Entrepreneur Spotlight: Nancy Marmolejo – Viva Visibility

SuperHero Marketing asked Nancy to tell us a little about the greatest feline that ever lived and how to get noticed online.

SHM: What prompted you to start Viva Visibility?

Nancy: In my first coaching business, I managed to get a great deal of media spots and high level visibility. One great article led to radio and TV interviews, that led to more print and online interviews… it really snowballed. Pretty soon everyone I knew was asking me how I managed to stay so visible. I saw a great opportunity and restructured my business to showcase my ability to get big time visibility!

SHM: Explain the “Know-Like-Trust” factor.

Nancy: I grew up in a family business, so my business acumen is very “old school”. My dad taught me that people bought from PEOPLE, and that the best way to get their business was to win them over with a warm personality, honesty, and integrity. These days everyone is talking about “authenticity” and “transparency” like they’re new concepts. Fact is, they’re not. Humans are simply wired to buy from people they know, like, and trust. I’ve taken my dad’s lessons and woven them into a very high tech marketing style. I use social media, video, audio, and my blog to make that heart to heart connection that leads to people putting enough trust in you to buy from you.

SHM: I know you put on Live Seminars, How important do you feel Public Speaking is as a skill for entrepreneurs to have?

Nancy: Public speaking is very important but I say that with a caveat. As marketers, we fall into 3 distinct “Spotlight Styles”, and each style has its own guidelines for success. I’m a style called The Brand Evangelist; I do great on stage, with video, and anywhere I can talk! But another style is The Practical Engineer, who isn’t going to feel comfortable with the razzle dazzle yet still needs to get their message across. That person needs to understand his or her best way to show up as a public speaker. Their biggest fear is coming across as boring. So to go back to the question, YES, public speaking is important but you must understand how to show up confidently and reflecting your strengths. This will impact your presentation style, your audio and visual, the level of audience interaction… it’s huge.

SHM: What is the first thing an entrepreneur with zero or next to zero online visibility should do to get started?

Nancy: Number one is to build your credibility. In this day and age of social media, anyone can become famous overnight for pretty much nothing. Staying power is built upon credibility. Get out and gather testimonials, chart before and after success stories, and if you’ve gotten any media attention shout it from the mountaintops.

SHM: Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs that dread the thought of starting a blog? Either because they think they are not good writers or don’t feel they have the time to devote to a blog.

Nancy: If you don’t like writing, you can always reprint other people’s articles that you get from sites like www.EzineArticles.com or www.IdeaMarketers.com . Another idea is to embed How-To videos from YouTube that teach something your audience would want. You can be seen as your ideal audience’s personal information filter.

SHM: What is it about being an entrepreneur that gets you out of bed every morning?

Nancy: It’s a creative outlet for me. I love the excitement, I love it when ideas pay off, and I love the people I meet. But more importantly, I’m a strong role model for my young daughter. Instead of asking her “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, I ask her “What kind of business do you want to own when you grow up?”. She sees the world in a way that many of her peers don’t.  She was shocked to discover that not every kids’ mom had a website and a YouTube channel. And sometimes I catch her playing in front of the mirror doing her own idea of a Viva Visibility video. It’s hilarious!

SHM: Tell us about your big orange cat?

Nancy:The greatest feline that ever lived is Orange Kitty (that’s his official name). He was a scrawny stray cat who came to our doorstep when my daughter was 2 and he’s called us family ever since. He’s now this giant orange fluff ball who sheds like a beast in Spring and Summer, but is such a cuddly sweet thing. He’s also quite the ham, insisting on jumping on my lap when I’m at the computer or doing a video. He’s got his own fan club, people email me and ask about him all the time. Everyone in the neighborhood adores him too (and I suspect they’re all feeding him, too!)

SHM: What is the best book you ever read?

Nancy: I’m a voracious reader, that’s a really hard question!  For business, my all time classic is “Creativity in Business” by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers. They teach a course at Stanford Business School on the same topic and they clearly demonstrate that we must unplug from work in order to thrive in work. They give great examples from the pioneers of Silicon Valley who innovated before innovation was cool.

I also love the book “The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity” by Edwene Gaines. It rocked my world, my understanding of money, and put a much needed spiritual perspective on prosperity and abundance.

SHM: What social media platform do you recommend for the business owner that has limited amount of time to devout to social media?

Nancy: Facebook. Everybody’s there and it’s easy as pie to navigate. My mom is on Facebook.

SHM: Finish this sentence when I am not working I am ______________.

Nancy: Being a mom: taking my daughter to karate, volunteering in her school, driving in a carpool, picking up skateboards from under the kitchen table… all the fun stuff!

SHM: How important do you feel a mentor is to growing a business?

Nancy: It’s not an option, you absolutely have to have a mentor. The definition of a mentor is “Someone who’s hindsight becomes your foresight.” I’ve mentored many business owners through the years and I couldn’t have done as well as I have if I wasn’t being mentored too. We never stop learning, never stop growing.

One of the best ways to get started is to sign up for my free guide and coaching, “21 Online Visibility Tips Every Entrepreneur Must Know: How to Get People to Find You, Follow You, and Buy From You”

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