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Think in Color 2023"Head of the Table"

Nov 16, 2023

The Think In Color 2023 has officially come to an end! We're thankful and pleased for the opportunity to listen to our lineup of outstanding women as well as BIPOC makers and pioneers of the industry. We hope that, by the time you've finished the conference you were inspired by our speakers' journeys and learned how you can build a powerful virtual community, diversify your services, and scale your business, among other things.

While many subjects were discussed at the event We've tried our best to share the best moments with the attention of. Find out the key points we learned from every speaker.

Skip ahead:

Creating Cozy & Collaborative Virtual Communities

Cicely Blain anti-racism consultant and founder Bakau Consulting. Bakau Consulting

The session's description is that although remote working was a reality prior to COVID-19, the epidemic accelerated the necessity for companies to move to a digital setting. In turn, companies that would like to have a strong relationship with their customers set online communities in which the same-minded customers can benefit from and assist to each other. But, it's difficult to create it as tight-knit like a physical one.

In this presentation, Cicely Blain shares their experiences in creating their online community called Living Room. They shared the method they use to create a cozy and welcoming vibe in the digital world, developing inclusive and safe communities, and using the internet to cater to individuals' needs.

  Principal takeaways  

  Find out who your customer is and what they are looking for.  

Before establishing Living Room, Cicely had identify the audience they were trying to create an online environment to. Since their mission is founded in the fight against racism and oppression, Cicely was aware that the community will mostly be a target for those such as DEI professionals, consultants and HR professionals that do similar things.

Following, Cicely had to figure out what the people actually wanted.

      "I was thinking about what these people are seeking, especially in this pivotal time where so many things are shifting and they're being called in different directions?'    

      The people are clearly looking for community, a feeling of solidarity, and connection even when they feel the feeling of. They're also looking for resources and looking to learn."  

  You should be relatable to your audience  

The most effective way to convince members to join your virtual community is to provide them with something that they are able to relate to. For Cicely the thing that was relatable was their living space. They were looking to recreate exactly the similar cozy and comfortable feeling that their living room provided them.

      "I wondered, "What is it that I want people to feel as they enter this space?' And I thought, well I'd like them to feel the same way they might when they enter a physical space that's cozy and wholesome and inviting. I wanted them to be relaxed, happy as well as supported, connected and seen."  

Cicely imbibes this vibe in the community through:

  • The beginning of every virtual conference begins by allowing 10 minutes for reflection. It is a quick questions on the screen in order to help attendees do some self-reflection.
  • Soft R&B-inspired playlist that helps users relax and settle into the conversation.
  • Engaging in each conversation as though they're having a light-hearted conversation with the closest people. While making footage for their on-line courses, Cicely might be doing her makeup, or brewing a cup of tea in the kitchen.

  Provide a variety of ways that community members can get the information they require  

Although people who belong to a virtual community are ideally like-minded folks, they likely have different needs strength, weaknesses, and needs. As a company, you'll have to discover different ways in how you can satisfy the needs of your community members despite their differences.

With Living Room, Cicely met their community members' needs with:

  • Offering various forms of engagement (e.g. live chat, forums for discussion, comprehensive online courses and so on. );
  • Defines common values and guidelines for the community;
  • Allowing people to show themselves as authentic;
  • Removal of unnecessary stressors such as time constraints and agendas for meetings;
  • Be aware of accessibility issues (e.g. impairments and neurodivergence), etc.

Funds In The Funnel: Maximizing Revenues Using a Funnel that is focused on customers.

Ellie Diop, Content & Funding Coach at Ellievated Academy

Description of the session: In order to build an effective business, you need customers to take a purchase or use in your service. Many companies make the error of creating content they think the ideal customer would prefer rather than what their clients actually need. In this talk, Ellie explains how you will grow your business and maximize sales by creating the right funnel that entices your ideal customers and caters to their desires and requirements.

  Principal takeaways  

  Every piece of content matters  

Building a customer-focused funnel can be described as establishing a connection with your clients. The most effective way to achieve it is by creating content that is informative, relevant, helpful, and beneficial to customers. A customer-focused funnel consists of five steps:

  • Awareness
  • Discovery
  • Consideration
  • Conversion
  • Retention + relationship + REPEAT

When it comes to the value of writing the right content Ellie declares, "Every piece of content that you produce is part of the sales staff. So whatever you posted in the last three months is working to move people down this process... Making sure you show up regularly with the same style creates a predictable tone for your customers to understand so they can move through the sales funnel."

  Clarify your brand  

If you're not aware of whom your goods or services will be marketed to, then there's no way anyone will purchase from or employ your services. Therefore, before you build an online funnel, you need to clarify your business's purpose and goals, starting from the ideal customer. Consider:

  • Who do I serve?
  • What can I do to help them solve?
  • What do I need to do?

