried and have grandchildren now. I'm back to part-time ministry so it's really full-circle.
8 MIN I even lived with my science teacher a couple years. They lived the lives I really wanted. Some people live in tough environments and never rise above it. I don't know why but I did.
9 MIN The value system I received from those people who invested in me had a huge influence. Sometimes miracles come by getting a scholarship for being the brightest. I was not that person. But the people around me built in an awareness that I know it works to meet someone who can model something positive, show you you're valuable and worth something. I delight in that if I can help provide hope for someone else.
11 MIN I've had the opportunity to talk about leadership. Entrepreneurs are in a unique setting because without that corporate environment, they're really leading whether they want to or not. Successful entrepreneurs have to figure out how to lead on the fly.
12:40 MIN There's no doubt my success comes from investing in others. There's a real regard for mentorship in our culture. I see men and women who have a great interest in spending time with more experienced people. Chambers are great places to do that.
15 MIN I have philosophies I've had to learn. Anyone can lead. There's been some misinformation about who leaders are. They're not the biggest chest or the deepest voice. Leadership is simply influence. Any time you can influence the world you're leading. Everybody can do that. I've read a lot of John Maxwell. I've taken guys to lunch who I think are successful so I could just listen to them.
There are five behaviors that kind of define leadership in "The Leadership Challenge" by Barry Posner and James Kouzes:
Model the way. Live by principles, seek to be an example of something good you want to see in other people.
Inspire shared vision. Bring your passion about your subject to the table and share that with people.
Challenge the process. Look for something that needs to be more excellent and that moves people to empowerment as they see things they can improve.
Enable other people to act. Foster collaboration among others.
Encourage the heart. Celebrate accomplishments.
You don't have to be the biggest, best, brightest person to do these things.
21:30 MIN I was told by a counselor I need to be better at self-efficacy. One of the hardest things for leaders to do is to choose which direction to go. You have to go to your center and dive in. That was an awakening moment for me. We have a lot of choices in life and we don't get a lot done because we won't choose.
Join The Exchange
Jantzen Miller | The Exchange Podcast #3
Jantzen Jolly-Miller is a growth coach, business consultant, and speaker who helps Christian women create real breakthroughs for their personal and professional growth. As a practical encourager and strategic partner, she champions entrepreneurs to remove barriers to their success and grow their impact, leading to improved intentionality for their health, family, business, and community.
Follow Jantzen on Instagram. Here website goodness is jantzenjollymiller.com.
Now while you're over on Instagram following Jantzen, you should follow us too @theexchange.community.
Show Notes:
2:20: NET (No Extra Time) time is how I take advantage of every moment of downtime for personal or professional development.
4:45 Facts tell, stories sell. I am a marketing consultant and those lessons translate into many other things I do.
6:00 If you’re not growing young as a church, you’re growing old and as dramatic as it sounds, eventually your church will die. I use my professional skills and mold it with my faith to help churches utilize social media, create content, updating their website and community outreach communities so they can connect with a broader audience.
7:30 Marketing doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. It’s all about being authentic and showing who you really are. People remember brands that show a personality and people who show who they really are.
8:15 First, discover your target audience and get really clear on that. From there, do a checklist of every problem you solve for your target audience. What’s every win, excitement or celebration they have? Build your content out based on pain points and opportunities.
11:45 Don’t go deep on a platform unless your target audience is there. You don’t have to have a picture-perfect catalog anymore online. You should show up authentically. But you don’t have to put it all out there. You teach from your scars, you don’t teach from your wounds.
14:45 View everything as an experience. Let go of the expectation of going viral or having a certain number of followers. The point is to try something new on a free platform for yourself or your business. Unless you’re paying for advertising, you don’t have to hold yourself to some expectation. You can just not be too attached to the outcome and experiment.
22:30 I learned a lot about teamwork from high school sports. When you treat everyone with the same amount of respect, that’s where you really build loyalty and trust.
26:20 I came from a banking career and there I always felt like I had to put on a front. I knew when I went out from that I would want career built on authenticity. If you only spend time with people who are scared and small, you will become scared and small. Spending time with people who are themselves and who are slaying the dragon, too, that makes an impact on who I am. The worst case scenario is failing publicly so I know I need to be around people who say that doesn’t even matter.
32:00 Millennials care about impact and give more than a lot of other generations. It’s in-line with a lot of what churches would want. But there’s a disconnect there.
45:00 I just want to help churches see those opportunities right in front of them and really create action plans to grow and build the strategy for them.
