There comes a time in every business owner’s life when you start asking yourself questions you never knew to ask before:
– Can I create additional streams of income?
– How do I do work that satisfies me every day?
– Am I seeing the big picture?
Hey. We’ve all been there. And while you may be able to answer these questions for yourself, sometimes, you need someone with a fresh perspective, and a cup-full-of-mojo, to help you decide what to do next. This is exactly when you should consider contacting one of these five legendary business consultants.
Though they come from different backgrounds and experiences, there are a few things they all have in common:
Just like you, they’re all self-made professionals who started small and dared to dream big. And… they’re all members of vcita’s xperts partnership program, an exclusive group of professionals who were vetted to sell and distribute vcita to the small business community.
Here are their stories.
1. Brandon L.D. Klayman, Conscious Commerce Corporation (CCC)
Founder & President of the Conscious Commerce Corporation (CCC) marketing agency, Brandon is the creative force behind MAP: An award-winning marketing automation platform. His marketing agency turned 17 on January this year and is a top-rated partner with UpCity.
Tell us about your business and the services you provide:
MAP (Market. Advertise. Promote) is Conscious Commerce Corporation’s integrated digital marketing solution that empowers your company’s digital marketing campaigns.
Everything we do incorporates an integrated, full-service marketing approach that is designed for business success and rapid growth.
Our digital marketing agency works to ensure we are delivering a sustainable marketing solution that keeps our clients happy as they pursue their business goals.
We do SEO, SEM, EMM, GMB, ENGAGE.
What makes you different from other consultants?
One specialist per channel is our way forward. We set ourselves apart by increasing our ability to focus on a per channel basis with specialists in each area of our organization from SEO to SEM to EMM to WEB. Our team is 100% fully certified and educated in each respective channel. From Facebook Blueprint to Google Ads, Analytics, LiveChat, Constant Contact and more.
Add to that 25+ years in digital with a massive background in business consulting for small businesses + enterprise experience as the Manager of Innovation @ IBM gives us an advantage over our competitors everyday.
Most important: We run a transparent business and have standardized workflows and pricing, we use state of the art platforms all integrating into each other to offer the best in class digital marketing experience. Innovation is a natural part of CCC along with rapid deployment of our solutions.
Can you share a customer success story? Let us know what type of business the client runs, why they came to you, and how you helped them
You probably know Pandora Jewelry?
Originally Pandora came to us through a women’s leadership event that our president was a keynote speaker at.
We introduced them to vcita’s client management app to help them serve clients better in a very competitive and demanding retail environment.
Through vcita, Pandora started offering online scheduling so customers could book jewelry consultations with sales reps at 10 store locations across Canada and the United States.
After a review of the impacts of introducing our scheduling solution to the 10 stores the client reported an increase in average purchase size and continued to use vcita to keep client records and collect data that informs their marketing decisions.
Can you share a tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year?
Focus Focus Focus on WHAT IS working for your organization. Let go of what is NOT working. Expand your ability to sharpen service offerings, refine, tweak and increase the quality of delivery for your greatest strengths.
2. Bianca Shellie-Robinson, Cayden Cay Consulting
Bianca owns and manages Cayden Cay Consulting, a full-service operational management firm. Since 2012, Bianca has helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale their business in all 50 states and 140 countries online and offline.
Tell us about your business & the services you provide
Our clients are mainly professional service providers who are starting to get tired or overwhelmed from the daily grind. The moment they realize that “there must be a better way to do this” is when they do their due diligence and call me.
First, I help clients gain back their independence, freedom, and sense of control. You can’t be a top performer when you’re feeling out of control.
Then we revisit their business model together, and see how they can make a much bigger impact and scale up using fewer resources. Ultimately, I want each of my clients to double their income, at the very least.
What makes you different from other consultants?
I’m confident I can drive a meaningful change in people’s lives, because guess what, I was my very own first client, so to speak.
I was tired of having a business that was dependent on me being present 24/7 so I flipped my business model. I am no longer a service provider that just so happens to sell digital products, I am now an online content creator that just so happens to provide services. Now my business model is 80% digital and 20% service. As of 3 years ago, the numbers were reversed.
My value proposition is that I can help you create digital income as well as help you gain clients via services. It all depends on what the client needs are as well as their budget.
Can you share a customer success story? Let us know what type of business the client runs, why they came to you, and how you helped them
You bet. Danielle Hughes is a vending machine business owner. She makes money but she only makes money if she can place her vending machine in a location and if people purchase the snacks in the vending machine. She came to us to expand her offering and translate her professional knowledge into a digital stream of income. She made over $34,000 in just 5 days of her launching her digital line of products. We set up the system, the processes, and facilitated the entire launch.
Can you share a tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year?
I would say be very niche-specific. Be clear about the problem you solve and who you solve it for. Focus on being a thought leader in your industry. Focus on your education collateral. Where can people go to see your genius before purchasing from you?
And don’t stress over things you can’t control but put all of your energy into the things you can control. You got this! You’re amazing. Your success is already written so just act accordingly!
3. Ken Countess, The Countess Group
Ken is leading his agency, The Countess Group, into its 20th successful year (Congratulations, Ken!). With clients like Motorola, Marriott, and Caremark in his portfolio, he’s still eager to help exceptional solopreneurs and small companies scale and grow at speed.
