Nati Young of Provysion Group, LLC is a multi-passionate creative supporting business owners and conscious creatives with their business and marketing needs. She is also the Math teacher and Business teacher. We sat down with Nati Young to chat about her journey as an entrepreneur, her biggest challenges so far and of course, her advice for business owners.
Do you have any suggestions for enhancing Customer Business?
Business is about one thing. Connection. Every business, no matter what type lives and dies by the connections it makes. My suggestions for any business owner that is trying to grow their business is to focus on connecting. Connect back with your mission, connect with your business and what God is doing through it, and connect with your customers to find out what they need and want. It can be as simple as asking a question.
Can you expand a brand without losing focus?
Success is whatever you make it. So if you decide that you want to expand, that’s definitely doable. A mentor of mine said “what you appreciate, appreciates”. Basically what you focus on, flourishes. No matter how big you get, if you continue to find new ways to focus on the people you want to serve and the changes you want to make, the rest will seemingly fuel itself.
How do you wake up the consumer?
You don’t. They are already awake. If you solve the right problem, they just need to know that you have the solution. Your job is to make them aware that you can get them from point A where they are to point B where they want to be. Whether that’s in their fashion sense or their parenting skills. The premise remains.
Is social responsibility part of being a marketing-oriented company?
Social responsibility is part of any thriving company. Why? Because in the world of the internet, with so many choices, people want to know that you care before they care about what you know (or have). The want to know that part of the proceeds go to a special cause, they want to know how your business contributes to the future. They want to know how your business will create change in their life or in the world at large. That’s what really makes you stand out in your niche. Not what you do, but the impact of what you do on the world and the legacy you leave behind.
How do you keep yourself updated? What are some of the websites or magazines or apps that you subscribe to or read regularly?
To keep myself updated, I constantly and consistently follow NEW organizations. I want to know different opinions and how other people think. I constantly seek out people that are different from me, that think differently than I do, and I find that I learn the most from those experiences. So be open, and willing to hear out someone new.
What would you advise our followers who have want to start their marketing business?
I would say the same thing that I say for any business, no matter what business you want to start, go for it, just don’t do it because it’s easy or trendy or may make a lot of money. Do it because you love it and it is truly who you are. That’s the only way to succeed. Being totally and completely yourself and thriving in it.
What would you say are some of the key differences in product branding and personal branding?
Products come and go, but who you are is forever. I truly believe that people don’t change. We are who we are, from the day we get here until the day we die. As we grow, we just find different ways to go about who we are and what we want. Who we are fuels what we do, a particular product is just how we go about it.
There are ways to measure ROIs of brands. What do you think are some of the practical ways to measure the ROI of personal branding?
Count everything. Consider everything you do as an investment. The time, the money, the effort, the energy, everything. You compare that to the cost of anything else you could be doing… working a job, spending time with the kids, etc. And you have to ask yourself… is this worth it? And I’ll tell you, there is no practical way to know if you’re getting your money’s worth. You just have to feel it. If you be completely who you are, you’ll know that this is right, and the investment will be worth it every time. If it’s not, then you’ll find yourself never really committing to it, knowing that it’s not REALLY going anywhere.
What is the one tip for compelling storytelling you would give to entrepreneurs who are interested in personal branding?
Be yourself, be yourself. Be yourself! For the right audience, your story is compelling enough. The real trick is getting it in front of them.
“In today’s world, image is becoming more and more important than substance”. Would you agree with this statement, and why?
Definitely not, and if it is, then that’s a world I don’t want to be a part of. I believe that your substance fuels your image, and when it doesn’t, there are some very apparent cracks that start to appear in the facade.
Your experiences shaped the kind of leader you are. What specifically did you take from those experiences that has made you into the leader you are today?
I would have to say that the most important thing that I took from my experiences is that I’m my best when I’m completely me. I’ve also heard it called your “genius zone.” When I stay in that place that I am naturally and I try to build on that and grow in it, beautiful things happen.
Is there one piece of career advice that you find yourself returning to?
“Do what you want.” It’s your life and you have to live with it.
What would you say are the essential qualities for success in your industry today?
How does it connect? How does this action connect with what you’re trying to do? How does that connect with the goals you have in life? How do you connect with what it is you’re doing? How does it all connect?
What is the biggest risk you have ever taken and what in you has prompted this risk taking?
The biggest risk that I have ever taken was quitting my job, leaving my home with my 2 kids, and starting a business. I didn’t know what was next, but I knew it had to be better than this. I had so many things that other people wanted, yet I didn’t want them for myself. So, I decided to make a change. A complete restart.
How do you define success within the workplace?
Being able to do a job that allows you to be completely who you are. That allows your strength and brilliance to really shine.
What does success look like for this particular role?
Success is not defined by a role. It is defined by how who I am fits into that role. If I am not a mop, then I should not try to clean the floors like one. I should stay in the lane that I am most suited for.
What’s your vision for the company over the next 5-years?
I’m not sure about the next 5 years. God has not revealed that to me, yet. I do know that we’re on track to hit $2 million over the next 6 months, and for me, for now, that is enough.
What are some of your favorite things about what you do?
I love seeing the lives of business owners change when they start making the connections and getting the sales. I love watching them love what they do. The transition from being overworked and overwhelmed to flowing effortlessly through the challenges and obstacles is beautiful.
What are some challenges of this business?
Getting people to understand that this is so much more than business. The numbers are the numbers and you know the numbers. You may even have an idea of how to get the numbers, but the mindset of it all… Being ok, ready and willing to get to that next level, that is the hardest part. I teach more than just how to build a business. I teach how to be the person that builds the business. Who you are matters. What you want matters. The legacy you want to leave behind matters. You business is an extension of you. What do you want that extension to do?
For someone interested in what you do, can you share what to expect as far as earning potential and effort?
There is no cap on the earning potential or effort when you’re in the right business for you.
What does it take for someone to get started with their own side hustle in your line of work? How does someone start their own business like yours?
I don’t think that any business should be jumped into lightly. You’ll end up wasting time, effort, and money for very little return. If it’s a hobby, that’s a different story. To begin, begin.
Tell me one thing you learnt in your studies that will stick with you forever?
Some of the best, most successful businesses were started by people who were just getting paid to do what they love. When you get into that place, there is no going back. Balance, motivation, energy, effort, failure, and so many other issues that most people have are no longer a problem. So, you can focus on the real problems and that is how success happens.
Join the discussion!