The answers to these questions provide the basis for all your business decisions. Ellie offers a straightforward structure for this: I help [YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE] to meet [YOUR GOAL] with the use of [YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE]

Drawing on her experience in growing her business Ellie declares, "For me, it could be 'I help women to build successful businesses by providing them with strategy and financial skills '... In the past I wrote this down on a sticky note up in a corner. So, every time I went to record a video I remembered who I was talking with."

  Build your social media presence  

Social media is one of the most efficient ways to build branding awareness as well as generating leads for your business. It's so effective that most customers will visit your brand's Instagram profile (or the other social media pages) prior to visiting your website.

Hence, you need to put in the money (and maybe even money) into the content on social media in order to make it more visible. One way to do that is by:

  • Creating educational, engaging and sharing-friendly content (especially videos)
  • Paying for ads
  • Working with influencers that have a similar target audience as you

  Utilize lead magnets to expand your list of email subscribers  

As you're creating content, you want to bring most people from social media on your email list. When people subscribe to your list of email subscribers, they're giving you a way to communicate directly with them -- which is more valuable than if they happen to stumble upon your content and videos while scrolling through Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). That's where lead magnets are useful.

With lead magnets, you're handing out value for free to get people's contact details (usually their email and name address). You can also ask for other things too. For example, at the start of her business, Ellie offered free 1-on-1 sessions to customers to get testimonials. She used those testimonials to get her first batch of clients who paid.

      "You've to think about the question, "What's an area that I can deliver high-quality free services that can make someone happy? and make that your main incentive. [In my business], I recently made a change where instead of pushing customers directly into a product, we direct customers to take advantage of a complimentary offer such as the free masterclass. After that, we sell the back end. We have had great results."  

  The process of keeping existing customers easier than acquiring new ones  

Every new lead you get, you need to follow a process for pushing them down the sales funnel -- which is a lot harder than convincing an already existing client to return to you. Thus, focus on retention of customers at the same level or even more than customer acquisition.

To retain your customers, here are some tips to follow:

  • Provide high-end customer service
  • Utilize surveys from customers to get feedback
  • Gather testimonials from satisfied customer (offer incentives, if you can)
  • Create a secondary product that will fill any gaps in the market

When she created a second offer, Ellie shares, "I created my first business credit course for just 15 dollars. In the meantime, I was getting comments from my customers on what theywould like to see in the future. Then I created my Business Credit revamped. After that, I developed my Business Credit masterclass, and after that, the whole bundle. What happened is, a majority of people who purchased the first purchased the second to fill in the gaps. [Then] they bought the third version because they were advancing in their understanding, they required more."

Growing both B2C and B2B Companies for Multiple Revenue Streams

Jessica Chen, Global Communication Expert and CEO of Soulcast Media

Session description: Businesses, in general, have three major sales and revenue elements: their offerings and services as well as the content they develop to explain their products and services and the channels by which they distribute their information. In this presentation, Jessica discusses the power of LinkedIn in helping businesses connect with clients (B2C) as well as to other companies (B2B) and how you can craft your content to speak to both groups, and the best way to grow your offerings and services to suit both groups.

  LinkedIn is an effective platform for distributing content and grow your visibility  

Many business owners and professionals are on LinkedIn however, they aren't considering LinkedIn a platform on which you increase your exposure and publish contents. Instead, they see it as a platform for updating resumes, finding job opportunities, and making connections with those you already know.

In reality, LinkedIn is a social media platform, just like Instagram as well as X (formerly Twitter), and should be treated as such. There is only one difference: what kind of content you post.

On LinkedIn's appeal, Jessica says, "The benefit of LinkedIn is this you're communicating with a specific segment of the population that is at a point of professional development and an eagerness to grow."

Jessica also explains the process of how she went from talking about her experiences as a journalist in 2018 and then becoming a accredited Top Voice and a LinkedIn instructor within five years. Jessica attributes this to posting consistently on the platform and connecting with a wide array of users who could be benefited from her service of helping others improve their communications skills.

  Change your messages to meet the needs of both B2C and B2B viewers.  

A lot of business owners think that they will only be able to gain attention when their content is targeted to consumers who are merely individuals. But this isn't the case.

The strength of LinkedIn is its ability to allow users to modify their messaging so that it can be tailored to B2C and B2B audiences. The content itself does not need to change, but changing the language you use to describe your business can improve your visibility and attract both individual consumers and businesses.

"I discovered that when I'm trying to communicate to a B2C audience I use language like "you," "your" and have you ever thought about ...?'" says Jessica. "My language is direct so anyone who reads my material feels as if it's a personal message.

      "[With the B2B marketInstead of using 'you' and "your", I'm presenting my message using things like, 'the team' or 'the company'. It's more positive-driven and [less personal."  

