Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 39

It's that time of year and we are featuring 10 companies to watch in Atlanta that are going to hit the big time. That means companies that are innovative, smart and have the capabilities to be large organizations or game-changes in their industry.

A first world problem for sure, but it is one I see regularly as an entrepreneur and one who travels widely around the world.

We all work hard. I don't have children, but I see a lot. I have opinions, just like most, but there is some substance in my opinions because I have been around for a long time.

Parents work hard to build their businesses and wealth. They do so because mostly, they didn't grow up with the wealth that they would have liked, or perhaps they just want to live a better life.

They accumulate wealth, and with that comes big houses, flash cars, holidays in the South of France and skiing in Aspen, and so on.

If you run a marketing team, you will realise a few things; firstly that no marketing team can be all the same, and secondly, a mixture of personalities and skills is required for optimum performance. When choosing a team, it's best to steer away from selecting people just like you, or like another person who you rate as being a good marketer on your team. The reason is simple; a strong, competent, successful marketing team has to have a mixture of personalities that collaborate, support, encourage, nurture and push each other to reach their full potential both individually and as a team.

While this may seem idealistic, it's a reality for any competent marketing manager who has the 'balls' to think outside the box when they are putting together a team of people to take a company to the next level.

Have you completed your businesses marketing strategy for 2017/18? If you want to hit and execute your sales goals for the coming year then you might want to get onto it. 

If you have left it until now to write your 2017/18 marketing strategy, then you are really hitting a fine line, because there is a lot to be done before executing a powerful, deliberate marketing campaign in July that will see your company hit sales targets, connect with customers and accelerate your potential in the marketing for the year to come.

My flight was delayed from Atlanta to Los Angeles and it didn't matter. I was in high spirits, drinking sparkling mineral water in the Amercian Airlines Lounge and writing down my ideas of how I would now change the company's business plan in highsight of the first quarter of this year.

I am inspired beyond belief and like many entrepreneurs, having the motivation to kick goals, climb any mountain and put on a brave face even though you may be scared shitless - is something that comes very naturally to me.

I found myself recently in a situation where in any normal situation, you would fire an employee who was responsible for a particular function in the business, and did not perform and was not achieving results. More than that, while their attitude was fine, they didn't put in extra effort nor did they 'think' about what they were doing on a day to day basis.

No matter how much coaching or development that took place, nothing changed.

They say that jealousy is a curse. I tend to agree. It hinders your judgement and affects your ability to see clearly - and that's just the start.

The green-eyed monster is a mental cancer (B.C. Forbes quote), and can be a huge culture killer, leaving employees that are affected by it disengaged and unproductive.

I won't lie. I walked into Spanx yesterday and was completely and utterly in awe. Wow! Seriously, Wow! The wide hallways, the high ceilings, the writing on the wall, the pictures, the space, the innovation, the courtyard, the conference room and the kitchen - were a dream.

Sara Blakely is not only the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world today, she is also known widely as the nicest, kindest and most giving. On top of that, she is beautiful, has an unbelievable family and is changing the world, not just our figures when we put on a pair of Spanx to shape the areas we don't want the world to see.

As an avid technology enthusiast, I am always looking up new and exciting technologies that may be instrumental in our clients future marketing campaigns.

One such technology asked for Marketing Eye's competitors, and did an analysis on where they sit from a digital perspective compared to Marketing Eye Atlanta. It was fascinating. Our company is a mere 4 years old in the US, and in year one, we realized that we outperformed all our competitors on Google listings/rankings and all areas of social media. It was something we were very proud of, as we don't spend all day pushing this medium, but a bit over 30 minutes in total including writing this blog.

By all means be competitive, but never be the person who leaves someone else behind just to win. 

After listening to the most fascinating man I have ever had the privilege of listening to on team work yesterday, I am completely empowered to bring my team to one level, together and with the same philosophies of a Navy Seal Team.

In fact, I bought some copies of two books today; No Easy Day and No Hero, from a former Navy Seal, hoping to inspire change.