Tell us about your business and the services you provide
The Countess Group is a marketing consultancy that is now in its 20th year. We provide digital marketing services and coaching. Basically, we meet you at your own level, whatever your background or resources may be.
So, for example, if you’re not big enough to hire, we can manage some or all of your marketing needs. If you already have marketers in your team, we can coach them to become top performers. Everything is customized to the client’s needs.
What makes you different from other consultants?
What makes us different is that we do not provide “cookie cutter” solutions for our clients. We customize the work to their needs to enable them to have a unique advantage over their competitors.
Can you share a customer success story? Let us know what type of business the client runs, why they came to you, and how you helped them
My favorite story is how we helped a promotional specialties company in Florida. They attended one of my workshops in Daytona Beach. Their sales were stuck at $50,000 per year over a four year stretch. They were using Google AdWords at the time and did not see any return on investment, or ROI.
I am Constant Contact’s top trainer and have been since 2018. I worked with this client to set up an email marketing account with Constant Contact using my affiliate link. Their sales grew immediately from $50,000 to $300,000 in the first year, and over the succeeding years grew to $700,000.
By the way, they stopped using Google AdWords when we started working together and they are now among the leaders in their niche which is promotional products for the Funeral Home industry.
Can you share a tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year?
My #1 tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year is make sure that you are working it as a business and not as a hobby.
I think the number one reason that people do not achieve their expectations it is that they lose focus. That is often when our phone rings to help businesses get back on track. Often, it’s not rocket science to grow your business. Rather, it’s a matter of having a written set of goals and working that list consistently.
Using automation is an important part of reaching your goals without having to work 24 hours a day. That’s what I love about vcita. I can set up various aspects of my business (like appointment scheduling and invoicing, for example) and see results without having to work quite as hard as in the past.
4. Nathan Bufford, Buildabiz
Nathan is the mastermind behind Buildabiz: An innovative, educational web-based small business incubator, resource center, and marketplace for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Tell us about your business and the services you provide
We are the one-stop-shop for all business resources. We empower the small business economy by serving both ends of the spectrum:
If you’re an entrepreneur, we can set you up with all the resources and strategies you need to build a sustainable business. On the other hand, if you’re a marketing or web professional, and you want to put your services in front of interested entrepreneurs, you can apply to join our marketplace as a qualified pro.
What makes you different from other consulting/business services?
Unlike other agencies, we don’t try to own everything you do from start to finish. No one can be good at everything and that’s where our marketplace comes into full power. You can hire the professionals you need, when you need them, for a fee that works for you both.
Then, we have “The Ladder”: our own unique methodology and playbook for entrepreneurs. It’s a tried -and-tested system that moves you up the ladder towards your ultimate goals, with every step carefully designed to make sure that you don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Finally, we also give you the financial education and tools you need to thrive. That aspect is often overlooked in other agencies. We have a Business Credit Builder program where clients learn how to establish business credit that leads them to opportunities for financing and in-house credit tradelines options.
Can you share a customer success story? Let us know what type of business the client runs, why they came to you, and how you helped them
One of our clients in Atlanta is an aspiring Restaurateur.
The owner and I met while working together at Domino’s Pizza. During that time we built an understanding from day one that the owner wanted to re-open his own pizza shop and re-organize his personal and business infrastructure.
The first initial step was restructuring his personal credit so he could leverage his business credit to obtain new equipment and financing. The owner had a plan in mind, we just had to structure it in a format that would give his business longevity throughout these uncertain times. We started working together in late 2019 and within a year he is preparing a grand opening of his Pizza Bar and hiring staff members as we speak.
Can you share a tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year?
Work with a killer tax strategist to improve your bottom line. This isn’t a glamorous tip maybe but it can make a world of difference.
5. Ellen Zimmerman, Ellen Zimmerman Consulting
Owner and CEO of Ellen Zimmerman Consulting, Ellen has well over a decade of experience in leadership and development training. Vice President for the Texas Coaches Coalition, she’s committed to empowering professional coaches and elevating the coaching profession.
Tell us about your business and the services you provide:
I provide developmental coaching as well as training and development for teams.
As a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator, I focus on authenticity and addressing the common challenges of communication, difficult conversations, and well-being of individuals and teams.
What makes you different from other consulting/business services?
I am a super authentic, dig-into-the-real-world-issues presenter. I am also very comfortable with making activities the main part of a training session. Doing is always better than just listening!
Can you share a customer success story? Let us know what type of business the client runs, why they came to you, and how you helped them
One of my favorite success stories is a healthcare team that was having challenges around respect for each other and working together. We dug into what was good, bad, and in the middle and realized that they all had the same goals. They just didn’t understand each other’s priorities and basis for disagreement. Through the process, the team learned to communicate clearly and share more details around each person’s perspective.
Can you share a tip for businesses who want to make 2024 their big year?
Embrace the fact that nothing is normal! This is your clean slate to make your life what you want.
That’s a wrap!
We’d like to send a special, heartfelt thank you to all professionals who agreed to share their stories and tips with us: Bianca, Ken, Nathan, Ellen, Brandon – we’re proud to call you our partners and can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
We’re always looking for great partners to help us bring the magic of vcita to our growing small business community. Interested? Feel free to apply here.