46:15 You should be looking at your “why” often. That will help you to put your energy toward your goals. You do what you can and God will take care of the rest. Even if you fall short of your goals, just setting them ensures you’ll get further than if not.
Hannah Schmitt | The Exchange Podcast #2
Hannah Schmitt is a journalist-turned-entrepeneur who builds businesses to help give women the resources and relationships they need to succeed. Right now, that's a coworking space called The Treasury, an entrepreneur club called The Exchange and a magazine called Hundred. But that could change, because she's a serial starter. She works as little as possible so she can invest time in her amazing husband and 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter.
1:45 MIN I choose to be transparent online about what my home life is like because it helps other Moms feel less alone. Everybody has socks on the floor.
4 MIN The real life hack is just having grace with myself and everyone else around me. There are things none of us can control. Before kids, I tricked myself into thinking I could control what goes on around us. But now, the charade is up.
6 MIN Time blocking is vital. Nothing has exploded or totally gone off the rails if I don't check my email. If we miss out on a potential customer or partner because I'm slow to respond to my email, they weren't the right fit anyway. If other people don't have boundaries, they're probably not my people.
10 MIN The Treasury is a coworking space, but not really. Our members treat it like their office. Everyone is there to help each other, support each other and keep everyone moving forward. We're here to stay more connected with the people who help us pursue our dreams. No one in our space would be so busy with a personal task that they wouldn't drop everything to help another one of our members.
16 MIN I Googled to learn just enough to open a business. I have to recognize I'm not an expert and admit to anyone I hire that I'm learning as I go and I want them to be a contributor, too.
17 MIN Our mastermind program is for women whether or not they need office space. There's value in getting vulnerable and sharing challenges with a group of women from different backgrounds, industries and stages of life.
19:30 MIN I'm tired of seeing women feel they're not important or worthy because they don't have the right degree or salary or title. If you're faithful with the work in front of you, you're doing great. Hundred Magazine will honor 100 women who are doing just that. And when we tell women they're important and worthy, there's a trickle down effect.
30 MIN The Treasury has been the opportunity to serve other people and run a business but also have a lot of flexibility and, in this stage of my life, not take too much time or energy away from my family.
Sources
theexchange.community
Kendra Alcala | The Exchange Podcast #1
SHOW NOTES
In our first Exchange Podcast, Kendra Alcala graciously shared her personal experience of straddling that line between gainful employment and pursuing her passion on the side. Kendra has two things that maker her a perfect fit for The Exchange: she’s a lifelong learner with a passion for helping others.
2 min: I originally wanted to be a vet but settled on becoming a vet tech. If you want to pursue a career but the time and money it takes to get there just doesn’t make sense logistically, it’s okay to do something else.
8 min: “Try anything, try everything, you don’t have to like it the first time. You can try something else.” Following through is more important!
9 min: Failure is okay. If I failed in high school, I didn’t get in trouble. Students have a fear of failing and they can really suffer from anxiety or start acting out as a result of the pressure. High school is a good time to make safe mistakes before true adulthood.
10 min: Be willing to be okay with being not okay. Imposter syndrome is real. Let’s just agree everyone won’t like you.
17 min: Pandemic gets me thinking about this idea of my own business. What could I possibly say that people would be interested in? Just a white girl from middle America. Finally I just thought to myself, “I won’t know until I try. What’s the worst that could happen? I could fail. Okay! I would rather live with a failure than live with never doing it.”
18 min: I went part-time at my job so I could pursue this and that helps it be more enjoyable because there’s less pressure. I can try this for a year and be passionate about it and not force it into a situation where it’s what I do for a living. I’m currently helping in higher ed settings with team conflict, group dynamics, understanding leaders vs managers, emotional intelligence, positive communication.
19 min: One of my top Strengths is Learner. So I research a lot and sometimes that holds me back. The Learner inside me says research things first. What are the markets? Who are my competitors? One day a week I dedicate only to research and getting my business off the ground.
21 min: Networking has been essential in getting new business. I have friends in all 50 states now basically through working in university student affairs for 10 years. So just reaching out to them and telling them what I want to be known for. Referrals are built into my contract so if they like what I do they will share that with others. Let people know what you’re trying to do! I also used to hire people like me. I used to hate it when people would cold call me, but if a friend reached out to me and referred someone I would totally trust that.
24 min: “I need to find people I want to work with. It’s not just people who want to work with me.” Instead of putting a thousand calls out and asking people to hire you, I have the luxury of making sure I want them as a client. I politely can say no but I know someone who might work better.
Find Kendra on Instagram @leadthrough or email her at kendra.fringer@gmail.com.