  Make yourself known as an thought-leader in order to attract B2B buyers.  

Unlike individual customers who only desire a top-quality product, B2B audiences need to know they're getting the best. To attract the attention of B2B customers, you'll have present yourself as an expert or thought-leader in your field, regardless of whether the product you offer is designed toward B2C customers.

For example, if you're an artist, you could create and sell an online photography class to your B2C audience. But to get B2B prospects, you may post thought leadership material about having a career in the arts or about establishing a company through your art. Or if you offer 1-on-1 classes teaching individuals how to improve their productivity You can reach out to B2B viewers by publishing content about improving workplace productivity.

This way, you can move to selling B2C items like e-courses or 1-on-1 classes to offering events and speaking opportunities.

Making a personal brand using video

XayLi Barclay expert as well as Visual Content Coach with Start Shoot Develop

Session description as the owner of your business you can feel invisible, especially if you sell in a saturated sector or market. But you can overcome the feeling by establishing your personal brand with videos, whether it's shorter TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, or longer-form YouTube videos. In this presentation, XayLi explains how you can use video content to help promote your online courses as well as to generate sales. establish your name to the people who purchase from you.

  You don't need too much information to start.  

If you are you are creating your first video, or creating your first livestream, you don't have to be perfect. You can start with what you have. At the start, people will accept your poor quality video as well as your poor editing abilities since they are aware that as time passes, you'll be more proficient.

XayLi herself got started by using a laptop, an easy white background, as well as a ring light that was ripped from the mill.

"This was where I began and even got approached to be one of their experts" she states. "I did not wait until I was able to set up the newsroom to begin teaching others. I used what I had because I knew what I wanted to teach did not revolve around just how beautiful your setup could be.

      In the present I'm using a integrated studio at home however, this is where I started a few years in the past."    

  Get more resources as you grow  

When you see more attention through your video content and earn money, it's possible to begin to build out your set and upgrade your video equipment. As an example, you could buy a more powerful camera or webcam as well as a tripod stand (worth around $500-$1,000) as well as a green-screen, eCamm Live, a teleprompter app as well as the Adobe Premiere subscription for editing.

When it comes to equipment and set upgrades, XayLi clarifies, "[At this stage] there are many camera angles, and the list goes on. You can start investing in those things because you're making profits. We [often] think that it's important to appear good before the money comes. No. It is necessary to go in the marketplace, and the money will start coming in."

When you start making enough cash, you may start outsourcing your video recording production, editing and distribution to contractors or an internal team.

  Focus on one thing at a time  

There's a common misconception that you must take every step to grow your business: post across every platform, jump onto every new trend, and speak about a range of subjects. However, this isn't always true. It's much better to focus only on one aspect in a row as you build your personal branding. It not only stops you from burning out, but it also lets your audience know what to be expecting from you each when you upload the video.

In accordance with XayLi Barclay's "Rule of 5 Ones", here are the five elements to consider in establishing your digital strategy

  • One product or service
  • One possible market
  • One lead conversion tool
  • One main traffic source
  • One objective for business

Memberships - Memberships - The Good, The Bad as well as The Ugly

Teri Ijeoma the founder of Trade & Travel

Summary of session: If executed properly, memberships are an excellent way for companies to build stronger relationships with their customers, as well as generate extra income. Teri Ijeoma has created an online membership platform to support Trade & Travel and she is now able to enroll over 35,000 customers who are enrolled in her programs and 185,000 subscribers to her email list. In this talk, Teri shares the benefits of establishing a membership system as well as explains how businesses are able to set up and manage members in the best way.

  Know when to transition from a no-cost group to a membership model that is paid  

If you're not a very famous business, then you'll be required to launch your own membership program, offering the benefits for no cost. Teri started hers by creating a Facebook group for free. As you expand your group, you'll need to be aware of the time to move from a no-cost community to a membership-based model.

Here are some indications you should be looking for prior to making a pivot:

  • The group you are working with is growing in size but your members are only paying only one time for your offer -- as opposed to paying for the additional benefits your organization offers, e.g. year-long customer support, etc.
  • Members of the group start independent meetings or sub-groups, making it difficult to oversee the group's administration.
  • You're hiring group moderators or coaches to offer consulting to members of the group, but and not generating any additional income through your group members.

  Your membership program is a product that is an item in and of its own  

Some companies who create online courses also have membership programs as add-ons for their classes. While a membership program is an excellent way to make your course more valuable, you should treat it as a product itself -- not a mere add-on.

Speaking about the benefits of her Trade & Travel membership, Teri acknowledges "In the beginning, I believed that the membership was an extension of my course. This isn't the case. it's a product completely on its own. It should have its own staff, promotions and marketing plan... it's best to think about the membership as a "product."

