I am a self-published author, professional speaker, and content creator with an audience of over 250K people and my videos have been seen over 20 million times. I share this because it's relevant to the type of people I mentor - which generally fall into 2 camps; personal brands, and small/medium-sized companies.
I help these types of people with their branding, content marketing, business strategy, social media, and productivity.
Why did you decide to become a mentor?
I decided to become a mentor because of the experiences that I was having at live events. I would often speak on complex topics such as digital advertising, website development, conversion rates, email marketing, and more.
Whenever I stepped off the stage, however, it wasn't my presentations that intrigued the attendees. Instead, the questions they posed were about my personal journey:
• How did you position yourself as an expert?
• What led you to become a sought-after speaker?
• How did you find the confidence to charge your worth?
• How do you fearlessly create content on topics you are passionate about, and author a book?
It was clear: people were more interested in the 'how' of my professional evolution than the 'what' I knew.
These interactions were eye-opening. I realized that sharing knowledge in my areas of expertise was important, but more so was the tale of how I built my credibility and established myself in my industry. The depth of these inquiries transcended the brief moments we shared, signaling a need for a more profound connection and guidance. And so, my path toward mentorship emerged. It became evident that while knowledge is powerful, the journey of achieving and applying it is what truly captivates and inspires.
This realization led me to embrace mentorship, understanding that the knowledge people sought from me wasn't simply technical but deeply rooted in personal growth and professional development. These areas, which require not just a quick chat but a meaningful relationship to fully convey, became my new speaking platform. Mentorship allowed me to dive deeper, sharing not just what I knew but how I came to know it, and in turn, helping others carve their path in their own careers with confidence and purpose.
How did you get your career start?
I started my career in marketing as a freelancer and found a love for affiliate marketing. Way before that though, I was a bartender with no skills or ambition. When I was 24, I found myself in a predicament that I really needed to get out of. I had been suffering financially and just not making the needed decisions in order to move my life forward as I entered adulthood. I always felt like I was behind.
I eventually stumbled across affiliate marketing, which intrigued me quite a bit and led me to start learning some basic skills around digital marketing and building websites. As I got better at this, every now and then people around me would hire me for small projects to help build their blogs or set up their email marketing. As I continued to get better, I sought out bigger and more challenging projects and clients. My quick success in the field helped me get into podcast interviews, on television and news shows, and eventually speaking on stage around the country. This is what led me to publish my first book as well.
At 26 years old, I made my first six figures and at 32 years old, I crossed my first million dollars. Today I run a branding agency that is one of the top 100 in the country and work with many successful companies, big brands, influencers, professional athletes, and more.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Mentees often come to me because they don't know how to convey their message. They don't have a marketing or content strategy and really don't know what to create. The reality of this is that most entrepreneurs don't understand that people conduct business with other people, not brands. But regardless of any of that, they still need to have a brand.
So the question becomes: How do we create a clear, concise, and impactful message that is genuine, but also helps us survive and sell our products and services?
Even if we can figure that out, getting that message out online, and more importantly, getting people to actually see it is the most difficult part of marketing. As a content creator, all we need is permission to be our authentic selves and spread a message about the things we care about most. But this is much easier said than done.
Not only have I done this for myself, and have grown an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, and created videos reaching tens of millions, but I've worked with hundreds of clients to help them do the same. I find a lot of fulfillment in taking complex topics and making them simple for myself and the people around me.
What's been your favorite mentorship success story so far?
One of my greatest mentor-mentee relationships is through an employee that I hired in 2020. They have become a dear friend of mine, and it's been an amazing experience to see them flourish and thrive. When I met them, they were an employee feeling lost and not knowing what direction to take their career in. As I got to know this person, I could see a lot of potential within them. The current skills they had at that time did not matter. As I got to know them, I knew that I could teach them whatever I knew. I did not hire them because of their skills, talents, and qualifications. I hired them because they were personable, hungry for success, and coachable.
Over the course of two years, I helped them gain certifications in the marketing field, gave them a full-time salary, taught them almost everything that I knew, and sent them off to start their own business and find success. They're a close friend of mine to this day, and I'm very grateful for this experience. They often call me to catch up, and it's frequent that they tell me that their life has changed because of their time spent working with me.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
There are a lot of things that I get out of mentorship, as it is a deeply fulfilling practice. Not only is it a wonderful feeling to be able to help others, but selfishly, I learn a lot through the process. It helps me get better as a teacher, but also better as a person. The more that I work with individuals on their challenges, the better that I get at providing solutions. It is an ongoing cycle of improvement that helps the mentee and me as the mentor.
The only possible result is for us both to get better. Being social gives me energy, and I enjoy meeting new people and understanding their stories. It keeps me motivated to push my story forward. The ongoing challenge of helping others work through complex challenges in their businesses and lives keeps me on my toes and keeps me creative and innovative. It is nice to look back and see a body of work that involves helping hundreds of other people along their journey. It is something I'm very grateful for.