  Be intentional with your pricing  

If you're transitioning from a free group to a membership model, consider the income goals you have and then price your product according to that. At this stage, it's simple to set your price less to attract more customers. If you're certain that your program's chockfull of worth, you shouldn't hesitate to set a higher price for the program.

For example, if your aim is to generate the equivalent of $10,000 per month, you'd better get 500 people to pay $200 per month rather than 1000 people to contribute $100 per month. In reality, the more expensive your prices are, the less people will sign up for it. But this also means that you'll be able to meet your earnings goals quicker, and find it relatively easier to manage the program.

Head of the Table Panel Discussion

Diandra Marizet, (Host) The Executive Director and co-founder of Intersectional Environmentalist

Session description: This panel discussion includes the panelists Cicely, Ellie, Jessica Cicely, Jessica XayLi sharing their perspectives regarding the importance of inclusiveness and diversity within the business world, the issues women and BIPOC business owners confront as they enter the economy of creators as well as how they can value their offerings ethically within a capitalist system.

Here are a selection of the poignant questions and the answers to this discussion:

  Many women of color entrepreneurs are gaining financial security for the first time. What challenges, emerging issues, and opportunities does the future hold for them?

Ellie Diop: Just like there's poverty trauma There's also wealth trauma too. When you're the first one within your family who owns a 6- or seven-figure company, there's not many examples to follow. There's a stigma that still exists when speaking about money, specifically in the case of a person with a different race earning more than most people see over the course of a lifetime.

As an example, after I earned my first million dollars, I was scared to leave my mom's home. I wasn't ready to commit the money because I wasn't sure what I would be doing if I lost it. It was also a bit scary to share the news with my family since I was afraid they'd see differently about me.

One thing I'd like to have more of is collaboration spaces like this that remove the stigma of being a victim and instead say "Hey, what's going on? If you're stressed about making money, and what you should use your earnings, don't be afraid to talk about it". The stigma that is perpetuated is a reason why many people earn a lot of money and return to the place they were.

  In many business situations, we feel the need to blend, code-switch, remain silent, or put parts of ourselves out. It is not always easy to think that we belong to the idea of professionalism. What has that experience taught you about how you contribute to your local community? How do you apply that to your work as an DEI professional?

Cicely Blain: With the media systems we have been raised on that we have a particular sort of person featured on media, television as well as social media as well as when certain creators on the internet gain traction, while other creators are banned from shadows, it is easy believing that you must to conform to a certain manner of speaking and being.

If you can find a place where you are seen for what you really are by your peers and leaders (even even if they're not having the same experiences that you), that's truly liberating. However, although there is a growing number of representations and opportunities are more readily accessible, there's two standards for how people can show up. Sometimes we internalize those two norms (even when they could not be real) which can keep us from achieving our goals.

As an example, on TikTok there are a lot of people who aren't well-dressed and polished constantly. While that's liberating, I feel like that possibility is limited to a select few who have a greater expectation of others, and in the manner they portray themselves.

  If you are faced with the dilemma of deciding that your current path isn't in line with your capabilities to go and where your passion could be, and you decide to move to full-time entrepreneurial?  

Jessica Chen: All of us reach a stage in our lives reach where we realize that what we were hoping to attain is done and we're ready for an entirely new experience. For me I had a great career that I enjoyed, however after 10 years of working, I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more out there. I've always been a kind of person to create my own path. So I thought about how I could teach the skills I've learned.

My initial career was as a journalist, which might consider the only "proper" career that doesn't allow you to share your opinions, you don't have your own voice as you're reporting on other people's experiences. It was an upsetting transition for me to develop my own voice and showing my personality. That was definitely a learning process.

  How can you price your offerings or services in order in order to draw people who share your values, are eager to gain knowledge from you and recognize the value of the product or service you offer?

XayLi Barclay Says: Lots of times we price low however we can overwhelm those investingin turn, doing a shame for the investor. It's easy to think you'll get a lot of buyers if you sell low. However, chances are that you're dealing with people who are overwhelmed who aren't ready to take action.

I hired a coach for my business to figure out the amount I could make, and that determined my pricing based on volume. It's common for creators that launch a $7 course and make 6-figures off of that product however they don't have enough volume. If you're a less experienced creator, it's important be aware of what you want to accomplish as a company so that you can price appropriately.

If I offer 5 online classes at $1,000 for each course, I'll earn $5,000 -- versus selling 500 courses at $10 per course. Think about it that way. It's what I needed to go through.

Watch the sessions of Think in Color 2023 on-demand

And there you have it -- the key insights from the three-hour-long event created for budding as well as established entrepreneurs working in the creation economy. We encourage you to dive further into those topics that caught your interest.